P ADM 897: Performance Measurement and Management (3 credits).Formal courses given on a topical or special interest subject which may be offered infrequently; several different topics may be taught in one year or term.
Overview | Organization | Objectives | Technical Specifications | Materials| Library Resources | Evaluation | Grading | Schedule | Academic Integrity | Policies
Course Overview
P ADM 897 serves as an introduction to performance measurement and management in the public sector. It is designed to enhance the ability of students to develop and use performance measurement systems for purposes of improving the management and performance of government programs; and to enhance their ability to think critically about result-oriented governance and managing for results (MFR).
In this course you will become familiar with the general context that surround public sector performance management, key elements associated with the development of performance measurement systems; and opportunities and challenges associated with the implementation and use of performance measurement systems. Despite its emphasis on the public sector, many concepts covered in the course are also applicable to non-profit organizations.
With the exception of PADM 500, there are no prerequisites for this course. Students will be enrolled from a wide variety of undergraduate majors. However, a familiarity with basic concepts of the social sciences, especially knowledge of American government and economics, is recommended.
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Organization
There are 12 lessons in this course. The first three lessons provide an introduction to performance management in the public sector, including an introduction to the context of performance management from a global and historical perspective, and an account of the current state of the art of the “performance movement.” Lessons 4 through 9 centers on the development and use of public sector performance measurement systems, including (1) key elements of the process of developing performance measurement systems; (2) basic approaches used to analyze performance information; and (3) strategic applications of performance measures; and (4) the use of comparative measures to benchmark performance. The final three lesson centers on efforts and challenges related to the implementation and use of performance measurement systems in public sector contexts.
Throughout these lessons you will be required to participate in and complete a range of different activities that are described in detail in the course requirement section of this syllabus. They include:
- Assessments of readings - Graded assessments aimed at making sure that you have carefully read and understood key concepts discussed and reviewed in the main textbook.
- Assignments related to the course content - Graded assignments aimed at widening your understanding of a particular topical area covered in the lessons.
- Review exercises - Ungraded assignments allowing you to practice particular concepts covered in the lessons;
- Water Cooler discussions - Discussion forum allowing you to discuss topics relevant to the course material covered in the lessons (contributes toward your class participation grade).
- News article commentaries and responses - Graded assignments requiring you to share and discuss up to date news relevant to performance management.
You will find that the some of the above activities need to be completed on an individual basis and some in pairs or groups of 3. Specifically, the news article commentaries and the assignments that are required in lessons 4 through 9 needs to be completed in group. These groups will be assigned during the second week of classes and you will be working with the same group on all group projects in this course throughout the entire semester. All other activities needs to be completed on an individual basis.
In addition to the above listed activities, you will be required to complete a final exam towards the end of the semester. This exam will be comprehensive in nature, which means that it may cover any of the materials studied throughout the semester.
You should also note that there are two weeks when lessons are not held (the week after lesson 5 and the week after lesson 9). These were scheduled partly for purposes of allowing you to catch up on your breath and partly to allow you to prepare and complete the assignments that are part of lesson 9. As you will see, these assignments require you to prepare a comprehensive report based on tasks that you have completed in lessons 4-9; prepare a oral presentation based on the content of this report; and provide feedback to other groups presentations.
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Learning Objectives
This course is designed to
- Increase your understanding of the historical and global context within which the concept of performance management has evolved.
- Increase your ability to develop and critically assess the quality of indicators of agency and program performance.
- Ensure that you acquire basic knowledge of how performance data can be analyzed and used to support decision-making.
- Increase your capacity to think critically about result-oriented governance and managing for results.
- Ensure that you acquire familiarity with basic terminology associated with performance measurement and management.
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Technical Specifications
| 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 |
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Course Materials:
Most World Campus courses require that students purchase materials (e.g., textbooks, specific software, etc.). To learn about how to order materials, please see the Course Materials page. You should check LionPATH approximately 3–4 weeks before the course begins for a list of required materials.Many of the University Libraries resources can be utilized from a distance. Through the Libraries website, you can
- access magazine, journal, and newspaper articles online using library databases;
- borrow materials and have them delivered to your doorstep—or even your desktop;
- get research help via email, chat, or phone using the Ask a Librarian service; and
- much more.
You must have an active Penn State Access Account to take full advantage of the Libraries' resources and service. The Off-Campus Users page has additional information about these free services.
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This course requires that you access Penn State library materials specifically reserved for this course. You can access these materials by selecting Library Resources in your course navigation, or by accessing the Library E-Reserves Search and search for your instructor's last name.
