Dr. Cathy L. Z. DuBois

E-mail:  cdubois@kent.edu

Office: BSA A412                   

Phone: 330-672-1157              Fax: 330-672-2448 (please use a cover page with my name)

Office hours:     Tuesday 9:30-11:30, Thursday 9:30-11:30, or by appointment

 

 

ADMS 34180: Human Resource Management

Caution: This course is designed for students who have a Human Resource Management minor; the majority of students should be seniors.  All other students should meet with the professor during the first week of class to review expectations.

 

 

Noe, R. A. (2005).  Employee Training & Development.  New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

List of additional required readings, available through KSU Library Electronic Reserves.

 

Course Website:  http://cdubois.pageout.net      Please register by September 2!

 

You must register with the KSU SHRM student organization.  Registration is free.  Contact Kenneth Weppler: kweppler@kent.edu

 

This course will examine a range of theory and practice with respect to training and development related to the workplace and careers.  We will focus on the development and the delivery of training programs. At the conclusion of this course, you should be able to:

 

-         Describe the scope and need for training and development in the workplace of today and the future

-         Differentiate between performance problems that can be solved through training and those that require other interventions

-         Detail the components of sound training design and critical success factors for training implementation

-         Describe the respective roles of individuals and organizations in training and development

-         Apply critical analysis in relating training and development to organizational functioning and success

-         Address a group using appropriate communication techniques

-         Design a training program using sound training design principles

-         Deliver a short training session that achieves your learning objectives

 

 

My goal is to have every class member be an active participant in the learning process.  Therefore, we will have a considerable amount of discussion in every class.  The participatory nature of the class makes it imperative that you have read the assigned material before class on a regular basis. 

 

                        Class Preparation / Participation            20%

                        Exams                                                  40%   (15% / 15% / 10%)

                        Icebreaker Exercise                                5%

                        Training Delivery Project                       20%

                        Comprehensive Final Exam                   15%    

                                                 

I will use +/- grades for this course.  Assignment of final grades will most likely be:  92+ A, 90-91 A-, 88-89 B+, 82-87 B, 80-81 B-, 78-79 C+, 72-77 B, 70-71 C-, 68-69 D+, 60-67 D, 0-59 F.  I reserve the right to curve these final grades, up or down, based on overall class performance.

 

 

 

Class participation is a function of how regularly you offer insightful comments and/or pose useful, stimulating questions in class, how much you contribute to small group discussions, and how regularly you attend class.  If it is obvious that you are prepared for each class, you will receive at least a grade of a B.  To receive a grade in the A range, you must speak up in a manner that adds value to the group learning experience.  If it is obvious that you are not regularly not prepared, you will receive a failing grade for class participation.

 

It is not enough to simply read the material before class; you must also think through what you’ve read.  Prepare for class with the ‘Advance Preparation Questions/Activities’ guidelines available on the course website.  Also list any questions you have on your assigned reading.  Bring written items, your text, and other readings with you to class so that you can refer to them if necessary.

 

The commonly requisite employment characteristics of preparation, participation, punctuality and attendance are very relevant to your performance in this class.  Thus, if you cannot attend class, please provide a courtesy e-mail or phone call to let me know why you are absent within 24 hours of the absence.  In a class of this size, I will know you’re not there. 

 

 

 

Expect all exams to be lengthy and rigorous; come well prepared.  Questions will be short / long answer (see writing style section below).

 

All students must take each of these exams on their scheduled dates; only in extreme circumstances can alternate arrangements be made.  If you can’t make the scheduled test date, I must be notified in writing and we must establish an alternate date prior to the scheduled test date.  Make-up tests will be alternate forms of the scheduled tests.  That is, do not expect a test taken on an alternate test date to be exactly the same as the test given on the scheduled date.

The first 3 exams will cover specified chapters and associated readings and class discussions.  These exams will consist of a variety of question formats, including some short / long answer questions that are integrative and application oriented.  You will need to ‘own’ the material in order to do well on these exams; thinking beyond the obvious will be required.  Exams 1 and 2 will be taken ‘solo’, with no use of notes/text.  Exam 3 will be taken with a partner (randomly assigned when the test is administered), and will be open notes/text.  Partner evaluations will be used to guide grade adjustments where partners have not made equal contributions to test answers.

The comprehensive exam that will cover all course material related to training design and implementation, with a focus primarily on parts 1 and 2 of the course.  Competent implementation and management of organizational training programs requires that the process of training design as a whole is ‘owned’ intellectually.  There are a number of aspects to training design, and the trainer/manager must know how each aspect relates to all other aspects; one must know how all of the parts relate to one another as well as to the overall process and outcomes of training.  Thus, this final exam will motivate you to pull together all the knowledge covered with regard to training design and implementation, and provide feedback for you on your “knowledge of the whole”.

