For the next few weeks, you will be working on a test development project. The goal of this project is to demonstrate your understanding and application of concepts related to the technical aspects of tests and assessment by creating a new (hypothetical) test.

This week, you will begin by choosing a psychological characteristic on which people differ. A simple, narrow characteristic works best for this assignment. 

Conduct a brief literature review of the psychological characteristic you chose, learning more about it and how it has been defined and measured in the past. Then, answer the following questions about your test. You may use the attached template to help organize your paper.

Test Topic:

What is the name of your test?

What is your test designed to      measure? Be specific.

How do you define the construct      being measured? Remember, that to create a test the construct should be      defined in ways that can be quantified and measured.

What is the purpose of your test?      What real-world behavior will it predict?

• Background:
• How has your construct been      tested in the past? Include a focused review of the literature in this      area, discussing information on specific measures.
• Is there a need for your test?      How will your test benefit society? How will your test be better or not      better than previous tests?
• Conceptualization:

What is the content of your test?      Explain why it is covering this content.

Who are the proposed test users?      Be specific.

In what setting(s) will the test      be used? Be specific.

• Who are the proposed test-takers?
• What cultural factors might      affect test-taker response?

The Pandemic has certainly opened our eyes to the need for self-care! Even our Code has been updated to include a section on Social Workers self-care. It’s about time we take a proactive approach to balancing the tough work that we do, with our own health and life stability. Keep in mind that self-care looks different for each of us. Some of us prefer a physical activity like running, taking a hike, going to the gym, etc. Some of us unwind with a good book, getting pampered at the spa, or just listening to our favorite music. Self-care doesn’t have to be a huge time or energy consumer! Sleep is also a very important part of self-care. Many of us struggle to get good sleep when our brains are full of all that we have to do. However you unplug, and unwind, just be sure you are doing it!! As school, work, and life get busy, it’s easy to push it off. However, I assure you that you will be more productive, happier, and more relaxed in all of these areas if you are practicing self-care!

Listen to this week’s podcast:

Creating a Nighttime Ritual

Creating a Nighttime Ritual Transcript

Drink the Stupid Water

Drink the Stupid Water Transcript

Answer the following questions:

1. What do you do for self-care?
2. How might you change your nighttime routine after listening to the podcast?
3. How much time per week do you spend engaged in self-care? Is it enough?

Overview

Before you start working on your own research argument essay, you will spend some time studying the arguments of others, to better understand how they successfully structured and presented a persuasive project. The rhetorical analysis is a foundational assignment to introduce you to the “rhetorical situation,” as a concept. The goal is for you to take what you learn about successful argument, and apply it to your own writing in this course.
For this rhetorical analysis assignment, you will analyze a speech (see the options below) to gain a better understanding of “the rhetorical situation”- the audience, purpose, medium, and context–within which the speech was created. In addition to dissecting the speech’s rhetorical situation, you will also identify and discuss the author’s choice of rhetorical appeals (ethos, pathos, logos) or evidence. *This is the one and only assignment that is not driven by your personal topic selection, as all the following assignments build on each other starting with the Annotated Bibliography and concluding with the Research Story.

Expectations

As a foundational assignment, the rhetorical analysis will help you to:
Identify and analyze the rhetorical elements of a piece of communication
Assess the effectiveness of a speaker’s choices, in relation to the rhetorical situation
Build a foundation for future argument writing based on the skills and strategies identified and analyzed in this assignment 

PART ONE: Which is better for determining the ethical quality of an act: the Motives (what you meant to happen, but may not actually happen), or the Consequences (what actually happens, but you may not mean for them to)?  In other words, is it better to live by principles (like “honesty is the best policy” and be honest all the time, regardless) or is it better to live by outcomes (doing things that cause happiness, like letting kids eat cake and ice cream for breakfast, lunch, and dinner until that doesn’t make them happy anymore, then move on to the next thing)?  Is it always good to do what it seems will produce the greatest happiness for most (not all), or should another approach be found?  Is it always good to live by an inflexible code of conduct?  

PART TWO: In a trolley car emergency–If there were a scientist who would discover a cure for all cancers tied up on one track, and all the family members of everyone in Critical Thinking class tied up on another track, and the trolley was barreling down the track, and it could not be stopped, and it had to proceed on one track where the scientist was tied up, or the other track where the family members were tied up, and you were at the switch to determine which track the trolley would race down, which choice would you make?  Why?