Syllabus for MAR-301-OL
INTRODUCTION TO MARKETING
Description | Objectives | Materials | Structure | Assessment | Grading | Strategies
Introduction to Marketing explores key marketing concepts and shows you how they apply to today's business practices. The course covers the essential knowledge and techniques managers need to compete successfully, whether in large companies or small businesses, profit-oriented firms or not-for-profit organizations. Topics include customer-oriented marketing strategies, buyers and markets, target market selection, and the marketing variables of products (and services), price, promotion, and distribution.
After completing Introduction to Marketing, you should be able to:
You will need the following materials to do the work of the course. The required textbook is available from the College's textbook supplier, MBS Direct.
Required Textbook
Introduction to Marketing is a three-credit course. It consists of seven modules. The course requires you to complete seven written assignments, submit a final project, and take a proctored midterm examination. You are also required to participate in five graded online discussion forums and an ungraded "Introductions" forum in module 1 of the course.
Consult the Course Calendar for assignment due dates.
For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in online discussion forums, complete written assignments, take a proctored midterm examination, and complete a final project. See below for more details.
Consult the Course Calendar for assignment due dates.
Written Assignments
Introduction to Marketing has seven (7) written assignments. The written assignments are on a variety of topics and consist mainly of essay questions based on associated chapters in the Contemporary Marketing textbook.
Familiarize yourself with the written assignment questions before you begin each module's study assignment. Conversely, be sure to complete all relevant readings before answering the questions.
When you have completed all of the assigned reading for a written assignment, prepare your answers to the written assignment questions. These questions require critical thinking. Take the time to determine what you need to include to present a thoughtful, complete response that conveys your understanding of the course materials.
Formulate responses in your own words (do not merely copy answers from your reading materials); however, support the points you make with information from your course materials and from outside sources. Cite and document all sources of information with an appropriate reference. Your answer to each question should be between 250 and 500 words (or approximately 1–2 pages per question, typed double-spaced.
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.
Go to the Submit Assignments area of the course Web site to submit all written assignments.
See the Student Handbook for additional help regarding preparing and submitting assignments located within the General Information section of the course Web site.
Online Discussion Forums
In addition to an ungraded "Introductions" forum in module 1, Introduction to Marketing requires you to participate in five (5) graded discussion forums. Discussion forums are on a variety of topics associated with the courses modules.
Communication with your mentor and among fellow students is a critical component of online learning. Participation in online class discussions involves two distinct activities: an initial response to a discussion question and at least two subsequent comments on classmates' responses. Meaningful participation 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 or your mentor, state and support your position. Remember, these are discussions. Responses and comments should be properly proofread and edited, mature, and respectful.
Deadlines for posting discussion threads on the class Discussion Board are given in the course Calendar.
For posting guidelines and additional help with discussion board assignments please see the Student Handbook located within the General Information section of the course Web site.
Midterm Examination
The midterm is a closed-book, proctored exam. It is two hours long and covers all reading and assignments from modules 1, 2, and 3 of the course. The exam consists of objective questions (multiple-choice and matching), short-answer questions, and a choice of essay questions.
You may take the examination only during the designated exam week, at an approved location, and with an approved proctor. In this regard, you need to schedule your exam and submit your "Proctor Request Form" with the necessary documentation no later than the end of the first week of the semester (see Administrative Forms in the General Information area of the course Web site).
Consult the course Calendar for the timing of these exams.
If you are on a course extension and have not yet taken the midterm exam, you must let your examination proctor know when you plan to take the exam and send an e-mail to testing@tesc.edu three weeks before your desired test date to request that the exam be mailed.
For more information on scheduling a proctored examination, see the section Examinations and Proctors in the Student Handbook located within the General Information section of the course Web site.
Final Project
You are required at the end of the semester to submit a final project in the form of a marketing plan for Blue Mountain Spring Water, Inc. You will complete your work on the marketing plan incrementally throughout the semester by completing eight (8) project steps, getting feedback from your mentor on each step, then assembling each of the eight steps into a predefined marketing plan template to submit to your mentor for grading.
When working on your marketing plan, use the Three Year Marketing Plan—Blue Mountain Spring Water, Inc. document as a source of information and a guide to what you should do and how you should organize it. You can access this document in the Final Project area of the course Web site.
At the end of the semester, you will assemble the different assignments you have completed for your final project and submit a marketing plan using the Three Year Marketing Plan—Blue Mountain Spring Water, Inc. document as a template. You should download this document, insert the work you have done for your final project according to the instructions provided, edit your marketing plan for unity, and then submit it to your mentor for grading (20 percent of your grade).
Use the appropriate assignment link in the Submit Assignments area of the course Web site to submit each of the eight (8) steps and your final project. Please consult the course Calendar for project's due date.
Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:
Written assignments (7) - 35 percent
Online discussions (5) - 15 percent
Midterm exam (proctored) - 30 percent
Final project - 20 percent
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., exams, assignments, discussion postings, etc.).
You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. Letter grades for online participation, written assignments, and examinations are based on the following numerical grades:
| A | = | 93-100 |
| A- | = | 90-92 |
| B+ | = | 88-89 |
| B | = | 83-87 |
| B- | = | 80-82 |
| C+ | = | 78-79 |
| C | = | 73-77 |
| C- | = | 70-72 |
| D | = | 60-69 |
| F | = | Below 60 |
First Steps to Success
To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:
Study Tips
Consider the following study tips for success:
