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AGING PROGRAMS AND
POLICIESAGE 804
Spring 2013
Sarah Taylor MA
MEET THE INSTRUCTOR Sarah Taylor, MA
Bachelor of Science General Human Ecology, Kansas State University
Master of Arts in Gerontology Wichita State University
Hobbies include running, watching KSU football, spending time with my kids!
Married to Roger, with 3 children April, Malia, and RJ
GENERAL COURSE OBJECTIVES1. Learn basic principles regarding policy analysis.2. Apply policy analysis principles to
examination of age-related issues and concerns.3. Apply knowledge gained in professional and personal situations.
REQUIRED TEXT
Various Additional Readings and Videos will also be included
GRADING SYSTEM AND REQUIREMENTS Eight Short Assignments = 40% Final Policy Analysis= 20% Online participation =
40%
GRADING SCALELetter Grade GPA Percentag
eLetter Grade
GPA Percentage
Letter Grade GPA Percentage
A 4.0 93-100 C+ 2.3 77-79 D- 0.7 60-62
A- 3.7 90-92 C 2.0 73-76 F 0.0 59 Below
B+ 3.3 87-89 C- 1.7 70-72
B 3.0 83-86 D+ 1.3 67-69
B- 2.7 80-82 D 1.0 63-66
STYLE OF INSTRUCTION This class is a freestanding, online
experience. There is NO in-person meeting. Students are welcome at any time during the semester to email or arrange a meeting with the instructor.
Email by to [email protected] Office phone is 978-5650 Office AH 135 D inside Public Health
Sciences Office
CLASS PARTICIPATION The week will run from Monday morning to
Sunday night at 11:59pm. Original Posting to discussion board
questions are due Wednesday by 11:59pm. Follow-up Postings to discussion board
questions are due Sunday by 11:59pm. Therefore, if you work on weekends, you can
submit ALL your original postings to the discussion board questions the weekend before they are due - and at the same time post your THREE follow-ups to the past week's discussion board.
DISCUSSION BOARD GRADINGPoints Requirement
1 One follow-up posting in response to a classmates posting. One point will be earned if the response is not well thought out, not grammatically correct, and/or not supported by information in the text, a peer-reviewed article, or a reliable website. Responses earning one point are generally opinion and not supported by fact. Sentence length tends to be 1 to 3 short sentences.
2 One original posting in response to an instructor question. Two points will be earned if the response is not well thought out, grammatically correct, or supported by information in the text or a reliable website. Sentence length tends to be 1 to 3 short sentences.
2 One follow-up posting in response to a classmates posting. Two points will be earned if the response is well thought out, grammatically correct, and supported by information in the text or a reliable website. You must provide information to support your response to a classmate’s posting. This is not solely an opinion or a general discussion. If you present your opinion it must be support by factual information – from the text, an academic research article or a reliable website. Please provide the source of your support (text, article, or website URL). Sentences tend to be 4-6 lengthy sentences.
3 One original posting in response to an instructor question. Three points will be earned if the response is well thought out, grammatically correct, and supported by information in the text or a reliable website. You must provide information to support your answer. This is not solely an opinion or a general discussion. If you present your opinion it must be support for factual information – from the text, an academic research article or a reliable website. Please provide the source of your support (text, article, or website URL). Sentences tend to be 7-10 lengthy sentences.
DISCUSSION BOARD GRADING CON’T Any combination of the above rubric points can be
totaled to obtain your Discussion Board (DB) points. Typical point increments include…
Points Requirements
4 Two appropriate follow-up postings
5 One original and one follow-up appropriate posting
6 Two appropriate original postings or some failure to follow the above requirements.
7 Some failure to follow the above requirements.
8 Two original and one follow-up posting. Or failure to follow the above requirements.
9 Two original and two follow-up postings. One or more of the postings are too short, failure to support or use citations.
9.5 Two original and two follow-up postings. One or more of the postings are too short.
10 Two original and two follow-up appropriate postings. Postings meet all requirements for full credit. Appropriate response, citation (text, article, or website), and adequate in length. These are well-thought out responses. Original responses tend to be a good full paragraph in the length.
