Syllabus for MAN-311-OL

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Organizational Behavior provides a framework for understanding and successfully managing the interactions between individuals, groups, and organizations. Topics include the roles of individuals within organizations, group processes and leadership styles, organizational communication, and the impact on society of organizational culture. A continuing emphasis on ethical behavior connects the course with contemporary concerns.

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COURSE OBJECTIVES

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COURSE MATERIALS

You will need the following materials to complete the work of the course. The textbook is available from the textbook supplier, MBS Direct.

• Jennifer M. George and Garth M. Jones, Understanding and Managing Organizational Behavior, 5th ed., (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008).
  ISBN-13: 978-0-558-39540-7

COURSE STRUCTURE

Organizational Behavior is a three-credit online course. It consists of five study modules.

Modules include text readings and written work. You are required to participate in graded online discussions and an ungraded "Introductions" forum, which occurs during the first week of the semester. Each module includes written exercises, an application assignment, a self-awareness exercise, and a module quiz. The course also requires you to complete a capstone paper, which you will work on during the last half of the course.

For the course's assignment modules (study assignments, online discussions, and written assignments), go to the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site. The quizzes are found in the Tests & Quizzes area of the site. See also the Course Calendar for an overview of the assignments and for all due dates.

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ONLINE PARTICIPATION

In addition to an ungraded "Introductions" forum, Organizational Behavior requires you to participate in graded class discussions, one per module.

Communication with the mentor and among fellow students is a critical component of online learning. Participation in online discussions involves two distinct activities: an initial response to a posted question (discussion thread) and subsequent comments on classmates' responses.

You will be evaluated both on the quality of your responses (i.e., your understanding of readings, and concepts as demonstrated by well-articulated, critical thinking) and quantity of your participation (i.e., the number of times you participate meaningfully in the assigned forums). Responses and comments should be properly proofread and edited, professional, and respectful.

Meaningful participation in online discussions is relevant to the content, adds value, and advances the discussion. Comments such as "I agree" and "ditto" are not considered value-adding participation. Therefore, when you agree or disagree with a classmate, the reading, or your mentor, state and support your agreement or disagreement.

Deadlines for posting responses to the discussion questions are given in the course Calendar.

Specific directions for these activities, and the questions to be discussed, are given in the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site.

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WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS

Organizational Behavior has several types of written assignments. Each of these is described more fully in the Assignment Modules area of the course. However, they can be grouped into into the following categories:

• Written Exercises These are groups of questions that cover important chapter concepts. Each question generally requires several sentences or paragraphs as a response.
• Application Assignments. These exercises require you to apply organizational behavior concepts in a 1 to 2 page paper. Generally, you will respond to a specific question or situation and may be asked to suggest general principles that would apply to this type of situation.
• Self-Awareness Exercises These exercises allow you to examine one or more chapter concepts in light of your own experience.

Your answers to the assignment questions should be well developed and convey your understanding of the readings and concepts. They should also adequately answer the questions posed. If you need help in writing, take a look at The Writing Center: University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Also, formulate responses in your own words. Do not merely copy answers from your reading materials. When quoting or paraphrasing from the text or other sources, be sure to cite the source of information properly according to APA guidelines (see also Basic Documentation Rules). If you have further questions, your mentor will guide you in accordance with the correct style of documentation.

Prepare your written assignments using whatever word processing program you have on your computer. Include your name at the top of the paper, as well as the course name and code and the semester and year in which you are enrolled.

Before submitting your first assignment, check with your mentor to determine whether your word processing software is compatible with your mentor's software. If so, you can submit your work as you prepared it. If not, save your assignment as a rich-text (.rtf) file, using the Save As command of your software program. Rich text retains basic formatting and can be read by any other word processing program.

When satisfied that your assignment represents your best work, submit it to your mentor by means of the

>>View/Complete Assignment

link provided at the bottom of the respective assignment page. Use the Browse button within this link to locate and submit your assignment file.

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CAPSTONE PAPER

This course does not have a midterm or a final examination. Instead you will be required to write and submit a capstone project to your mentor. This project consists of a situational analysis and critique of an issue/problem that you have either participated in or observed in an organization. The particulars of the paper are as follows:

• It should have as its subject an issue/problem that you have participated in or observed in an organization of which you have been a part.
• It should be in narrative form.
• It should be no more than 10 pages (3000 words) long.
• No citations are required.
• It is due the last day of the semester.
• Organizational behavior concepts should be discussed in concrete terms in your analysis and solution.
• Be sure the following components are present:
  • Statement that clearly identifies of the issue/problem you will be discussing in your paper
  • A full discussion of the situation surrounding the issue/problem, including descriptions of all participants and how they relate to each other within the organizational structure, and also including descriptions of interactions relative to the issue
  • A discussion of the process used to achieve the outcome
  • An analysis of whether you think the outcome or outcomes were ethical, fair, and responsible in regard to various participants
  • If you were not in agreement with the outcome, an assessment of why this is true and suggestions for how you would have handled the situation for a better outcome

Be sure to employ organizational behavior concepts studied in this course. For example, a paper might deal with the culture of the organization, diversity issues, ethical considerations, leadership styles, and communication patterns. Utilize theories discussed in your text as the underpinning of your analysis and assessment.

To keep you on track, you'll be required to submit a topic idea and a few summary paragraphs about halfway through the course, followed by an outline a week or so later. The paper itself will be due on the last day of the semester. The comments you receive from your mentor as you progress will help you move your paper in the right direction.

Your final assessment should be well developed and convey your understanding of the readings and concepts. It should also adequately cover the topic you have chosen. Your paper should be organized, coherent, and unified; it should also be free of spelling and grammatical errors. If you need help in writing such a paper, take a look at The Writing Center: University of Wisconsin-Madison.

If you have questions about the requirements of the paper, be sure to discuss them with your mentor well in advance of the final submission. You will be submitting a topic idea and general plan first for approval, then an outline for approval, and finally your paper.

Grading Rubric

If you are interested in knowing how your paper will be graded, click the following link. It shows the standards for grading, telling you what would constitute an "A" paper, a "B" paper, and so on. Grading Rubric.

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GRADING AND EVALUATION

Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:

*Submission of an acceptable topic is worth 1 percent of your grade and submission of an approved outline is worth another 4 percent. This 5 percent added to 35 percent for the paper itself makes up the percentage apportioned to your capstone paper.

Letter grades for online participation, written assignments, quizzes, and the original case project are based on the following numerical grades:

Note: To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of D or higher on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., assignments, projects, papers, etc.). You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted.

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STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

First Steps to Success
To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:

1. Read carefully the entire essentials, making sure that all aspects of the course are clear to you and that you have all the materials required for the course.



2. Take the time to read the entire Online Student Handbook. The Handbook answers many questions about how to proceed through the course and how to get the most from your educational experience at Thomas Edison State College.



3. Familiarize yourself with the Blackboard environment—how to navigate it and what the various course areas contain. If you know what to expect as you navigate the course, you can better pace yourself and complete the work on time.



4. If you are not familiar with Web-based learning, or specifically with the Blackboard platform, be sure to review the processes for posting responses online and submitting assignments before class begins.