MGNT 6025 Managing Technical Professionals Fall 2013
Professor and Contact Information
Dr. Sandra Vasa-Sideris
Office: J328
Office phone: 678-915-3155
Cell phone (for emergencies): text or call 678-576-1965
Office hours: Monday and Wednesday, 1-2:30 pm,
Tuesday 4-6 pm, and by appointment
Online office hours TBA
svasasid@spsu.edu
Course Description
(Course prerequisite: undergraduate course in management and organizational behavior,
MGNT 5000, or equivalent)
This course “can best be described as a management skills practicum…It is an
attempt to teach a set of skills grounded in behavioral science theory and research
that are essential for a successful career in management.” The course teaches
principles of management using behavioral guidelines grounded in research; it
provides hands-on, practical learning, and emphasizes practice as the key to
behavioral change. (Source: Instructor’s Manual for the textbook)
Methods used in this course are designed for experiential learning—diagnostic
surveys, reflective writing, role plays, cases, discussion exams, discussions of course
materials and outside readings. For each chapter you will be able to view a
PowerPoint presentation and take a quiz to make sure you are familiar with key
concepts..
Objectives
•
•
•
To increase your ability to utilize the core behavioral principles upon which
important management skills are based.
To self-assess your competency in critical management skills and to develop
and implement plans to enhance those skills.
To help prepare you to transfer this learning and improvement to real-life, outof-class settings.
Resources
Textbook
Developing Management Skills, 8th edition, by David A. Whetten and Kim S.
Cameron. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 2007
Please be sure to order the 8th edition. Earlier editions do not have all of the chapters.
An electronic version of the book is also available from the publisher as is an
unbound version. You may be able to rent the book as well.
Textbook website: http://www.prenhall.com/whetten
Additional Readings
Students may be asked to read and comments on assigned articles, view videos, and
contribute materials to the course.
GeorgiaView Desire2Learn (D2L) is the online platform for our course. By
registering for our class, your name will be automatically added to the roster in D2L.
All communication after the first week of class will be through D2L. Assignments,
discussions, e-mail, exams, and instructions for outside activities will be located
within our class section.
Live Discussions:
Wimba Classroom (for live and archived presentations and discussions) is
available in D2L. For now, we will use this software for lectures and any live
discussions. It is a place where students can meet with each other online to
do role plays and/or hold a group meeting.
Recommendation: Use a headset with microphone with Wimba Classroom for any
live sessions. While I have tried using Wimba Classroom with my laptop microphone,
I have found it to be much easier to listen and to talk to others with a PC-compatible
headset with a microphone. Costs range between $15 and $30. Various stores
including Office Depot and Radio Shack offer reasonably priced headphones.
Alternate Technology: We might try conference calls, GoToMeeting or other
methods to conduct live discussions for some activities. You may have suggestions
for other ways to communicate.
Grade Components
.
Grade Components
(Any change in assignments or weights subject to
class review and approval.)
Weight
Exam(s)
• 2 Exams (40%)
• Oral exam (5%) Live exam (in person, by phone,
or other method)
45%
Group activities (written/oral)
• Group readings/discussions of a course-related
topics and a presentation to the class (also
resource list for the class)
• Group process feedback
• Member evaluations
15%
Learning Journal Entries (Reflective Writing)
• Learning Journal Entry Beginning PAMS Results/
(3%)
• Four out of nine possible entries throughout the
semester (each is worth 3%)
• Learning Journal Entry Final: reflection on what
you learned (5%)
20%
Participation in online discussions and activities
Total
20%
100%
Grades
A
B
C
D
F
=
=
=
=
=
90—100
80--89
70--79
60--69
below 60
Course Requirements
Diagnostic Surveys. Each chapter begins with a set of Diagnostic Surveys. It is
essential to this course that you complete most of these surveys and, as requested,
comment on your results and insights. Be sure to complete only the pre-version of a
specific survey prior to reading the related chapter. Wait until after we have
completed the chapter, or even longer, to complete the post-version of the same
survey. Your diagnostic survey results will be important for online and/or group
discussions as well as for your reflective writing assignments.
