MIS 44183 Fall 2011 DuBois
M&IS 44183
TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT IN ORGANIZATIONS
Fall 2011(Tuesday/Thursday 11:00-1:15; Business Adm. Bldg 324)
INSTRUCTOR
Dr. Cathy L. Z. DuBois
E-mail: cdubois@kent.edu
Office: BSA A412
Phone: 330-672-1157 Fax: 330-672-2953 (please use a cover page with my name)
Office hours: Tuesday and Thursday 12:30-2:00, and by appointment
REQUIRED TEXT / REGISTRATION
Noe, R. A. (2010). Employee Training & Development. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
ISBN-13 9780073530345
If you have an HR minor or concentration, you must register with the KSU SHRM student organization by September 15. Registration is free. Details on how to register will be available in class.
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 role of training and development in the organization, the role it plays in our social system, and 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
· Describe the system of contextual elements in the business environment, the organization and the person that impact training
· Differentiate between performance problems that can be solved through training and those that require other organizational interventions
· Describe the process of learning, as informed by learning-related theories
· 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
· Describe how training and development plays a critical role in addressing social issues relevant to organizations
· Describe the role of training and development in addressing sustainability and creating competitive advantage
· Develop and deliver a training session
· Address a group using effective presentation techniques
COURSE FORMAT
My goal is to have every class member be an active participant in the learning process, because multiple modes of dealing with information enhance the learning process. Therefore, we will have a considerable amount of discussion/presentation in every class. The participatory nature of the class makes it imperative that you read the assigned material before class on a regular basis.
GRADES
Class Preparation / Participation 25%
Section Exams 45% (15%, 15%, 15%)
T&D in the News 5%
Training Project 25%
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 (note that this requires quality and quantity). If it is obvious that you are regularly not prepared, you will receive a C or less for class participation. (i.e., showing up regularly isn’t participating.)
Note that class preparation requires reading the text and completing periodic assignments before you arrive in class. Use the schedule at the end of this document and plan your readings accordingly. For example, read Chapter 1 before class on September 1 – come to class that day prepared to discuss it. Bring your book/readings/assignments/notes to class each time we meet.
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 small size, I will know you’re not there.
Exams
Expect exams to be rigorous; come well prepared. Questions will have a variety of formats, including short / long answer questions that are integrative and application oriented. (see writing style section below). You will need to ‘own’ the material in order to do well on these exams; thinking beyond the obvious will be required.
All students must take each exam 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.
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 evolving organizational issues.
Each student will prepare a 5 minute presentation. Locate training-related articles that appeared in the recent press (such as newspapers, online news sources, news magazines and professional magazines; SHRM and Workforce websites are usually good professional news sources, but be sure you use the news-related items rather than the boring ‘how-to’ articles.) You can choose any topic we cover in this course/text, and does not have to reflect the class topic of the particular day that you present. Note that the most effective presentations occur when the presenters are truly interested in the content of the article and it sparks interesting discussion. Training doesn’t have to be the main focus of the article – you can choose articles on societal issues that require training, labor market skills, education system, business contextual issues, careers, articles that cover what organizations are doing, etc. Articles that address sustainability-related training and International issues in training/development are highly encouraged!
Make sure that your formal PowerPoint presentation takes 5 minutes. If your article is brief and doesn’t have 5 minutes of material in it, do additional related research to fill in the remaining time. You will definitely need to practice your presentation to get the timing accurate.
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 only (use 30+ point font, and do not use complete sentences). 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! Be sure to address how your topic fits with course content. See the Evaluation Forms section on the course website for grading criteria.
Important! No article duplications will be allowed. Claim your article as soon as you find it by registering it on the course website.
Training Project
Students will work in teams of 3 to complete this project. The purpose of this project is to provide an opportunity for you to design, develop and deliver a training session. Project topics must be professional in nature, related to professional development in some manner. Project topics must be selected and approved by October 4.
Training Sessions:
Each training session will be 30 minutes long, or 10 minutes per person should group sizes vary.
You must use appropriate training design steps, principles and concepts to prepare and deliver the presentation. Your project has four elements:
§ Program initiation and needs analysis: Describe the organizational context that 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 for your session / topic, collect needs analysis data from students in the class prior to October 18.
