GEB 3031: Cornerstone – Professional Skills for Business
Fall Semester 2013
Professor Cameron Ford
Director - Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL)
Management Department
Office: BA 345 BA or BA 135 (CEL)
Phone: 407-823-3683 (CEL) or 407-823-3700 (office)
Fax: 407-823-3725
Email: Via Webcourses
Website: Access through Webcourses
Classroom: 107, BA1
Time: Wednesday 6:00-8:50 pm or
via lecture capture shortly
after class ends
Office Hours: Tues 9-11, Wed 1-3
Teaching Assistants will offer
additional office hours in BA 135
(see announcements for times)
COURSE OVERVIEW
Cornerstone is a professional skill development course that emphasizes those skills that corporate
recruiters say are in high demand and short supply. Learning these skills will make you a more
polished, valuable, and employable professional. Career counselors describe the skills you will
learn in this course as “transferable skills” capable of enhancing your success in ANY career.
That is why this course is described metaphorically as the “cornerstone” of your professional
education. These transferable skills will help you utilize the disciplinary expertise you acquire in
other classes more effectively to influence agendas, create alternatives, and deliver results.
Learn well and you will become a person of consequence in professional settings.
Rather than using a traditional text to guide the course, we will review several Harvard Manage
Mentor training modules developed by leading scholars and consultants. The modules present
robust concepts and tactics validated by academic research and current business practice. My
lectures will enrich descriptions offered by the modules by clarifying concepts, presenting
examples, describing related research, and promoting your critical thinking about common
professional dilemmas.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
My intent is to help you develop effective “habits of the mind” that will promote your future
professional success. The habits I will emphasize focus on skills coveted by corporate recruiters.
By the end of this course, you are expected to have improved the following professional
competencies:
1. Teamwork: You will know how to lead, manage, and support team projects and
meetings, including those that involve virtual team members.
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2. Communication: You will know how to structure and deliver communications that
influence others to invest in your professional interests and proposals.
3. Ethics & Self-Management: You will know how to frame ethical conundrums and
regulate your behavior so that you maintain high integrity in your dealings with others.
4. Creative Decision Making: You will know how to integrate diverse perspectives and
interests to spur decision-making processes that foster professional creativity.
5.
Capitalizing on Change: You will know how to promote organizational sustainability
by recognizing and responding to short and long-term changes in business environments.
COURSE COMPONENTS
To succeed in this course it is important to understand the primary contribution of each
component to your overall learning. There are four basic components:
1. Assigned readings from the Harvard Manage Mentor online learning modules help you
understand important concepts.
2. Interactive Lectures help you understand how concepts are reflected in practice. I
achieve this by discussing concepts, illustrating them with examples, current events and
research findings, and encouraging critical thinking about common professional
dilemmas.
3. Notes available on the Cornerstone Webcourses site serve as a “coordinating structure” to
help you organize your newfound knowledge in a form that is closely aligned to
challenges you will face on the exams.
4. Reflections, whereby you envision how you might use the concepts we discuss, improve
your fluency with the course material by linking abstract concepts to visualizations
derived from the readings, my lectures, current events, popular culture, or your own
experiences.
COURSE GRADING
You will complete five multiple-choice exams this semester, but ONLY FOUR WILL COUNT
TOWARD YOUR GRADE FOR THE COURSE (i.e., you can drop your worst exam result).
Each exam included in your final grade calculation is worth 100 points. In order to prevent
“slacking” on the final exam, I require a score of at least 75% (75 points) on the final exam
before it can be dropped from consideration in course grade calculations.
An additional 100 points will be based on “participation,” which is assessed through homework
assignments in Via Response, a multi-platform application that works like a super-functional
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clicker. You are required to sign up for a free account (paid for by the College of Business!).
Detailed information is discussed in the General Course Policies and Procedures.
There are 15 meetings of this class during the semester. Out of these, 12 lectures will include
multiple-choice participation (homework) questions using Via Response, starting with the
second session of the semester. Most questions will have one correct answer based on the
assigned readings. However, some questions may ask for your opinion, for which you will
simply receive credit for answering the question. You will need to complete assigned readings
in the week prior to the corresponding lecture. Your homework will be based on the
assigned readings. Questions will open at 6:00 p.m. each Wednesday and close at 5:59 p.m. the
following Wednesday unless otherwise noted.