Many of Penn State's library resources can be utilized from a distance. Through the Library Resources and Services for World Campus and Distance Education Web site, you can...
- access magazine, journal, and newspaper articles online using library databases
- borrow materials and have them delivered to your doorstep...or even your desktop
- ask a librarian for research help via e-mail, chat, or phone using the ASK! service
...and much more!
NOTE: You must have an active Penn State Access Account and be registered with the University Libraries in order to take full advantage of the Libraries' resources and services. Registration and services are free!return to top of page
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 oral portion of 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 towards 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 (Requirements 2). 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:
- Requirement 1: Assignments and Assessments of Readings
- Requirement 2: News Article Commentaries and Responses
- Requirement 3: Final Examination
- Requirement 4: Participation
Requirement 1: Assignments Related to Course Content and Assessments of Readings
Assignment Related to Course Content
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 - The assignments of Lessons 2, 3, 10, 11, and 12 will be completed on an individual basis
- Group Assignments - The assignments of Lessons 4 through 9 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 reflect on a video segment that expands on a particular topic. Some of these assignments will be graded on a pass/fail basis. To receive full credit on assignment that are graded on a pass/fail basis you need to meet all the stated requirements. Failure to do this might result in deductions toward your grade.
Please note that the group assignments related to the course content will be graded on a pass/fail basis. 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.
Assessments of Readings
There will be multiple-choice assessments of the readings as part of all the lessons except Lessons 8, 9 and 10 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 towards the end of each lesson before the given deadline. These assessments will be regarded as completed only if you get all 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 2: News Article Sharing
In this course you will be required to keep up-to-date on current and relevant news stories that are related to fiscal decision making by reading major newspapers including, but not limited to the New York Times, Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal. Keeping up-to-date on news stories related to fiscal decision-making 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 purposes of making you aware of the current issues and problems faced in the area of fiscal decision making. Toward this end, you will be required to select two news articles and write a commentary on each. 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
As part of this requirement you are expected to use the course wikispace to post two separate commentaries for two relevant news articles related to fiscal decision making.
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 and responses starting from Lesson 3.
For each of the two articles that your group selects, the group's posting needs to include the following information:
- The reference of the article (if it can be accessed via the Web, please provide the URL)
- Summary of the major issue/topic discussed in the article (approximately 150 words in length)
- Discussion of your view/opinion of the issue (approximately 150 words in length)
- Discussion about how the article relates to fiscal decision making (approximately 100 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 topic areas that are discussed in class.
Responses
In addition to posting a commentary on an assigned article, you are also required to post responses to news article commentaries posted by other groups (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 all eight different article commentaries posted by the other groups. Although there are no specific due dates for when you need to post your responses, you will not be able to post comments to any commentaries two weeks after they are due (i.e.,you only have two weeks to post your comments 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.
Requirement 3: Final Examination
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 account for 50 percent each toward 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 4: Participation
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.
There will be ungraded watercooler discussions throughout the course. Participation is strongly encouraged and will contribute toward your class participation grade. 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. Also, comment on at least two other posts by the end of the week.
Grading Scheme
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:
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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 receipt of work by the Instructor. Submit your work on time as scheduled.
Please refer to the University Grading Policy for Graduate Courses for additional information about University grading policies.
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Course Schedule
The topics and learning activities scheduled for each of the 12 lessons in the course are listed in the Course Schedule. Each lesson covers one week. As you study each week's lesson, please focus on the specific list of learning activities for that lesson.
The schedule below outlines all activities and topics we will cover in this course, along with the associated time frames and assignments. Note that assignments are due based on the Eastern Standard Time Zone (EST). This ensures that all students have the same deadlines regardless of where they live.
- Course length: 16 weeks
Note: Deadlines will be defined as 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on the last day of the lesson timeframe, unless noted different!
Module 1: The General Context
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Lesson 1: Introduction to Performance Measurement and Management |
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Lesson 2: Historical Roots of Performance Measurement in the US: The Early Years |
Module 2: How Performance Measurement Systems are Developed and Used
Historical Context of Performance Measurement
Module 3: Efforts and Challenges
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Lesson 10: Using Performance Measures to Support Strategic Planning & Management |
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Lesson 11: Incorporating Performance Measures into the Budgeting Process |
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Lesson 12: Implementing Effective Performance Measurement Systems |
Course ends @ 11:59 PM Eastern Time
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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
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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.