Professional Documents
Culture Documents
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
CLASS INFORMATION & SCHEDULE
II.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Organizations today fight to survive in an environment that is competitive on many levels
and rapidly changing. Achieving greater effectiveness on a social, economic and strategic
level require organizations at times to seek the assistance of trained professionals to
maintain their competitive advantage. Organizational Development (OD) practitioners
provide expertise necessary to accomplish this. However, organizations may not have the
ability to outsource these experts. Therefore organizations must rely on internal
resources, such as managers, staff specialists, and human resource professionals to affect
change. This course examines how organizational behavior, through different methods,
can improve performance and influence future changes so that organizations can adapt to
their external environments.
The instructor reserves the right to make changes or adjustments to this syllabus, due
dates and its content at their discretion and without notice. Check Bb announcements
regularly for any such changes, notifications or updates.
III.
IV.
Identify workforce diversity trends that are shaping the labor market of
todays organizations.
Select a major public company and apply the theories and models of
organizational change when preparing a term paper.
The instructor reserves the right to make changes or adjustments to this syllabus, due
dates and its content at their discretion and without notice. Check Bb announcements
regularly for any such changes, notifications or updates.
V.
VI.
TECHNOLOGICAL REQUIREMENTS:
You will need access to a high-speed computer equipped with internet access, a
card, functional speakers, Microsoft PowerPoint (or a MS PowerPoint viewer,
you can download for free from the internet), video-playing software (i.e., Windows
Media Player or RealPlayer), video-playing equipment and a printer. You should
also be able to check-out materials from the WU Libraries as needed for assignment
completion. The online nature of this course MANDATES these requirements as a
minimum for student success.
VII.
METHODOLOGY:
A. Teaching Methods:
Teaching methods include Bb Collaborate lecture, readings, group discussion, and
individual exercises whereby students can apply the knowledge obtained in the course
through individual participation.
B. Evaluation Procedures:
Student grades for this course will be calculated as follows:
ASSIGNMENT
Discussion Boards
(6 total, worth 100 points each)
Quizzes
(6 total, worth 10 points each)
End-of-Course Exam
(Chapters 1-22)
Weekly Learning Activities
(7 total, worth 100 points each)
(Web Activities, Case Studies, etc.)
Individual Final Project
(Typed APA Paper)
POINT VALUE
600
60
100
700
100
C. Rubrics:
Please visit the HRM 310 Blackboard Homepage to view the rubrics contained in the
Rubrics/Grading Criteria Folder; these documents are important, and will help you
understand the grading criteria and requirements for each assignment.
VIII. COURSE SCHEDULE:
The instructor reserves the right to make changes or adjustments to this syllabus, due
dates and its content at their discretion and without notice. Check Bb announcements
regularly for any such changes, notifications or updates.
WEEK
Week #1
July 6th 12th
Week #2
July 13th 19th
Week #3
July 20th 26th
Week #4
July 27th Aug 2nd
Week #5
Aug 3rd 9th
Week #6
Aug 10th 16th
Week #7
Aug 17th 23rd
The instructor reserves the right to make changes or adjustments to this syllabus, due
dates and its content at their discretion and without notice. Check Bb announcements
regularly for any such changes, notifications or updates.
V.
SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS:
A. CLASS ASSIGNMENTS:
Please refer to the Assignments link for more detailed information and rubrics.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS/TOPICS:
Discussion assignments consist of two parts: (I) an initial response to the topic, (II)
responses/interactions (2+) with your peers.
I.
II.
END-OF-COURSE EXAM:
Your end-of-course exam is a series of questions. They are a combination of multiple
choice, true/false and essay style questions. You may use your book to answer the
questions. The exam is worth 20 points and covers Chapters 1-23 of the textbook. Please
answer the questions thoroughly. A rubric will be found under the Rubrics Folder.
The instructor reserves the right to make changes or adjustments to this syllabus, due
dates and its content at their discretion and without notice. Check Bb announcements
regularly for any such changes, notifications or updates.
V.
Your papers should be typed using 12-point Times New Roman font (with one
inch margins all around), double spaced with page numbers. (Dont try the old
paper-lengthening tricks with margins, font size, line spacing, etc. Im wise to
them all.)
The instructor reserves the right to make changes or adjustments to this syllabus, due
dates and its content at their discretion and without notice. Check Bb announcements
regularly for any such changes, notifications or updates.
The paper will have a sustained argument. The aim of the paper is not simply to
relay facts, demonstrating that you have arrived at some understanding of the
discussion. Im interested also in your analysis or evaluation of the material; seek
to move beyond description (what) to explanation (why). The actual argument
developed is up to you; grades are in no way aided or hindered by your advocacy
of an argument with which I agree. The point is how well you make your
argument stick.
When you do depend on the work of others, you must give credit. You must use
APA formatting. You should invest in the style manual to learn the methods and
mechanics of citation and documentation. Be consistent throughout!
