Writing Assignment #2 will be a critical annotated bibliography of 12 sources.
In this assignment you will write a list of at least 12 references in alphabetical order in APA format.  In addition, each reference will be followed by a short analytical summary of 150-200 words.
 
At the end of the short summary, you will include a sentence or two that critically analyzes the source and that mentions distinctive features about the article and why it may or may not be useful for you in writing a literature review.
You may select a topic of your choice.  However, when selecting a topic, keep in mind that it should be a topic on which a number of studies or scholarly articles have been published.  
Examples of topics students have chosen in the past or that would be workable for this assignment are the following:

• The impact of the Internet on research methods of students and plagiarism in student papers
• The impact of The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act on primary school education
• The impact of mobile devices on cybersecurity

 
Overall, in considering a topic, you might consider your major, topics that will be covered in future classes you plan to take at UMUC, and your interests.
For example, please examine the following ideas:

• If your major is criminal justice, you might consider researching criminal behavior among homeless individuals, criminal behavior among youth, society’s perception of law enforcement, etc.
• If your major is psychology, you might consider researching counseling strategies, consumer behavior in online shopping, decision-making in upper-management positions, etc.
• If your major is history, you might consider researching theories on the Civil War, studies on labor patterns in the United States, an aspect of military history, etc.
• If your major is social science, you might consider researching community responses to health care threats, co-parenting patterns after divorce, etc.
• If your major is graphic communication, you might consider researching different categories of graphic communication technology, trends in graphic communication through the years, etc.

 
Whatever topic you consider, keep in mind that it should be a topic on which a number of studies or scholarly articles have been published.  You will conduct all or most of your research using UMUC’s OneSearch function in finding scholarly articles.
This assignment will be an analytical/critical/ annotated bibliography.  The difference between the descriptive/informative annotated bibliography and the analytical/critical annotated bibliography is explained in the following video:
http://www.umuc.edu/library/tutorials/bibliography/bibliography.shtml
The transcript is at http://www.umuc.edu/library/libhow/bibliography_tutorial.cfm#transcript.
 

Behaviorism Evaluation
Resources
This is the first chapter of a cumulative evaluation. Over the length of this course, you will write four chapters for this evaluation, one each on behaviorism, social cognitive theory, cognitive information processing, and constructivism.
Although this class covers many learning theories, they can easily be grouped into four distinct categories. These four categories are continuing to develop and expand as the study of human learning has become more popular. Educational psychology researchers have advanced their interests to applied settings, such as teaching and learning. This new interest in academic learning, in combination with the technological advances made in this field, both continue to affect the evolution of the field and the competencies addressed in this course. Although the emphasis in this class is on cognition-related learning theories, behaviorism will also be discussed.
You will complete one paper in this unit, and one paper each in Unit 5, Unit 7, and Unit 9. For each paper, you are asked to examine specific aspects of the learning theory category. As you complete each chapter, compare it to your previous chapters. Each paper should be four to five pages in length, not counting your title sheet or references. Be sure to use examples from your readings and research to support your position throughout your paper. Papers should be double-spaced with a font size of 12 and follow APA style. Address the following in your paper:
Summarize the four conditioning theories of behaviorism.
Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of behaviorism, in general.
Apply behaviorism to a practical situation in your specialization. Describe the situation, how the theory can be applied, and what the expected outcomes would be.
Describe the relation of behaviorism to self-regulation.
Write in a concise, balanced, and logically organized manner.
Use grammar, punctuation, and mechanics expected of graduate-level composition, using APA style and format for all citations and references.
Paper Requirements:
Number of References: A paper of this length should include references. As a graduate student, you are responsible for determining the appropriate number of resources. The majority of them should be original research articles published in legitimate scientific journals. A few review or survey articles are also acceptable.
Article Distinctions: Research articles present original research, review articles discuss research already presented elsewhere, and survey articles are comprehensive review articles that discuss an entire field or area of research. If these distinctions are unclear to you, investigate them on your own or ask your instructor for help. References to books are acceptable, but they should be kept to a minimum—probably no more than five.
APA Style: You must use proper APA style to cite and list your references. Refer to the Capella Online Writing Center’s APA Style and Formatting guidelines for more information.
Format: Use the following structure to organize your paper:
Cover page (your name, your specialization or program, title and course number, current quarter and year, instructor’s name).
Optional: abstract.
Body of paper, including headings and subheadings over the appropriate content.
Reference list.
Refer to the APA Style and Formatting guidelines for additional formatting information.
Style: Write in the third person as an impartial narrator. Avoid the use of I, we, or you. In particular, avoid phrases like “I think” in favor of phrases like “the evidence suggests” or “research indicates.” In science, personal opinion carries no weight unless it is supported by a combination of empirical research and statistical or logical-mathematical inference.
Other Notes: Avoid long quoted passages from your source texts. Your paper should be a synthesis of your own ideas, in your own words—even if your ideas refer to the original ideas of others, in which case the references should be explicit. A paper at the graduate level should be scholarly and more than a mere summary. It should present a unique thesis or at least a significant point that you are trying to make, adding appreciably to what is already known of your topic. Your point or thesis will stand or fall solely on its strength—that is, the quality and quantity of the evidence you present.