HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
HRPO 2301
Fall 2011 Semester
Professor: Dr. Rudy Soliz
Phone: 713-718-6477
Office Hours: By Appointment
E-mail: rudy.soliz@hccs.edu
NOTE:
At any time during the semester, your Professor reserves the
right to modify the course requirements, assignments, exams,
grading procedures, and all other related policies and procedures
as circumstances may dictate.
Remember also, it is the sole responsibility of each student to
read, completely understand, and adhere to this document and all
other documents or materials associated with this course in their
entirety.
TEXT:
Managing Human Resources, 7th Edition, by Gomez-Mejia, Luis R.,
David B. Balkin, and Robert L. Cardy, Upper Saddle River, New
Jersey, Prentice Hall Publishing Company, 2007
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course is a global survey of the behavioral and legal approaches to the
management of human resources in organizations.
COURSE OVERVIEW:
The objectives of the course are accomplished using comprehensive chapter
outlines and review notes, textbook readings, scheduled assignments, discussion
questions, chat rooms, exams, and Professor interaction.
This multi-faceted course is delivered via Blackboard Format instead of the through
the traditional on-campus classroom setting. As a result, communication is very
important. In this course, I communicate with the students during the semester by
one phone 713-718-6477, two email: rudy.soliz@hccs.edu or last by Blackboard email.
Note: There are no regular meeting days or lectures given as students have in a
traditional oncampus course. Students must follow the Syllabus, Calendar,
Announcements, Assignments, Testing Schedule, Textbook and directions given by
your Professor. It is the sole responsibility of each student to read and understand
the above documents as well as all other documents, materials, or e-mails
associated with the course and follow instructions given in all documents.
Failure to comply with the Syllabus and any subsequent documents will result in a
lower grade or failure in the course.
When you submit the semester assignments via the Blackboard Submit
Assignments Tool, you must send the documents in the format indicated in the
Syllabus and/or Assignment (Microsoft Office Word - preferably 2003). Students
submitting any assignment using any element of Microsoft Works, Word
Perfect, or any other word processing software will receive a grade of zero
because I cannot open them.
Blackboard Vista 6.0 is an extremely sophisticated software program that assigns a
date and time stamp on all correspondence, log-ins, postings, quizzes/exams,
assignments, etc. This time and date indicator is used continuously throughout the
semester for documents submitted and all other activities. The time and date
shown on students' computers are not the official source; only the Blackboard
server in the United States Central Time Zone. Students have
until 11:30 p.m. on the date assignments or exams are due to send the assignments
or complete exams. Students should never wait until the last day or hour to send any
document or begin an exam because numerous problems could arise during the
transmission or your time will expire. Sometimes students register for Distance
Education Courses because they have been told the courses are much easier than
ones taken on campus; this is incorrect. Distance Education students need to be
self-motivated, self-starters, and cannot procrastinate. Once you fall behind,
it is extremely difficult to catch up. The semester is filled with reading, submitting
assignments, participating in discussions, producing documents, and exams.
Here is an overview of what you may expect to see in this course during this
semester:
Shortly after Orientation
Once the semester begins, I will be sending each of you additional information for
this course. If you are new to Distance Education or Blackboard and have technical
problems (with Blackboard or your computer, ONLY- (NOT COURSE CONTENT)
during the semester, contact one of our Distance Education technicians:
• Mr. Ram Chapa ramiro.chapa@hccs.edu 713-718-5271
• Mr. Felix Arrazolo feliciano.arrazolo@hccs.edu 713-718-5270
Students may contact the Technical Support Staff any time they need technical
assistance without going through me. The Technicians sole purpose is to support
students with computer problems. They cannot address any other function or
aspect of the course. It is not their job to give advice, counsel, or make any
recommendations to students regarding content, grades, Professors, or any other
matter, as they do not have the expertise, knowledge, education, or responsibility to
give advice on the content of a course, Professors, or counsel any student.
