B A 321: Contemporary Skills for Business Professionals (3 credits). Technological and interpersonal skills for the contemporary business professional, stressing collaborative learning, electronic inquiry and communications, critical thinking, and problem solving.
Overview:
This course is designed to provide insights into the working environment. BA 321 is the first of a series of courses that progressively and collectively develop the following skills and competencies of the business administration student:
- Communication Skills and Individual Effectiveness
- Diversity Management Skills and Competencies
- Collaboration/Team-Building Skills
- Problem-Solving/Critical Thinking/Empirical
- Inquiry Skills Technology
- Information/Data Management Leadership
As the initial course in the sequence, BA 321 emphasizes the following:
- An introduction to student-centered learning, especially the opportunities for active and collaborative learning presented by technology.
- An introduction to inquiry-based processes for learning, especially those expected in subsequent course work and during professional practice.
- Development of basic communications skills, including oral, written, and multimedia, to assure individual effectiveness.
- Participation on teams to complete projects where the emphasis is on seeking, understanding, and respecting the views of others.
- Reinforcement of the hardware and software skills necessary for transferring knowledge of business topics in academic and professional settings.
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Learning Objectives:
The objective of BA 321 is to prepare students to compete and excel in today’s business environment. Upon completion of BA 321, the successful student will:
- Demonstrate effective teaming behavior, including conflict resolution, team problem-solving and decision-making.
- Gain self-awareness of aspects of personality and emotional intelligence, and utilize these aspects toward effective performance in work settings.
- Appreciate the benefits of working with diverse others, and demonstrate effective use of verbal, non-verbal, and written communications, including the use of persuasion skills. .
- Understand and embody professionalism.
- Effectively utilize leadership techniques, including the appropriate use of power, feedback, and project-management.
- Demonstrate the ability to deliver complex projects using analysis, project management, research, teaming, writing, and presentation skills.
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Course Materials:
Required materials for BA 321:
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Interpersonal Skills in Organizations. 4th edition. de Janasz, Dowd and Schneider. McGraw Hill, 2011. ISBN: 9780078112560
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Fish! A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results by Stephen C. Lundin, Harry Paul, and John Christensen, Hodder & Stoughton, 2000. ISBN : 978-0340819807.
- 12 Angry Men, video, 1957.
For pricing and ordering information, please see the Barnes & Noble College website.
Materials will be available at Barnes & Noble College approximately three weeks before the course begins. It is very important that you purchase the correct materials. If your course requires one or more textbooks, you must have exactly the correct text required (edition and year).
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Technical Requirements:
| Operating System | Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8*; Mac OS X 10.5 or higher *Windows 8 support excludes the tablet only RT version |
|---|---|
| Processor | 2 GHz or higher |
| Memory | 1 GB of RAM |
| Hard Drive Space | 20 GB free disk space |
| Browser | We recommend the latest ANGEL-supported version of Firefox or
Internet Explorer. To determine if your browser fits this criterion,
and for advice on downloading a supported version,
please refer to the following ITS knowledge base article: Supported Browsers and Recommended Computers.
Note: Cookies, Java, and JavaScript must be enabled. Pop-up blockers should be configured to permit new windows from Penn State websites. Due to nonstandard handling of CSS, JavaScript and caching, older versions of Internet Explorer (such as IE 6 or earlier) do not work with our courses. |
| Plug-ins | Adobe Reader [Download from Adobe]
Flash Player (v7.0 or later) [Download from Adobe] |
| Additional Software | Microsoft Office (2007 or later) |
| Internet Connection | Broadband (cable or DSL) connection required |
| Printer | Access to graphics-capable printer |
| DVD-ROM | Required |
| Sound Card, Microphone, and Speakers | Required |
| Monitor | Capable of at least 1024 x 768 resolution |
If you need technical assistance at any point during the course, please contact the Service Desk.
For registration, advising, disability services, help with materials, exams, general problem solving, visit World Campus Student Services!
Additionally, Elluminate Live (E-Live!) will be utilized for this course. E-Live! is a collaborative tool that allows you to communicate synchronously (real-time) with your instructor and classmates. The software package allows real-time voice, document, and whiteboard sharing, among other things.
Before you can use E-Live! you will need to download and install Sun Microsystems Java Web Start client. It is upon this client that E-Live! runs. To download this client, go to http://www.elluminate.com/support and follow the instructions for first time users in downloading and installing the client.
Assignments:
- Quizzes
- Participation in discussion forums
- Individual projects
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Team project that includes:
- Newsletter
- Analysis of economic development opportunities
- Financial Analysis
- Team papers
- Team presentation
Please read the Team Project document for a detailed description the the team project. You may want to print it for easy reference.
