Course Syllabus. Required Computer Skills:

Transcription

1 Course Syllabus Instructor: Charles L. McDonald, Jr., Ph.D. Office: Room 321L Office Hours: See professor's homepage Phone: (903) Course Number: MGT E Course Title: Strategic Planning Required Computer Skills: Use of a personal computer is extensive in this course. Students will be expected to possess the following computer skills to successfully perform course related tasks throughout the semester: Course Delivery Method: Web-based Course times: January 22 May 16, 2013 Course Description: Prerequisites: Course Text: Student Learning Outcomes: Moderate proficiency in using Mozilla s Firefox or Google's Chrome browser to access course webpages and selected sites. Moderate proficiency in sending and receiving with file attachments using Ace Mail. This course provides a functional knowledge of strategic planning: its nature, scope, elements and development as a critical area of management education and of the steps in the strategic planning process. None specified None required Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to: 1. Demonstrate a functional knowledge of the nature and scope of strategic planning. 2. Demonstrate the application of the major steps in the strategic planning, implementation, and monitoring process. 3. Apply a strategic planning model to develop a strategic plan for a company or organization. Course Requirements & MGT 508: Strategic Planning is a course being offered in a Methodology: nontraditional format using Web-based technology. Access to course materials is through Web for Students and Blackboard. The site contains support materials including the course syllabus, student learning outcomes, a planning model template, and lectures and notes posted by the professor. Additional information is accessible through links to related websites. Student/professor communications including correspondence, submission of papers, video presentation tapes, and feedback will be via Blackboard. Each student will participate in a four-member project group assigned to develop a comprehensive strategic plan for an

2 approved company or organization. The professor will provide contact information for forming the groups through Blackboard. Project group memberships must be reported to the professor no later than February 4. By February 11, each student project group will select and submit to the professor for approval a company/organization that will be the subject for preparing a strategic plan as a course project. Students will follow the strategic planning model designated for the course, and prepare a strategic plan for that organization. The plan will be submitted to the professor in report form for grading. Students will subsequently prepare a video presentation of the finished strategic plan. There are several strategic planning models available. The professor has selected one among them as a guide for this course and has provided an electronic template as a guide through the planning process and for the preparation of the written plan. All papers should be double-spaced and exhibit graduate quality writing and conform to the designated format specifications in the Strategic Planning Template. Formal business writing style with citations, where appropriate, should be followed. Plagiarism will not be tolerated and could result in a failing grade for the course. The written report: should be grammatically correct and free of spelling errors should be meaningfully organized, content-rich, and factually supported by references should not be written as a conversation, reflect scenarios, or use clichés should not or express personal opinions unsupported by reference materials After evaluation of the written plan document and the videotaped presentation by the professor, scores will be posted on Blackboard and graded papers will be returned through Blackboard.

3 Course Schedule: Week of January 22 January 25 Week of January 28 February 4 February 11 Week of February 18 Week of February 25 March 4 Week of March 11 Week of March 18 Week of March 25 Week of April 1 April 8 Week of April 15 April 22 April 29 May 9 Students will become familiar with the course syllabus and the planning template. Send an (using Ace Mail) to your professor containing a statement that you have read and understand the syllabus. Be sure to place "MGT508" in the subject line on all addressed to your professor. Contact the professor if you need a clarification before sending this e- mail. Your professor checks student e- mail frequently, excluding weekends and holidays. Students will listen to the recorded course orientation lecture that is posted on Blackboard. Students will provide to the professor the names of their four-member group. Students notify the professor of the business or organization for which a strategic plan will be developed. Student project groups will conduct research required for development of the strategic plan. Student project groups will conduct research required for development of the strategic plan. A written narrative project progress report (not to exceed two pages) will be due to the professor. The professor will provide a written reply. Student project groups will conduct research required for development of the strategic plan. Spring Break but student project groups may continue to conduct research required for development of the strategic plan. Student project groups will work on development of the strategic plan. Student project groups will work on development of the strategic plan. Draft strategic plans (reports) are due. The professor will provide feedback. Student project groups will perform final report edits and prepare presentation videos. Final strategic plans and video presentations are due to the professor. Last class day of the semester

4 Methods of Evaluation: Written Report: Students will be evaluated on the quality of the submitted written strategic plan Video Presentation: Students will be evaluated on the quality of the video presentation of their strategic plan Grading Scale: Written Report Score: 50% Video Presentation Score: 50% A: B: C: C: F: Less than 60 A&M-Texarkana Upon application to Texas A&M University-Texarkana an individual Address: will be assigned an A&M-Texarkana account. This account will be used to deliver official university correspondence. Each individual is responsible for information sent and received via the university account and is expected to check the official A&M-Texarkana account on a frequent and consistent basis. Faculty and students are required to utilize the university account when communicating about coursework. Student Participation: Participation Policy: Students are expected to monitor the announcements on the course s website and adhere to the deadlines for submissions in the class schedule. Course Etiquette: In this course, students are expected to be friendly, positive, and self-reflective when communicating with group members. Remember that you will need to work together and feelings can be hurt if you are not careful in how you express yourself. If you feel a critique is necessary; say it in a positive tone. Reread what you have written to be sure it is positive before sending a message. Discussion Board Standards: Students are expected to utilize the Discussion Board at least weekly for group communications at times set by each group. The Chat feature is also provided for student communications, but is not limited to individual group use. Disability Accommodations: Students with disabilities may request reasonable accommodations through the A&M-Texarkana Disability Services Office by calling Class Participation: Students are responsible for beginning their participation on the

