The Assignment:
Complete the following items and incorporate them into the final version of your Academic Success and Professional Development Plan.

• With the resources specific to the MSN specialization and the, Walden University. (n.d.). Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), shared in this module, write a paragraph or make a Nursing Specialty Comparison table, comparing at least two nursing specialties that include your selected specialization and second-preferred specialization.
• Write a 2- to 3-paragraph justification statement identifying your reasons for choosing your MSN specialization. Incorporate feedback you received from colleagues in this Module’s Discussion forum.
• Identify the professional organization related to your chosen specialization for this Assignment, and explain how you can become an active member of this organization.

Note: Your final version of the Academic Success and Professional Development Plan should include all components as presented the Academic Success and Professional Development Plan template.

Annotated Bibliography Rubric

Annotated Bibliography Rubric – 100 PointsAssessment QuestionExceeds ExpectationsMeets ExpectationsNeeds ImprovementInadequateTotal PointsSources – Are sources appropriate for the assignment?Sources are credible and are scholarly materials, appropriate for college-level work. Most sources are from scholarly publications.

17 pointsMost sources are scholarly and appropriate for the assignment.

15 pointsFew sources are considered appropriate for the assignment.

13 pointsNot enough sources to meet the assignment requirements. Or inappropriate sources were used, indicating student did not go beyond an Internet search.

11 points17Summaries – Do the annotations contain clear, concise summaries of source materials?Annotations contain clear, complete summaries. Main points are summarized, including evidence in support of the main point and examples.

17 pointsMost annotations contain complete summaries, but some may lack clarity or evidence.

15 pointsSeveral annotations may have omitted key content. Main ideas may be confusing or unclear. Summaries may be incomplete or sketchy.

13 pointsSummaries may indicate that source was misinterpreted, or that author’s ideas were not accurately represented. No real indication that student read or understood the sources.

11 points17Objective Evaluation – Do the annotations contain evidence of objective evaluative criteria?All annotations contain evidence of objective evaluation criteria, as related to the field of nursing. These may include author’s credentials within the discipline, accuracy of materials, objectivity, and strengths or weaknesses. Most evaluations address the criteria from a disciplinary point of view.

17 pointsMost annotations address many of the criteria for evaluation. Some annotations may include the criteria, but in a generic way without showing relevance to the discipline.

15 pointsAnnotations may superficially address the criteria for evaluation, or the evaluation is absent in some annotations.

13 pointsMost of the annotations fail to include elements of critical evaluation. May include only statements such as “this was a good source” with no explanation.

11 points17Subjective evaluation – Do the annotations include a clear assessment of the usefulness of the source, reflecting its context within the discipline?All annotations contain an assessment of the usefulness of the source & student’s reaction to the source. Agreement or disagreement? Helpful? Did the source offer a unique contribution or contradict other sources?

17 pointsMost of the annotations include an assessment of the usefulness of the source and the student’s reaction to how the source contributes to the literature of the discipline.

15 pointsFew of the annotations have a subjective evaluation as to the usefulness of the source and/or its contribution to the literature of the discipline.

13 pointsAnnotations may include statements such as “this was a good source,” but fail to explain why the source was chosen or its usefulness.

11 points17Did the student communicate clearly and effectively?The student communicates effectively and well in standard written English. Annotations are meaningful, professional, informative and meet assignment requirements.

16 pointsThe student communicates adequately and is easily understood. Occasional grammar or spelling errors.

14 pointsThe student communicates but with numerous errors that contribute to a lack of clarity or effectiveness. Repeated grammar or spelling errors.

12 pointsThe student’s communication is strained and difficult at times to comprehend. Multiple errors make it hard to understand.

11 points16Are the annotations properly formatted, ensuring ethical treatment of sources?All bibliographic entries are correct in format. Any quotes within summaries are properly attributed.

16 pointsMost entries are formatted correctly, perhaps with a few minor errors. No intentional plagiarism.

14 pointsEntries may not consistently follow APA format, or minor elements are missing. No intentional plagiarism.

