Grade inflation

Assignment 1: Paraphrasing Discussion

This is a two-part assignment. First, you will use what you learned in the Module 2 lectures to practice quoting, paraphrasing, and formatting in-text citations. Then, you will describe how to efficiently organize a large number of documents.

Part 1

Read this article and write two paragraphs summarizing its content. (Please be aware that this article does not use APA formatting so do not use it as an example when you are developing your APA-style citations for this assignment.)

In the first paragraph, use several quotations to highlight the main points of the article. In the second paragraph, use paraphrase only to highlight the main points of the article. Remember to use APA-style in-text citations where appropriate in each paragraph. The complete reference entry for this article is below.

Tucker, J., & Courts, B. (2010). Grade inflation in the college classroom. Foresight: The Journal of Futures Studies, Strategic Thinking and Policy, 12(1), 45–53. doi: http://www.thecampuscommon.com/library/ezproxy/ticketdemocs.asp?sch=auo&turl=http://search.proquest.com/docview/224180072

A refresher about citing sources is available on the Academic Resources page under Course Home.

Part 2

When you have finished your first two paragraphs about the article, consider the readings from this module and do the following:

Describe an efficient filing system to store a large number of Word documents on your personal PC. Your initial response should be at least 150 words. Each of your follow-up responses should be at least 50 words.

Respond to your classmates by noting which of the two summaries is more effective and why. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Assignment 2: Creating a Flyer

Before beginning this assignment, you should thoroughly review Windows Explorer, File Management, Office Features, and Word Documents from your course textbook, Go! All in one: Computer concepts and applications.

For this assignment you will be creating a one-page flyer in a Microsoft Word document. The flyer will advertise the fitness activities for students at a college. There are two categories of fitness activities: Fitness Services and Intramural Sports. Please carefully read the paragraph below to understand the fitness activities on and off campus.

The Associate Students of Laurel College sponsors fitness activities. These take place both on campus and off campus. The activities fall into two categories: Fitness Services and Intramural Sports. Fitness Services are noncompetitive activities, with the most popular being Kickboxing, Jogging, and Aerobics. The most popular Intramural Sports activities—which include competitive team and club sports—are Field Hockey, Volleyball, and Basketball.

Open a new Microsoft Word document and save it as LastnameFirstInitial_M2_A2.doc. For example, if your name is John Smith, name your document SmithJ_M2_A2.doc.

Create a one-page flyer that contains the following:

A title that uses Text Effects A text description about the activities based on the fitness activities detailed above. Do not simply copy and paste this! Rework it to more clearly present the information in your flyer. A SmartArt graphic A picture of your choice or the w01K_Volleyball image. Text that wraps around the graphic and/or the picture to demonstrate the use of the Text Wrapping feature. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________-_________ Assignment 2: Expenses Worksheet in Excel

Before beginning this assignment, you should thoroughly review Excel Worksheets, Charts, Formulas, Functions, and Tables from your course textbook, Go! All in one: Computer concepts and applications.

For this assignment you will use Microsoft Excel to develop a worksheet that details your personal expenses in at least four categories from the last three months. Some of these expense categories might include, but are not limited to, Mortgage, Rent, Utilities, Phone, Food, Entertainment, Tuition, Childcare, Clothing, and Insurance. (These numbers may be fictitious.)

Part 1: The Spreadsheet

Begin by opening a new Microsoft Excel file. (You may use the template found here.) Save it as LastnameFirstInitial_M3_A2 Use Rows 1 and 2 for a title. Beginning in row 4, use column A to list your different expenses. Label the next three columns (B, C, D) for the past three months. Fill in the appropriate amount for each expense for each month. Beside the column with your third month’s entries, create another column for totals for each category. Use a formula to calculate a total for each category of expense. In the row below your last expense entry, create another row for the monthly totals of expenses. Use a formula to calculate a total for each month of expenses. Beside the column add another column for calculating the percent of the budget for each expense category. Use a formula to calculate the percent that each expense category is of the total expenditures. Format the worksheet by adjusting column widths and wrapping text, and by applying appropriate financial number formatting and cell styles. Please Note: While some calculations might be easy to do in your head or using a calculator—merely typing the answer into the appropriate cell—the point of this assignment is to get you accustomed to using formulas. In situations requiring frequently updated data or more complex calculations, Excel is a very powerful tool if you know how to use it. Your grade is based on your demonstrated ability to use the required formulas.

Part 2: The Chart

Below your table of monthly expenses, you will create a chart using the numbers from your spreadsheet similar to the example below.

Open the Insert ribbon at the top of the screen. Click on a populated cell inside your spreadsheet, then, click on Column on the Insert ribbon. Select the style of column chart you like. Click and drag your column chart into position below your spreadsheet. Save your file as LastnameFirstinitial_M3_A2.xls. Submit this document to the M3: Assignment 2 Dropbox Suggested challenge for intermediate users: Add a row or rows detailing your income and subtract the total expenditures from the total income.

Suggested challenge for advanced users: Use a formula, function, or combination of both to show your net gain or loss (income minus expenses summed over time) for the three-month period.