UXM3 Task 2: Professional Communication and Problem-Solving
Introduction
During your academic career and beyond, you will need to apply strategies that will help you accomplish your goals and advance lifelong learning.You will encounter some problems or questions that will require you to identify sources of information and find solutions. You will also need to communicate professionally with your instructors and other staff members who will assist you throughout your learning and professional journey.For this task, you will respond to a given scenario demonstrating a student problem, where you will be asked to apply problem-solving strategies and professional communication strategies. Then, you will be asked to describe some steps the student could take and strategies the student could use to overcome the problem.To complete part A of this task, you will need to refer to the WGU Student Policy Handbook, provided in the Web Links section at the bottom of the page, as a source of information for problem-solving for the student in the scenario. You will also write an email to a staff member to demonstrate professional communication in an academic context.You will be required to acknowledge sources for all examples, in-text citations, and references. You should review the resources provided in the course of study and the Academic Coaching Center for support with in-text citations and references.Note: All references used must be current; published within the last five years.Scenario
Note: You will find the WGU Student Policy Handbook helpful when completing this task. Scroll down to find a link to the handbook under the Web Links section.
A WGU student just started a course that has an objective assessment (OA) with a pre-assessment. The student is confident they have knowledge about the course because they are currently working in the field of study. The student opens the course materials and skims through the topics and decides to take the pre-assessment. The student passes the pre-assessment and immediately schedules the OA for the following day. The student does not take any additional steps to prepare.
The student signs into the testing environment the next day. The online proctor checks the student’s ID and performs the initial checks needed before the OA begins. The proctor asks the student to remove all the loose papers on the desk, adjust the placement of the external webcam, and cover a second monitor screen with a sheet of blank paper. The student begins to feel anxious and frustrated that the setup is taking so long. After 30 minutes, the proctor allows the student to begin the assessment. The student rushes through the assessment because they just want it to be over.
The student does not pass the OA. The student immediately requests to retake the OA, and the course instructor (CI) denies the request. The course instructor sends the student an email requesting a 30-minute appointment to discuss the study plan. The student is frustrated and upset that they are required to meet with the CI and complete additional work to retake the OA. The CI directs the student to the multiple attempt policy and online proctoring policy in the WGU Student Policy Handbook.
Requirements
Your submission must represent your original work and understanding of the course material. Most performance assessment submissions are automatically scanned through the WGU similarity checker. Students are strongly encouraged to wait for the similarity report to generate after uploading their work and then review it to ensure Academic Authenticity guidelines are met before submitting the file for evaluation. See Understanding Similarity Reports for more information. Grammarly Note: Professional Communication will be automatically assessed through Grammarly for Education in most performance assessments before a student submits work for evaluation. Students are strongly encouraged to review the Grammarly for Education feedback prior to submitting work for evaluation, as the overall submission will not pass without this aspect passing. See Use Grammarly for Education Effectively for more information. Microsoft Files Note: Write your paper in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) unless another Microsoft product, or pdf, is specified in the task directions. Tasks may not be submitted as cloud links, such as links to Google Docs, Google Slides, OneDrive, etc. All supporting documentation, such as screenshots and proof of experience, should be collected in a pdf file and submitted separately from the main file. For more information, please see Computer System and Technology Requirements.
You must use the rubric to direct the creation of your submission because it provides detailed criteria that will be used to evaluate your work. Each requirement below may be evaluated by more than one rubric aspect. The rubric aspect titles may contain hyperlinks to relevant portions of the course.
Use the information in the given scenario to complete the following:
Note: You will find the WGU Student Policy Handbook helpful when completing this task. A link to the handbook is provided in the Web Links section.
A. Describe two actions the student in the given scenario could have taken before the assessment that would have prevented their frustration and resolved their concerns. The actions must be appropriate in an academic setting and demonstrate professionalism. Support your description using information from the WGU Student Policy Handbook provided in the Web Links section at the bottom of the page.
Note: You must acknowledge the sources used for all examples, in-text citations, summarized information, and references.
B. Describe self-directed learning strategies a student could use in the future to prepare for an Objective Assessment that includes the following information:
1. Describe one effective note-taking technique from the course materials that the student could use to take notes as they prepare to retake the assessment.
2. Describe one effective study method from the course materials that the student could use to study and retain the information needed to prepare to retake the assessment. Refer to your course materials.
3. Describe two effective time-management strategies from the course materials that the student could use to help them prioritize what they need to get done.
Note: You must acknowledge the sources used for all examples, in-text citations, summarized information, and references.
C. Compose an email that the student in the given scenario could send to their academic program mentor that demonstrates academic professionalism and professional communication by doing the following:
1. Explain two to three of the student’s initial frustrations.
2. Describe two things the student learned about the OA proctoring setup from the WGU Student Policy Handbook.
Note: You must acknowledge the sources used for all examples, in-text citations, summarized information, and references.
D. Acknowledge sources, using in-text citations and references, for content that is quoted, paraphrased, or summarized.
E. Demonstrate professional communication in the content and presentation of your submission.
