Why APA 

 
The reason for using American Psychology Association (APA) 
style as a standard for writing and publishing in the Social and 
Behavioral Sciences. 
 
Target Audience 
 
The intended group is members of the Master of Science in 
Instructional Science and Technology (MIST) Cohort XIV. 
 
Need Assessment 
 
The topic will address the need for context that students have 
when learning a new concept. It will give meaning to why they 
must pursue the mastery of APA formatting and referencing 
skills. 
 
Learning Outcomes 
 
Students will be motivated to use APA style when writing, 
expressing, and reflecting their thoughts in their own words 
without plagiarizing and formatting problems.   
 
Curriculum for the MIST program 
 
This lesson is an academic success pathway for students. It will 
address the gap for those who were unfamiliar with academic 
writing in APA style and is part of the curriculum for IST 511: 
Writing Workshop in the MIST program. 
 
Instructional Strategy 
 
The main instructional strategy for this training will be 
team-based learning. Students will be assigned to different 
groups, and each group will be assigned some topic-related 
questions. They will do research on the questions in a limited 
time period, and then give a presentation on the topic. 
 
Setting 
 
Using iLearn Moodle — a Learning Management System (LMS) 
provided for students in the MIST program that allows students 
to conduct learning activities, such as the discussion forum and 
digital deliverables. We chose this LMS because the MIST 
students are already familiar with the system, so no additional 
training is needed. 
 
Implementation Schedule 
 
Create a group discussion forum with the following question: 
Why is the APA style the expected standard for writing and 
publishing in the Social and Behavioral Sciences?   
 
Each group of learners is given a certain amount of time to: 
 
● respond to the discussion forum question with initial 
knowledge about the topic 
 
● research the topic online 
 
● post findings with references to the discussion forum 
 
● view and respond to other groups’ posts on the discussion 
forum 
 
● create a slide presentation, as a learning-by-teaching 
technique, summarizing the topic 
 
● upload deliverable to Moodle and share the course 
content with the other groups 
 
● submit learning process reflection on the discussion 
forum 
 
Reason for Strategy 
 
Students can master content more successfully using this 
academic standard. This strategy was chosen because 
team-based learning provides learners the opportunity to 
figure out the answers together as a team. It uses the Discovery 
Group, Group Discussion, and Group Guided strategy that 
encompasses teacher inquiry, in which we pose a question, and 
learner inquiry in which questions are posed by the students 
within a group setting. The Discovery Group presents their 
findings to guide them toward the formulation of their own 
conclusions (Prince & Felder, 2006).  
 
References 
 
Prince, M. J., & Felder, R. M. (2006). Inductive Teaching and 
Learning Methods: Definitions, Comparisons, and Research 
Bases. Journal of Engineering Education, 95(2), 123-138.  
 
Team 3.