Summary

Author an online book chapter up to 4,000 words about a unique, specific motivation or emotion topic. Topics must be approved by the unit convener. Includes a social contribution component. Worth 45%.

Overview

The purpose of this exercise is to author an interesting, professional, freely available, online book chapter about a specific, unique motivation or emotion topic.

The chapter should consider how an aspect of psychological theory and research knowledge can be used to help people live more effective motivational and emotional lives.

This exercise includes a social contribution component which involves providing online feedback about, and contribution to, the development of other book chapters.

Learning outcomes

How this assessment exercise addresses the learning outcomes:

Guidelines

Follow these general guidelines and address the marking criteria:

1. Theme: Chapters should contribute to the overarching theme of the motivation and emotion book which is "understanding and improving our motivational and emotional lives using psychological science".
2. Audience: The target audience is a general (non-topic-expert) reader interested in personal growth and development based on knowledge in psychology science (theory and research). This book chapter exercise is a science communication task.
3. Wikiversity: Present the chapter as a single page on the English Wikiversity website. A link to the chapter should appear in the Table of Contents along with the primary author's Wikiversity user name.
4. Topic: The topic (including title and sub-title) must be approved by the unit convener.
5. Topic development: The topic development (chapter plan) should be approved by the unit convener. For more info, see topic development.
6. Collaboration and peer feedback:
   1. Each book chapter will have a lead author. Chapters should be independently developed and written primarily by the lead author, but collaboration is strongly encouraged (e.g., by using feedback and incorporating useful edits and suggestions by others).
   2. Lead authors are strongly encouraged to seek feedback about the chapter during the drafting process.
   3. One way to request feedback is to contribute to a UCLearn discussion thread (use the chapter title and subtitle in the subject line and include a clickable hyperlink to the chapter in the message).
   4. Feedback is usually best placed on the chapter's wiki discussion page.
7. Length (Word count):
   1. There is no minimum length.
   2. Maximum 4,000 words per chapter. Words beyond this will not be considered for marking purposes.
   3. How to count:
      1. Count everything from top to bottom of the editable page (using page view, not edit mode).
      2. Include the title, subtitle, table of contents, headings, text, tables, figures, references, see also, and external links.
      3. Do not include the top and side navigation bars or content in linked Appendices (see subpages).
      4. Use this Word count tool (Google Chrome Extension) or cut and paste into a word processing document.
      5. Do not use the in-built Wikiversity word count (it underestimates).
   4. If you are having difficulties complying with the maximum word count, see these suggestions.
8. Submission: Submit the chapter URL (website address) and your Wikiversity user name via UCLearn.

Marking criteria

Book chapters will be marked according to the following criteria:

