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Course Requirements

Performance in the course is evaluated in four ways: (1) understanding, tested by a final examination, assignments, and assessments of readings; (2) writing skills, through written article review and news article commentaries; (3) presentation skills, through the oral portion of the article review; and (4) the ability to participate in a group. The latter of these (i.e., ability to participate in a group) is an important aspect of your education, since many professional work assignments in public administration are geared toward groups rather than individuals.

The group work includes group assignments from Lesson 4 through Lesson 9 (part of Requirement 1) and the News Article Commentaries and Responses (Requirement 3). As already noted, the groups will be randomly assigned during the second week of classes, and you will be working with the same group throughout the semester.

The requirements for the course include the following:

• Requirement 1: Individual and Group Assignments
• Requirement 2: Assessment of Readings
• Requirement 3: News Article Commentaries and Responses
• Requirement 4: Final Examination
• Requirement 5: Participation

Requirement 1: Individual and Group Assignments (40%)

As part of the course you are required to complete 16 online assignments that will be related to the course material introduced in the lessons. These will be aimed at providing you with an opportunity to explore or analyze a particular topic area in more depth or practice major techniques and concepts covered in a particular lesson:

• Individual Assignments (20%)—The assignments of Lessons 3, 4, 12, and 13 will be completed on an individual basis.
• Group Assignments (20%)—The assignments of Lessons 5 through 10 will be completed in groups.

The assignments may take a variety of different forms, including but not limited to analysis of a select reading, completion of an exercise that covers a particular technique or concept covered in the session, or reflection on a video segment that expands on a particular topic. Some of these assignments will be graded on a pass/fail basis. If this is the case it will be indicated on the page that includes the lesson instructions. To receive full credit on assignments that are graded on a pass/fail basis, you need to meet all of the stated requirements. Failure to do this will result in deductions from your grade.

Although the system will automatically give you the full points to those assignments once you submit them, the instructor will contact you or will adjust the grades if your submissions do not meet the requirements.

Requirement 2: Assessments of Readings (10%)

There will be true/false assessments of the readings as part of all of the lessons except Lessons 9, 10, and 11 to make sure that you have carefully read and understood key concepts discussed and reviewed in the main textbook.

You will be required to complete this assessment toward the end of each lesson before the given deadline. These assessments will be regarded as completed only if you get all of the answers correct before the given deadline. If you get an answer wrong, you will be given two additional attempts to get the answer correct. In other words, you will be able to "backtrack" your answer twice. You will not be able to complete the assessment after the given deadline.

Requirement 3: News Article Sharing (10%)

In this course, you will be required to stay up-to-date on current and relevant news stories that are related to performance measurement and management by reading major newspapers, including but not limited to The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal. Keeping up-to-date on news stories related to performance measurement and management is important for the purpose of connecting the topics covered in class to what is going on outside the "classroom." It is also important for the purpose of making you aware of the current issues and problems faced in performance measurement and management.

Toward this end, you will be required to select one news article and write a commentary on it. This commentary needs to be prepared in groups. You will also be required to post responses to news article commentaries posted by other groups. Please note that the responses should be posted on an individual basis (i.e., it is only the preparation of the commentaries that needs to be prepared in groups). The specific requirements are discussed below.

Commentaries (5%)

This requirement needs to be completed in groups, and the expectation is that your group posts a commentary on an article that you have selected together before a given due date. You will be randomly assigned to a group, and each group will be assigned to post commentaries to a different lesson. For the article that you select, the commentary needs to include the following information:

• the reference of the article (if it can be accessed via the web, please provide the URL);
• a summary of the major issues/topics discussed in the article (approximately 150 words in length);
• a discussion of your view/opinion of the issue (approximately 150 words in length); and
• a discussion about how the article relates to performance measurement and management (approximately 150 words in length).

In formulating your summary of the issue, please describe the topic/issue, its current significance, and any suggested solutions for resolving the issue that might be outlined in the article. When preparing your view/opinion of the issue, please provide support for any arguments that you make. Finally, in your discussion about how the article relates to fiscal decision making, please reference one or more of the topics discussed in class. The article commentaries will be graded toward the end of the semester.

Responses (5%)

In addition to posting a commentary for one relevant news article, you are also required to post responses to news article commentaries posted by other group(s). (Note: During the week when your group is assigned to post a commentary, you do not need to respond to the other article commentaries.)

In contrast to the commentary postings, which are prepared in groups, the responses that you post are an individual effort. The expectation is that you post, during this semester, thoughtful responses to at least of two article commentaries posted by each of the other groups. You need to post your responses within two weeks of the date the commentary is posted (i.e., you only have two weeks to post your responses once the commentary is open for commenting).

Your responses should shed further light on the articles and commentaries. As such, your responses might

• focus on aspects of the article or commentary that you agree or disagree with, or
• seek to add further substance to a particular point made in a commentary.

Please keep your posted responses to approximately 100 words in length. In addition, when preparing your responses, it is important that you keep a professional and constructive tone. This is important for creating a learning community where we can learn from each other. 

Your news article commentaries and responses contribute 5 points apiece to your final grade.

Requirement 4: Final Examination (20%)

The final exam will be scheduled within a two-day period toward the end of the semester. You can take the final exam anytime at the scheduled period. The exam will be open book. It will consist of three essay questions to test your knowledge of major concepts and themes developed in the course.

The essay questions (you will be given the option to select two of the three questions) will each account for 50 percent of your final exam grade. The exam will be graded on three equally important criteria: (a) accuracy of information presented, (b) ability to integrate material from various assigned readings, and (c) skill in communicating your ideas in a concise and well-organized manner.

