Alexander BA 282 OL Syllabus Winter 2016
BA 282 – Organizational Behavior – Online Section 4181
General Information
Instructor Name
Professor Ann Alexander, M.A., M.B.A.
Contact Information and Availability
Office
Office
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Office
Home
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Location: 326 College Park Plaza (CPP)
Hours:
Monday 4:30-5:30 p.m. (in 326 CPP)
Tuesday 1:00-2:00 p.m. (in Business Tutorial Lab, 201 Cook)
Wednesday 1:00-2:30 p.m. (in Business Tutorial Lab, 201 Cook)
Thursday 1:00-2:30 p.m. (in Business Tutorial Lab, 201 Cook)
Other times by appointment
Phone: (616) 234-4179
Phone (land line): (616) 949-5301
Please do not call me at home after 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday or after 5 p.m.
Friday through Sunday.
Online Office Hours: TBA in Blackboard
 For on-line office hours, I will use Blackboard IM, Blackboard’s instant messaging
system.
E-mail Address: aalexand@grcc.edu
 I am easiest to reach via e-mail. Please feel free to contact me by phone or e-mail if
you have questions or would like to schedule a time outside of office hours to meet
in person.
Meeting Times
This online course meets from January 11 – April 27. Course delivery is asynchronous; you
may participate at different times and in different locations. While you may log in on your
own time, you must turn in assignments and complete activities on time as listed on the
course schedule. You will also need to collaborate with classmates to complete weekly group
activities.
Course Information
BA 282 – Organizational Behavior
Course description:
This course is a survey of factors affecting human behavior within organizations. Students
will learn both theory and practical methods to understand, analyze, and influence
individual, group, and organizational behavior. Topics include motivation, group dynamics,
decision making, conflict and negotiation, leadership, power, ethics, and organizational
culture.
Student Learning Outcomes
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6.
7.
Discuss the influence of individual differences on organizational behavior.
Discuss the influence of cultural differences on work attitudes and performance.
Describe theories of motivation.
Describe theories of leadership.
Explain strategies for negotiation and resolution of organizational conflict.
Apply techniques for problem-solving and decision-making in organizations.
Explain the use of power and influence in organizations.
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Alexander BA 282 OL Syllabus Winter 2016
8. Describe methods to prevent and manage stress.
9. Apply ethical theories to the solution of business problems.
Institutional Learning Outcomes
This course helps students achieve the following Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILOs):
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Personal Responsibility: Work well in teams and with others.
Personal Responsibility: Make connections between academic learning at GRCC and
the knowledge and skills necessary for careers of interest.
Communication: Translate or explain what written information means and/or how it
can be used.
Required Materials
ORGB4, Nelson and Quick
ISBN-10: 1-285-42326-7
ISBN-13: 978-1-285-42326-5
Purchase this edition (First used in Winter 2015) – we will use it for assignments beginning
with Week 1. It’s fine to purchase a used book; we will not use materials that require the
access code packaged with new books. Note that I will also have a copy on reserve in the
Business Tutorial Lab, 201 Cook, as well as in the GRCC Library.
Prerequisites
 GRCC College Level Writing (English ACT 18 or higher OR successful completion of
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EN 097 or higher OR English (Write Placer Plus) 5 or higher)
GRCC College Level Math (Math ACT 18 or higher OR successful completion of MA098
or higher OR Algebra Accuplacer 76 or higher)
Since this is a 200-level course, I expect you to possess basic English grammar and writing
skills (equivalent of EN 101-102 or BA 101-102). Completion of an introductory business
class (equivalent of BA 103) would also be helpful. You must submit homework assignments
online as word-processed documents using RTF (preferred format) or any version of MS
Word; do NOT submit assignments in PDF, Word Perfect, Microsoft Works, ODT, Pages,
WordPad, or other word-processing formats. Any assignments submitted electronically in a
format other than MS Word or RTF will not be graded.
Instructional Methods
These include on-line presentations/readings/videos, individual and group online activities,
and online discussions. I will expect you to have read the appropriate chapter(s) by the
beginning of each week.
Computer Use
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Use an Internet browser, preferably Firefox or Chrome; please do NOT use Internet
Explorer to access Blackboard, as error messages may occur.
View and create Microsoft Word files and view PowerPoint files.
Save word-processed document files as RTF (rich text format).
