WEST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE BUSINESS 032 BUSINESS COMMUNICATION (ONLINE) Spring Semester 2016 Course Number: 8104 Sherice L. Bellamy, Instructor Telephone: (213) 305-2609 Email: shericebellamy@yahoo.com Class Location: ONLINE Office Hours: Tuesdays 3:00 4:00 p.m. Course Description: This course covers the principles and techniques of the effective use of English as a communication tool by identifying the speaking, listening, reading, writing and computer skills to send clear and concise messages. Practical experience is given in writing letters, memos, reports, application letters and job-winning resumes utilizing electronic communications and the Internet. Textbook (required): Essentials of Business Communication, Dr. Mary Ellen Guffey, 10 th Edition, ISBN 978-1-3056-9974-8, South-Western, Cengage Learning. YOU CANNOT PASS THIS COURSE WITHOUT THIS BOOK. Materials Needed: Access to the internet and a valid email address. Objectives: Upon completion of this course students will be able to: Understand the importance of becoming an effective and professional communicator by improving verbal and nonverbal communication skills and using technology to communicate effectively, i.e. email, blogs, etc. Collect data from secondary sources including print and electronic sources and generate primary data from surveys, interviews, observation, and experimentation. Write effective persuasive messages that request favors and action, including outlining the components of a writing plan for sales. Outline procedures for planning, leading, and participating in productive business meetings and writing minutes of meetings and summaries. Explain ways to polish one s professional telephone skills and list techniques for making the best use of voice mail. Explain the major elements of organizing the content of a presentation and identify techniques for gaining audience rapport. Prepare for employment by identifying one s interests, writing a resume and preparing for employment interviews, including researching the target company and writing follow-up letters. Standard Learning Objectives (SLOs): Communication: Demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills. Prepare a career report and slide presentation in PowerPoint and deliver an effective and professional oral presentation to the class. Critical Thinking: Analyze problems by differentiating fact from opinions, using evidence and sound reasoning to specify multiple solutions and their consequences. Review and analyze workplace case studies to identify problems and possible solutions.
Page 2 of 6 Grading Scale: Each assignment and exam is worth 100 points. All scores, including Discussion points, will be added and divided by 30, which is the total number of graded assignments, exams and discussions points, to arrive at your final grade. Total # of Assignments (30) Total Points Points Grades Homework Assignments (14 x 100) 1,400 2,685-3,000 A 90-100 Writing Assignments (7 x 100) 700 2,385-2,684 B 80-89 Quizzes (4 x 100) 400 2,085-2,384 C 70-79 Attendance / Class Participation (30 x 10) 300 1,785-2,084 D 60-69 (Counts as 3 assignments) 1,784 and below F 59 and below Mid-Term (1 x 100) 100 Final Exam (1 x 100) 100 3,000 Attendance: Please note that attendance (class participation) is part of your overall grade; therefore, missing class will affect your grade significantly. This is determined by your participation in the online discussions posted each week. If you miss two (2) consecutive classes (determined by whether or not you have participated in the online discussions and completed the writing assignment(s) for the week), you may be dropped from the course on the 3 rd miss. LATE ASSIGNMENTS ARE NOT ACCEPTED. Each assignment will open and close on a specific date. All assignments must be posted online in the designated (appropriate) section unless otherwise specified. ALL ASSIGNMENTS MUST BE TYPED IN MICROSOFT WORD OR POWERPOINT FOR PRESENTATIONS. NO OTHER FORMATS ARE ACCEPTED. In the event that the Etudes system is not working properly, assignments may be emailed in order to meet the required deadline. This is the only reason an emailed assignment will be accepted. THE EMAIL MUST BE SENT ON THE APPROPRIATE DUE DATE, OTHERWISE THE ASSIGNMENT WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. If emailed, please do not type in the body of the email. Any emailed assignments must be typed in Word and sent as an attachment, otherwise the assignment will not be graded. The preferred format is Times New Roman, 11 or 12-pitch font, with one inch margins, unless specific instructions are given for formatting the assignment. Technical Difficulties: Please refer to the Technical Requirements link at http://www.wlac.edu/online to access the Student Help Desk forum where your issue is likely addressed in the Frequently Asked Questions section. If not, scroll down to the WEST ~ WLAC section and post a message explaining the problem or contact the WLAC Distance Learning Program Office at (310) 287-4305 or via email: ichone@wlac.edu.
Page 3 of 6 Office Hours: Please call me at least 24 hours in advance at (213) 305-2609 to schedule a time to meet via phone or video conference on Tuesdays during office hours or at a time mutually agreed upon. Students are encouraged to complete the Chapter Review Quizzes after each chapter. This self-study tool is located at www.meguffey.com (you may need to register to use this resource). You are also encouraged to complete the Chapter Review questions (6 through 15) at the end of each chapter in the book. This is not to be turned in as an assignment. You will not receive a grade for completing these assessments. THIS IS FOR YOUR STUDY PURPOSES ONLY. IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Week 1, Mon. 02/08 Due Fri. 02/19 Due Mon. 02/22 Week 2, Mon. 02/15 Due Fri. 02/19 Due Mon. 02/22 Week 3, Mon. 02/22 Due Fri. 02/26 Due Mon. 02/29 1. Complete the course introduction in the Discussion board. 2. Review the Syllabus and complete the Syllabus Acknowledgement online in Assignments, Tests and 3. Read Chapter 1 Communication Skills as Career Filters. 1. Read Chapter 2 Planning Business Messages. 2. Post your comments to this week s discussion. 3. Complete the Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 review questions in Assignments, Tests and 1. Read Chapter 3 Composing Business Messages. 3. Complete the Chapter 3 review questions in Assignments, Tests and Week 4, Mon. 02/29 Due Fri. 03/04 Due Mon. 03/07 1. Read Chapter 4 Revising Business Messages. 3. Complete the Chapter 4 review questions in Assignments, Tests and Week 5, Mon. 03/07 Due Fri. 03/11 Due Mon. 03/14 Due Mon. 03/14 Due Mon. 03/14 1. Read Chapter 5 Electronic Messages and Digital Media. 3. Complete the Chapter 5 review questions in Assignments, Tests and 4. Complete Quiz 1 for Chapters 1 through 4 in Assignments, Tests and 5. Writing Assignment.