Learning Journal (reflective writing assignments)
During the semester, you will be asked to post ten entries into the the DropBox. The
purpose of the assignments is to help you to examine how the concepts you are
learning are relevant to you and to document steps you take to enhance your
learning and skills. A rubric will be provided.
Learning Journal Entry: Beginning Personal Assessment of
Management Skills (PAMS) Results and Goals (details to be included in
the dropbox). At the beginning of the semester (within the first few weeks),
complete the PAMS (Self version) and ask three people who know you to
complete the PAMS (Associate’s version). I will provide an Excel file on which
you can record and compare the results. Write about the following:
• Discuss skill areas in which you are strong as well as areas which
need further development
• Discuss what surprised you about the PAMS results.
• Based on the results, identify the course-related skill areas you would
you be interested in developing further this semester. [During the
semester, you can gain further insights on those skills, keep track of
ways in which you are developing those skills, and evaluate the
effectiveness of your skill learning.]
Interim Journal Entries (select four out of nine possible Learning
Journal Entries)
During the semester, write about your personal insights regarding skills you
are learning/applying. Document the types of activities you undertake to learn
more about the skill (assessments/readings/videos/interviews/active practice).
Describe situations that are relevant to the topic. Report on the insights you
have gained (reflection). You might write about current situations as well as
examine events from the past. How might you use your insights moving
forward? If you face a dilemma, how might you handle it?
Learning Journal Final Entry: Reflections on Skills Learned
At the end of the semester, complete the post-PAMS (Self version) and
compare your results to the pre-PAMS you took at the beginning of the
semester. Prepare a thoughtful paper in which you discuss what you learned,
including your assessment of your planned skill development activities. Your
journal will be useful for this report.
Group Activities. Groups will be established in the third week of the term. Groups
will contribute content to the course. This will be primarily through a project that will
be submitted to the class in the form of a PowerPoint presentation (Wimba
Classroom, video, or other method for delivery). Details to be provided
Students in the groups will be expected to examine and assess the group process
through surveys and group feedback. Group member evaluations will be gathered.
Students should treat the evaluations seriously. Consistently low ratings may result in
an individual student receiving a lower overall grade on the group project. Online
group discussions will be informally viewed for participation.
Participation. Since this is a practicum-type course, regular participation in online
discussions, live role plays, and other course activities is vital. Participation grades
will be based on your contribution to the class discussions, involvement in the
exercises, role plays, and attendance. Be sure to log in to the class at different times
during the week--not just at the end.
Written Exam(s). Tests may contain a combination of objective and discussion
questions. The tests will be comprehensive and application-oriented, i.e., you may be
asked to analyze a case and report what you would do to resolve the management
problems or you may be asked to role play appropriate managerial skills. Responses
must demonstrate comprehension of the course material as well as the ability to
integrate and apply it. Responses should also provide evidence that your approach to
solving management problems has been influenced by the material in this course..
Chapter Quizzes. While not a graded activity, quizzes are a way to ensure that you
have a working knowledge of the concepts we use in this course. The quizzes are
open for a set period of time, usually two weeks while we cover a topic. Within that
timeframe, you are welcome to take the quizzes multiple times. Taking the practice
quizzes may help you to become more familiar with the concepts and to prepare for
the exams.
Policies
Communication. D2L will be our primary means of communication this term. You
can send e-mail messages to me as well as to other students from within D2L.. If
you have a question that is relevant to the whole class, you can post it on the Open
for Discussion topics heading under Discussion. Sometimes other students can
answer your question. I will check D2L at various times during the week and hope
you will too. Over the weekend, I may not respond as promptly. If you have an
emergency, send an e-mail to my spsu e-mail, svasasid@spsu.edu in addition to my
D2L e-mail.
Written Work. All assigned written work (other than discussions and e-mail inD2L,
which can be done in HTML Creator) should be typed. Quality of work is more
important than quantity, so make sure that your writing is clear, concise, wellorganized, and correct. Whether the assignment is submitted online or in hard-copy,
please type your name and the name of the assignment at the top of the page.
Please use the spell-check in your word processor, but do not rely on it completely.
Your careful rereading of a draft document is likely to catch incorrectly used words;
MS Word may not. If you choose to submit a print copy of a document, please staple
the pages together in the upper left-hand corner.
