In this assignment, you will draw upon your personal decision-making experience. As you learned in the module, people make decisions with biases in play. You will describe your decision, what choices were involved, how you made your decision, and what the outcome was, relating your process to the rational
decision-making process described in the text. You will complete the assignment in two steps.
STEP 1: Respond to the following prompt in a post between 350 and 400 words:
Think of a decision you have made or been involved in making. This could be a personal decision or a work-related decision.
Outline your decision process as it relates to the six steps of the rational decision-making process described in the text:
i. Identify the Problem
ii. Establish Decision Criteria
iii. Weigh Decision Criteria
iv. Generate Alternatives
v. Evaluate Alternatives
vi. Select the Best Alternative
For example, if you’re writing about your decision to adopt a pet, the problem you identify might be that you were lonely in your apartment at night, and you’d always wanted to rescue a dog. In Step 2, you could describe the decision criteria you used to select a dog: your apartment only allows dogs under 25 pounds, you wanted a dog with short hair for easier cleanup, you would only travel to a rescue facility within 50 miles of your house, and so on. If you skipped any of the steps above, note that.
Write a two-paragraph response describing your decision process (as outlined above), including its strengths and weaknesses. Your post must include at least two properly described and referenced decision methods or styles from the text. For example, if your decision was impeded by bias, describe if it was ease of recall, retrievability, or some other kind of bias. Answer and address these questions:
What is your preferred decision-making style?
How does your style work for you? Are you always satisfied with your decisions?
How did “bounded awareness” impact your decision?
What method from the text would you consider for future decision making?
STEP 2: After you have created your initial post, look over the discussion posts of your classmates and give 4-5 thoughtful responses to 4 different classmates (one per classmate).
A response posting should be a minimum of one short paragraph. Word totals for these posts should be in the 100 words range. Whether you agree or disagree, explain why with supporting evidence and concepts from the readings or a related experience. Include a reference, link, or citation when appropriate. The goal of your response posts is to extend discussions already taking place or pose new possibilities or opinions not previously voiced. Your goal should be to motivate the group discussion and present a creative approach to the topic. As always, be respectful and engaged within the online space.
This activity will be graded. Your postings will be assessed for your demonstrated ability to reflect deeply, combine your personal reflection/experience with research and analysis, and draw on material from the text to contribute a variety of perspectives in the pursuit of deep learning. For grading criteria, please consult the rubric for this assignment.
Thank you. I look forward to hearing from you.