1. Overview (5%): Explain the practical problem to be solved in a clear and engaging way. Examples and focus questions are recommended.
2. Theory (25%): Make effective use of key motivation or emotion theoretical concepts in explaining the topic and developing an answer to the question(s). Demonstrate critical thinking in application of the theor(ies).
   1. Breadth and depth (15%):
      1. Provide a framework for understanding the topic. Explain the relevance of one or more psychological theories/models and how they apply to the problem.
      2. Depending on the topic, this criteria could be met by providing in-depth examination of a single theory or comparing and contrasting two or more theories. The most important aspect is: has the chapter identified the key relevant emotion or motivation theory/theories pertaining to the problem and explained these, integrated them with research, and shown how they can be applied towards practical improvements in everyday life.
      3. Utilise at least the best dozen or so peer-reviewed theory references about the topic.
   2. Integration with research (5%): Integrate discussion of theory with review of research evidence and use this to help provide a critical consideration of the utility of the theory(ies).
   3. Examples (5%): Consider including one or more practical examples, such as case studies. Use these examples to illustrate the application of selected theory(ies), research, focus questions, and/or take-home messages to everyday life situations that readers are likely to encounter.
3. Research (30%): Critically analyse key peer-reviewed research findings and explain their relation to theoretical and practical aspects of the topic.
   1. Summary of key findings (20%):
      1. Explain how key, peer-reviewed research findings apply to the problem.
      2. Utilise at least the best dozen or so peer-reviewed research references about the topic.
   2. Critical thinking (5%): Critically analyse the research discussed.
   3. Integration with theory (5%): Integrate discussion of theory and research findings.
4. Written expression (25%): Present and illustrate the problem and knowledge in an interesting and readable way (e.g., using figures, tables, and/or applied examples) to an intelligent layperson, using a logical structure and clear layout, professional spelling and grammar, interactive learning features, and APA style.
   1. Contribution to book theme (5%): The chapter should address a clearly defined topic in a way which contributes to the book theme.
   2. Readability and style (5%):
      1. The chapter should be readable for an intelligent layperson who is interested in how to apply psychological knowledge about motivation or emotion to his/her own life. The chapter should be academically sound, but also strive to provide practical, science-based self-improvement information.
      2. Important concepts should be clearly explained, with embedded wiki links to related book chapters and/or Wikipedia articles for further information.
      3. Write for an international audience (i.e., avoid adopting an overly local or national perspective).
      4. Use 3rd person perspective (e.g., "it") rather than 1st (e.g., "we") or 2nd person (e.g., "you") perspective in the main text, although 1st or 2nd person perspective can work well for examples or case studies.
      5. Paragraph structure - A well-constructed paragraph is generally 3 to 5 sentences (opening sentence, body sentences, and a concluding/linking sentence).
      6. The title and headings should use sentence casing (see also heading casing).
      7. Unless otherwise mentioned, use APA style (as much as reasonably possible), paying particular attention to citations, references, table and figure captions, and quotes).
      8. Use default wiki style for paragraph text alignment, font colour, type, and size, and heading styles.
      9. References and citations:
         1. Use either APA style or wiki citation style - but use one style throughout the chapter - don't mix and match. For most psych students, APA style will be the choice.
         2. Use up to three citations per point (i.e., avoid citing four or more citations to support a single point).
   3. Sections and headings (5%): Organise the chapter content using a logical heading and (optional) sub-heading structure. Sections and paragraphs should flow. Include:
      1. Title and subtitle: Accurate and descriptive title and subtitle (at the top of the page) which matches the Table of Contents. Note that the subtitle should be in the form of a question.
      2. Multimedia link: Display a link to the multimedia presentation directly below the subtitle
      3. Table of Contents: Display an automatic table of contents directly below the multimedia link
      4. Overview: Provide an easy to read and understand overview of the chapter. Bring the problem to life (e.g., through an example or case study), outline key concepts, explain the chapter structure, and establish focus question(s) that will be answered.
      5. Main body headings (sub-headings optional) covering the main content of the book chapter. Each section should include at least one introductory paragraph before branching into sub-sections. A section should contain either 0 or 2+ sub-sections - avoid having sections which contain 1 sub-section.
      6. See also: Wiki links to related pages on Wikiversity, Wikipedia or other Wikimedia sister project content)
      7. References:
         1. Include cited published academic references in APA style.
         2. Non-academic sources (such as websites) should be in the external links section.
      8. External links:
         1. Links to high quality, highly relevant external resources.