The paper will be well written. Quality writing can strengthen even weak
arguments, although not substitute for them. Pass your paper around to other
people. Take advantage of the good people at the Writing Center. Do whatever
you can to write well. Proofread, proofread, proofread.
The instructor reserves the right to make changes or adjustments to this syllabus, due
dates and its content at their discretion and without notice. Check Bb announcements
regularly for any such changes, notifications or updates.
4. Avoid overly complex and unwieldy sentences. State things clearly and directly. In
particular, do not overuse the passive voice. For example, do not say: It was assumed
that Canada would accept Floridas application to become the eleventh province. It is
better to say: The opposition parties assumed that Canada. . . . Make sure that your
sentences are concise and easily understood.
5. Avoid contractions (i.e.: cant) in formal writing. Apostrophes are used to indicate the
possessive case of nouns (e.g., Blacks presidency), but not of the neuter pronoun it
(e.g., The student government lived up to its campaign provinces.) Its is used as a
contraction for it isbut then, youre not using contractions anyway.
6. Also avoid colloquialisms, e.g., US Customs says it is okay for Americans to bring one
live panther per year per person into the country. Rather say: US Customs permits
Americans to bring. . . .. Also avoid the indefinite you: From the observatory you can
see the magnificent King of Prussia skyline.
7. Avoid lengthy quotations, especially in short papers such as this. Im more interested in
discovering how you understand what the writer or speaker is saying.
8. Do not use words like idea, notion, aspect, concept, etc., to make up for a lack of
greater precision. These end up sounding vague in the context of the larger sentence. For
example, do not say: Stare decisis is an idea of the courts. Rather say: Stare decisis is
a legal principle recognized as binding on the courts. This is much more precise.
9. If you find yourself writing in this way, Madison goes on to say . . . or Tocqueville
makes another point . . . , then go back and be sure that you have understood the overall
argument. The use of such language often (though not necessarily) indicates that you are
picking up only fragments of the argument, rather than the larger sense of what is holding
them together.
Finally, I am willing to give any assistance as needed, at any stage in the process.
It is most helpful, however, to come to me after youve struggled with it for a
while and have some ideas or questions developed.
The instructor reserves the right to make changes or adjustments to this syllabus, due
dates and its content at their discretion and without notice. Check Bb announcements
regularly for any such changes, notifications or updates.
Familiarize yourself with the course design. Spend time looking at the course syllabus
even before you register. Decide if you can be a successful self-directed learner in this
particular study content.
Be realistic. If there is insufficient time in your personal schedule to do the work of the
course, you will be frustrated. You will not have to keep a class attendance schedule, but
you will have to do regular academic work.
Set interim goals and deadlines. Thinking about doing the whole course can be
overwhelming. Accomplishing parts of it in reasonable time periods is encouraging and
constructive.
Organize your goals in a study schedule. Remember you should be spending at least two
study hours each week for every credit you are taking. Identify study times when you are
fresh and attentive and stick to those times every week.
Stay in touch with your instructor. Read the announcements, visit or call your assigned
instructor regularly. Sometimes you may think you are not even sure about how to ask a
question about your work; that's when the teacher can help most!
Evaluate your own progress regularly. Re-read the course objectives and standards often
to see how you are progressing with them.
Keep aware of your materials. Distance learning courses have many different materials.
Remember you are not just watching or listening. You are learning from those various
materials. Take notes. Imagine questions that might be on a test from your study guide,
from your textbook, from films or audio tapes.
Time your tests wisely. Be sure you have mastered the material that will be the basis for a
particular test before you take that test. Don't be in too much of a rush; that can lead to
sloppy and ineffective testing.
Set deadlines for yourself, and stick to them. Keep a calendar showing the number of
weeks in the quarter and mark it off with the amount of work you need to do each week.
Mark in the days when you will expect to take tests, submit projects, contact the
instructor.
Find some study-buddies. If you need the companionship of other learners for academic
success, ask your instructor for help in identifying other students who may want to work
with you.
The instructor reserves the right to make changes or adjustments to this syllabus, due
dates and its content at their discretion and without notice. Check Bb announcements
regularly for any such changes, notifications or updates.
Discuss your progress. Ask your instructor at various points in the course how your
progress is going. Point out areas that you think are difficult or unclear. Ask for help.
You are in charge here. The instructor is your coach, but you have to execute the plays.
Find your most effective motivators. What makes you persevere at a task? Do you get
excited when you master a skill? Do you need a reward? Will promising yourself a
pleasant diversion increase your concentration? e.g. "I'll study for two solid hours, and
then I'll call my friend who's just back in town." Don't make the phone call before you
study; it's too likely you'll wind up dropping the books for a good time with your friend.
Remember the importance of sticking to a schedule. Pretend you really are in class when
you are scheduled to do your course work.
The instructor reserves the right to make changes or adjustments to this syllabus, due
dates and its content at their discretion and without notice. Check Bb announcements
regularly for any such changes, notifications or updates.