BAD 60095

TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT IN ORGANIZATIONS

                                           Fall 2008 (Tuesday/Thursday 12:30-1:45)

INSTRUCTOR

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 10:00-12:00, Thursday 10:00-12:00, or by appointment

COURSE PREREQUISITE

BAD 64271 Human Resource Management, relevant undergraduate coursework, or a sincere interest in Training & Development.

REQUIRED TEXT / READINGS / REGISTRATION

Noe, R. A. (2007).  Employee Training & Development.  New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Additional required readings are available through KSU Library Electronic Reserves and the course website.

Course Website:  http://cdubois.pageout.net             

You must register on this website by the end of the first week of classes!  Penalty for not doing so is a loss of 2 points from your final class participation grade.

You must register with the KSU SHRM student organization by September 14.  Registration is free.  Details on how to register will be available in class.  Penalty for not doing so is as above.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

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

COURSE FORMAT

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. 

GRADES

                        Class Preparation / Participation         20%

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

                        Readings Research Assignment          15%

                        Training Project                                   20%  

                        Comprehensive Final Exam                10%    

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 Preparation / Participation

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 regularly not prepared, you will receive a failing grade for class participation.

Note that class preparation requires reading the text, readings on reserve, and Internet course readings; you will be expected to discuss all three sets of material in class.  Use the schedule at the end of this document and plan your readings accordingly.  For example, read Chapter 1 before class on August 28 – come to class that day prepared to discuss it.

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.  Additionally, make a list of 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. 

All students will complete and submit in hard copy a mid-semester and final self evaluation of class participation.  The self-evaluation form is available on the course website.

Exams

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.

Section Exams

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’.  Exam 3 will be taken with a partner (randomly assigned when the test is administered).  Partner evaluations will be used to guide grade adjustments where partners have not made equal contributions to test answers.

Comprehensive Exam

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”.

Readings Research Assignment

Graduate students will work together to complete this assignment.  Detailed requirements are posted on the course website.

Training -in-the-News Presentation

The purpose of these presentations is to make you aware of the Training-related articles that routinely appear in the professional and popular press.  We will see how they reflect Training issues that are of current interest to employers and employees, and how they shed light on the evolving organizational issues. 

Each student will present a brief summary of an training-related article that appeared in the recent press (such as newspapers, online news sources, news magazines).  The article can reflect any topic we cover in this course, and does not have to reflect the class topic of the particular day that you present.  Articles that address International issues in training/development are encouraged!

Each student will be allowed a maximum of 5 minutes for their presentation; the question/answer session with class members following the presentation can extend beyond this time frame.  Make sure that your presentation takes the full 5 minutes.  If your article is short, you will need to either select a different article or combine several related articles to get 5 minutes worth of material to present.  Of course, this requires that you practice your presentation well enough to time it right.

Keep in mind that presentation style has a significant impact on the effectiveness of your presentation.  I expect this to be a professional presentation. Use PowerPoint to summarize main points (use 30+ point font).  Do not chew gum, read from the article or from notecards, or do anything else that makes you look unprepared.  Do dress appropriately, look at and connect with your audience, “own” the material you are presenting, monitor your time, smile and seem interested!  See the Evaluation Forms section on the course website for grading criteria.

Important! As you identify an article you want to use, go to the Discussion section of the course website to check whether anyone has already claimed it.  If no one has, follow directions on the sample posting to post your article title and source, along with your name.  No duplications will be allowed, either on a single day or throughout the semester.

Training Project

Students will work in pairs to complete this project.  The essence of the project is to connect with a training department in an established organization and learn about their organization’s training programs.  You will obtain information that covers the full range of topics we discuss in the course.  This information will be summarized in a presentation to class members. 

Organizations must be identified by September 11, and an organizational representative must have signed the participation agreement no later than September 18.

The Training Project grade is comprised of a 15 minute presentation that addresses:

1.      The organization’s training function & statistics

2.      The organization’s training design & implementation practices

3.      The organization’s employee development & career management practices

4.      Your reflection on / critique of the organization’s practices

The Training Project Description contains a detailed list of suggestions for what information could be collected for each section of the report.  You will encounter limitations regarding what information the organization is willing or able to make available to you.  Thus, you are not expected to address each and every point listed.  You should be able to get at least some information to address each area, but allow your organizational contacts discretion regarding what they cover within each area. 

Training Practices Presentation:

Use PowerPoint slides to summarize and present key information. Both students in each project pair must speak equally during this presentation.  Professional presentation style is expected.

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

Project Partner Peer Evaluations:

Working in others can be beneficial, fun, and rewarding, but also at times very frustrating. Learning to work effectively as a partner or team member is a valuable skill, one you will use throughout much of your career.  One aspect of this skill is honest and forthright communication with your partner/team.  This communication must be maintained throughout the project, as well as in project evaluation.  Every student will submit a peer evaluation which consists of ratings regarding contributions to the project. The peer evaluation form (available on course website) must be filled out thoroughly and hard copy submitted to the professor no later than December 10.  The professor will utilize these to make final project grade adjustments, if necessary.

Writing Style

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 skills are highly influential in selection and promotion decisions.

Please incorporate the following elements in your writing for this class: make liberal use of “bullet points” – phrases 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; 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.

Writing Style

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 skills are highly influential in selection and promotion decisions.

Please incorporate the following elements in your writing for this class: make liberal use of “bullet points” – phrases 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; 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.

Information from the KSU College of Business Administration

The Following Policies Apply to All Students in this Course

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 Sunday, September 7, 2008 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 2008, the course withdrawal deadline is Sunday, November 2, 2008.  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:  University policy 3342-3-18 requires that students with disabilities be provided reasonable accommodations to ensure their equal access equal access course content.  If you have documented disability and require accommodations, please contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester to make arrangements for necessary classroom adjustments.  Please note, you must first verify your eligibility for these through the Student Disability Services (contact 330-672-3391 or visit www.kent.edu/sds for more information on registration procedures).

Additional READINGS: B AD 60095, Fall 2007

KSU Electronic Reserves

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)

Workforce Website  (www.workforce.com)

Obtain these readings from the Workforce website.  Details and links are on the course website.  Additional readings might be assigned throughout the semester!

August 28:  Training Trends

State of the Sector: Training

September 9:  Training Needs Assessment

Rockwell Collins' Training Needs Analysis Form

Dear Workforce: How Do I Choose the Best Method for Retraining an Entrenched Workforce?

October 7:  Training Evaluation

The State of Training and Development: More Spending, More Scrutiny

Calculate the Cost and Benefits of Training

October 14:  Training Methods

Simulation Games Score With Trainees

Dear Workforce: How Do We Market A New Online Learning Initiative To Employees?

Training Related issues

October 30:

State of the Sector: Executive Education

November 6:

Basic Skills Training 101

"Workplace Literacy" Best Practices

November 11:

Kimberly-Clark Developing Talent in Developing World Markets

Guru Nation

Note:  Prepare to discuss in class each reading on its scheduled date.  For example, read the Zemke article before class on September 11^th; be ready to discuss it in class on September 11^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. 11^th.