You are responsible for completing the following deliverables this semester.

Engagement

Success in this course will require you to do more than simply appear in class twice a week and answer an occasional question. In business, that is called just “meeting expectations”, the lowest level of achievement. I expect that all of my students are prepared to actively participate in our in-class, and digital, discussions since that is a key way to learn as much as possible. This course is about active, on-the-field engagement, not one focused primarily on lectures.

In the event that we must meet remotely, please review the protocol necessary for all of our remote meetings before we meet. Please see your Outlook or Teams calendar for links to our Teams class meetings.

We will focus on assigned cases using the Socratic method to engage with, and learn, the course material. That will require you to complete the Before We Begin deliverables found in the Schedule. Assessment of your preparedness and engagement may include your performance on unscheduled content quizzes. Please review the Engagement Rubric in the Engagement page of the Course Policies section of this site. Be certain to review the Engagement section the Deliverables page of your course’s syllabus for more information.

Success Plan

Complete this deliverable by posting your plan to the #success plan and assessment channel in Teams.

Your first deliverable will be the development of a plan describing the specific steps/actions you must take that you believe are necessary for success in this course. The end-in-mind of this effort is for you to provide the path/process that you choose to address the challenges and opportunities for growth and learning that this experience presents. It is intended, also, as your definition of the template you will utilize throughout your personal and professional life in undertaking challenging situation, issue and other major confrontations. Your submission, in a minimum of 750 words, should address the suggestions for success described here. Remember that you are using a digital platform to complete this deliverable so be sure to review my advice on writing on digital platforms. Never post a Word or Google doc or pdf.

Ideas Essay

Complete this deliverable by posting your plan to the #ideas essay channel in Teams.

Your next deliverable is a thought exercise. You will find a number of quotes in the Some Ideas section of the right sidebar of the SW Blog. You will choose one of those quotes and prepare an essay, in a maximum of 750 words, that discusses your perspective on the ideas raised by one of the quotes. Be sure to identify the quote you have chosen at the beginning of your essay. I will evaluate the clarity of your writing, spelling and grammar, your success in writing on a digital platform, articulation of the ideas raised by your chosen quote and the quality and depth of analysis when assessing your essays. Remember that you are using a digital platform to complete this deliverable so be sure to review my advice on writing on digital platforms. Never post a Word or Google doc or pdf.

Course Blog

Post your comments in the SW Blog that I maintain for my courses.

I post items of interest that are relevant to the material covered in my courses. The materials in the posts will be discussed over the course of the semester in class and on-line. You are responsible for keeping current on the posts to the blog and providing comments. The submission schedule is included in the Schedule. My goal is to encourage an active discussion between and among all of my students related to the events of the day. And remember … it is a public blog … be certain that your comments comport with the etiquette requirements described in the Etiquette section of the Communication page. I will evaluate the following factors when I assess your blog comments:

• A thoughtful, substantive and well-reasoned summary/response to the blog post you have chosen – approximately 350 words per comment; and
• Your comments should not simply regurgitate the article you have reviewed. I have no interest in reading a “book report” version of the article that you have chosen. I am, however, interested in comments that provide your insight into the relevance of the article in question, and
• Evidence in your blog comments in that you have read and are specifically and thoughtfully responding to the points raised by the author and/or if responding to someone’s prior comments on a post.

Please refer to the Schedule and calendar for details about the blog comments submission schedule. Don’t be late … you know my policy on accepting late submissions! Click here to subscribe to the course blog’s Twitter feed.

Topic | Issue Discussions

Complete this deliverable by posting your contributions to the appropriate #TID channel in Blackboard.

A discussion is defined as “an act or instance of discussing” and “consideration or examination by argument, comment, etc.” You will engage in a topic/issue discussion (TID) in each Module of the course. Each TID will begin with an article, video, podcast and/or question. Your initial response to the TID, in a minimum of 750 words, is your answer to the question(s) posed and issues raised,  a reflection of your consideration of the issues that flow from those materials. The post function in Blackboard provides you great flexibility when preparing and posting your initial response to the TID. I fully expect that you will rely on sources in support of your position … whether in your initial response to the TID or during the continuing conversation. When you do refer to a source you should create a hyperlink to the additional materials that help explain or support your position. The post function in Blackboard also allows for adding comments to a specific post. That said, our continuing discussion is an important part of the TID exercise. You will note that there is a comment period available in each TID cycle. As I have noted elsewhere, you should engage your classmates “… with commentary, reaction and/or analysis of their TID posts  …” during the comment period. The point of the exercise is to generate a robust conversation about the issue(s) at hand. These discussions, your engagement, are essential to create the atmosphere of active learning and critical thinking that is an integral part of this course. All students must express their own opinions and engage with other students in the process. Our TID discussions are ongoing so simply posting your initial response to the TID will not be sufficient. You must engage your classmates with commentary, reaction and/or analysis of their TID posts (see the comment period in each TID cycle). Remember, discussion is defined as “an act or instance of discussing” and “consideration or examination by argument, comment, etc.”. The good news is that Blackboard will allow us to engage in either synchronous or asynchronous written exchanges that will stand in for F2F, in person conversations. Your initial response (a minimum of 750 words) and discussion posts (a minimum of 5 such posts) must satisfy the Writing and Research requirements described at the Deliverables page. Never post a Word or Google doc.

I will evaluate your level of engagement, the clarity of your writing, spelling and grammar, your success in writing on a digital platform, appearance and satisfaction of form requirements; articulation of all potential issues presented and the quality and depth of analysis when assessing your submissions. Please refer to the Schedule and calendar for details about the TID submission schedule. Don’t be late … you know my policy on accepting late submissions!

Success Assessment

Complete this deliverable by posting your plan to the #success plan and assessment channel in Teams.

Your last deliverable before the final exam will be an assessment of the Success Plan that you developed at course launch.  Please reflect on the substance of your Success Plan and describe how your pre-launch perspective on the course, your learning during the course and the outcomes you described earlier have developed favorable, or unfavorable, outcomes. This is not an exercise about whether you have achieved the grade you anticipated. It should be a reflection on how your personal and professional goals have been impacted by the choices you have made in planning and execution, both in what was achieved and how it (Success Plan) was achieved. Your assessment, in a minimum of 750 words should be submitted by posting your assessment to the #success channel. Remember that you are using a digital platform to complete this deliverable so be sure to review my advice on writing on digital platforms. Never post a Word or Google doc or pdf.

Final Exam

The final exam will be a writing assignment requiring each student to define, interpret, and analyze a topic or topics related to the course materials. Never post a Word or Google doc or pdf.

Grading

Grades on each deliverable will be posted to the Grades folder in Blackboard. The following weights will be assigned to each component of your final grade:

• Engagement: Class Attendance & Participation, Success Plan & Assessment, Ideas Essay (20%)
• Course Blog (10%)
• TIDs (60%)
• Final Exam (10%)