Items to be printed, read, understood, and followed
The Reading Assignments are associated with chapters covered on each exam. It is
the student’s sole responsibility to (1) review, (2) read, (3) take chapter notes, and
(4) comprehend the textbook. Students are to print the following: Syllabus, semester
calendar, assignments along with due dates, exam schedules with their associated
times/dates, and finally all e-mails / announcements. As you are reading the
chapters, every paragraph has information from which an exam question could
come. Therefore, it is suggested everyone need to take very good notes
for the exams.
Exams during the semester
Chapters associated with exams are identified in this Syllabus. You are required to
take all exams, which are given on-line with specific starting and ending times and
dates. There are no make-up exams in this course.
Participation in Course Discussions and Chat Rooms
The "Discussions Tool" allows your Professor, you, and your classmates to engage
in online discussions. This area is divided into different topic area, which allows your
Professor to create discussion forums around particular subjects. Students may also
create discussion questions germane to this class. Students may also enter the Chat
Rooms. Many students, in the past, have commented that this area of the course
was extremely helpful when studying for exams.
Complete Three Written Assignments
Students have three (3) written assignments, which are submitted back to your
Professor using the Blackboard Submit Assignments Tool. These assignments are
located behind the “Assignments” Icon at the course web site. All Assignments are
valued at 100 points and must be submitted using only Microsoft Office Word 2003.
Students submitting any assignments using any element of Microsoft Office
2007, Microsoft Works, or Word Perfect will receive a grade of zero because I
cannot open them. Each Assignment may only be submitted once. Answers must
be specific in nature, not general, and have the length described in the Assignment.
Spell and grammar check the document using Microsoft Word spell / grammar
checker before submitting it. Students will lose points when errors are found.
Students not preparing for the unexpected or waiting until the last minute to start or
submit their assignments, run the risk of receiving a zero.
Additional Assignments Information
As stated above, you are required to complete specific questions associated with
written assignments. Assignments are individual student efforts. In all cases, you are
to submit the assignments electronically using the Blackboard Submit Assignment
Tool only. Do not fax, hand deliver, or e-mail any assignment to me. In order to
receive consideration for full credit, these assignments, must be developed using
Microsoft Office Word software and sent as stated above so the Blackboard software
can track them.
Posting of Grades
All grades for Exams and Assignments are posted under “My Grades” at the
Blackboard homepage within a reasonable timeframe after completion.
Section
regarding “Taking on-line exams”.
� EXAMINATIONS:
You are required to complete all examinations this semester. The exams consist of
objective questions and each exam covers the chapters identified in this Syllabus.
The exams have a maximum of 100 possible points per exam. With all exams,
questions are chosen randomly from a group of questions. No student receives the
same questions or answers in the same order. All exams are to be given on–line
with specific starting and ending times and dates. Once a student begins his/her
exam (“clicks” Begin Exam), the student has four (4) continuous hours to
finish except students waiting until after 7:30 p.m. on the deactivation date. In these
cases, students only have the remaining time left before the 11:30 p.m. deadline.
Students reviewing, printing, or starting an exam and not completing the same within
the time limit will receive the grade indicate by Blackboard. There are no
exceptions! A student who does not take the Midterm exam is automatically
denied access to our course. The student must then voluntarily withdrawal or
risk receiving an “F”. Your action must take place on or before the Withdrawal
Date. Your Professor does not drop students.
Exam Schedule
• Your exam scheduled is posted.
Exams are activated and deactivated on specific dates to be announced Students
may go to theexams during these dates and click “Begin Exam”. Once you begin the
exam, you must finish it then.
1. Exam Make-up Policy
There are no make-up exams (including the final) for any reason.
2. Contacting Your Professor
If you need to contact me for any reason during the semester, follow these steps:
a. All students must call 713-718-6477, email at rudy.soliz@hccs.edu or last by
Blackboard.
GRADING:
The grading system is based on total points received from (a) your Major and Final
examinations,
The grading scale is:
Exams: 100 points/exam or 20% each for a total
Research Articles: 100 points/exam or 20% each for a total of 300 points
Announcements:
Announcements for our course are posted at the Blackboard Announcement
Section. The announcements provide current information, any changes to the course
that might require your attention, information about upcoming exams, and other
information as needed.