You must complete the entire homework assignment on time to earn credit. Each assignment has
ten questions and is worth ten points. You will receive one point for each correct answer. There
are 12 assignments for the semester, but only 10 will count towards your grade. You are
strongly encouraged to complete all 12 assignments to fully engage in the material learned, but
your two lowest grades will be dropped from the homework grade calculation.
Your final course grade in GEB 3031 will be based on the combination of points from your four
best retained exams (per the exam policy previously described) and participation (homework
assignments). Grades will be calculated as follows:
A =
A- =
B+ =
B =
B- =
C+ =
460 – 500
450 – 459
440 – 449
410 – 439
400 – 409
390 – 399
C =
C- =
D+ =
D =
D- =
F =
360 – 389
350 – 359
340 – 349
310 – 339
300 – 309
<300
BORDERLINE GRADES
It is inevitable that many students will miss a grade cut off by a point or two. I am sympathetic
to the frustration that comes with narrowly missing an important goal. I am also aware of the
serious consequences that occasionally follow these grade assignments. However, you should
consider the grade cut offs as absolute. From an instructor’s perspective, once one begins
allocating additional points to individual students to boost their grades it becomes very difficult
to discriminate fairly between those who deserve favorable consideration from those who do not.
These judgments may create a “slippery slope” that ultimately erodes the fairness of the course
grading procedure for ALL involved.
“PASSING” CORNERSTONE
Regional campus students taking the BABA degree must earn a C or better in GEB 3031. Other
majors do not require a specific grade to pass this class (although this is a relatively new policy,
and it is best to check with an advisor to make certain you understand the rules in place for your
specific catalog year).
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EXTRA CREDIT
Small extra credit opportunities may be available to those who choose to participate in voluntary
research projects. Typically, no more than one opportunity will be presented each semester, and
some semesters may offer none. The incentive to participate in a research project will vary
based on the effort required of participants, and are typically worth 3-5 points that are added onto
your total points earned for the course. Research opportunities will only be presented if all
students have a reasonable chance to complete the assignment (i.e., we would not request data
from only women, etc.).
CORNERSTONE LECTURE SUCCESS STRATEGIES
HOW TO BECOME FLUENT IN COURSE MATERIAL
There are several effective and efficient steps for taking full advantage of the "learning inputs"
available to you:
1. PRINT - First, you should download and print the lecture notes (one page per slide).
2. READ - Next, you should read the assigned core concepts from the online learning
modules and make note of definitions (as necessary) and memorable examples.
3. WATCH - Then you should watch associated lectures and take additional notes related
to your favorite examples, illustrations, and embellishments of the concepts.
4. INTERACT - Envision examples of the concepts we discussed, perhaps drawing from
your personal and professional experiences. Practice thinking with the concepts we
discuss by responding in person or online to questions posed during lectures. Take
personality and performance assessments (homework assignments) to gauge your skill
and understanding.
5. ARTICULATE - Finally, when you study for the exams you should try to articulate your
knowledge by discussing concepts with others and by attempting to visualize (see
examples of) each concept.
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Here is a model I often use to help people visualize how to engage the course effectively:
Learn
Organize
Utilize
Read
Watch
&
Interact
Reflect
Notes
(Emphasize
easily visualized
examples)
Knowledge
Utilization
- Discussions
- Exams
I hope this description helps you see that no particular aspect of this course is necessarily more
important than any other. The elements are meant to work together and reinforce each other. I
also hope this reveals why “intensive studying” or cramming does not allow you to take full
advantage of these processes. Consistent engagement with readings, interactive lectures, and
reflection – appropriately documented and coordinated in your notes – is critical to successfully
articulating the ideas presented in class. Speaking to others about ideas from class is a great way
to reveal strengths and weaknesses in your Cornerstone fluency as you prepare for the exams.
It is also important to understand that the notes (PowerPoint slides) are “empty” outlines – they
contain little information. Strictly speaking, you cannot “study the notes”. You must learn
the material from reading, watching lectures, and reflecting on the topics addressed by the
course. The notes are meant to help you organize the insights you gain from engaged learning,
thus helping well-prepared students perform well on the exams. Consequently, you should
emphasize personally meaningful examples and illustrations rather than (obvious) descriptions
and definitions when you take notes. I can almost always predict students’ exam grades by
looking at their notes. The following images depict examples of helpful notes that foster success
and useless notes that demonstrate limited engagement, effort, and understanding.