 

 

Students will lead the class in an icebreaker exercise or training game.  The goals of this project are: 1) to provide experience in leading a group session and 2) to familiarize you with the variety of useful and fun icebreaker exercises & training games available for your use.  The goal should be to complete your session in 10 minutes, including the debrief.  For longer exercises, you might need to cut them short. That’s OK, because the goals of the project can usually be accomplished in 10 minutes.  If you think you’ll need more time and can justify it, work this out with me in advance.

 

The debrief should cover: 1) the rationale for the exercise (why do it, benefits, etc.), 2) under what conditions the exercise would be appropriate, and 3) challenges inherent in implementing the exercise.

 

Deliverable: Write up a clear, 1-2 page description that covers: a) how to do the exercise and b) the main points from the 3 sections of your debrief.  Hand this into the professor right before your presentation.

 

Caution:  be sure the exercise is suitable for a work environment; some social group icebreakers are not appropriate for a work setting.  Also, all class members must act as if you were in a work setting during the exercises!

 

Training Delivery Project

 

Students will work in small groups to develop and deliver a short (25-30 minute) training session on a work-related topic.  The goals of this project are to provide practice in preparing, leading and evaluating a training session.  Project topics must be selected and approved by September 8.

 

You must use appropriate training design steps, principles and concepts to prepare and deliver the presentation. Four elements are important to your grade:

 

§         Program initiation and needs analysis:  Describe what organizational situation might give rise to the need for your training program, and how you would go about an appropriate training needs analysis.  Create any forms you might need.  If appropriate, collect needs analysis data from students in the class prior to October 1. 

 

§         Program design:  Lay out your training plan.  It should include a statement of clear learning objectives, an outline of your program content, and the instructional techniques utilized with time allocated to each (use lesson plan format for what you present in class).  Consider ways of reaching participants who have different learning styles, equipment needs, materials, and room arrangement; document your approaches to these.

 

§         Program presentation: Both delivery and flow of the session will be considered.  Strong, clear communication skills are expected; practice well enough prior to the presentation so that you can speak rather than read what you have to say!  All group members must be actively involved in the presentation; do not let any member(s) dominate!  Involve trainees (class members) and use a variety of approaches in your session.  Include time for questions from trainees and respond effectively.  Be sure you provide a summary and adequate closure to your session.

 

§         Program evaluation:  Create training evaluation plans and tools; administer at least 1 type of training evaluation during/after your training session.

 

Deliverable: Just prior to your presentation, present the professor with a notebook that includes written documentation of these 4 designated elements (see above).  The notebook should provide thorough coverage to these 4 areas.  Writing should be clear and in business style (i.e., no lengthy paragraphs or wordy sentences).

 

Feedback: Students will receive written presentation feedback from the professor and from class members who view the presentation (form is available on the course website).  Class member evaluations of the session will be loosely considered in the professor’s grade assignment for the presentation, and will not be formally allocated a percentage of the grade. 

 

Students will also receive written feedback from their group members on project contributions.  The group member evaluation form (available on course website) must be filled out thoroughly and hard copy submitted to the professor no later than 1 week following the presentation.  The professor will utilize these to make final project grade adjustments, if necessary.

Grading: Project grades will be determined as follows: 50% for written materials in the notebook, 50% for presentation.  As noted above, class member evaluations will be loosely considered in the presentation grade assigned by the professor.  Overall project grade will be influenced by the group member evaluation feedback, which will be provided to the professor in a confidential manner. 

 

Attendance at presentation sessions is mandatory!  Every training group needs a full audience.  For each presentation session missed, 10 points will be deducted from your Training Project grade.

 

 

Class requirements include written assignments and short/long answer exam questions.  Your writing style is a critical element of the grade you receive.  Professional writing used in organizational communications is concise and well organized.  Communications that contain rambling paragraphs or lack clear sections are simply not effective (and often not even read!).  Be aware that effective written and oral communication can be highly influential in selection and promotion decisions.

 

Thus, please incorporate the following elements in your writing for this class: make liberal use of “bullet points” – phrases or short sentences that effectively summarize ideas (if you really know the material, you can use appropriate terms and be succinct); subheadings; numbered lists; outlines; and Tables of Contents.  Write full sentences when needed, when your message cannot be clearly communicated in more abbreviated form, but avoid complex sentences and lengthy paragraphs.

