Assignment

Topic: Technology has changed greatly over time. It has also greatly changed since the 1980's. Some of the changes have been for the better and some have been for the worse. One way it has changed for the better is allowing people the freedom and flexibility to get an education online. One way that it has changed for the worse is how technology has affected our relationships. "Ultimately, we've seen how technology can help and hinder our relationships. It has undoubtedly enhanced our customer service and some of our business-related relationships; however, it can often be a hindrance to our personal relationships".(Yeager, 2015).

People often complain that they are stressed out, overworked and do not have enough free time. But a study by Scott Wallsten showed that because of internet technology people are actually spending less time relaxing so they can spend more time surfing the web and playing online. "His findings, released this month in a working paper for the National Bureau of Economic Research, were pretty dramatic. For every minute people spend on "online leisure time" - i.e., not working or checking e-mail - they also spend significantly less time on other common activities. The average person looses 27 minutes of work, 29 minutes of leisure and 12 minutes of sleep every day" (Dewey, 2014).

PLEASE READ INSTRUCTIONS IS BELOW:

If you are taking this course at the advanced level you are required to complete an eight- to ten-page analytical research paper, ideally related to some aspect of, or issue inherent within, the investigations you are doing for this course (e.g., further investigating some aspect of academic or professional expectations). This is in addition to the rationale that you are creating for your degree plan.

The subject of the research paper is intentionally not specified--you have the opportunity to choose a topic of interest and importance to your own situation.

The type of research paper is specified. In order to fulfill advanced-level expectations, the paper needs to be analytical in nature, to deal with an issue or a concept that can be debated. You may evaluate a concept related to your educational investigation, or closely interpret an article in a professional journal. Talk with me about ideas for your research paper.

How to Proceed

• Talk with me about research paper ideas.

• Create a working thesis and submit it to me for review in this module.

• Create a working bibliography.

• Draft your paper. You may want to get feedback from me at a point in the course at which you still have time to revise the draft, if it needs to be put into more final form. You need to make sure that your paper is analytical in nature.

• Use the discussion space for advanced-level students to connect with others about your research topic and processes.

• Submit a final copy of the research paper by the Course Schedule date.

How NOT to Proceed

Please do not wait until the end of the course to submit a research paper. You need to discuss this assignment with me and work on the paper progressively as you go along. Do not submit a paper if you and I have not agreed upon the topic, or if I have not approved your thesis idea.

To Recap

The following characteristics are expected for this research paper assignment:

• 8-10 pages
• analytical in nature (e.g., issue, evaluation, critique, etc.)
• related to some aspect or issue involved in your research for your degree
• mentor-approved concept and thesis
• sources documented correctly, using a standard documentation format.