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This is what relatively helpful and useless notes tend to look like:
Helpful Notes
Useless Notes
GOOD AND BAD VIEWING PRACTICES
The lecture capture format enables students’ best AND worst learning practices. One key to
your success is to take advantage of the best practices and not succumbing to bad practices.
Good Practices
•
•
•
•
•
Watching lectures at regular speed
Watching lectures within a week of recording
Focusing only on the lecture- no multitasking
Taking notes on examples of concepts
Participating in class through Via Response
Bad Practices
•
•
•
•
•
Watching lectures on 2x speed
Multitasking while watching lectures
Writing only definitions and ignoring
examples, videos, etc.
Not taking notes
Not watching at all!
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TIPS FOR TAKING CORNERSTONE EXAMS
Conversations with many students have led me to discover practices that are commonly
associated with success (and failure). Your results may vary, but I thought it might be helpful to
share these ideas in case they might help:
1. At least half of the questions on each exam will ask you to apply concepts in some
context/scenario. When answering these types of questions, please be careful not to
make inferences about things that might/could happen or that characters might/could be
thinking. Adding your own details to the question or "downloading" your own
impressions basically re-writes the question. This is probably the most common reason
why well-prepared students miss intendedly-straightforward questions. Just answer the
question as written - don't embellish or “over-think”.
2. On longer questions, some (especially those for whom English as a second language) find
it helpful to read the end of the question first. Once you understand what the question is
asking you might better understand the relevance of “clues” in the question directing you
toward the best response.
3. If you are stuck between a couple answers and can't figure out which one is "best", look
for key words that might tip the scales toward one response. I am not trying to be tricky
when I write questions. Words in the questions are chosen carefully to provide
distinguishing clues that well-prepared, fluent students should be able to catch.
4. As a rule, I advise students to be careful about changing answers. Changes are often
motivated by the problem noted in #1 above. Obviously, you should make changes when
you find errors, but proceed with caution otherwise.
5. You should have plenty of time to complete the exams. Try to relax and consider taking
a few minutes to regroup if you start to feel overwhelmed.
WORKLOAD EXPECTATIONS
As a rule, college students should expect to spend about 2-3 hours on “outside” work for every
hour spent in class each week. Thus, in a 2.5 hour per week class like ours one should expect to
spend 5 to 7.5 hours on outside work on average per week (7.5-10 hours total). It is important
for you to accommodate this time commitment within your other personal, professional, and
academic commitments.
EXAM PROCEDURES AND POLICIES
EXAM FORMAT
There will be five non-cumulative exams. Test questions will cover material from lectures,
readings, notes, and videos. All exams will contain 60 equally weighted questions and will last
75 minutes. If you do not finish an exam or quiz within the allotted period the system will
automatically save your exam and any questions not answered or not marked as saved will be
scored as incorrect.
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EXAM LOCATIONS
You are required to take your exams online in the campus testing lab where you are registered
for this course. Testing hours on area campuses are somewhat restricted relative to the main
campus lab, and they will vary considerably from one campus to the next. Be sure to check with
your local testing lab to insure that you understand the times available to you at your location.
Ultimately, it is the responsibility of each student to understand available scheduling options
and to complete each exam.
EXAM TIMES
Exams will be administered during the days that an exam is scheduled on the syllabus. Please
check with your local testing lab – where you are registered for this course - to insure that you
understand the scheduling options available to you for each exam. Also see the testing lab
schedule at the testing lab website - click on the “Current Exam Schedule” link to confirm
available dates. Be advised that the testing lab will NOT remain open after closing hours for the
time remaining on your exam. If you cannot secure a seat before the exam closes, you will
receive a zero for that exam. Please note the times of the exams in advance and do not schedule
any events that would conflict with the scheduled exam dates.
MISSING EXAMS AND CONFLICT EXAMS
Given the extraordinary flexibility afforded by the open testing format, there will be few
opportunities offered for conflict (make-up) exams. Waiting until the last available day to take
your exam carries significant risks due to overcrowding, illness, traffic, accidents, etc. None of
these reasons serve as a valid excuse for missing an exam. There will be sufficient opportunities
for all students to take all the exams. If a conflict is genuinely unavoidable (e.g., a serious,
sustained medical problem) then please contact me via Webcourses email as soon as you are
aware of your conflict to present your request.
