Northcentral Technical College

77860701 Online Student Readiness Training

Course Performance Assessment Task

Essay: Educational Persistence Plan

Directions
Persistence is crucial to success in online learning. For this assignment you will be asked to use the
knowledge you have gained in the readings, videos and activities throughout this course to write an essay that
defines persistence, explains your self-assessment of your own persistence, defines your own short and long
term goals related to your education, identify obstacles you may face and corresponding resources you plan to
use in overcoming those obstacles. This plan is essential to your own readiness for learning in the Virtual
College format as it will prepare you for the obstacles before you face them, allowing you to face them with
confidence and knowledge.
Essay Instructions:
1) Introduction - Define "educational persistence, describe your self-assessment of your own persistence and
list 2-3 benefits you will receive from this exercise. Explain why persistence is so important to the Virtual
College format of learning.
2) Body
Paragraph 1- Describe your short-term and long-term educational goals. How do these goals help you
with your long-term career goals? (Make sure your goals are SMART)
Paragraph 2- Consider your current situation (where you live, how you attend school, family life, health,
financial status, children, social life, etc...) and identify three hurdles or obstacles that may prevent you
from obtaining your short-term and long-term goals. Explain why these obstacles are significant.
Paragraph 3- Research opportunities to overcome your obstacles and identify at least 2 solutions for each
of your hurdles, 1 of these solutions must be an NTC resource. Be sure to use at least two sources in
your essay and list at least one resource for each obstacle available to you through Northcentral Technical
College.
3) Conclusion- Summarize what persistence means to you both for your education and your long term career
goals. Explain how it has helped you so far and how you plan to persist in the future. Also, summarize what
you learned through this course and this assignment and how it will help you as you progress through your
learning journey.

NOTE: There are no correct or incorrect answers in this essay because this plan
will be different for every student. See the attached rubric for grading details.

Notes for Evaluators

Environment

Online

Evaluator(s)
Instructor
Target Course Competencies
1

Explain how online learning differs from traditional face-to-face learning

Demonstrate common traits of successful online learners

Identify resources available through NTC

Communicate effectively in an online community

Utilize necessary technologies to be successful in online courses

Grading Rubric
Criteria
1

Essay is formatted according to the instructions in the

assignment including at least 2 solutions for each obstacle
with at least one being an NTC resource.

Instructions were
Instructions were Instructions were not
followed exactly as partially followed
followed
laid out in
and resources
assignment and all were missing or no
solutions included NTC solution was
used
Essay included
Essay included
Essay did not include
Essay includes SMART goals with some both short and long
SMART goals for
goals but they
any goals
term
both short and
were not SMART,
long term goals
or were listed for
only short or long
term
Essay
includes
Essay
includes
Essay includes no
Essay includes review of current situation and obstacles that
situation and at
only 1 or 2
situation or obstacles
may prevent you from reaching goals
least 3 obstacles
obstacles or is
missing the
situation analysis
Essay contains no
Essay includes
Essay contains
Essay is written using proper grammar, spelling and
spelling or
some improper
several spelling or
punctuation and all resources are cited.
grammar errors,
grammar, spelling
grammatical errors,
demonstrates
or punctuation, is
has no citations
etiquette and
missing citations or
and/or has
properly cites all
demonstrates
inappropriate
resources
inappropriate
etiquette
etiquette
Essay includes
Essay includes
Essay includes no
Essay includes a personal reflection of the exercise
well thought out
summary but with
summary
summary of the
little detail and/or
exercise and the
missing pieces.
course.