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Alexander BA 282 OL Syllabus Winter 2016
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Listen to and/or view recorded course materials; note that videos used in Blackboard
will be closed-captioned or scripted.
Use Blackboard (our course management system). Orientation to Blackboard is
available both online and on-campus; please see Blackboard Orientations for details.
Please make backup plans for computer use, in case you experience technical problems
with your own computer. Free computer use is available at several labs on the GRCC
campus (see ATC Open Computer Lab and Tutoring Labs), as well as at all public libraries
Navigation
To find your way around, check out the menu (the list of items on the left side of your
screen) including the following:
 Announcements - Displays new announcements when you first log in.
 Syllabus and Schedule - Contains syllabus for this course.
 Faculty Info - Has contact information for your instructor.
 Assignments – Includes weekly learning activities.
 Discussions – Links to the forums you'll use for weekly discussion board postings.
 Quizzes – Contains online quizzes.
 Notes and Slides – Includes background materials for each chapter.
 Useful Websites - Provides selected links to additional resources.
 Tools - Provides access to a number of Bb functions.
 View Grades – Links directly and confidentially to your individual scores and grade to
date.
 My Groups – Provides private forums, chat rooms, and file exchanges for assigned
small groups.
Section Policies
Attendance Policy
Regular attendance and participation in class are essential. Attendance in this online course
includes submitting graded work (assignments, discussion forums, group projects, and
tests). The College makes no distinction between "excused" and "unexcused" absences. If
you are not present in a class in which you are enrolled, you are simply absent, regardless
of the reason.
Missing several assignments and quizzes and/or failing to log on to the Blackboard site for
several weeks does not guarantee that you will receive a "W". You can only receive a "W"
grade if you initiate a drop before the date of 70% of class completion, March 26, 2016. If
you miss the equivalent of two weeks of class, do not initiate a drop, and do not contact
me, I will assume that you are not planning to complete the class. If you stop participating,
but do not initiate a drop, you will receive the grade you earn; this may be a failing grade.
Note that WP and WF grades are no longer available, due to changes in our GRCC grading
policies.
Workload
We will cover at least one chapter each week. You will need to complete and submit
homework assignments, including written documents, postings for class discussion, and
group projects, every week. You will also need to complete short online chapter quizzes
every week. In order to earn a satisfactory grade in this course, it is important that you
participate regularly and keep up with assignments and written work. A maximum of 15
extra credit points will be available for this course.
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Alexander BA 282 OL Syllabus Winter 2016
Be sure that you allow yourself enough time to work on this course. You will need to be selfdisciplined and self-motivated to succeed. Log in frequently to avoid a backlog of material
that can quickly become overwhelming!
Deadlines
I will post information regarding assignments, homework, expectations, and grading criteria
on the Blackboard site. You must submit your assignments by the deadline to receive
credit. Post your discussion assignments on the discussion board. Submit all written
assignments electronically in Blackboard by using the assignment function, as directed in
the Learning Activities for each week (found under Assignments); do not send assignments
via e-mail. All assignments must be submitted as word-processed documents using either
RTF (Rich Text Format) or MS Word (any version) Please keep an electronic copy, including
the time and date, of any assignments you send. I will not accept late assignments,
discussion board postings, or quizzes for credit. Final projects must be completed and
submitted on or before the assigned date; no extensions or partial credit will be granted.
Grades and feedback for each assignment will be posted in Blackboard one week after the
due date.
Questions
Please contact me as soon as possible if you are experiencing any problems in keeping up
with the course work; I want to help you to be successful in this course. All class materials
and assignments will be posted on the Blackboard course site at least one week before they
are due.
If you have questions about weekly materials or general questions about the class, you may
post them in the Questions forum created for that purpose. Expect a reply within one
business day. Please use e-mail for issues that are not appropriate for the whole class (e.g.
questions about your grade or personal issues). If a post or e-mail doesn't work, please call
me; see contact information at the top of this Syllabus.
Grading Procedure
Activity
Written Assignments
Number
13
Points Each
50
Total Points
650
Percentage
30%
Discussion Forums
13
30
390
Group Projects
(drop lowest)
Quizzes on Text and Syllabus
(drop lowest)
Team Member Evaluation
11
25
250
19
25
450
1
100
100
1
300
300
18%
12%
21%
5%
Final Project
14%
Totals
2140
100%
Grading Policy
Letter grades will be calculated on a straight scale, based on the percentage of possible
points earned.
