Hospitality & Tourism Management and Parks & Leisure Services

(Assessment Rubric for Critical Thinking) Scenario

CAREER SELECTION SCENARIO

This scenario introduces you to an activity on how to make an informed career choice. The purpose of this assignment is for you to learn how to improve your decision-making skills by discovering how to become more discipline in thinking through your conclusions.

The FaulknerTownCenter Case Study

FaulknerTownCenter is located at the northern edge of Steinbeck-on-the-Sea. The TownCenter is adjacent to the 3,000 acres HenryDavidThoreauPark, a joint venture made possible by a consortium of public, not-for-profit and commercial leadership in the community. The park is schedule for its grand opening in six months.

The HenryDavidThoreauPark will be anchored by these three entities:

Fitzgerald Luxury Development: Is under construction on the park’s west boundary along the state’s sparkling Gulf coast is a luxury hotel and spa resort. The resort features five championship golf courses, 16 beautifully maintained clay tennis courts, three swimming pools, including the Orwell monster pool with water slides, 75 aces of lakes for fishing, miles of jogging and cycling trails and a nature walk. Restaurants will offer a variety of memorable cuisines from casual to formal atmosphere.

The conference and event center features 300,000 square feet of unique indoor and outdoor space. It is unmatched in its ratio of conference space to sleeping rooms. The campus-style resort will offer one of the largest exhibit halls in the state. From arrival through departure Fitzgerald’s private-area and group activity options are designed to insure a stress-free experience.

Hemingway Foundation: The foundation is recognized as the voice of conservation in the United States. It began as a grassroots organization to protect parks, open space and urban forestry in communities throughout the U.S. Since its founding in 1984, the foundation has grown to more than 850,000 individuals as members, representing all 50 states. The foundation has protected more than twenty-three million acres of land. It operates more 300 conservation projects annually making it the largest program in the nation. The foundation addresses all threats to conservation involving climate change, fire, fresh water, forests, invasive species, and marine ecosystems.

Hemmingway’s unique programs include park maintenance vacations, families Go Hiking guided series, and partnerships with schools and other youth organizations. Members’ activities include a variety of outdoor extravaganzas packed with fun for all ages; like hiking, rock climbing and kayaking. Outreach programs include workshops from predicting weather to urban gardening for special needs youth.

FaulknerTownCenterParks and Recreation: Parks and recreation is an essential element of a healthy vibrant community. It provides individual, social, and economic value. The Faulkner parks and recreation’s sustainability strategies has position them as a21st century leader. The community relies on FaulknerTownCenter’s parks, open spaces, and recreation programs for many benefits, ranging from the pursuit of health to fitness and well-being.

Headquartered at the HenryDavidThoreauPark, the Parks and Recreation department operates a range of parks, urban forestry, open space, facilities, programs and services devoted to providing a variety of health, recreation, and education opportunities. Opportunities offered enrich the lives of all people, and provide special focus for at-risk youth, people with disabilities, immigrant and refugee populations, seniors, minorities, and families.

Employees of this public agency constantly seek new and innovative ways to help serve their residents and the public, including:

2,100 Total Open Space Community Acres

225Parks (two with overnight accommodations of 600 spaces)

90Athletic Fields (12 lighted baseball and soccer fields)

124 Neighborhood Play Areas

6 Swimming Beaches

14 Miles of Shoreline

10 Fishing Piers

7 Golf Courses (two with full dining services)

35 Miles of Boulevards

15 Community Centers

5 Indoor and 3 Outdoor Pools

22 Wading Pools

181 Outdoor Tennis Courts

2 Tennis Centers

1 Community Aquarium

1 Conservatory

3Museum

2 Historic Sites (two with 500 sleeping accommodations)

3 Performing and Visual Arts Facilities and conferenceCenters

5 Environmental Learning Centers

2 City Cemeteries

In our scenario you are about to complete your Hospitality and Leisure internship in two months. Soon you will graduate with honors from the local community college with distinction. This is an exciting time for you and cannot wait to move on in your career.

Your dilemma: You have received three job offers plus you are considering returning to college for an advanced degree. How will you make a clear and decisive decision?

OFFER / Fitzgerald / Hemingway / Faulkner
Position / Activity Coordinator / Recreation Leader / Program Supervisor
Annual Salary / $36,000 / $26,000 / $29,000
Health Benefits / Employee Pays 20% / Employee Pays 50% / 100% employer Paid
Vacation / Three Weeks / One Week / Two Weeks
Retirement Savings / Employer-sponsored plan after 24 Months / 403(b) or 457(b) plans for permanent hires / defined benefit pension plans
Average Work Hours per week / unlimited / 55 / 45
Work Contract / Annual Performance Review / Government Grant / Full-time Employment
Supervision / High structure with low support / Low structure with high support / Low structure with low support
Perks / Unlimited travel, free hotels / works in the field / Conferences, workshops
Culture / Formal Business / Family Oriented / Youthful and Fun
Opportunities / Competitive / Limited / Seniority
Sector / Commercial / Non-Profit / Public
  • Your college professor tells you to just accept a job and get some experience. Although you believe this is good advice as you still feel you need additional experience in real work settings. You are unsure what the best direction for your career is and spending more time in the field will help you arrive at smart career choice.
  • Your father’s business partner advises you to begin you career at the highest salary level possible. He says this will set the tone for a higher salary at your next position. This suggestion is good as you have some huge outstanding college loans coming due following graduation.
  • On the other hand your best friend is encouraging you to go after a career that deals with environment issues. Sustainability as a moral responsibility is important to you. Plus all the trends are pointing to employment growth in the green jobs. However you might be able to achieve a similar satisfaction through volunteering at the local parks department while assuming full-time employment.
  • A fourth option is to return to school to earn your master’s degree.

