Assignment 1: Communication Self-Assessment
Due Week 2 and worth 30 points

In this assignment, you will be assessing how well you communicate. You will first take a communication quiz; then, you will provide a short reflection based on your quiz results.

Part 1: Take the Communication Quiz

1. Go to http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newCS_99.ht… and take the communication quiz to measure your communication skills.
2. Take a screenshot of your quiz results. Note: You will be submitting a screenshot of your quiz results along with your reflection.

Part 2: Review the feedback of your quiz results and create a refection discussing your results. You will write a one to two (1-2) page paper in which you:

1. Summarize the results of your communication quiz by keeping the following questions in mind:
   1. What kind of communicator did you believe you were prior to taking the quiz?
   2. After taking the communication quiz, what did the results tell you about how you really communicate?
2. Provide a conclusion that discusses lessons learned after taking the communication quiz. Next describe three (3) characteristics of an effective communicator; then, suggest two (2) ways you can improve your own communication
3. Use correct sentence mechanics, grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• Be typed, double-spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with 1-inch margins on all sides. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, student’s name, professor’s name, course, and date. (The cover page is not included in the required page count.)

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Demonstrate understanding of the basic fundamentals of communication.
• Develop and practice communication skills, including skills in verbal, nonverbal, listening, writing, interpersonal, perception, and critical thinking as appropriate for the audience.
• Analyze and assess effective communication.
• Use correct sentence mechanics, grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in communications.
• Write clearly and concisely about communications using proper writing mechanics.

Sheila Stanley believes she would need $300,000 to retire today and keep her same lifestyle. If Sheila estimates she will retire in 20 years, how much should he put away each month to have the equivalent of $300,000 in 20 years if the interest she can earn is 5%? If the interest rate changes to 3%, what will Sheila need to save each month? Picture cash flows on a timeline and present it when providing your answer. what would the timeline look like? In what ways could she prepare for retirement?

*** Things to know***

Sheila has never been able to save for retirement and has very little built in for social security due to the lack of work credits since she has never really had steady employment or has been without work for years due to being a stay at home mom and student.

Final Paper

Develop a 12- to14-page marketing plan (not including the title and reference pages, charts and/or graphs) for any product of your choice. Your marketing plan must:

• Analyze the specific marketplace situation in detail, including organizational strengths, weaknesses, environmental opportunities, and threats (SWOT analysis).
• Develop an organizational mission statement, and forecast performance goals using your situational analysis.
• Design a marketing strategy based upon your objectives.
• Create an appropriate integrated marketing mix, which will include your ability to effectively appeal to the specific market segments you will be targeting.
• Develop a written summary and specific recommendations for the implementation of your plan.

Writing the Final Paper
The Final Paper:

• Must be 12 to 14 double-spaced pages in length (not including the title and reference pages, charts and/or graphs) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
• Must include a title page with the following:
  • Title of paper
  • Students name
  • Course name and number
  • Instructor’s name
  • Date submitted
• Must begin with an introductory paragraph that has a succinct thesis statement.
• Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.
• Must end with a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis.
• Must use at least four scholarly sources from the Ashford University Library, in addition to the text.
• Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
• Must include a separate reference page, formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.

To prepare for this Assignment, imagine that you are the social worker assigned to work with Paula Cortez (see the case study, “Social Work Research: Single Subject” in this week’s resources Will Upload below ). After an initial assessment of her social, medical, and psychiatric problems, you develop a plan for intervention. You also develop a plan to monitor progress in your work with her using measures that can be evaluated in a single-system research design. As a scholar practitioner, you rely on research to help plan your intervention and your evaluation plan.

Complete the Cortez Family interactive media in this week’s resources ( will upload transcript). Conduct a literature search related to the chronic issues related to HIV/AIDS and bipolar mental disorder. Search for additional research related to assessing outcomes and theoretical frameworks appropriate for this client. For example, your search could include terms such as motivational interviewing and outcomes and goal-oriented practice and outcomes. You might also look at the NREPP database identified in Week 1, to search for interventions related to mental health and physical health.

a 5- to 7-page proposal/research plan for single-system (subject) evaluation for your work with Paula Cortez. Identify the problems that you will target and the outcomes you will measure, select an appropriate intervention or interventions (including length of time), and identify an appropriate evaluation plan. APA Format to include introduction and conclusion

You will also include the following

For this paper in Include a description of:

The problem(s) that are the focus of treatment

The intervention approach, including length of time, so that it can be replicated

oA summary of the literature that you reviewed that led you to select this intervention approach

The purpose for conducting a single-system (subject) research evaluation

The measures for evaluating the outcomes and observing change including:

oEvidence from your literature search about the nature of the measures

oThe validity and reliability of the measures

oHow baseline measures will be obtained

oHow often follow-up measures will be administered

The criteria that you would use to determine whether the intervention is effective

How the periodic measurements could assist you in your ongoing work with Paula

Referece to use:

Dudley, J. R. (2014). Social work evaluation: Enhancing what we do. (2nd ed.) Chicago, IL: Lyceum Books.

Chapter 9, “Is the Intervention Effective?” (pp. 226-244: Read from “Client Satisfaction & Effectiveness” to “Target Problem Scale”)

Document: Corcoran, K., & Hozack, N. (2010). Locating assessment instruments. In B. Thyer (Ed.), The handbook of social work research methods (2nd ed., pp. 65–74). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. (PDF)

Document: Mattaini, M. A. (2010). Single-system studies. In B. Thyer (Ed.), The handbook of social work research methods (2nd ed., pp. 241–273). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. (PDF)

Tankersley, M., Cook, B. G., & Cook, L. (2008). A preliminary examination to identify the presence of quality indicators in single-subject research. Education & Treatment of Children, 31(4), 523–548.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (n. d.) NREPP: SAMHSA’s national registry of evidence-based practices and programs. Retrieved October 8, 2013, from http://www.nrepp.samhsa.gov/