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Alexander BA 282 OL Syllabus Winter 2016
Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DE
Percent
93-100%
90-92%
87-89%
83-86%
80-82%
77-79%
73-76%
70-72%
67-69%
63-66%
60-62%
0-59%
Late Assignment Policy
No assignments will be accepted by e-mail or after the due date. There is no makeup work. A maximum of 15 extra credit points will be available for this course.
Grading Criteria for Discussion Forums
You are required to post in each week’s forum on at least 3 out of 7 days that week. Posts
to the Break Room or Questions areas do not count as part of weekly discussion
participation. Remember that this is a college-level business course; please use complete
sentences and standard written English. You will earn discussion participation points based
on the quality and quantity of your posts, as evaluated by the following rubric:
30 Discussion Participation Points
On at least three different days, you made one or more posts that met all criteria:
 Your post was at least 100 words long. Note that greetings and closings, restating the
discussion board question, or quoting from another’s post do not count as part of the
required 100 words.
 Your post was on-topic and responded to the question(s) asked.
 Your post demonstrated understanding and application of course materials.
 Your post provided evidence to support your claims and opinions.
 Your post included original ideas; you did not just summarize or repeat others’ ideas.
 Your post stated your disagreement or objections (if any) constructively and tactfully.
 Your post was well-written, requiring little or no proofreading.
25 Discussion Participation Points
 On at least three different days, you made one or more posts that met criteria for
length, content, and tone.
 Your post(s) required significant proofreading for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and/or
usage.
20 Discussion Participation Points
On only two different days, you made one or more posts that met all criteria:
 Your post was at least 100 words long. Note that greetings and closings, restating the
discussion board question, or quoting from another’s post do not count as part of the
required 100 words.
 Your post was on-topic and responded to the question(s) asked.
 Your post demonstrated understanding and application of course materials.
 Your post provided evidence to support your claims and opinions.
 Your post included original ideas; you did not just summarize or repeat others’ ideas.
 Your post stated your disagreement or objections (if any) constructively and tactfully.
Your post was well-written, requiring little or no proofreading.
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Alexander BA 282 OL Syllabus Winter 2016
15 Discussion Participation Points
 On only two different days, you made one or more posts that met criteria for length,
content, and tone.
 Your post(s) required significant proofreading for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and/or
usage.
10 Discussion Participation Points
On only one day, you made one or more posts that met all criteria:
 Your post was at least 100 words long. Note that greetings and closings, restating the
discussion board question, or quoting from another’s post do not count as part of the
required 100 words.
 Your post was on-topic and responded to the question(s) asked.
 Your post demonstrated understanding and application of course materials.
 Your post provided evidence to support your claims and opinions.
 Your post included original ideas; you did not just summarize or repeat others’ ideas.
 Your post stated your disagreement or objections (if any) constructively and tactfully.
 Your post was well-written, requiring little or no proofreading.
5 Discussion Participation Points
 On only two different days, you made one or more posts that met criteria for length,
content, and tone.
 Your post(s) required significant proofreading for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and/or
usage.
0 Discussion Participation Points
You made NO posts that met all criteria:
 Your post was at least 100 words long.
 Your post was on-topic and responded to the question(s) asked.
 Your post demonstrated understanding and application of course materials.
 Your post provided evidence to support your claims and opinions.
 Your post included original ideas; you did not just summarize or repeat others’ ideas.
 Your post stated your disagreement or objections (if any) constructively and tactfully.
 Your post was well-written, requiring little or no proofreading.
Any posts submitted after each week’s deadline will not receive credit.
Final Project: Book Review and Discussion
This is an individual project; more specifically, a book review and online discussion of one of
four popular books on topics related to organizational behavior. You must select the book
you wish to read and evaluate by Sunday, January 21; no more than six people may read
and review the same book. If more than six people wish to read a given book, the first six
who sign up will review that book and others must make another choice. You may choose
from the following books:
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David & Goliath – Malcolm Gladwell
Drive – Daniel Pink
Outliers – Malcolm Gladwell
To Sell is Human - Daniel Pink
Note: you are responsible for borrowing or purchasing your own copy of the book you
choose. Your grade will consist of two parts, both based on your individual work: Written
Book Review (200 points - due Sunday, April 24) and Online Discussion of book (100 points
- due Wednesday, April 27).
