TRINITY VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
SYLLABUS: SUPERVISION INTERNET COURSE
BMGT 1301 / Fall 2007
Instructor Information:
Ronald C. Baugh Technology Center 227
Office Phone# 903-675-6366
E-Mail: dhhinds@tvcc.edu
Textbook:
Supervision: Concepts and Practices of Management, Leonard & Hilgert, Thomson South-Western Publishing Co., 10th edition, 2007.
ISBN: 0-324-316240. Textbook can be purchased at TVCC. TVCC Bookstore number is 903-675-6223.
Course Description:
This course is a study of today’s supervisors and their problems. The practical concepts of modern-day, first-line supervision are described. Emphasis on the supervisor’s major functions, such as facilitating relations with others, leading, motivating and communicating are studied.
Course Learning Outcomes:
The student will acquire an understanding of the following course learning outcomes:
Prerequisites:
1. Need internet connection with email address
2. A word processor such as Word, Word Perfect, or Works
WebCT Log-In Procedure:
This is a Web-CT based course. Go to http://courses.tvcc.edu. Log in using last name, first initial and last four digits of your social security number (Ex: doej1234). Use all lower case letters. The password will be the last four digits of your social security number. If you cannot log in, call Karen McGrew at 903-675-6324.
What Do I Do First?
Once you log in, select the syllabus icon and print the course syllabus.
Next, select the Unit Assignments icon and print them for Units 1 – 3.
Click on the other icons on the homepage and read the data and instructions given.
Then, begin reading the chapters and working the assignments.
Course Format:
This course is divided into three units:
Unit 1: Chapters 1 - 4
Unit 2: Chapters 5 – 9
Unit 3: Chapters 10 - 14
Final Project (Research training program)
Study Tips:
The student will be more successful in this class if they utilize the various tutorials and components available at http://leonard.swlearning.com
Testing/Final Grade:
The course will include three objective examinations, and a final project and three unit assignments (containing two assignments in each unit). The third assessment will be proctored. VCT students should go to the testing center at the campus where they are enrolled.
Testing Center Operational Policy
For Non-Standardized Testing
Trinity Valley Community College
Facilities for onsite testing at Trinity Valley Community College will be provided at the following locations:
· Testing Center – Room 133 of the Pirtle Administration Building, Athens Campus
· Learning Resource Center – Computer Lab, Athens Campus
· Learning Resource Center – Palestine Campus
· Learning Resource Center – Terrell Campus
The Testing Center in Athens is an open testing center and will provide:
The Learning Resource Centers in Athens, Palestine, and Terrell will provide online testing only.
All testing sites will provide secure, proctored testing.
Prohibited items include books, notes, educational aides (such as dictionaries, thesauri, reference books, etc), cell phones, pagers, electronic organizers / PDA’s, laptops, or similar devices.
Course Grading Method:
The final grade for each student will be determined using the point system.
Each major unit assessment and final project will be worth 200 points for a total of 800 points. Assignments will consist of 6 exercises (worth 40 points each) and will total 240 points. Total possible points will be 1040. Final grade will be determined using the following scale:
A = 931 – 1040
B = 827 – 930
C = 723 – 826
D = 619 – 722
F = below 619
Note:
Homework and Unit Assessments must be taken by the deadlines listed on the course calendar posted on the Supervision course site. Print the calendar to refer to throughout this semester.
Drop Date Policy:
If the student needs to drop a course or withdraw from the college, you must complete an official drop form from the Guidance Office to withdraw from this course or contact the VCT coordinator at your college by the November 16, 2007 drop date.
Assessment Schedule:
Unit 1 Assessment (Ch. 1-4) Week 4 Sept. 17 – 24, 2007
Unit 2 Assessment (Ch. 5-9) Week 8 Oct. 15 – 22, 2007
Unit 3 Assessment (Ch.10-14) Week 12 Nov. 13 – 17, 2007
Final Project Week 15 Nov. 26 – Dec. 3, 2007
Unit I
Use your textbook or the internet:
1. What competencies and skills characterize good leaders?
2. Think of a manager you have known or worked for. Based on the skills you just outlined, was this manager also a leader? Why or why not?
3. Based on what you have learned about the characteristics of a good leader, how would you assess yourself? What are your strengths and weaknesses as a leader?
Using the internet, find at least two sources of information on how to deal with people who complain all the time. Carefully review each site for suggestions on how to deal with these people. Write two paragraphs explaining how this assignment increased your knowledge of how to cope with the behaviors of difficult people.
Unit II
Approximately one-half of management decisions go wrong. Among the reasons: poor problem definition, choosing quick-fix solutions, and limiting participation in decision making. To improve the odds of success, supervisors should personally manage the decision making process, establish clear objectives while searching for new ideas, and manage roadblock intervention.
Discussion Questions:
1. In your experience, what have been roadblocks to successful decision making?
2. What additional suggestions do you have for improving organizational decision making?
Most management experts agree that, while meetings are often political time-wasters, they are still the best vehicle for sharing information, generating ideas, and arriving at a group consensus. Effective meetings are facilitated by effective chairpersons. An effective meeting starts with a detailed agenda, defines specific outcomes, and monitors and evaluates the meeting’s effectiveness.
Discussion Questions:
1. What are some characteristics of an ineffective meeting? What effect do they have on the group? The outcome?
2. What are some characteristics of an effective meeting? What effect do they have on the group? The outcome?
3. Describe someone skilled at facilitating a meeting.
4. How can meeting participants overcome an unskilled facilitator or a poorly run meeting?
Unit III
Why is adequate supervisory preparation for an employee selection interview crucial to the interview’s success. Discuss each of the following aspects of conducting an employee selection interview:
a. Opening the interview.
b. Explaining a job.
c. Using effective questioning techniques.
d. Taking notes
e. Concluding the interview.
W. Edwards Deming was a vocal critic of performance appraisals saying that they leave people bitter and depressed and are the biggest American management problem. Tom Peters, however, contends that appraisals are essential tools for “directing attention to new targets.”
Discussion Questions:
1. Should performance appraisals still exist? Why or why not?
2. What are the benefits of appraisals for an employee? For management? Drawbacks?
3. Why are appraisals so challenging for managers? For employees?