ASSIGNMENTS Over the course of the semester, students
will participate in several short assignments to expand on their knowledge of policy creation, writing and implementation. All assignments can be found under the ASSIGNMENTS tab, please submit your work there. All assignments are due by Sunday at 11:59 p.m. during the week that they are assigned. Assignments turned in late will automatically be deducted 10 points. Assignments will be noted in your course schedule as well.
ASSIGNMENTS
AGE 804 Spring 2013
Sarah Taylor, MA
SIGN UP FOR PUBLIC POLICY AND AGING E-NEWSLETTER Due Week 1 by Sunday at 11:59 p.m. 10 pts Please go to the following website http://
www.geron.org/policy-center/policy-publications/public-policy-and-aging-e-newsletter sign up for the Aging and Public Policy e-newsletter. The newsletter will be delivered to your email inbox on a monthly basis. Also on this page is the archive of their newsletters. Their newsletters cover many interesting topics on Public Policy and Aging.
Once you have done this please forward to me at [email protected] the confirmation page sent for Lyris ListManager. This way I know you have done this assignment. Signing up for this e newsletter will help you with your weekly post on Current Policy Issues. It will also help some of you in your research for your final policy paper.
ARTICLE REVIEW Due Week 2 by Sunday at 11:59 p.m.
20 pts Please see the Syllabus OR The ASSIGNMENTS Tab OR Course Documents for this assignment
SENIOR ADVOCACY PAPER Due Week 3 by Sunday at 11:59 p.m. 20 pts Stakeholders are found in many shapes and sizes. In this week’s
assignment students will explore five national organizations that may play a key role in the social policies implemented in this country.
Go to the National Administration on Aging, National Organizations web page http://www.aoa.gov/AoA_programs/Tools_Resources/national_organizations.aspx on this page you will find a number of organizations focusing on different senior issues. From this page choose 5 organizations that you would like to learn more about.
For this assignment you will prepare a 5 page paper based on the information you have learned about these organizations. Please include: 1. The name of the organizations you chose to learn about. 2. Why you chose each organization. 3. The history of each organization. 4. What is the mission of each organization? 5. What political agendas are supported by each organization? 6. Who is each organization sponsored by? 7. What is your opinion about each organization and the policy's they
support? Please use 12 point font and no more than 1.5 spaces between lines.
THOMAS SEARCH REACTION Due Week 5 by Sunday 11:59 p.m. 20 points It is important to research the legislation already implemented for the policy you wish to review.
The Thomas search allows you to explore what laws are already in place. THOMAS was launched in January of 1995, at the inception of the 104th Congress. The
leadership of the 104th Congress directed the Library of Congress to make federal legislative information freely available to the public. Since that time THOMAS has expanded the scope of its offerings to include the features and content listed below. Bills, Resolutions , Activity in Congress , Congressional Record , Schedules, Calendars ,
Committee Information , Presidential Nominations , Treaties , and Government Resources .For this assignment you will prepare a 5 page paper. Students will choose a topic they would like to research more in depth (probably the topic you are considering for your final policy issue paper).
First, search the current congressional session to see what legislation has been introduced so far (large search box in middle of the page).
How many bills have been introduced so far this term? What is the most interesting one? Describe the bill. Who is backing that bill? What do you think the reason was for introducing this bill? Did the bill you chose make it to the President's desk? (you can check this by performing
another search, but instead of searching for "all bills" you search for "enrolled bills sent to the President")
Next, search other congresses, just below main search you will find where it says "search bill text for multiple congresses". Use the same search term and search the 112th and 111th congress. Answer the same questions from above.
Finally, tie all of the information you gathered together. Do you see any patterns here? What conclusions were you able to come to after your search?
POLICY ISSUE TOPIC PROPOSAL Due Week 7 by Sunday 11:59 p.m. 20 pts Please submit a 1-2 page proposal for your policy paper. The proposal
should briefly state the topic you are going to research. Items to be included:
Introduction to the Perceived Problem Potential Hypotheses Potential Solutions Please Note: You may have 3 or you may have 103 solutions that you think will solve your
policy issue. For your research paper you should pick at least 3 and focus your research around those potential solutions. What is the research surrounding your solutions? What does the research show, will your solutions fix the issue OR have they already been proven ineffective. In your policy proposal you merely suggest your solutions. As the semester continues you will research your solutions and will include that research in your final policy paper.