*** REMEMBER ***
Students must log into the course at least two times per week. Logging-in serves the
same function as going to an on-campus class. Blackboard shows the day and time,
you attended, thereby giving you credit for attendance. In accordance with the HCCS
Policy on attendance, failure to login to this course twice a week will result in a
withdrawal, without notice, which is the same policy as an on-campus course.
Each student is responsible for obtaining a copy, reading, and understanding the
current semester course Syllabus, the correct textbook, and all other documents
pertaining to their course. Additionally, students must have copies of the Distance
Education Handbook (either printed form or electronic version), the Houston
Community College System Student Handbook (either printed form or electronic
version), and Houston Community College System Catalog.
Students must complete the required DE Orientation and submit assignments and
exams before their deadline or deactivation time. Finally, students shall keep your
Professor informed of your current phone numbers or name change. All HCCS
regulations will be strictly enforced in this course.
Academic / Scholastic Honesty
Students must be familiar with policies set forth in the HCCS Student
Handbook. “Scholastic dishonesty” includes, but is not limited to, cheating on an
exam, plagiarism, and collusion. “Cheating” includes:
(a) Copying from another student’s exam or assignment paper;
(b) Using materials during an exam that are not authorized by your Professor;
(c) Collaborating with another student during an exam or assignment without
authority; knowingly, using, buying, selling, transporting, or soliciting in whole or part
the bribing of another person to obtain an exam or assignment that is to be
administered;
(d) Students found in possession or using any portion of Professor support materials
supplied by any source;
(e) Submits a paper or assignment for which you have received so much help that
the writing is significantly different from your own;
(f) Submits material written by someone else as your own (this includes purchasing
or borrowing a paper);
(g) Uses direct quotes without quotation marks and textual citation of the material;
(h) Presents another's ideas as your own without citing the source;
(i) Submits material written by someone else as your own (this includes purchasing,
borrowing a paper, or having someone else produce / complete the assignment);
(j) Purposefully allows another student to copy your work or submit work that you
have written as his/her own;
(k) Destroying or removing library materials to gain an academic advantage;
(l) Consulting assignment solutions posted on websites of previous course offerings;
(m) In possession of, using, or downloading faculty text materials from Internet or
other sources
(n) Submitting the same assignment for more than one course without written
authorization from the respective Professor.
Whenever faculty suspect or detect scholastic dishonesty, including plagiarism or
cheating, in a student’s coursework, the student will meet alone with the Professor
during his office hours to determine if dishonesty has occurred. Depending on the
outcome of the Professor’s findings, he will assign a penalty, up to and including an
“F” for the assignment and/or course, in addition to reporting the incident to the
Business Administration, Workforce Dean, Dean of Student Services,
College President, and Legal Counsel for HCCS. Students failing to meet with
course Professor when requested will receive the maximum penalty. If you have any
questions about scholastic dishonesty for this course, consult your Professor.
To avoid potential problems:
1. Read your syllabus for every class. Your syllabus will include information about
courserequirements, including scholastic dishonesty
2. Plan ahead. Leave yourself plenty of time to study for exams and write papers.
This will allow you to ask questions of your Professor if they come up and will help to
avoid that “desperate” feeling that can sometimes lead to scholastic dishonesty.
3. Understand citation and the difference between plagiarism and
paraphrasing. HCCS has some wonderful resources to help you with this. HCCS
libraries have tutorials that can help you to cite your sources and to learn more about
plagiarism.
4. Ask your Professor. If you have questions about an assignment, ask your
Professor instead of guessing.
5. Talk with your Professor. If something comes up that prevents you from turning
in a paper on time, talk to your Professor about this. If the Professor cannot make an
exception for you, it is better to get a zero on the assignment for failure to turn it in
than from scholastic dishonesty by copying another’s paper or cutting, pasting from
the internet or any of the above.
Violations
Punishment for academic / scholastic dishonesty includes a grade of “0” or “F” on
the particular assignment, failure in the course, and automatic recommendation for
immediate suspension or expulsion to the College Dean of Students along with the
final disposition placed on the student’s Official Transcript explaining the suspension
or expulsion.