MAIN CAMPUS TESTING LAB INFORMATION
All students are required to review and follow current testing lab policies. You can review
information about the main campus testing lab in Business Administration II by visiting the lab’s
website at http://www.bus.ucf.edu/testinglab. Follow this link to find current Cornerstone exam
schedule information (posted during week of exam only), lab policies, lab hours, and current lab
use (live updates on open seats).
•
ID Cards for Check in: You may check-in for an exam during the Testing Lab hours in
which your exam is available. A valid UCF Student ID is required to authenticate your
access to the exam by the Lab staff. Students who bring invalid or badly damaged ID
cards will be warned on their first occurrence of using the card. After a second
occurrence, the card will be collected and turned over to card services. Students without a
UCF ID card will get a one-time pass if their enrollment in the course can be
authenticated (i.e., faculty phone verification of student’s identity/enrollment).
•
COBA Fast Pass: The main campus testing lab offers a “fast pass” option that allows
students to reserve a time slot up to 48 hours in advance, thus avoiding having to wait in
lines. You can learn more about this option on the main campus testing lab website.
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•
Reporting problems: If you encounter difficulty with any equipment or software in the
Testing Lab, you must report the problem to a proctor or staff member for assistance
before proceeding or attempting to fix the problem on your own. Report as much
information about the problem and your location as you can. Because many exams are
timed, reporting a technical problem as quickly as possible is critical so we can minimize
the time required to get you back online so you can complete the exam.
•
No unauthorized materials: No graphing calculators, backpacks, books, papers, or any
other materials will be allowed in the Testing Lab. If you arrive for the exam with these
items, you will have to store them in the lockers located in room 105 (at a cost of $.50).
The Testing Lab is not responsible for lost or stolen items. Food, gum or drinks are also
forbidden.
•
Cell phones: The possession of a cell phone is no longer grounds for a student to be
removed from the lab and student's will no longer be warned if they have the phone on
their person. Although it is recommended that students not have cell phones in the
testing center (rather than cannot), students found using a cell phone (even just checking
the time) or the cell phone goes off in the lab, will be escorted from the lab and their
exam will be submitted as is. This is very important and it is requested that you ensure
your students are aware of this policy change.
•
Leaving the testing area: Once you are seated for an exam, you are not permitted to
leave until you are finished. Should an emergency occur in which you must leave the
exam, a proctor will go with you if you wish to return to the exam. Otherwise, your
computer will be reset and reassigned to the next student checking in.
•
Access to Course Material: You will have access to all of the course materials
throughout the semester. However, you cannot access material from the testing lab.
Attempting to do so will be interpreted as an intentional act of academic dishonesty.
•
Policy for General Power Failures: If extreme situations should arise in the Testing
Lab, such as a general power failure, a server failure, or forced evacuation of the
building, alternative testing arrangements will be planned for those affected.
GENERAL COURSE PROCEDURES AND POLICIES
PRE-REQUISITES
Junior standing
COURSE ACCESS
Access to all GEB 3031 Cornerstone materials, with the exception of access to course readings
and the Via Response class participation software, is available through the GEB 3031 link
provided on your MyUCF webpage or by logging into Webcourses2@UCF directly
(webcourses2c.instructure.com).
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PAYMENT
Students who do not pay for the course on time will be automatically dropped from the class
roster and will not be permitted to participate in the class or take exams. It is your responsibility
to insure that your UCF accounts are paid in a timely fashion. No appeals will be considered that
are based on issues related to late tuition payments.
READINGS
We will be reviewing several modules from Harvard Manage Mentor (HMM), a collection of
learning modules designed for early career professional. Purchasing instructions are available on
the course Webcourses site. The bookstore will offer a limited number of access codes printed
on cards for those who must buy their books through the bookstore to be reimbursed from
scholarships, etc. Once purchased, you may access course modules directly from the Harvard
Business Publishing login page rather than through Webcourses. A few additional required
readings I have assigned can be accessed in the “Extra Readings and Research Resources”
section in Webcourses.
Here are a few tips for helping you use Harvard Manage Mentor effectively and efficiently:
•
The reading assignments can be accessed by opening the appropriate HMM module and
then clicking on the “Learn” tab on the left. Unless specific topics in a module are listed
below, you should read all of the sections under “Learn”.