The final policy paper is where you will also prognosticate (or predict) how the new policy may work.
DEFINE THE PROBLEMGATHER THE EVIDENCE Due Week 8 by Sunday 11:59 p.m. (March 24, end
of Spring Break) 20 pts Bardach (from text A Practical Guide for Policy Analysis) reminds us that Policy Analysis is
a process that you must give much consideration and review. Once you begin you may even change your mind. In other words, you may have to retrace your steps and start all over again! That is why I highly encourage you to start the process now on your final policy paper. You have chosen your topic, last week you turned in your two page proposal on the topic you would like to research and the solutions you would like to pursue for your paper.
This week I challenge you to begin gathering your evidence. There is no assigned reading this week, which will allow you the entire time to work on putting together the information you will need for your final policy analysis. During the first week of our class we explored using the WSU library to find peer reviewed articles. Now is the time to use those skills.
Your research does not have to be limited to peer reviewed articles. In policy analysis you may need to also draw from political writings, videos, personal interviews, etc.
At the end of the week I would like you to turn in your work. Please use the information from Vaughn & Buss as well as the information from Bardach the Eightfold Path as you begin to put together the information. Your steps this week:
Define the Problem Assemble the Evidence
This should be 3-5 pages in length
SELECT THE CRITERIA AND PROJECT THE OUTCOMES Due Week 10 by Sunday 11:59 p.m. 20 pts This week we will revisit our final Policy
Paper writing assignment. A couple of weeks ago you were to gather your evidence and define your problem. This week we will continue your work by selecting our criteria and projecting the outcomes of the policy you are reviewing.
This week please turn in 2-3 pages following this theme as outlined in the Bardach Eightfold Path.
LOCAL PROGRAM REVIEW Due Week 12 by Sunday 11:59 p.m. 20 pts SHIP (State Health Insurance Program) is a federal program funded by
the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Each state has this program more than likely it is housed in the State Insurance Department or the State Aging Department.
The state of Kansas has branded their program as SHICK (Senior Health Insurance for Kansas).
For this assignment students will research the SHIP program.
History of SHIP/SHICK How does the program work in Kansas Where is the program housed Who are the sponsoring organizations in Sedgwick County How do they help individuals How many people are served each year You may even want to interview someone with the SHICK program. This should be a 2-3 page report.
FINAL POLICY ISSUE PAPER
AGE 804 Spring 2013
Sarah Taylor, MA
FINAL POLICY ISSUE PAPER Due Week 16 by WEDNESDAY at 11:59 p.m. 100 pts The paper should focus on a current social problem or situation that relates to or has an effect on
the older population. You may also choose to focus on a particular policy rather than an issue or problem, but it must be an aspect of policy not covered in depth in course units. Select a topic that is of particular interest to you, and focus on policy elements and implications. Instructions for format and content are shown below:Format and Content:Introduction to the topic or problem, and why it is important;
Information from scholarly as well as government, position, and/or practitioner publications reporting on the topic i.e., Research article information on the impact of the problem and any existing policy or need for policy, on the lives of older people
Discussion of the “players” relevant to your topic, and how they influence policy; in other words, what part does politics play, if any?Strengths and weaknesses of current policy related to your topic (if no weaknesses, explain how the outcome is working well);Conclude with any policy changes you recommend, including the creation of any new policy or substantial changes to current policy, and how that might be accomplished.You may choose a problem or situation related to class topics, but should narrow your focus so that coverage has depth and detail. For example, if you choose retirement, decide whether to research a particular older population, or geographic area, or income level, gender, a specific type of retirement pension, etc. Papers that rely heavily on assigned class materials will receive a lower grade, so be prepared to conduct a thorough search for information on your own. Each student will write his or her own paper, although more than one student may work on the same topic; however, each person must present different perspectives of the policy or problem.