12 pointsCitations may be missing important elements, making it hard for the reader to locate the sources. Summary may not be in student’s own words or may too closely resemble the database article abstract or the online book review.

11 points16Total Points100

Reflect on your Clifton Strengths results from the beginning of the course as well as the growth you have made in completing the course.

· Consider how you will continue to enhance your leadership behaviors after the course.

· Post an end-of-course assessment of your strengths and areas for improvement. Reflecting back on this course and using the literature, develop two SMART goals that you could implement to enhance your leadership behaviors and skills.

Developing SMART Goals

SMART is an acronym to help with realistic goal-setting. Use it as a tool to develop goals for yourself—

they could be goals for your career, your studies at Walden, or even your personal life.

This resource includes the SMART goal criteria, example goals, and a template for you to develop your

own academic, professional, and personal SMART goals.

SMART Goal Criteria

S is for specific.

The more specificity you bring to your goal, the clearer it is.

• Vague goal: “I want to advance in my company.” How exactly would you like to advance—in

terms of money or title? What position would you like to hold?

• More specific goal: “I want to advance to the position of senior sales manager.”

M is for measurable.

You must be able to track your progress toward the goal and understand when you have attained it.

Measurability allows for that.

• Not measurable: “Get better at public speaking.”

• Measurable and specific: “Give one class lecture without stuttering.” If you do not stutter during

the class, you know you have achieved the goal.

A is for achievable or attainable.

One tendency with goal setting is to aim too high, but that approach can set goals beyond our reach.

• Likely not achievable: “Earn my Doctor of Nursing Practice degree within 1 year of starting.”

This goal is not feasible due to workload and the established timeline of the program. Likewise,

“Become an executive chef in a three-star restaurant within 2 years” is not likely to happen if

you are currently a dishwasher with no culinary training. So… be conservative when

determining what is actually achievable.

R is for relevant.

This criterion ensures that the goal is important to you right now, at this point in your life.

• For instance, if your goal is “Start my own home health care business by the end of the year,”

consider what else is going on in your life. What other goals are you working toward? How

does this goal help or hinder those? Perhaps you have just bought a house, which has reduced

your finances; it might not make sense to invest in a business at this point as well.

T is for timely or time-bound.

Every goal must include a deadline or timeframe. Otherwise, why would you ever start it? The

procrastinator in you might just keep waiting and waiting and never take action.

• When determining an appropriate goal timeframe, ask yourself how long you need to

realistically complete the goal. This date gives you the end point, but it should also spark a

desire to achieve mini-goals along the way to attaining the larger goal.

Example Goals

The key to an effective goal is to combine all of these criteria, so that your goal is specific, measurable,

achievable, relevant, and timely altogether. Let’s look at two examples to see if they fit all of the

SMART criteria.

Example Goal 1

By a PhD in Public Health student: To improve my grammar, I will complete the Sentence Structure

Basics and Verbs modules in the Writing Center with a 90% score within 6 months.

• Is it specific? Yes. The student includes the names of the modules and where to find them,

rather than just “modules.”

• Is it measurable? Yes. The student needs to receive a certain score.

• Is it achievable? Yes. The student has given herself adequate time, and she is not expecting

perfection. She is giving herself some leeway in the score.

• Is it relevant? Yes. The student is working toward a PhD in Public Health degree, and she will

eventually write a dissertation. For a dissertation, proper grammar is especially important,

making the goal relevant to the student’s situation.

• Is it timely? Yes. The student has attached a timeframe of 6 months to this goal.

Example Goal 2

By an MS in Education student who is also a middle-school teacher: I will attend two professional

development workshops.

• Is it specific? No. The student has listed professional development workshops in general but

not which ones.

• Is it measurable? Yes. The student has indicated two workshops. When two have been

attended, she knows the goal is completed.

• Is it achievable? Yes. It is reasonable that the student has access to professional

development workshops as a teacher.

• Is it relevant? Sort of. Professional development is certainly relevant to the teaching

occupation, but without specificity, the relevance is unclear.

• Is it timely? No. There is no deadline or timing information within the goal to indicate when it

should take place.