•
If you want to have a hard copy of the module to read and highlight, you can click the
“Get Started” tab on the left and then click “Print Topic”. This will print ALL of the
material in the module, however, which may be over 80 pages in some cases. I strongly
recommend that you print the module as a PDF file (you can install doPDF – a program
included in the “Recommended Web Resources” section in Webcourses that will allow
you to do this free). Then you can select only the pages you want to print. The required
readings will typically be about half of the total pages.
•
The other features of HMM – Practice, Apply, and Explore Further – are optional but
may be useful in helping you understand concepts more thoroughly.
•
HMM also offers download audio summaries (about 6-8 minutes) available under the
“Get Started” tab. Do not use this as a substitute for thoughtful reading, however.
•
Unfortunately, you have to quit HMM and restart it if you want to switch modules.
•
There is one known “quirk” in this product that has affected Cornerstone students.
Occasionally, students have logged into the Harvard website and discovered that the
Harvard Manage Mentor course modules were not listed under their “enrollments” as
they should be. If this happens to you, please try clicking on "My Learning" and then
selecting "My Transcripts". Usually, this problem is the result of the course moving from
"Enrollments" to "Transcripts" after a student has accessed the course.
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VIA RESPONSE
Via Response is the platform that will allow you to respond to your instructor’s in-class
questions and homework. Via Response can be used from a variety of devices.
There is an iOS (iPhone/iPad etc.) application and an Android application; both are
called “Via Response” in the app stores. Before using the application, make sure to
follow the registration instructions for registration below. For users with a smartphone that is not
iOS or Android (such as a Windows phone or Blackberry), Via Response can be accessed using
their mobile website: https://m-viaconnect.viaresponse.com/
For users without the listed items above, Via Response can be used through your laptops.
You will not be able to log in before completing registration!
•
Registration:
For a visual guide on how to register, please visit
http://viaresponse.com/StudentSignupNew.html
Or just follow these instructions below:
When your teacher creates your class, you will receive an invite from
noreply@viaresponse.com that is titled: “Student Account Information – Via Response”
Inside the email you will see a link that directs you to Via Response. If you don’t see the
email, check your spam or junk folder. Some fields will be pre-populated with
information from your class. Fill in your desired nickname (note: this will be visible to
classmates and your teacher) and your password. Finish by clicking Sign Up.
•
Signing in:
You may use either your smartphone or laptop to use Via Response. For iOS and Android
devices, please launch your App that you downloaded from the App Store. Other mobile
devices can use the mobile website: https://m-viaconnect.viaresponse.com/
If you are on your laptop, open your browser to http://viaconnect.viaresponse.com
Use your school e-mail address for login with the password you just created.
IMPORTANT: If you have ANY technical issues with this application, DO NOT
CONTACT your instructor. Please contact the company directly. Here is their
information: Phone: 855-842-8421 or go to their Support site at
http://viaresponse.com/Support.html and submit a ticket. They are very responsive. They
also provide an up-to-date FAQ at http://www.viaresponse.com/StudentSupport.html
SESSION NOTES
PowerPoint notes are posted on the Webcourses site for Cornerstone. I strongly recommend
printing them in “Notes” view with one slide on each page so you have lots of room to write
helpful insights. See examples of helpful and useless notes on page 4.
EXAMS
Exams are accessed through Webcourses as described in the “Examination Procedures and
Policies” section of the syllabus. Exams will mostly include multiple-choice questions with a
few equally weighted fill-in-the-blank and other alternate-format questions mixed in.
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ATTENDING LECTURES
This course is offered via “lecture capture”. This means that there is a real class that you are
welcome (not required) to attend, but that the lectures are captured on video for your
convenience and for repeat viewing. Each class can be viewed in person, streamed live at the
time each class is presented, or streamed via the web soon after class ends. The lecture videos
will be available on the course website in Webcourses@UCF.
MISSING CLASS
Although this course is offered via lecture capture, YOU are still responsible for all material,
announcements, and participation questions presented in class (in person or on the web) from
the time it is presented to you. It is likely (inevitable?) that we may have a glitch or two during
the semester and will have to improvise solutions. Thus, it is imperative that you remain
engaged with class presentations so you can keep track of your responsibilities.
COMMUNICATION PROCEDURES & POLICIES
You may communicate with me during class, immediately after class, or during office hours.
You are also welcome to call during office hours. Finally, you may contact me via Webcourses
email.
Email communications must comply with the following rules so that I can maintain
professional, respectful, and appropriate dialog in class.
