Fun Paper 1 Psychology
PSY 102 — Psychology in the Modern World
Instructor: Bob Melara
Fall 2012
FUN PAPER # 1
Due Date: Monday, October 15th, 2012, by 5 pm on **Blackboard**
Critical Thinking using Psychological Science
The Learning Alliance for Higher Education, an educational consulting firm based at the University of Pennsylvania, was hired by City College in 2011 to investigate and make recommendations for improving undergraduate retention and graduation at the College. Even though most City College students receive financial assistance, have decent high school grades, and live at home with their parents – factors that should contribute to good graduation rates – in fact, currently only 7% of students admitted to the College graduate from it in four years. Only 36% graduate in six years. Indeed, roughly half of the students admitted drop out completely within two years. Students who transfer to City College from another school, either inside or outside the CUNY system (e.g., a CUNY community college), disappear even faster: Half leave the College, and half of those leave by their first year at the College.
The goal of Fun Paper #1 is to use your critical thinking skills to evaluate the consultant’s report and consider hypotheses for explaining and improving the low City College graduation rate. We want you to write a paper that considers the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence and arguments, provides interpretations, and reaches your own conclusions using psychological science. Begin by reading the report, which is included at the bottom of this assignment.
First, title your paper “A Critical Examination of Retention and Dropout at City College”. Next: FOLLOW EACH OF THE FOLLOWING FIVE INSTRUCTIONS EXACTLY (The following is a detailed outline on how you should write this paper):
Your paper should consist of five paragraphs corresponding to the 5 questions below. DO NOT write an outlined paper: It needs to be in essay format. Within each
Instructor: Bob Melara
Fall 2012
FUN PAPER # 1
Due Date: Monday, October 15th, 2012, by 5 pm on **Blackboard**
Critical Thinking using Psychological Science
The Learning Alliance for Higher Education, an educational consulting firm based at the University of Pennsylvania, was hired by City College in 2011 to investigate and make recommendations for improving undergraduate retention and graduation at the College. Even though most City College students receive financial assistance, have decent high school grades, and live at home with their parents – factors that should contribute to good graduation rates – in fact, currently only 7% of students admitted to the College graduate from it in four years. Only 36% graduate in six years. Indeed, roughly half of the students admitted drop out completely within two years. Students who transfer to City College from another school, either inside or outside the CUNY system (e.g., a CUNY community college), disappear even faster: Half leave the College, and half of those leave by their first year at the College.
The goal of Fun Paper #1 is to use your critical thinking skills to evaluate the consultant’s report and consider hypotheses for explaining and improving the low City College graduation rate. We want you to write a paper that considers the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence and arguments, provides interpretations, and reaches your own conclusions using psychological science. Begin by reading the report, which is included at the bottom of this assignment.
First, title your paper “A Critical Examination of Retention and Dropout at City College”. Next: FOLLOW EACH OF THE FOLLOWING FIVE INSTRUCTIONS EXACTLY (The following is a detailed outline on how you should write this paper):
Your paper should consist of five paragraphs corresponding to the 5 questions below. DO NOT write an outlined paper: It needs to be in essay format. Within each