Cautions for Distance Ed Students: Not all people are well suited for this type of
course. A general set of guidelines is used determine if you should be accepted into
this independent study section. These guidelines will require you:
a. Are self motivated/self starter: Usually this means having completed at least six
(6) credit hours of college and has a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or better. Beware of
Procrastination; once you fall behind, it is hard to catch up.
b. Have previous computer experience is helpful. If you have little to no computer
experience, you might enjoy an in-classroom course with more one on one
instruction.
c. Already have basic experience with, Basic Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows
ME, Windows XP, NT Knowledge, or Apple OS XXX.
d. Understand how to save files on a PC / Mac and basic PC / Mac File Management
Skills (Navigating through folders, etc.).
e. Be able to creating Files using only Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, or Rich Text
Formatting.
f. Are capable of scanning documents for mistakes and up-loading files as
attachments.
g. Be proficient in using an internet browser.
h. Have adequate hardware with appropriate software installed on your computer to
complete the course or access to equipment and software. Your computer,
internet-access, or printer breaking down are NOT valid excuses for failing to
turn in an assignment or submitting it late. If your computer or Internet access is
not functioning, you will need to visit an open lab provided by the college, or go to a
HCCS college campus or public library to complete your assignments or take exams.
It is required students:
a. have access to a PC / Mac running Windows 95/98/Me/NT/XP/OS XXX with
Internet access.
b. have the latest free version of Adobe Reader. The web address to obtain the free
version is
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
c. check your e-mail at LEAST TWO times a week. Noncompliance may result in a
referral to the Early Warning System, lower semester grade, denied access or
dropped from the course without notice.
d. have access to a printer.
e. retain assignments on a hard drive, floppy diskettes, or zip drive.
f. keep a notebook with pertinent class information.
g. purchase the correct textbook.
h. read and understand all elements of the current semester Syllabus, all
documents, e-mails, announcements, the Distance Education, and Student
handbooks.
i. HCCS students must provide your Professor with day and evening phone
numbers.
j. read and understand the required chapters in the textbook prior to taking the
exams.
k. successfully complete all requirements of this course as outlined in this document.
l. contact your Professor if you have any questions regarding any element of the
course you do not understand. E-mails without a subject are not answered.
Additional Information for HCCS Students
New DE Student User ID
Your new student login user ID will be your HCCS User ID (sometimes referred to as
the “W”
number). All HCCS students have a unique User ID. It is the same number you use
for class registration. For students who have taken DE classes in previous
semesters, the login will no longer be “firstname.lastname” + the last two (2) digit of
your SS #. If you do not know your User ID, you can look it up using the following
links:
o From the HCCS home page, click on “Register Here”
o On the Student Web Services page, click on “Registration (Online)”
o Click on “Retrieve User ID” and follow the instructions.
Or use the direct link:
https://hccsaweb.hccs.edu:8080/servlets/iclientservlet/sauat/?cmd=start
The default student password will still be “distance”. As always, students will then be
prompted to change their password after their first login. These new student login
procedures apply to classes taught in both Blackboard and WebCT. Please contact
desupport@hccs.edu if you need additional assistance with your log in.
Students with Disabilities
"Any student with a documented disability (e.g. physical, learning, psychiatric, vision,
hearing, etc) who needs to arrange reasonable accommodations must contact the
appropriate HCCS Disability Support Service (DSS) Counselor at the beginning of
each semester. Faculty are authorized to provide only the accommodations
requested by the Disability Support Services Office. Students who are requesting
special testing accommodations must first contact the appropriate DSS Counselor
for assistance. Please contact the Distance Education Counselors (Dr. Angela
Berveiler, Ms. Carmen Gentry, or Dr. Lesli Rowell) at 713-718-5275, option #4 in
order to be referred to the appropriate HCCS DSS Counselor. Students who require
testing accommodations need to schedule an appointment for testing to ensure that
staff will be available for proctoring and to arrange for any adaptive equipment that
may be required. Students should contact the distance education Professor's
"Instructional Support Specialist" (ISS) the week prior to each exam throughout the
semester to confirm that the requested testing accommodations will be met.”