1. Please email me in Webcourses by typing my name into the “To” bar in the Webcourses
inbox. You can also click on the address book and find my name under Teachers. Do
NOT email “All Teachers” or “All Teaching Assistants” since this copies your message
to all of our Cornerstone Lab instructors.
2. Students may NEVER email “All Students,” “All Teachers,” “All Teaching Assistants,”
or “Everyone.” The discussion boards are available for you to use to communicate
broadly with others in class.
3. If a student does send an email to ALL STUDENTS, I will judge whether the email was
sent intentionally. If I determine a message was sent by accident, I will issue a warning
that a second “spam” email will automatically be viewed as intentional. Intentionally
emailing the entire class will result in a 25 point (5%) deduction for the first offense and
50 points (10%) for every additional offense.
Discussion boards are provided for you in Webcourses so that you can communicate with your
student peers. Again, please follow these guidelines to promote a positive learning environment.
1. Before posting an inquiry on a discussion board, please spend a few minutes searching
for the answer in the syllabus or on Webcourses. When you ask questions about easily
researched issues like exam dates, readings on each exam, points needed for certain
grades, how to buy the text, etc., you are wasting other students’ time and clogging the
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boards with worthless entries.
2. Do not post inflammatory or unprofessional mockery in our discussion boards. This is a
class forum, not a true social media platform. Please keep in mind that your real name
will be associated with your comments and that all of the Cornerstone instructors and
TAs have access to your posts. Think long and hard about the impression you want to
make before posting comments to any class discussion board.
3. IT IS A VIOLATION OF THE GOLDEN RULE to discuss an exam IN ANY FASHION
AT ANY TIME. Do not share your impressions, offer tips, or otherwise characterize the
assignments to others who have yet to take the test. Low integrity ruins the system we all
share, and diminishes the credibility of our class and our institution.
ACCESS TO TECHNICAL SUPPORT
I do not possess the expertise to resolve technical problems you may have so do not ask me for
technological support. Fortunately, we have excellent technical support to help you address any
problems you might experience. Please contact these sources directly if you need help. I have
also created a discussion forum in Webcourses where students can present problems and offer
solutions and strategies related to technical issues. However, this discussion board is NOT a
substitute for seeking qualified technical support.
•
Webcourses or Lecture Video Streaming: Contact the Technology Resource Center
help desk at 407-823-5117.
•
Testing Lab Questions: Contact the main campus testing lab at 407-823-0419.
•
Harvard Manage Mentor Learning Modules Questions or Problems: Harvard
Business Press provides limited technical support by calling (800) 810-8858 or e-mailing
techhelp@hbsp.harvard.edu.
•
Via Response: Contact the company at 855-842-8421 or email a description of your
problem to support@viaresponse.com. They are very responsive. They also provide an
up-to-date FAQ at http://www.viaresponse.com/StudentSupport.html.
EXPECTATIONS OF PROFESSIONALISM AND ACADEMIC HONESTY
The foundation of professionalism is integrity – trust that you will do what you say and are
expected to do, do it well, do it on time, and do it for the benefit of others. Accordingly,
universities (and professors) should develop an environment where students learn to act in an
honorable and trustworthy fashion and where the standards of academic integrity are taught,
emphasized, and consistently enforced. The obligations of honor do not apply to students only;
all participants in the educational process have an obligation to act honorably. Consequently, the
instructors and staff involved in Cornerstone have created procedures to promote a fair,
trustworthy learning environment.
UCF takes student integrity so seriously, and addresses it so effectively, that we have been
featured in the New York Times who wrote, “The frontier in the battle to defeat student cheating
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may be here at the testing center of the University of Central Florida.” It is important for you to
know that our Testing Lab environment and its computers are electronically monitored and
recorded. Every keystroke and behavior is monitored and available for review. All perceived
incidents of student misconduct will be reported to the instructor who may report it to the
Student Conduct Board for action. Our open testing environment challenges students to adhere
to academic honesty at a new level. You should understand that discussing the contents of any
participation questions or exam with anyone while an assignment is still available to other
students is considered academic dishonesty and will be treated as a violation of the honor
code. This includes discussing specific questions, or general information about the
assignment.
Other violations of academic behavior standards, including those listed below are described in
The Golden Rule, the UCF Student Handbook (http://www.goldenrule.sdes.ucf.edu/).
