Syllabus - Business and Professional Communication

Full Syllabus and Calendar

I have provided basic syllabus and calendar information here. For the specific course syllabus which includes a course calendar, please access the link below:

Full Course Syllabus for Spring 2020: SPCH 1321-001 ONL Course Syllabus

required course orientation

ALL Course Orientation assignments MUST be completed by Thursday, January 23, 2020, at 11:59 PM. This orientation includes three mandatory requirements: 1) complete About Me assignment, 2) sign up for virtual meetings, and 3) complete syllabus check quiz. If you fail to complete all orientation requirements, you cannot continue in the course and must withdraw by Tuesday, January 30, 2020, or I will drop you from the course.

Virtual Meeting schedule

Day of Week	Meeting Time	Meeting Dates
Monday	7:45-8:45 PM	February 17, March 23, April 13, and May 4
Tuesday	6:30-7:30 PM	February 18, March 24, April 14, and May 5
Thursday	9:00-10:00 PM	February 20, March 26, April 16, and May 7
Saturday	10:00-11:00 AM	February 22, March 28, April 18, and May 9

Course Requirements

Every student who takes SPCH 1321: Business and Professional Communication at Austin Community College must complete the following assignments, at a minimum: one interviewing assignment, one teamwork assignment, one individual graded oral presentation, and a minimum of two (2) exams. In this course, you will complete the following assignments for grades.

Course Assignments with Brief Descriptions:
Interview Project – You will plan and conduct an individual career research interview. You will demonstrate your ability to conduct an interview during a scheduled appointment time (during a specific class meeting) with one other member of this class to learn about that class member’s findings in the career research interview. The parts of this assignment are: 1) conduct individual career research interview, 2) submit Interview Documentation assignment, and 3) interview a class member at a scheduled, recorded virtual meeting. This assignment is worth 15% of your course grade. This assignment meets the departmental requirement of one interviewing assignment.
Team Decision-Making – Students will demonstrate specific decision-making and team communication skills during a scheduled virtual meeting with a team. During this meeting, you and your team will determine the problem you will address during the symposium presentation. You will draw from information you gathered during your Interview Project to help determine a significant problem in your career field or in the workplace in general. The parts of this assignment are: 1) participate in decision-making with team during scheduled, recorded virtual meeting, 2) create team charter, and 3) submit team charter to assignment in Blackboard. This assignment is worth 15% of your course grade. This assignment meets the departmental requirement of one teamwork assignment.
Managing a Career Challenge Symposium Presentation – You will plan and present a researched symposium presentation with your team. A symposium presentation is a series of interrelated individual presentations. This presentation presents a proposal to manage the career challenge that your team selected during the Team Decision-Making assignment. The parts of this assignment are: 1) submit team Works Cited to list all research sources used in the presentation, 2) submit team Presentation Plan, 3) submit team Visual Aid, and 4) deliver symposium presentation at scheduled, recorded virtual meeting. This assignment is worth 15% of your course grade. This assignment meets the departmental requirement of one individual graded oral presentation.
Presentation Planning Meeting – You will plan and conduct a meeting to prepare for the symposium presentation. The parts of this assignment are: 1) create agenda and submit it for grading, and 2) participate in working meeting during scheduled, recorded virtual meeting. This assignment is worth 15% of your course grade.
Exam 1: Joining a Workplace Exam 2: Working with Others Exam 3: Presenting Professionally You will demonstrate knowledge of textbook material by completing a 70-question multiple choice and true/false exam. The exams are worth a total of 15% of your course grade, 5% per exam. Three exams are required in this course, which exceeds the departmental requirement of a minimum of two (2) exams.
Chapter quizzes – You will demonstrate knowledge of individual textbook chapters by completing chapter quizzes in Blackboard. Quizzes are mastery learning: each quiz may be repeated as many times as you would like to earn your target score. The chapter quizzes are worth a total of 10% of your course grade, 1% per quiz. I will automatically drop your lowest 2 quiz scores in Blackboard.
EQ Blog postings – You will apply concepts about the course theme of Emotional Intelligence to unit readings and your personal experience by writing a blog posting of at least 500 words. You will complete three blog postings: 1) Joining a Workplace, 2) Working with Others, and 3) Presenting Professionally, one per unit of study. The blogs are worth a total of 15% of your course grade, 5% per blog.

Grade Breakdown:

Exams	15
EQ Blogs	15
Interview Project	15
Team Decision-Making Assignment	15
Managing a Career Challenge Symposium Presentation	15
Presentation Planning Meeting	15
Chapter Quizzes	10

This course uses a standard percentage grading for the course grades:

A = 89.5-100%

B = 79.5-89.4%

C = 69.5-79.4%

D = 59.5-69.4%

F = 59.4% or lower

Readings

Required Textbook: Communicating at Work, 12^th edition by Ronald B. Adler, Michelle Maresh-Fuehrer, Jeanne Elmhorst, and Kristen Lucas (ISBN: 9780077649289)

FIRST DAY ACCESS: This section includes a fee to cover the costs of required digital materials and/or an electronic textbook, provided at a discounted rate from the ACC Bookstore.

IMPORTANT! The digital materials fee will be added to your tuition and fees when you register. You may choose to opt out of this fee and receive a refund if you wish to purchase the course materials separately. Opt-out requests must be received prior to the official reporting date on 9/11/2019 for a full refund. For more information see austincc.edu/firstday

Recommended Handbook: Research and Documentation in the Digital Age, 7^th edition, by Diana Hacker and Barbara Fister (ISBN 9781319152437)

If you already have a handbook showing how to use current MLA documentation, you may substitute that one.