Saving documents to be uploaded into D2L: Please include your last
name and the assignment name. Use the following format for saving
documents that you attach and upload to
D2L.(Yourlastname_Yourfirstinitial_Assignmentname.doc (example:
Jones_D_Test_1.doc or Jones_D_Test2.pdf). By following this format, I
will be able to download a group of assignments at one time and keep them in
a logical order. Also, remember to type your name at the top of the first page
of the document you submit. You really do want me to be able to locate your
assignments easily!
Late Work. Assignments are due by 11:55 pm on date specified. Some assignments
and quizzes are available for a week or more. Postings to discussions in the module
should be made by the end of the module. On occasion we will carry an issue over to
another module. Exceptions to deadlines should be just that—exceptions and I ask
that you notify me beforehand to request an extension of a deadline.
There may be circumstances such as storms and power outages, and l take that into
consideration when extending deadlines for the entire class.
Students with Disabilities. Students with disabilities who believe they may need
accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact the ATTIC counselor
working with disabilities as soon as possible to better ensure that such
accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion. Those who feel comfortable
discussing these issues with me (your instructor) should feel free to do so at your
earliest opportunity.
Academic Honesty at SPSU
SPSU has an Honor Code and a procedure for handling cases when academic
misconduct is alleged. All students should be aware of them. Information about the
Honor Code and the misconduct procedure may be found at
http://www.spsu.edu/honorcode/.
Collaboration or cheating on examinations will result in a grade of zero, a reduction in
the course grade, and possibly other penalties including failure of the course and
dismissal from the University. Plagiarism, fabrication, or other academic misconduct
will result in a grade of zero, a reduction in the course grade, and possibly other
penalties, including failure of the course and dismissal from the University.
Unsatisfactory grades earned because of academic misconduct cannot be removed
from your grade point average by repeating the course, and you may be required to
repeat the course in order to graduate.
It is very important that you understand the concepts of academic integrity. If any of
the above is not clear, or if you are not certain what some of the terms mean, please
ask your professor. A misunderstanding in this area could end your academic
career.
Discussion of Academic Honesty
Students are expected to turn in their own work. Plagiarism is unprofessional and
unethical and will not be tolerated. Using others’ ideas and words without proper
citations is plagiarism as is copying work from another student. We are interested in
your work, not that of others. At SPSU and around the country, student cheating is
rampant. Students have purchased test banks and instructor’s manuals online,
I assume that as a university student you have already received some instruction on
how to document references and on the serious ethical breech that plagiarism
represents. If you are not sure if you need to cite a source, ask me, another faculty
member, a librarian, a writing coach in the ATTIC, or refer to the recommended
articles below or the APA style manual.
This does not mean that you cannot use other people’s ideas or data in your
assignment. In fact, using well-selected quotations, facts, tables, and ideas may
enhance your credibility as a writer, but you need to document the sources by
providing appropriate citations.
This policy regarding citations applies to materials retrieved from the Internet,
published sources, corporate materials, and other sources including interviews.
When in doubt, cite the source.
For assignments submitted to the Dropbox, TurnItIn.com will be used to check the
originality of the work. Students may view the originality report and resubmit an
assignment as long as it is before the deadline. Note that use of quotes and
references is fine and may be required for some work. However, we do not expect to
see a series of quotes with just a little bit of student writing linking them together.
Refer to the following articles on the Indiana University website
(http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets.shtml) for guidance on writing, using
references, and on how to cite sources:
“Citing Sources in MLA Style”: html, pdf
“Citing Sources in APA Style”: html, pdf
“How to Use Evidence”: html, pdf
“How To Write a Thesis Statement”: html, pdf
“Paragraphs and Topic Sentences”: html, pdf
“Plagiarism: What It Is and How To Avoid It”: html, pdf
“Proofreading for Common Surface Errors”: html, pdf
“Proofreading for Spelling Errors”: html, pdf
“Taking an Essay Exam”: html, pdf
“Using Outlines”: html, pdf
“Writing Book Reviews”: html, pdf
.At a minimum, students who violate the policy on academic honesty will
receive a zero for the assignment. A second event will result in an “F” in the
course.