Critical Decision Making Assignment
Aims and Objectives
The assessment will raise and develop students’ awareness of the importance of acquiring and using an analytical approach towards the solution of a problem.
More specifically, this will involve ensuring that students:
- understand the importance of critical reasoning in evaluating the materials that they encounter in their studies and in constructing their own arguments in their oral and written work.
- explore various problem solving techniques to enable them to understand the complexities of difficult problems and use their knowledge, understanding and powers of reasoning to provide possible solutions to them.
Context
Select a case study of your choice. You might wish to use secondary research on the internet to locate a suitable case study.
You might wish to adopt one of the following personal projects (which might still be on-going):
- Organising a holiday for family or friends.
- Organising a wedding.
- Organising an exhibition or presentation.
- Enrolling to start a programme of study at a University.
- A sporting event you have attended.
- A concert you have attended.
Requirements of the assignment
The assignment should focus on the:
- problem to be solved
- analysis of the problem
- solution(s) proposed, decision(s) addressed and the implementation of the decision.
Your assignment should attempt to cover all the following points:
- Analysis of the problem based on some primary or secondary data.
- Risk management and the ways in which solutions can help mitigate against the risks
- Solutions emerging from any brainstorming and lateral thinking
- Criteria to be used for judging the success of the decision
- Characteristics of complex problems that have emerged and other possible problemsolving techniques you have noticed.
- Logical approaches to problem-solving e.g. step-by-step, division of complex problem into more manageable parts, planning using software etc..
- Justification of the decision that you have taken or will take.
- Referenced influence on the writing of the assignment.