5 FIRST CLASS DAY by logging on and completing assignments according to the COURSE CALENDAR. Failure to submit online assignments between the first day of classes and the University census date (according to the University schedule) will result in an ADMINISTRATIVE DROP from the course. Academic Integrity: Academic honesty is expected of students enrolled in this course. Cheating on examinations, unauthorized collaboration, falsification of research data, plagiarism, and undocumented use of materials from any source constitute academic dishonesty and may be grounds for a grade of F in the course and/or disciplinary actions. For additional information, see the university catalog. Drop Policy: To drop this course after the census date (see semester calendar), a student must complete the Drop/Withdrawal Request Form, located on the University website or obtained in the Registrar s Office. The student must submit the signed and completed form to the instructor of each course indicated on the form to be dropped for his/her signature. The signature is not an approval to drop, but rather confirmation that the student has discussed the drop/withdrawal with the faculty member. The form must be submitted to the Registrar s office for processing in person, Registrar@tamut.edu, mail (7101 University Ave., Texarkana, TX 75503) or fax ( ). Drop/withdraw forms missing any of the required information will not be accepted by the Registrar s Office for processing. It is the student s responsibility to ensure that the form is completed properly before submission. If a student stops participating in class (attending and submitting assignments) but does not complete and submit the drop/withdrawal form, a final grade based on work completed as outlined in the syllabus will be assigned. MBA Program Goals: At the completion of your degree, TAMU-T graduate students should be proficient in several areas. You can access these goals at: Technical Assistance Information: Solutions to common problems and FAQ s for your web-enhanced and web courses are found at this link: If you cannot find your resolution there, you can send in a support request detailing your specific problem here: Blackboard Helpdesk contacts (office hours are: Monday - Friday, 8:00a to 5:00p) Julia Allen (main contact) julia.allen@tamut.edu Nikki Thomson (alternate) nikki.thomson@tamut.edu Jayson Ferguson (alternate) jayson.ferguson@tamut.edu Technical Requirements:

6 Minimum Windows PC Requirements: Pentium IV 1.5GHz+ (preferred: Core Duo) 1 GB RAM minimum (preferred: 2 GB) 128MB Video Card minimum - Sound Card is required for some courses 56K modem minimum (Cable or DSL required for some courses) Windows 2000, XP, Vista or 7 Web browser (Internet Explorer 7.0+; Firefox 3.0+) Microsoft Word, minimum Office 97 Some courses will need plug-ins such as Flash player 10 +, QuickTime player 7.0+, Adobe Reader 9.0+, Java Runtime Environment (Java 1.6.0_15), Windows Media Player 10+, RealPlayer, and Macromedia/Adobe Shockwave. Some online courses may also require a CD ROM (8x minimum, higher recommended) Blackboard has certified the following browsers for computers running Windows Operating Systems: Internet Explorer 8 or 9 (IE is not supported on Windows XP) Mozilla Firefox 3.6+ Google Chrome Minimum Apple Macintosh Requirements: Intel Core 2.0GHz+ 1 GB RAM (preferred: 2 GB) 128MB Video Card minimum - Sound Card is required for some courses 56K modem minimum (Cable or DSL required for some courses) Web browser (Firefox 3.0+ ; Safari 3.0+) Microsoft Word, minimum Office 97 Some courses will need plug-ins such as Flash player 10+, QuickTime player 7.0+, Adobe Reader 9.0+, Java Runtime Environment, RealPlayer, and Macromedia/Adobe Shockwave. Some online courses may also require a CD ROM (8x minimum, higher recommended) Blackboard has certified the following browsers for computers running Macintosh Operating Systems: Mac OS 10.2 (Jaguar): (Safari 1 is compatible) Mac OS 10.3 (Panther): Safari 1.2 (Firefox 1.5 is compatible) Mac OS 10.4 (Tiger): Safari 2 and Firefox 1.5 Mac OS 10.5 (Leopard): (Firefox 2.0 is compatible) I-OS and Android Devices These devices are currently supported using the Blackboard Mobile App, available for free from your App Store or scan the code below:

7 To access Texas A&M University - Texarkana, there is an individual license fee of $1.99 per year or $5.99 lifetime. This fee gives you access to the university from all your (same platform) devices; it is not necessary to pay the fee for each device you own.