Students who are requesting accommodations must first contact the appropriate
(most convenient) DSS Counseling office for assistance:
Central: 713.718.6164
Northwest: 713.718.5422
Northeast: 713.718.8420
Southeast: 713.718.7218
Southwest: 713.718.7909
System: 713.718.5165
*Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services – Central
*Students living outside of the HCCS District service areas – Central
After student accommodation letters have been approved by the DSS office and
submitted to DE Counseling, students will receive a confirmation email along with
instructions regarding completion of the requested accommodation(s).
Distance education advising and counseling services
Advising can be accomplished by telephone at 713/718-5275 - option # 4, via email
at de.counseling@hccs.edu, by visiting the Distance Education Office at the HCCS
Administration Building, 3100 Main Street, 3rd floor and/or by on-site advising at
other HCCS locations upon request. Confidential sessions with the Distance
Education Counselors will help students understand admissions, registration,
entrance-testing requirements, Degree Planning, transfer issues, and career
counseling. Houston Community College counselors also maintain a local referral
base in order to provide appropriate referrals to students with personal or family
issues that may require long-term solutions.
Course repeater policy
Beginning in the Fall 2006, students who repeat a course for a third or more times
will face significant tuition/fee increases at HCCS and other Texas public colleges
and universities. Please ask your HCCS Counselor about opportunities for
tutoring/other assistance prior to considering course withdrawal or if you are not
receiving passing grades.
International students
Receiving a “W” in a course may affect the status of your student Visa. Once a “W”
is given for the course, it will not be changed to an F because of the visa
consideration. Since January 1, 2003, International Students are restricted in the
number of distance education courses that they may take during each semester.
ONLY ONE online / distance education class may be counted
towards the enrollment requirement for International Students per semester. Please
contact the International Student Office at 713-718-8520 if you have any questions
about your visa status and other transfer issues.
Virtual classroom conduct
As with on-campus classes, all students in HCCS Distance Education courses are
required to follow all HCCS Policies & Procedures, the Student Code of Conduct, the
Student Handbook, and relevant sections of the Texas Education Code when
interacting and communicating in a virtual classroom with faculty and fellow
students. Students who violate these policies and guidelines will
be subject to disciplinary action that could include denial of access to course-related
email, discussion groups, and chat rooms or being removed from this class or
college.
HCCS attendance and withdrawal policies from DE Counseling
All students must logon to the course at least two times a week. In accordance with
HCCS Policy, any student who has not logged on or attended class for two weeks
will be denied access to the course without notice. It is the sole responsibility of
HCCS students to withdrawal from this course. Instructions are set forth in the HCCS
catalog, Student Handbook, and Class Schedule. The State of Texas has begun to
impose penalties on students who drop courses excessively. For example, if you
repeat the same course more than twice, you have to pay extra tuition. Beginning in
Fall 2007, the Texas Legislature passed a law limiting first time entering freshmen to
no more than SIX total course withdrawals throughout their educational career in
obtaining a certificate and/or degree. To help students avoid having to drop/withdraw
from any class, HCCS has instituted an Early Alert process by which your Professor
will “alert” you and Distance Education (DE) Counselors that you might fail a class
because of excessive absences and/or poor academic performance.
Contact your Professor or a DE Counselor to learn about what, if any, HCCS
interventions might be available to assist you – online tutoring, childcare, financial
aid, job placement, etc. – to stay in class and improve your academic performance.
In order to withdraw from your DE class, you MUST contact your HCCS
Counselor and this must be done PRIOR to the withdrawal deadline to receive
a “W” on your transcript. If you do not withdraw before the deadline, you will
receive the grade that you have earned by the end of the semester. Zeros averaged
in for required assignments/tests not submitted will lower your semester average
significantly, most likely resulting in a failing grade (“F”). Please do not contact
your Professor to request a withdrawal this is your responsibility.
Use of cameras or recording devices
Use of recording devices, including camera phones and tape recorders, is prohibited
in classrooms, laboratories, faculty offices, and other locations where instruction,
tutoring, or testing occurs. Students with disabilities who need to use a recording
device as a reasonable accommodation should contact the Office for Students with
Disabilities for information regarding this.