FINAL POLICY PAPER CON’TPaper Elements
12-14 page paper (font size no more than 12), includes title and reference pages – points taken off for more pages. You should have at least 12 references, 8 of those must be from peer reviewed journal articles. Use APA format for the entire paper, including title page, abstract, format of body, citations in text, and references. The basic format of your paper will be similar to a term-paper type literature review: Introduction, narrative of cited information that is relevant to your topic, conclusion & recommendations.
The reference list should use the complete reference for all articles, book chapters, etc. If the article, etc. was found online, cite the online information in APA format. Recent journal articles that you find online will include a DOI number in the reference citation. Use this when available. If not, use the APA format shown for citing the URL where you found you found the material, and the date it was retrieved.
Where appropriate, include graphs, tables, and examples that support your position, or illustrate some aspect of the topic (e.g., research results, census tables, program evaluations, etc.). If you copy any graphics, be sure to include a reference citation.About Wikis – Do not cite any type of public access “Wiki” as a reference. If you use information found on these (or on Blogs, etc), there must be an appropriate reference (i.e., AARP, scholarly journal, book, etc.) cited there, which you’ll use on the reference list for your paper. You may only cite “opinion page” web resources as examples of opinion, not fact.
SUPPLEMENTAL COURSE INFO On the left hand side of your screen you
will fund a button called “Supplemental Course Information”
None of this information will be discussed in class, however I encourage you to look it over to learn more about United States Public Policy and how it is created
EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES
AGE 804 Spring 2013
Sarah Taylor MA
EXTRA CREDIT RULES Outside of class, volunteer extra
credit is limited to 20 points total for class. You can apply 20 points volunteer extra credit from experiences outside of course class work.
Extra credit opportunities are explained here and in your syllabus.
Other online opportunities may arise as the semester progresses. Your instructor will post any new extra credit opportunities in the course announcements.
MEDICARE OPTIONS CLASS The Senior Health Insurance Counseling for Kansas Program (SHICK) is a federally
funded program that educates Medicare beneficiaries on their Medicare options. They hold monthly classes on Medicare. SHICK is looking for volunteers to assist with handing out class materials and collecting evaluations at the end. You will also get the opportunity to hear first hand about Medicare and see how those who are getting ready to turn 65 react to the program and all of the decisions they will need to make in the near future. Each class is exactly the same so you would only need to attend one class for this opportunity.
Volunteers need to arrive at 30 minutes prior to class. Classes will last between 2 and 2.5 hours. You will receive 10 pts extra credit for assisting with the class and for a writing a short reaction afterwards. I will set up another Tab for you labeled EXTRA CREDIT for you to participate in the extra credit opportunities
Please email [email protected] one week prior to the class you plan on attending and assisting.
2013 Spring Medicare Options Class Series: All classes will be held at the Sedgwick County Extension Office 7001 W 21st St N, Wichita
Monday- January 28, 6-8 p.m., Sunflower Room Saturday- Febraury 23, 9-11 a.m., Sunflower Room Monday- March 25, 6-8 p.m., Sunflower Room Saturday- April 20, 9-11 a.m., Sunflower Room
AGING NETWORK MEETINGS The Aging Network meetings are held on the first
Wednesday of every month from 9 to 10:30 a.m. These meetings are sponsored by the Central Plains Area Agency on Aging, 2622 W Central Ave, Meetings are held in the Riverside Bistro
At these meetings there are usually 3 speakers who present information about their services to the group.
After the meeting audience members introduce themselves and then may briefly share information about their agency or upcoming events. It is an excellent place to network.
Student should turn in a paragraph discussing what they learned from the meeting, and what they thought about the opportunity for members of the Aging Network to collaborate
Students may attend one of these meetings February 6 March 6 April 3 May 1
SEDGWICK COUNTY DEPARTMENT ON AGING ADVISORY COUNCIL This is a 15 member council, appointed by the Sedgwick
County Commissioners. They are facilitated through the Sedgwick County
Department on Aging. Meetings are held on the 2nd Wednesday of the month in
the 3rd floor conference room of the Area Agency on Aging at 2622 W Central Ave
Students who attend a meeting should turn in a paragraph stating what they learned at the meeting and how they think this council helps older adults in Sedgwick County
Meetings begin at noon Feb 13 Mar 13 April 10 May 8