 

For some of you this will come easily, because you already incorporate these elements in your writing.  For others it will be much more challenging, simply because you are accustomed to being ‘long-winded’.  In some courses you might have been rewarded with high grades when you turn in lengthy prose.  However, because it is not appropriate in a business setting, lengthy prose will earn low grades in this class!  Quality of writing is superior to great quantity of writing.

 

A.     Students attending the course who do not have the proper prerequisite risk being deregistered from the class.

B.     Students have responsibility to ensure they are properly enrolled in classes.  You are advised to review your official class schedule (using Web for Students) during the first two weeks of the semester to ensure you are properly enrolled in this class and section.  Should you find an error in your class schedule, you have until Friday, September 9, 2005 to correct the error with your advising office.  If registration errors are not corrected by this date and you continue to attend and participate in classes for which you are not officially enrolled, you are advised now that you will not receive a grade at the conclusion of the semester for any class in which you are not properly registered.

C.     Academic Honesty:  Cheating means to misrepresent the source, nature, or other conditions of your academic work (e.g., tests, papers, projects, assignments) so as to get undeserved credit.  The use of the intellectual property of others without giving them appropriate credit is a serious academic offense.  It is the University's policy that cheating or plagiarism result in receiving a failing grade (0 points) for the work or course.  Repeat offenses result in dismissal from the University.

D.    For Fall 2005, the course withdrawal deadline is Saturday, November 5, 2005.  Withdrawal before the deadline results in a "W" on the official transcript; after the deadline a grade must be calculated and reported.

E.     Students with disabilities:  In accordance with University policy, if you have a documented disability and require accommodations to obtain equal access in this course, please contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester or when given an assignment for which an accommodation is required.  Students with disabilities must verify their eligibility through the Office of Student Disability Services (SDS) in the Michael Schwartz Service Center (672-3391).

Date                             Topics                                                                                      Readings         

 

August 30                     Introduction to the Course                                                       

September 1                 Introduction to Training & Development                                    Chapter 1

September 6                 Strategic Training / Models of Training Design               Chapter 2

September 8                 Needs Assessment                                                                   Chapter 3 &

                                    Final approval of project topics!                                                 Zemke

September 13               Trainee Attributes & Attitudes                                       Noe

September 15               Recap of Part 1                                                           

September 20               EXAM #1      

September 22               Project Day

September 27               Learning Theories, Conditions & Objectives                              Chapter 4

September 29               Training Transfer                                                                       Chapter 5

October 4                    Training Evaluation                                                                    Chapter 6

October 6                    Training Methods                                                                      Chapter 7

October 11                  Technology & Training                                                  Chapter 8

October 13                  Recap of Part 2

October 18                  EXAM #2

October 20                  Project Day

October 25                  Organizational Barriers to Training                                             Dipboye

October 27                  Employee Development                                                            Chapter 9

November 1                 Special Issues in T&D                                                  Chapter 10

November 3                 Career Management / Issues                                                     Chapter 11

November 8                 Challenges in T&D                                                                   Chapter 12

November 10               Future of T&D                                                             Chapter 13

November 15               Elements of Excellent Presentation                                             Internet Research

November 17               EXAM #3

November 22               Project Day

November 24               No class – Thanksgiving!

November 29               Training Delivery Project Presentations              Mandatory Attendance! 

December 1                 Training Delivery Project Presentations              Mandatory Attendance!

December 6                 Course Recap – Grasping the Whole of Training & Development

December 8                 Comprehensive Exam 

 

Notes: 

1. The above schedule will shift as needed; be alert to announced changes!

2. If you are absent from class, please obtain detailed class notes from class members (I do not have a set of written lecture notes to give you).

 

1)      Zemke, R. (1998).  How to do a needs assessment when you think you don’t have the time.  Training, 35 (3), 38-44.

 

2)      Noe, R. A. (1986).  Trainees’ attributes and attitudes: Neglected influences on training effectiveness.  Academy of Management Review, 11, 736-749.

 

3)      Dipboye, R. L. (1996).  Organizational barriers to implementing a rational model of training.  In Quinones, M. A. & Ehrenstein, A. (Eds.), Training for a rapidly changing workforce.  Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.  (Chapter 2)

 

 

 

 

Note 1:  Prepare to discuss in class each reading on its scheduled date on page 6 of the syllabus. 

 

For example: Read the Zemke article before class on September 8^th; be ready to discuss it in class on September 8^th.  Advance preparation includes making notes on your reading, creating a list of questions you have on the material, and writing answers /doing ‘to do’ items on the ‘Advance Preparation Questions/Activities’ guidelines provided on the course website. Bring reading materials and written items to class on Sept. 8^th.