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Alexander BA 282 OL Syllabus Winter 2016
College Policies
GRCC Email and Course Communications
You are responsible for all communications sent via Blackboard and to your GRCC email
account. GRCC student email can be accessed through Student Email
(http://email.grcc.edu) and Blackboard at Blackboard (http://bb.grcc.edu). Please check
your GRCC student e-mail account regularly for class announcements. You are required to
use this account for all GRCC communications; I will not respond to student email from nonGRCC accounts. When you e-mail me, please include a proper subject line, any message to
which you are responding, identification of your section (BA 282 Online), as well as your
name. If you e-mail from the Blackboard course, essential information like the course name
and section will automatically be included. I will respond to your e-mail within 24 hours. If
you don't get a response in this timeframe, there is probably a technical problem; be sure
that you are using my correct email address: aalexand@grcc.edu.
Disability Support Services
If you wish to request accommodation for a disability, you must first register with the
Disability Support Services Office (DSS) in Room 368 of the Student Center. You may
contact DSS at (616) 234-4140 for more information. Bring to your appointment any
documentation you have regarding what accommodation you need in class, and will then be
assigned a DSS Counselor. Your DSS Counselor will prepare and provide you with an
Accommodations Agreement to present to me. Once I have that agreement, I will work with
you and your counselor to provide the necessary accommodation.
Student Code of Conduct
You are held accountable to the Student Code of Conduct, which outlines expectations
pertaining to academic honesty (including cheating and plagiarism), classroom conduct, and
general conduct. The Code can be found in full at Student Code of Conduct.
Academic Integrity
Consequences for academic dishonesty, including cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, and
computer misuse, may, at the discretion of the professor, include a failing grade for the
work involved or failure in the course. For specific definitions of academic honesty, see the
GRCC Student Code of Conduct at Code of Conduct - Academic Honesty Statement. The
Student Academic Grievance process can be used by students who feel they have been
treated unfairly by this policy.
Please note that in this class you CANNOT self-plagiarize – that is, you cannot submit work
previously submitted for another course for credit. This means that you cannot submit the
same paper or project that you may have prepared for another course; it also means than
you cannot submit a review for a book that you have read for another course.
Tobacco-Free Campus
If you come to campus for other classes, research, or meetings, remember that GRCC is a
tobacco-free campus. You may see the full policy at Tobacco-Free Policy.
Campus Policies
The academic policies and procedures of GRCC are outlined in the College Catalog. Collegewide policies and procedures, to include (but not limited to) grading, Federal Educational
Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), Student Right to Know, Privacy, Affirmative Action, Equal
Employment Opportunity, Americans with Disability Act (ADA), concealed weapons,
smoking, campus crime, copyright, academic grievances and discipline grievances, are at
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Alexander BA 282 OL Syllabus Winter 2016
GRCC Catalog. Additional policies, to include (but not limited to) academic integrity,
disability support services, posting/distributing literature, selling merchandise, fundraising,
classroom disruption, conduct and substance abuse, can be found in the GRCC Student
Handbook at GRCC Student Handbook. Finally, the most recent policies (that may not have
been published in the catalog and handbook yet) are at GRCC Policies. These policies and
procedures are subject to change and incorporated by reference.
Learning Resources
Blackboard
This class uses Blackboard®: (http://bb.grcc.edu). You may use Blackboard to access
assignments, download or print course materials, and check your grades. For information on
orientations to Blackboard, please see Blackboard orientations for students.
Technical Support
The IT Customer Support Team can assist with Blackboard, password resets, Novell and
student e-mail accounts. Hours and other helpful information are at IT Customer Support.
Tutoring
The Academic Support Center is on the 2nd floor of the Library - Room 232 (GRCC Learning
Resources Center). The application for tutorial assistance can be downloaded from the ASC
website. See Tutoring for more resources, including subject-specific labs and services. Our
Business Tutorial Lab is located in 201 Cook.
Changes to the Syllabus
I reserve the right to change the contents of this syllabus due to unforeseen circumstances.
Students will be given notice of relevant changes in class, through a Blackboard
Announcement, or through GRCC e-mail.
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