Requirement 5: Participation (20%)

Peer Evaluation - 10%

Five points will be based on evaluations provided by group members regarding your contributions and vice versa. Peer evaluation is important, as it gives the instructor insight into how well group members interact with their peers. In the final week, you will have access to a peer evaluation form to be used for this purpose. The form will be available via the Peer Evaluation Form link in the main menu. The instructor will assign a point total that is the mean score of your group members' assessments.

Below are the four major evaluation criteria for peer evaluation:

• actively participated in the discussion (e.g., frequently posted and commented on ideas, kept close contact with the group members);
• exhibited a positive attitude through the process (e.g., provided constructive feedback, helped keep the group focused on the task);
• was willing to be a real team player (e.g., was willing to take responsibilities, respected group member's opinions, helped make decisions); and
• contributed to writing the group commentary (e.g., initiated and shared ideas/resources).

Watercooler Discussion - 10%

The success of this course will to a large extent depend upon your and your classmates' active participation in all of the above discussed activities. This includes carefully preparing for class, posting thoughtful comments, engaging productively in all class assignments and interacting with your group members in a professional manner. Another important component in this regard is the various “water-cooler” discussions that are held throughout the course. Participation is strongly encouraged and will determine 10 percent of your overall grade.

The water-cooler discussions will be graded as an overall grade on a scale of 0-100, based on your overall participation in them. In order to provide enough time to create a fluid conversation, please submit your initial posting no later than Thursday, 11:59 p.m. eastern time (ET). Also, comment on at least two other posts by the end of the week.”

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Grading Scheme

All facets of student's performance are taken into account for grading purposes. The graded activities and the percentage of your course grade associated with the activities are as follows.

Grading Activities

Graded Activities	Weight(%)
Individual Assignments (Requirement 1)	20
Group Assignments (Requirement 1)	20
Assessments of Reading (Requirement 2)	10
Comments (Requirement 3: News Article)	5
Responses (Requirement 3: News Article)	5
Final Exam (Requirement 4)	20
Peer Evaluation (Requirement 5: Participation)	10
Watercooler Discussions (Requirement 5: Participation)	10
Total	100

 

Based on the points earned on each of the graded activities, your course grade will be determined by the scales presented in the table below:

Grading Scale

Percentage	Grade	Percentage	Grade
94.00 and above	A	77.00-79.99	C+
90.00-93.99	A-	70.00-76.99	C
87.00-89.99	B+	60.00-69.99	D
83.00-86.99	B	Below 60	F
80.00-82.99	B-

Performance is evaluated on the basis of your course work on the assignments listed in the syllabus. Your course grade depends on the points accumulated during the semester. Use the table above to keep a record of your progress.

Note: Your grade on assignments will be reduced by 5% for each day of tardiness in submitting your work to the instructor. Submit your work on time.

Please refer to the University Grading Policy for Graduate Courses for additional information about University grading policies.

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Late Policy

Late Assignments will not be accepted. It is your responsibility to contact the instructor prior to the due date of an assignment if you are aware of extenuating circumstances that will impact your ability to meet a deadline. The instructor will determine if alternative arrangements may be made.

Blank or Erroneous Assignment Submissions
It is your responsibility to ensure that you have uploaded the correct document to each assignment prior to the assignment due date. Please check your assignment submission immediately after uploading a file in Canvas to ensure that it contains content and is the correct file. If you notice an error, such as a blank or incorrect file, you must resubmit the assignment before the assignment due date. Similarly, you are responsible for ensuring that discussion forum initial posts are not blank and that any website URL submissions (such as links to documents, video recordings, etc.) have the correct sharing settings enabled so that they can be viewed by recipients. Any blank or erroneous submissions that you have not resubmitted by the assignment due date will receive a zero for the assignment.

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Student Responsibilities and Conduct

1. Students are responsible for online course content, taking notes, obtaining other materials provided by the instructor, taking tests (if applicable), and completing assignments as scheduled by the instructor.  As a general rule, students should plan on logging into the course at least three times per week and spending at least three hours per course credit per week on the course, e.g., if the course is three credits, the student should plan on spending at least 9-12 hours per week on the course, just as they would in a residence course.
2. Students are responsible for keeping track of changes in the course syllabus made by the instructor throughout the semester.
3. Students are responsible for monitoring their grades.
4. Students must contact their instructor (and teammates when working on any collaborative learning assignments) as soon as possible if they anticipate missing long periods of online time due to events such as chronic illnesses, death in the family, business travel, or other appropriate events. The instructor will determine the minimal log on time and participation required in order to meet course responsibilities. In the event of other unforeseen conflicts, the instructor and student will arrive at a solution together.
   1. Instructors may require students to provide documentation with the class absence form or other written notification for events such as illness, family emergency, or a business-sanctioned activity.
   2. Conflicts with dates on which examinations or assignments are scheduled must be discussed with the instructor or TA prior to the date of the examination or assignment.
5. Students are responsible for following appropriate netiquette (network etiquette) when communicating with their instructor and classmates. For reference, see the Academic Success Kit.
6. Behaviors that disrupt other students’ learning are not acceptable and will be addressed by the instructor.
7. For severe and chronic problems with student disruptive behavior, the following will be applied for resolution:
   1. Senate Committee on Student Life policy on managing classroom disruptions: Office of Student Accountability and Conflict Response.
   2. Penn State Values.