1. Cheating whereby non-permissible written, visual or oral assistance including that
obtained from another student is utilized on examinations, course assignments or
projects. Accessing any material during examination is academic dishonesty and will be
punishable by failure of the exam with a grade of 0, and possible failure of the course.
The unauthorized possession or use of examination or course related material shall also
constitute cheating. Students found to engage in academic dishonesty will be reported to
the University for further action.
2. Plagiarism is defined as when another's work is deliberately used or appropriated without
any indication of the source, thereby attempting to convey the impression that such work
is the student's own. Any student failing to properly credit ideas or materials taken from
another has plagiarized.
3. A student who has assisted another in any of the aforementioned breach of standards shall
be considered equally culpable.
4. Any attempt to create or obtain reproductions of exams or other restricted course content
will be considered an act of academic dishonesty and will be subject to academic
disciplinary action.
USE OF STUDY AIDS
Students often spend considerable time and effort seeking various study aids such as notes,
guides, and “quiz-lets” created by others. I have several points to cover here:
1. Anyone wishing to share notes, quiz-lets, or any other study aid MUST email these
materials to me to obtain written approval. I will likely approve items after a quick
review. Nevertheless, this process is CRITICALLY IMPORTANT to safeguarding
academic integrity. I will create a discussion board where approved study aids can be
shared openly and legitimately. Posting unapproved study aids will be interpreted as an
act of academic dishonesty under UCF’s Golden Rule.
2. Similarly, it is also EACH STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITY to notify me of alternative
15
study aids discovered that are not posted on the Cornerstone Webcourses page.
Possessing unapproved study aids will be interpreted as an act of academic dishonesty
under UCF’s Golden Rule. The presumption will be that students who are not
transparent (open) about the resources they possess are likely doing something wrong.
These processes will allow study aids to be shared, but I suggest that few of you will benefit
from these types of materials. While it is theoretically possible that these could serve as useful
supplements to the success strategies I have described, they almost never do. Instead, most
students I have spoken to use them as a shortcut to success that results in a superficial
understanding of the course material and poor exam results. Engaging the success strategies
described earlier is typically more effective and efficient.
LACK OF PROGRESS POLICY FOR CBA
To help students graduate in a timely manner from a major where they are likely to succeed, the
College of Business Administration has implemented a new tracking methodology called “Lack
of Progress” (LOP). The LOP policy requires that students maintain a 2.0 or higher cumulative
GPA in BOTH their major and college coursework. Students who do not maintain a 2.0 or
higher cumulative GPA in the major and/or college will be placed on “Lack of Progress” status.
Students placed on Lack of Progress will have a hold placed on their account and must raise their
cumulative major and/or college GPA to a minimum of 2.0 in the subsequent semester. Students
who fail to do so will be dismissed from the major and/or college. For further information on
LOP, students may visit the Office of Undergraduate Student Services in BA2 101 or refer to the
College of Business Administration website at:
http://www.bus.ucf.edu/students/undergraduate/?page=1839.
16
GEB 3031: Cornerstone – Professional Skills for Business
Fall Semester 2013
Class Schedule and Assignments (subject to minor changes)
Teamwork – Exam #1, 9/11 – 9/14
 8/21
Cornerstone Course and Lab Overview
 Review Cornerstone Course Syllabus & Webcourses Site
 Purchase and Review Harvard Manage Mentor
Becoming a Professional
 8/22
Drop/Swap Deadline & Full Refund Deadline, 11:59 p.m.
 8/23
Late Registration and Add Deadline, 11:59 p.m.
 8/28
Project Management and Meeting Management
 Read Learn Section of Project Management
 Read Learn Section Meeting Management
 HW 1 (Team Leadership and Virtual Teams) open until 9/11 at 5:59 p.m.
**HW 1 will be open for two weeks to allow for potential delays in registering
for Via Response. However, you are encouraged to complete the assignment
within one week!
 9/4
Team Leadership and Virtual Teams
 Read Learn Section of Team Leadership
 Read Learn Section Virtual Teams
 HW 2 (Leading, Motivating, and Delegating) open until 9/11 at 5:59 p.m.
 9/11-9/14 Exam #1 (open during College of Business Testing Lab hours)
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Communication – Exam #2, 10/2 – 10/5
 9/11
Leading, Motivating, and Delegating
 Read Learn Section of Leading and Motivation
 Read Learn Section of Delegating
 HW 3 (Goal Setting and Time Management) open until 9/18 at 5:59 p.m.