         2. Published academic references should be in the references section.
         3. Include author and/or source in parentheses.
   4. Spelling and grammar (5%): Professional spelling and grammar:
      1. Australian spelling (e.g., hypothesize vs. hypothesise; behavior vs. behaviour; fulfillment vs. fulfilment)
      2. Use correct grammar (e.g., see writing tips)
   5. Interactive learning features (5%): Invite interactivity through additional learning features such as:
      1. Activities: e.g., self-scoring survey, reflection questions, quiz questions
      2. Examples: Include some examples, scenarios, or case studies. Can be true (if so, include citations) or fictional. Consider including an image and presenting in a feature box. Consider using a "progressive case study" (i.e., a case study presented in parts describing e.g., the problem, attempt at change, and resolution/outcomes). Example chapters which make effective use of case studies: emotional abuse (2019), food and fear (2019), opioid system and human emotion (2019), social support and emotion (2019).
      3. Figures: Use relevant, accompanying figures (e.g., photographs, drawings, diagrams) to facilitate readers' understanding of the concepts. Figures should be accompanied by explanatory captions and be cited at least once in the main text. For more information, see How to use figures).
      4. Multimedia: Link to an accompanying multimedia presentation which communicates the main problem and solutions for the chapter topic. To add the link in a preformatted box, put {{MECR3|1=http://screenr.com/hrEs}} after the page title (replace link with your presentation link). The link should be added once the multimedia has been made available online.
      5. Tables: Use relevant, accompanying tables to help organise information and communicate concepts to readers. Tables should be accompanied by APA style explanatory captions. See example.
      6. Wiki links: Use relevant wiki links to related book chapters and/or Wikipedia articles. Wiki links can be added in-text and/or in the section called "See also". Provide in-text wiki links the first time that key concepts are mentioned. For example, this sentence includes a link to the Wikipedia article about emotion. The syntax for this link is [[w:Emotion|emotion]]). It is also possible to another section on the same page. The external links section should provide links to well-selected, key resources from other websites.
5. Conclusion (5%): Emphasise the key points and take-home messages, particularly in relation to the subtitle (question) and implications for personal growth and development. What is the "golden nugget" or "take-home message"?
6. Social contribution (10%): Social contribution is about editing which enhances the quality of other book chapters and the overall book project. Useful actions include, but are not restricted to, direct edits to chapter pages to improve content or flag potential improvements by adding Template:Clarification templates, conceptual comments, feedback, and suggestions on chapter talk pages, creating and uploading images, UCLearn discussion posts, and/or tweets using the #emot21 hashtag. Contributions may be about specific chapters or about the project more generally. Contributions can be made to any past or current chapters. In order to be accepted for marking purposes, social contributions must be publicly logged (i.e., with a user name and time-stamp) and summarised on your Wikiversity user page (in a section called "Social contributions") using a numbered list with hyperlinks to direct evidence for each contribution. For info about how to do this, see Summarising social contributions. Contributions are assessed by their quality, quantity, and timeliness:
   1. 1. Quantity (breadth) refers to the scope and quantity of contribution, including:
         1. the number of different chapters contributed to
         2. range of communication channels used
      2. Quality (depth) refers to the quality of contributions in terms of their:
         1. insightfulness
         2. practical value
      3. Timeliness recognises that there is:
         1. greater value in earlier contributions
         2. lesser value in "last minute" feedback
      4. Marks will be allocated to each summarised social contributions which has a direct link to evidence as follows:
         1. Minor = <= 0.25%
         2. Moderate = 0.50%
         3. Significant = 1.00%
         4. Very significant = > 1.00%
         5. Bonus marks up to +5% may be awarded for exceptional levels of contribution.

Grade descriptions

This section describes typical characteristics of chapters at each grade level, based on the marking criteria.

Submission and marking

1. Submit via UCLearn.
2. Chapters will be evaluated according to the marking criteria.
3. Late submissions will be penalised -5% per day late, up to 7 days late. Submissions more than 7 days late will be awarded 0.
4. For assessment submitted by the original due date, marks and feedback should be returned within three weeks of the due date.
   1. Marks will be available via UCLearn
   2. Feedback will be available via the book chapter's talk/discussion page.
   3. Availability of marks and feedback will be notified via UCLearn Announcements.
5. If you don't understand or disagree with your mark and/or feedback, then please see the marking dispute process.

See also

• Assessment
  • Topic development
  • Multimedia
  • Quizzes
• How to find free-to-use images
• How to handle a lack of information
• How to reduce word count
• Ideas for book chapter topics
• Layout/formatting:
  • Feature boxes
  • Figures
  • Tables
• Marking and feedback
  • Notes for markers
  • Official feedback template
• Previous chapters
• Summarising social contributions
• Writing tips