Page 4 of 6 Week 6, Mon. 03/14 Due Fri. 03/18 Due Mon. 03/21 Due Mon. 03/21 Week 7, Mon. 03/21 Due Fri. 03/25 Due Mon. 03/28 1. Read Chapter 6 Positive Messages. 3. Complete the Chapter 6 review questions in Assignments, Tests and 4. Writing Assignment. 1. Read Chapter 7 Negative Messages. 3. Complete the Chapter 7 review questions in Assignments, Tests and Week 8 SPRING BREAK - FRIDAY, APRIL 1 THROUGH FRIDAY, APRIL 8 Week 9, Mon. 04/11 Due Fri. 04/15 Due Mon. 04/18 Due Mon. 04/18 Due Mon. 04/18 1. Read Chapter 8 - Persuasive Messages. 3. Complete the Chapter 8 review questions in Assignments, Tests and 4. Complete Quiz 2 for Chapters 5 through 7 in Assignments, Tests and 5. Writing Assignment. Week 10, Mon. 04/18 1. Read Chapter 9 Informal Reports. Due Fri. 04/22 Due Mon. 04/25 3. Complete the Chapter 9 review questions in Assignments, Tests and Due Mon. 04/25 4. Complete the MID-TERM for Chapters 1 through 7 in Assignments, Tests and Week 11, Mon. 04/25 1. Read Chapter 10 Proposals and Formal Reports. Due Fri. 04/29 Due Mon. 05/02 3. Complete the Chapter 10 review questions in Assignments, Tests and Due Mon 05/02 4. Writing Assignment. Week 12, Mon. 05/02 1. Read Chapter 11 Professionalism at Work: Business Etiquette, Ethics, Teamwork and Meetings. Due Fri. 05/06 Due Mon. 05/09 3. Complete the Chapter 11 review questions in Assignments, Tests and Due Mon. 05/09 4. Complete Quiz 3 for Chapters 8 through 10 in Assignments, Tests and
Page 5 of 6 Week 13, Mon. 05/09 1. Please read Chapter 12 Business Presentations. Due Fri. 05/13 Due Mon. 05/16 3. Complete the Chapter 12 review questions in Assignments, Tests and Due Mon. 05/16 4. Writing Assignment. Week 14, Mon. 05/16 1. Read Chapter 13 The Job Search, Résumés and Cover Letters. Due Fri. 05/20 Due Mon. 05/23 3. Complete the Chapter 13 review questions in Assignments, Tests and Due Mon. 05/23 4. Writing Assignment. Week 15, Mon. 05/23 1. Read Chapter 14 Interviewing and Following Up. Due Fri. 05/27 Due Mon. 05/30 3. Complete the Chapter 14 review questions in Assignments, Tests and Due Mon. 05/30 4. Complete Quiz 4 for Chapters 11 through 14 in Assignments, Tests and Week 16, Mon. 05/30 Due Mon. 06/06 1. Complete the Final Exam in Assignments, Tests and
Page 6 of 6 * NOTE: THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE WRITING ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE POSTED ONLINE. PLEASE CHECK THE WEEKLY ANNOUNCEMENTS. WRITING ASSIGNMENTS MUST BE TYPED AS A MICROSOFT WORD DOCUMENT (with the.doc or.docx extension). DOCUMENTS TYPED IN WORD PERFECT (with the.wps extension) CANNOT BE OPENED ON MY COMPUTER AND ARE NOT ACCEPTED. PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOUR DOCUMENTS ARE TYPED USING THE APPROPRIATE SOFTWARE PROGRAM. The normal flow of the course will go as followed: After reviewing the Syllabus and Announcements for the week, please visit the Modules section and review any additional instructions, lecture notes, readings, or websites that have been posted. Subsequently, review the Assignments, Tests and Surveys section for assignments. Complete and post assignments by the due date. THE ASSIGNMENTS WILL OPEN AND CLOSE ON A SPECIFIC DATE. NO LATE ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED. Review and post your comments in the Discussion section. Note the due date of the Discussions (usually Fridays) and post your comments on or before the due date to receive credit. YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE CREDIT FOR LATE POSTS. REMEMBER that the online discussions are a major part of your overall grade. This is how attendance (class participation) is graded. Please complete the syllabus acknowledgement in Assignments, Tests and Surveys once you have read this syllabus in its entirety. If you have any questions regarding this syllabus, please call me at the phone number listed above. THANK YOU!!!