All four options are attractive to you. What should you do?

Consider these questions when arriving at your choice:

1. Define this problem in your own words. (Communication)

2. Compare and contrast the available solutions within the scenario. (Analysis)

3. Select one of the available solutions and defend it as your final solution.(Problem-solving)

4. Identify and describe any weaknesses in your selected solution.(Evaluation)

5. Make suggestions on ways to improve/strengthen your solution.You may include information not described in the scenario (e.g., resources you’ve read outside of class).(Synthesis)

6. Reflect on your own thought process after completing the assignment.(Reflection)

[The Assessment of Critical Thinking (ARC) Scoring Template (Rubric) belowis a scoring tool used to assess your performance on essays, projects, and other assignments. The different categories allow your instructor to specify the level of performance expected.]

HFT-LEI Assignment Profile for ARCPage 1 of 5Last Revised: 4/27/2009

SPC’s Assessment of Critical Thinking (ARC) Scoring Template

Rater (scorer) name: ______Paper ID: ______Date: ______

Performance
Element / Exemplary
(4) / Proficient
(3) / Developing
(2) / Emerging
(1) / Not Present
(0) / Score
I. Communication
Define problem in your own words. / Identifies the main idea or problem with numerous supporting details and examples which are organized logically and coherently. / Identifies the main idea or problem with some supporting details and examples in an organized manner. / Identifies the main idea or problem with few details or examples in a somewhat organized manner. / Identifies the main idea or problem poorly with few or no details or states the main idea or problem verbatim from the text. / Does not identify the main idea or problem. / 4 3 2 1 0
    
N/A 
Comments:
II. Analysis
Compare & contrast the available solutions. / Uses specificinductive or deductive reasoning to make inferences regarding premises; addresses implications and consequences; identifies facts and relevant information correctly. / Uses logical reasoning to make inferences regarding solutions; addresses implications and consequences; Identifies facts and relevant information correctly. / Uses superficial reasoning to make inferences regarding solutions; Shows some confusion regarding facts, opinions, and relevant, evidence, data, or information. / Makes unexplained, unsupported, or unreasonable inferences regarding solutions; makes multiple errors in distinguishing fact from fiction or in selecting relevant evidence. / Does not analyze multiple solutions. / 4 3 2 1 0
    
N/A 
Comments:
III. Problem Solving
Select & defend your final solution. / Thoroughly identifies and addresses key aspects of the problem and insightfullyuses facts and relevant evidence from analysis to support and defend potentially valid solutions. / Identifies and addresses key aspects of the problem and uses facts and relevant evidence from analysis to develop potentially valid conclusions or solutions. / Identifies and addresses some aspects of the problem; develops possible conclusions or solutions using some inappropriate opinions and irrelevant information from analysis. / Identifies and addresses onlyone aspect of the problem but develops untestable hypothesis; or develops invalid conclusions or solutions based on opinion or irrelevant information. / Does not select and defend a solution. / 4 3 2 1 0
    
N/A 
Comments:

Rater (scorer) name: ______Paper ID: ______Date: ______

Performance
Element / Exemplary
(4) / Proficient
(3) / Developing
(2) / Emerging
(1) / Not Present
(0) / Score
IV. Evaluation
Identify weaknesses in your final solution. / Insightfully interprets data or information;
identifies obvious as well as hidden assumptions, establishes credibility of sources on points other than authority alone, avoids fallacies in reasoning; distinguishes appropriate arguments from extraneous elements; provides sufficient logical support. / Accurately interprets data or information;
identifies obvious assumptions, establishes credibility of sources on points other than authority alone, avoids fallacies in reasoning; distinguishes appropriate arguments from extraneous elements; provides sufficient logical support. / Makes some errors in data or information interpretation; makes arguments using weak evidence; provides superficial support for conclusions or solutions. / Interprets data or information incorrectly;
Supports conclusions or solutions withoutevidence or logic; uses data, information, or evidence skewed by invalid assumptions; uses poorsources of information; uses fallacious arguments. / Does not evaluate data, information, or evidence related to final solution. / 4 3 2 1 0
    
N/A 
Comments:
V. Synthesis
Suggest ways to improve/strengthen your final solution. / Insightfully relates concepts and ideas from multiple sources; uses new information to enhance final solution; recognizesmissing information; correctly identifies potential effects of new information. / Accurately relates concepts and ideas from multiple sources; uses new information to enhance final solution; correctly identifies potential effects of new information. / Inaccurately or incompletely relates concepts and ideas from multiple sources; shallow determination of effect of new information on final solution. / Poorly integrates information from more than one source to support final solution; Incorrectly predicts the effect of new information on final solution. / Does not identify new information for final solution. / 4 3 2 1 0
    
N/A 
Comments:
VI. Reflection
Reflect on your own thought process.
“What did you learn from this process?”
“What would you do differently next time to improve?” / Identifies strengths and weaknesses in own thinking: recognizes personal assumptions, values and perspectives, compares to others’, and evaluates them in the context of alternate points of view. / Identifies strengths and weaknesses in own thinking: recognizes personal assumptions, values and perspectives, compares to others’, with some comparisons of alternate points of view. / Identifies some personal assumptions, values, and perspectives;
recognizes some assumptions, values and perspectives of others; shallow comparisons of alternate points of view. / Identifies some personal assumptions, values, and perspectives;
doesnot consider alternate points of view. / Does not reflect on own thinking / 4 3 2 1 0
    
N/A 
Comments:

HFT-LEI Assignment Profile for ARCPage 1 of 5Last Revised: 4/27/2009