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Grading:
Your grade will be based on the following:
| Quizzes (11 – drop lowest) | 20% |
| Participation | 20% |
| Individual Projects | 15% |
| Group Projects | 15% |
| Team Paper | 15% |
| Team Presentation | 15% |
* To meet graduation requirements, students must earn at least a C for this course
Late Assignments will be assessed a 2% penalty per day up to one week. After seven days, late assignments will not be accepted.
Final Grade Determination
The letter grade equivalent to the points earned is indicated below.
| A: | 100 – 93 | A-: | 92 .99 - 90 | ||
| B+: | 89.99 - 87 | B: | 86.99 - 83 | B-: | 82.99 - 80 |
| C+: | 79.99 - 77 | C: | 76.99 - 70 | ||
| D: | 69.99 - 60 | ||||
| F: | 59.99 – 0 |
If, for reasons beyond the student's control, a student is prevented from completing a course within the prescribed time, the grade in that course may be deferred with the concurrence of the instructor. The symbol DF appears on the student's transcript until the course has been completed. Non-emergency permission for filing a deferred grade must be requested by the student before the beginning of the final examination period. In an emergency situation, an instructor can approve a deferred grade after the final exam period has started. Under emergency conditions during which the instructor is unavailable, authorization is required from one of the following: the dean of the college in which the candidate is enrolled; the executive director of the Division of Undergraduate Studies if the student is enrolled in that division or is a provisional student; or the campus chancellor of the student's associated Penn State campus.
For additional information please refer to the Deferring a Grade page.
Please refer to the University Registrar's information about University grading policies.
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[printer-friendly version]Course Schedule
The schedule below outlines the topics we will be covering in this course, along with the associated time frames and assignments.
Note: Regardless of where you live, all assignments are due by Sunday at 11:59 PM Eastern Time (ET). All readings refer to the textbook unless noted otherwise.
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Academic Integrity
Academic integrity — scholarship free of fraud and deception — is an important educational objective of Penn State. Academic dishonesty can lead to a failing grade or referral to the Office of Student Conduct.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to:
- cheating
- plagiarism
- fabrication of information or citations
- facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others
- unauthorized prior possession of examinations
- submitting the work of another person or work previously used without informing the instructor and securing written approval
- tampering with the academic work of other students
How Academic Integrity Violations Are Handled
In cases where academic integrity is questioned, procedure requires an instructor to notify a student of suspected dishonesty before filing a charge and recommended sanction with the college. Procedures allow a student to accept or contest a charge. If a student chooses to contest a charge, the case will then be managed by the respective college or campus Academic Integrity Committee. If a disciplinary sanction also is recommended, the case will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct.
All Penn State colleges abide by this Penn State policy, but review procedures may vary by college when academic dishonesty is suspected. Information about Penn State's academic integrity policy and college review procedures is included in the information that students receive upon enrolling in a course. To obtain that information in advance of enrolling in a course, please contact us.
Additionally, World Campus students are expected to act with civility and personal integrity; respect other students' dignity, rights, and property; and help create and maintain an environment in which all can succeed through the fruits of their own efforts. An environment of academic integrity is requisite to respect for oneself and others, and a civil community.
For More Information on Academic Integrity at Penn State
Please see the Academic Integrity Chart for specific college contact information or visit one of the following URLs:
- Penn State Senate Policy on Academic Integrity
- iStudy for Success! — learn about plagiarism, copyright, and academic integrity through an educational module
- Turnitin a web-based plagiarism detection and prevention system
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Policies
Accommodating Disabilities
Penn State welcomes students with disabilities into the University’s educational programs. Every Penn State campus has an office for students with disabilities, including World Campus. The Disabilities and Accommodations section of the Chaiken Center for Student Success website provides World Campus students with information regarding how to request accommodations, documentation guidelines and eligibility, and appeals and complaints. For additional information, please visit the University's Student Disability Resources website.
In order to receive consideration for reasonable accommodations, you must contact the appropriate disability services office at the campus where you are officially enrolled, participate in an intake interview, and provide documentation. If the documentation supports your request for reasonable accommodations, your campus's disability services office will provide you with an accommodation letter. Please share this letter with your instructors and discuss the accommodations with them as early in your courses as possible. You must follow this process for every semester that you request accommodations.
Students with disabilities participating in internship, practicum, student teaching, or other experiential learning opportunities as part of their degree requirements may also be eligible for reasonable accommodations to ensure equal access and opportunity. These accommodations are determined through an interactive process involving the student, their University supervisor, and the site supervisor. Student Disability Resources can assist students with identifying potential barriers, facilitating accommodation requests, and coordinating with University supervisors to promote inclusive learning experiences.
Additional Course Policies
For information about additional policies regarding Penn State Access Accounts; credit by examination; course tuition, fees, and refund schedules; and drops and withdrawals, please see the World Campus Student Center website.
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Disclaimer: Please note that the specifics of this Course Syllabus are subject to change, and you will be responsible for abiding by any such changes. Your instructor will notify you of any changes.