In these courses you will read a book, then you will write a paper about how you implemented several ideas from a book you read to solve one or more practical problems (if you prefer substitute the more positive word "opportunity").
In some cases you will not be in a position to actually implement a solution to a problem. In this case you will create a detailed implementation plan of how you would use these ideas instead.
A research course, on the other hand, does not require you to implement the solution to a specific practical problem. In some cases, you may want to do a research course to identify possible solutions to a problem, before you implement a solution in a practical or custom course.
Here are some ways to identify practical problems that you can solve in your courses:
- You can identify any practical problems that you have now, or problems you expect to have in the future, at your current job or at a job you wish to have in the future. You would then solve them by using ideas from the book your are reading, either by directly implementing these ideas or by creating a detailed plan of how you would use these ideas.
- You can identify any practical problems that you have (or expect to have in the future) in your personal life, and then solve them by implementing ideas from your course studies. This approach is helpful in when you are studying leadership, personal finance, management or other topics that involve human relations or self-improvement. It allows you to learn through non-work relationships such as family, friends, church, or other social groups you belong to. You would then solve your problems by using ideas from the book your are reading, either by directly implementing these ideas or by creating a detailed plan of how you would use these ideas.
- You can act as an entrepreneur. You would first identify an idea for a business, then work on developing the idea through creating the plans necessary to get the business started, and/or implementing the plans.
- You can act as a consultant. You would first find an organization or individual that is willing to accept your help. Next, you would identify practical problems and solve them, using ideas from your course studies. You can also use this strategy to gain expertise in an industry, profession, or job you are interested in. If you plan to use this approach we recommend you do course 3015 Lambert on Consulting with Professor Tom Lambert first or use his book High Income Consulting: How to Build and Market Your Professional Practice as a resource.
If you need help in identifying practical problems or ways you can implement ideas to solve a practical problem, please contact the Dean of Graduate Studies.
Practical courses will usually take 40 hours to complete and earn you two credits. Your Course Advisor may grant you more than two credits when you have spent more than our guideline of 20 hours per credit on your course, and your course paper and your journal justify additional credits. Your grades are based on your course papers, so you are not required to take examinations.
Please click here to learn how you can design your own custom practical course.
Making Your Paper Unique
Note that by the practical nature of what we require for your paper it will be very easy for you to make it unique. In other words it will contain very little if any material that has been published on the Internet or anywhere else. If you do include a small amount of material that you find using a search engine or from one more books you read, please be sure to give credit to the author in the body of your paper or through footnotes or endnotes and if it is a website please give the website address.
Guidelines on Paper Length and Writing Style
In the appendices of your paper you may include materials that demonstrate the application of the ideas you put into action. These materials could include a detailed plan or anything else that you produced during your course.
Your course paper, excluding the appendices but including the Course Information section and Executive Summary, must not have more than 3500 words (exceptions to this policy can be made by the Dean of Graduate Studies). There is no limit on the number of words in the appendices.
A formal academic style of writing is not required. For example, you can use the pronouns "you" and "I" in your writing. In the appendices of your paper you may include materials that demonstrate the application of the ideas you put into action.
How to complete your course.
- First read the book for your course. Use the applicable rules in Adler's How to Read a Book (available online or at Amazon.com) as you do this. At this time you may want to see examples of some of the best Rushmore papers by clicking here.
- Next, use the course paper template to start writing an overview of the book including information about the author, and why you chose those materials. This section should not have more than 1000 words. (You do not need to summarize the content of the book. If you choose to do this, please place your summary in an appendix at the end of your paper.) Please send a draft of your paper to your advisor when you finish this step. You have now finished Part I of your course and paper.
- Now list practical problems that you have now or expect to have in the future and how you can use some of the ideas from the book to solve them by directly implementing them or by creating a detailed plan of how you would use these ideas to solve the problems. Next start writing Part II of your paper by discussing your problems and how you will use the ideas you from the book to solve them. Submit your revised paper with to your advisor. You now have completed Part II of your course and paper.
- Over the next four weeks (or more if necessary) apply the ideas from your book to solve your problem or create a detailed plan of how you would use these ideas to solve your problems. After this period start writing Part III of your paper. First discuss how you used the ideas, then present either the results of the actual application or the detailed plans you created if you did not implement the ideas. Finally Explain why others should consider reading this book using the ideas you chose. After you complete Part III of your paper please send your finished paper to our editing service. After you implement the changes the editor recommends to you please send it to your advisor for grading. Note that some advisors may want to see the final version of your paper before you send it to the editor.
- After you finish your paper we encourage you to submit a portion of your paper on Amazon.com as an online book review. The time you spend submitting and writing your review will count toward the hours you spend on your course. Or you may receive credit for a custom course if you submit and have published several reviews on Amazon.com. After you do this you can list on your resume that you have book reviews published on Amazon.
You can earn credits by writing one or more autobiographical papers about what you have done and what you have learned from your work and life experiences
Papers or book chapters for this type of custom course can be autobiographical or you can discuss your experience in relation to a particular subject area.
To learn how to write this type of paper we recommend you do course 1122 Crosby on Success. The required book, by the late Rushmore professor Philip Crosby, Quality and Me, is a good example of how to write a paper that demonstrates what you have learned from your experience.
If you have extensive experience in a particular area, you may earn credits by teaching others what you know
With this type of custom practical course you help others learn by writing/creating an article, book chapter, website, seminar, video or other kind of information resource that can teach others how to succeed. Your project must be based largely on your experience in a particular type of work, profession, industry, or any other area of your life.
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