Required Materials:

Computer with reliable internet access – you may use a computer at home or one available in any ACC student computer lab.
Word processing software that enables you to submit files that are Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) OR Adobe PDF
ACCmail address (provided to every ACC student)
Technology that allows you to record video and audio (most smartphones include this technology).
Webcam - REQUIRED for attending virtual meetings and using video chat – you MUST be able to see and be seen during virtual meetings, held via Blackboard Collaborate Ultra, and video chat, held via Google Hangouts.
Microphone, and headphones - REQUIRED for attending virtual meetings and using video chat – you MUST be able to hear and speak with MINIMAL background noise during virtual meetings and video chat. You may NOT use your computer, phone, or tablet speakers for sound during meetings.
- RECOMMENDED: Headset with integrated microphone

Course Subjects

Below, I provide a basic 16-week schedule for this course. This schedule may be altered for shorter sessions or to accommodate holidays. Please note that schedule changes may occur during the semester. Any changes will be posted as a Blackboard Announcement.

For specific information about what will happen in each class meeting, please consult our specific course calendar posted in Full Course Documents. This calendar is also posted in Blackboard.

Orientation	Complete the Course Orientation Assignments: 1) Syllabus Check quiz, virtual meeting scheduling polls, 3) About Me assignment You must complete ALL orientation assignments with a score of 30 points or higher (out of 35 possible points) to continue in the course.
Week 1	Reading: Ch. 1 – About Communication Take Ch. 01 Quiz
Week 2	Reading: Ch. 2 – Communication, Culture, and Work, “What Makes a Leader?” by Daniel Goleman Take Ch. 02 Quiz
Week 3	Submit completed Interview Schedule Reading: Ch. 6 – Principles of Interviewing in Communicating at Work Take Ch. 06 Quiz
Week 4	Submit completed Interview Documentation Submit completed team meeting schedule Reading: Ch. 3 – Listening in Communicating at Work Take Ch. 03 Quiz Post Joining a Workplace EQ Blog Posting
Week 5	Virtual meeting week: Attend virtual meeting to complete Interview Project Complete Exam 1: Joining a Workplace Reading: Ch. 4 – Verbal and Nonverbal Messages, “Collaboration, Teams, and the Group IQ” by Daniel Goleman Take Ch. 04 Quiz
Week 6	Reading: Ch. 5 – Interpersonal Strategies and Skills Take Ch. 05 Quiz
Week 7	Reading: Ch. 7 – Leading and Working in Teams in Communicating at Work Take Ch. 07 Quiz
Week 8	Reading: Ch. 8 – Effective Meetings, Appendix III – Problem Solving Communication Take Ch. 08 Quiz (includes material from Appendix III) Post Working with Others EQ Blog Posting
Week 9	Virtual meeting week: Attend virtual meeting to complete Team Decision-Making Assignment Submit Team Charter assignment – one designated team member Complete Exam 2: Working with Others
Week 10	Reading: Ch. 12 – Types of Business Presentations, “Master the Art of Storytelling” by Carmine Gallo Take Ch. 12 Quiz Submit meeting agenda for Presentation Planning Meeting – one designated team member
Week 11	Virtual meeting week: Attend virtual meeting to complete the Presentation Planning Meeting Assignment (unless your team is scheduled to meet next week) Reading: Ch. 9 – Developing and Organizing the Presentation Take Ch. 09 Quiz
Week 12	Virtual meeting week: Attend virtual meeting to complete the Presentation Planning Meeting Assignment (unless your team is scheduled to meet next week) Reading: Ch. 10 – Verbal and Visual Support in Presentations Take Ch. 10 Quiz Submit completed Works Cited for Managing a Career Challenge Symposium Presentation
Week 13	Submit completed Presentation Plan for Managing a Career Challenge Symposium Presentation Reading: Ch. 11 – Delivering the Presentation in Communicating at Work Take Ch. 11 Quiz
Week 14	Submit completed Visual Aid for Managing a Career Challenge Symposium Presentation
Week 15	Virtual meeting week: Attend virtual meeting to deliver the Managing a Career Challenge Symposium Presentation Post Presenting Professionally EQ Blog Posting
Week 16	Complete Exam 3: Presenting Professionally

Student Learning Outcomes/Learning Objectives

Course Objectives: What will you learn after completing this course?

Demonstrate written and oral competences related to job searches, interviewing, and performance appraisals
Identify and/or demonstrate oral competencies related to professional interaction, ethics, and conflict management
Recognize and evaluate the dynamics of leadership and membership in workplace groups and teams
Utilize various communication technologies competently in professional settings
Identify and design strategies to facilitate effective meetings
Identify the cultural dimensions influencing communication competence within a diverse workplace
Recall strategies to improve interpersonal relationships in the workplace
Create and deliver a professional business presentation including a question/answer session

General Education Outcomes:

Upon completion of this course, you will demonstrate competence in:

Civic and Cultural Awareness: Analyzing and critiquing competing perspectives in a democratic society; comparing, contrasting, and interpreting differences and commonalities among peoples, ideas, aesthetic traditions, and cultural practices.
Critical Thinking: Gathering, analyzing, synthesizing, evaluating and applying information.
Personal Responsibility: Identifying and applying ethical principles and practices; demonstrating effective learning, creative thinking, and personal responsibility.
Interpersonal Skills: Interacting collaboratively to achieve common goals.
Written, Oral, and Visual Communication: Communicating effectively, adapting to purpose, structure, audience, and medium.

Syllabus Sections

Publish Date

Business and Professional Communication

Course Information