 9/18
Goal Setting & Time Management
 Read Learn Section of Goal Setting
 Read Learn Section of Time Management
• Why Manage Your Time
• Identifying and Prioritizing Goals
• Breaking Goals into Tasks
• Analyzing How You Spend Your Time
• Recognizing and Defeating Common “Time-Wasters”
• Scheduling Your Time More Effectively
• Monitoring and Improving Your Time-Management Strategies
• Balancing the Demands on Your Work and Personal Time
 HW 4 (Making Persuasive Presentations) open until 9/25 at 5:59 p.m.
 9/25
Making Persuasive Presentations
 Read Learn Section of Persuading Others
• Persuasion Overview
• Building Your Credibility
• Understanding Your Audience
• Winning Your Audience’s Mind
• Winning Your Audience’s Heart
 Read Learn Section of Presentation Skills
• Organizing your presentation
• Using visuals
• Rehearsing
• Presenting effectively
• Handling questions
• Making group presentations
• Evaluating your presentation
 HW 5 (Networking) open until 10/2 at 5:59 p.m.
 10/2-5
Exam #2 (open during College of Business Testing Lab hours)
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Ethics & Self-Management – Exam #3, 10/23 – 10/25
 10/2
Networking
 Read “A Smarter Way to Network,” Harvard Business Review
 Read “How Leaders Create and Use Network,” Harvard Business Review
 HW 6 (Ethics and Integrity) open until 10/9 at 5:59 p.m.
 10/9
Ethics and Integrity
 Read “Integrity: Without it Nothing Works” (PDF provided in Webcourses
module Ethics and Integrity)
 Read “How Great Companies Think Differently,” Harvard Business Review
 Read “Ethical Breakdowns,” Harvard Business Review
 HW 7 (Career Management and Managing Upward) open until 10/16 at 5:59
p.m.
 10/16
Career Management and Managing Upward
 Read Learn Section of Career Management
• What is Career Development
• Taking Charge of Your Career
• Knowing Yourself
• Clarify Your Work Values
• Assessing Your Skills
• Finding Development Opportunities at Your Company
 Read Learn Section of Managing Upward
 HW 8 (Decision-Making and Negotiation) open until 10/23 at 5:59 p.m.
 10/23-25 Exam #3 (open during College of Business Testing Lab hours)
**Exam 3 closes on Friday, October 25 at 9:30p.m. The Testing Lab is closed on
Saturday, October 26 due to a home football game.
19
Creative Decision Making - Exam #4, 11/13-11/16
 10/23
Decision Making and Negotiation
 Read Learn Section of Decision-Making
 Read Learn Section of Negotiation
 HW 9 (Diversity and Difficult Interactions) open until 10/30 at 5:59 p.m.
 10/28
Grade Forgiveness & Withdrawal Deadline (ends 11:59PM)
 10/30
Diversity and Difficult Interactions
 Read Learn Section of Diversity
 Read Learn Section of Difficult Interactions
 HW 10 (Innovation and Creativity) open until 11/6 at 5:59 p.m.
 11/6
Innovation and Creativity
 Read Learn Section
• The Manager’s Role
• What is Creativity and Innovation
• Key Misconceptions
• Different Thinking Styles
• Building intellectual diversity
• Fostering Creative Abrasion
• Enhancing the Psychological Environment
• Enriching the Physical Environment
• Divergent Thinking Techniques
• Convergent Techniques
 HW 11 (Change and Crisis Management) open until 11/13 at 5:59 p.m.
 11/13-16 Exam #4 (open during College of Business Testing Lab hours)
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Capitalizing on Change - Exam #5, 12/4-12/7
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 11/13
Change and Crisis Management
 Read Learn Section of Change Management
 Read Learn Section of Crisis Management
 HW 12 (Strategic and Entrepreneurial Thinking and Business Plan
Development) open until 11/20 at 5:59 p.m.
 11/20
Strategic Thinking and Business Plan Development
 Read Learn Section of Strategic and Entrepreneurial Thinking
 Read Learn Section of Business Plan Development
 11/22
Cornerstone Competition (you have to be in it to win it!)
 11/27
Entrepreneurial Leadership
 Read “Why the Lean Start-Up Changes Everything,” Harvard Business
Review
 Read “Strategies for Learning from Failure,” Harvard Business Review
 12/4-7
Exam #5 (open during College of Business Testing Lab hours)