§ Program design/development: Lay out your training plan. It should include a statement of clearly stated learning objectives, an outline of your program content (lay this out so that connection of content and objectives is clear), 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. Briefly address what you have incorporated (or would like to incorporate in an organizational setting) to support training transfer.
§ 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; allocate about 10 minutes per person. 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.
Deliverables: Just prior to your presentation, present the professor with:
1) a notebook that includes written documentation of these 4 designated elements (see above). The notebook should provide thorough coverage of these 4 areas. Writing should be clear and in business style (i.e., no lengthy paragraphs or wordy sentences; use of headings, bulleted lists, etc.) Don’t go crazy with this – be succinct.
2) A copy of your PowerPoint slides used in your training session.
Presentation Feedback: Students will receive written presentation feedback from the professor and from class members who view the presentation (forms are 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.
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 all presentation sessions is mandatory! Every presentation deserves a full audience. For each presentation session missed, unless you are absent for a university approved reason, 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 team members. This communication must be maintained throughout the project, as well as in the 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 the day following your presentation date. The professor will utilize these to make final project grade adjustments, if necessary. Failure to turn in a peer evaluation will result in 10 point reduction in the individual’s project grade.
Writing Style
Effective written and oral communication skills are highly influential in selection and promotion decisions. 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!).
Class requirements include written assignments and short/long answer exam questions. Your writing style is a critical element of the grade you receive.
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 be challenging, simply because you are accustomed to being ‘long-winded’ because you have previously 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.
Additional READINGS:
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) Aguinis, H. & Kraiger, K. (2009). Benefits of training & development for individuals,
teams,organizations & Society. Annual Review of Psychology, 60, 451-474.
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 proper prerequisites risk deregistration 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 Student Tools on FlashLine) 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 11, 2011 to correct the error. 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 for the work or course. Repeat offenses result in dismissal from the University.
D. For Fall 2011, the course withdrawal deadline is Sunday, November 6, 2011. Withdrawal before the deadline results in a "W" on the official transcript; after the deadline a grade will be reported.
E. University policy 3342-3-01.3 requires that students with disabilities be provided reasonable accommodations to ensure their equal access to course content. If you have a 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 Student Accessibility Services (contact 330-672-3391 or visit http://www.registrars.kent.edu/disability/ for more information on registration procedures).
SCHEDULE OF TOPICS & READINGS
M&IS 44183, Fall 2011
Date Topics Readings
PART 1: The Big Picture: Context / Need for Training; Structure of Training Design
August 30 Introduction to the Course
September 1 Sustainability; Elements of Excellent Presentation Internet Research
September 6 Introduction to Training & Development Chapter 1
September 8 Employee Development Chapter 9
September 13 Special Issues in T&D Chapter 10*
September 15 Special Issues in T&D Chapter 10
September 20 Strategic Training / Models of Training Design Chapter 2
September 22 Recap of Part 1
September 27 EXAM #1
PART 2: Planning the Training Program
September 29 Needs Assessment Chapter 3 &
October 4 Needs Assessment Zemke
October 6 Trainee Attributes & Attitudes Noe AMR
October 11 Learning Theories, Conditions & Objectives Chapter 4*
October 13 Learning Theories, Conditions & Objectives Chapter 4
October 18 Training Transfer Chapter 5*
October 20 Training Transfer Chapter 5
October 25 Recap of Part 2
October 27 EXAM #2
PART 3: Building the Training Program
November 1 Training Evaluation Chapter 6*
November 3 Training Evaluation Chapter 6
November 8 Training Methods Chapter 7
November 10 Technology & Training Chapter 8
November 15 Future of T&D Chapter 13
November 17 Recap of Part 2
November 22 EXAM #3
November 24 No class – Thanksgiving!
PART 4: The Totality of Training
November 29 Project Work Day
December 1 Project Work Day
December 6 Project Presentations Mandatory Attendance
December 8 Project Presentations Mandatory Attendance
December 15 Project Presentations (Thursday: 12:45-3:00 pm)
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).
