Career Services 

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COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES 
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY

Prof: Dr. Christopher Pratt, Director
Office: Career Services, Bayley Hall Class Meetings:
Hours: M-Th 9:00 AM-4:00 PM by appointment M-W-F: 12:00-12:50 PM
Phone: 201-761-9355 (home phone/FAX: 201-448-9030) CH 76
FAX: 201-761-9009
E-Mail: PRATTCH (Students will also obtain and use E-mail addresses)
Internet: PRATTCH@LANMAIL.SHU.EDU and at home: cpratt@planet.net
Homepage: http://www.shu.edu/life/career/ 

• Syllabus

• Anticipated Course Schedule

• Course Requirements

• PSYC 1217 Project Team Presentation Performance Appraisal

SYLLABUS

Introduction: To effectively prepare for the continuously changing workplace we need to practice learning to lead by doing which includes leading self, leading teams, leading organizations, and leading the future. The central focus is on doing. Our core mission is to grow leaders who can do. ***So, we are using new teaching strategies that encourage students to be active partners in the learning process. We will be using more student presentations, team exercises, simulations, case studies, computer integration, videos and other means to involve the student. Course activities and teaching methodology will reflect course content and the changing workplace. The quality of your participation and collaboration are crucial to your success in this course, in your career and in life.

Required Texts assigned for the course include:

• JobShift, Bridges
• Career Services Handbook (free)
• Job Choices, Vol. I - available in Career Services (free)
• DISC RESUME PROFESSIONAL - available in Career Services ($20.00)

1. To offer an understanding of several theories of career development.
2. To provide opportunities for increased self-knowledge.
3. To apply knowledge of career theories to an understanding of students' own career development.
4. To encourage the achievement of a greater knowledge of the changing world of work.
5. To offer experiences designed for the utilization of students knowledge of themselves and the changing work world toward effective long-range career planning and decision making.
6. To provide opportunities to understand career job search strategies.

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Anticipated Course Schedule:

Wednesday - 1/22 - Introduction, Syllabus and Team Building

***- F - 1/31 - TEAM 1 - CH.1 Theories of Career Planning and Adult Development - Greenhaus, Ginzberg, Holland, Super, Sheehy, Massey, Cannon and others.

***- F - 2/7 - TEAM 2 - CH.2

The Career Planning Process - Self Assessment, Career Exploration Print, Computer, and Human Resources: CIC, COM-LINK, SIGI-PLUS, INTERNET, DISC RESUME PRO, JOBWEB, ACNF, CLS, SII, etc.

COM-LINK - each student is expected to complete COM-LINK computer-assisted career development program and turn in a printout of output. (Library, Corrigan, Stillman, etc LANs)

SIGI-PLUS - System of Interactive Guidance and Information computer-assisted career development program, which each student is expected to complete and turn in a printout of output. (Library, Corrigan, Stillman, etc LANs) Students may find it helpful to link their SIGI-PLUS research with their ODS and term papers.

Career Information Center Assignment - each student is expected to go to the Career Services Homepage and retrieve and complete these two assignments: 20 Questions Individual Self Assessment and the Occupational Data Sheet (ODS) by 2/26. Students may find it helpful to link their ODS with SIGI-PLUS and their term papers.

INTERNET - each student will access the INTERNET in order to complete a career development assignment.

ACNF - Alumni Career Networking Forums - a career development program aimed at providing alumni and recent graduates with opportunities to network with and learn from each other and expert speakers - TBA.

Informational Interviewing with Alumni aimed at connecting students with alumni in their field of interest is also available.

CLS - Career Lecture Series - TBA.

SII - a separate fee is required for scoring the optional Strong Interest Inventory which is based on the theories of John Holland, as are many others listed here.

Early Career Influences Assignment - a 3 page written assignment described in detail on page 6.

***- CAREER NIGHT - WEDNESDAY - 2/12 - 5:00pm - Student Center, Main Lounge

Monday - President's Day - No Classes
Tuesday - 2/18 - FOLLOW MONDAY'S SCHEDULE
***- F - 2/21 - TEAM 3 - CH.3
Decision Making and Careers
Careers vs Jobs - Employment Recruiting
Background Paper Articles due.

***- F - 2/28 - TEAM 4 - CH.4
Careers: Work and Non-Work
Quiz
Experience: Cooperative Education, internships, part-time, summer jobs, etc.

***- F - 3/7 - TEAM 5 - CH.5
Managing Diversity and Generation X
DISC RESUME PROFESSIONAL Career Planning Exercise Due
as described in detail on page 6.

***- F - 3/14 - TEAM 6 - CH.6
Globalization

***- F - 3/21 - TEAM 7 - CH.7
The Changing World
Work: Now and in the Future - Workforce 2000 and Workplace 2000
Mid-term Exam - an Individual assignment (15%)

SPRING BREAK - NO CLASSES

Monday - Easter Monday - No Classes
***- F - 4/4 - TEAM 8 - CH.8
Corporate Cultures and Managing Diversity
W - 4/2 - Project Team Outline Due
and Brief Update of Project Team Presentations

Chapter 9
The Job Search Process Disc Resume Professional, NEWS, PROQUEST and COMPACT DISCLOSURE, Resume Writing: the process, the targets, and relationship to interviews. Informational interviewing, and behavioral employment interviews.

Afterword
Ethical Questions: their role in career planning and development. As it affects Stereotyping: Women, Minorities, Global cultures --differences for these people in career planning and development. Substance abuse, stress and Employee Assistance Programs. Creativity and Quality in the workplace.

Research Papers Due (20%)
and Project Team Presentations (20%)

Project Team Presentations (20%)

Performance Appraisals (5%)
Extra Credit Assignment Due

Wrap up, Review and Course Evaluations
Final Exam - an Individual assignment (15%)

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Course Requirements:

1. complete regular reading of assigned materials, as well as completion of assigned activities designed for self-assessment and career planning. Handouts will also be provided on a number of course topics, these should be read as assigned and students should be able to discuss topics in class.

2. participation in class discussion, group activities and TEAMWORK. Students are expected to show evidence of understanding, integration of concepts, and critical thinking.

3. create and edit, AND WHEN REQUESTED SUBMIT, all correspondence, memos, reports and other documents on Computer using Email, Internet, WordPerfect 6.1, Lotus 1-2-3, and WPPresentation software or their equivalent.

4. understand the importance of a central focus on quality, strategic planning and the implications of the changing International/global scene regarding management.

5. understand the implications of ethics and social responsibility in regards to management in a culturally diverse setting and the environment.

6. utilize the Library and its various resources including LAN, ABI, Compact Disclosure and PROQUEST, etc systems to search and print articles for research.

Grading: Your PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL will include two exams, both of which are individual assignments, an individual project, class and project team participation, book outline and brief presentation, major presentations and written proposal. The quality of responses to questions raised in class will be factored into grades reflecting class preparation and participation. Attendance will be taken and will be reflected in your class participation grade. Teamwork, cooperation, collaboration, contribution, mutual support, encouragement and creativity are important illustrations of your success. An extra credit assignment may be available to the entire class.

Students can effect their grades in this course by successfully completing all required work. Students requesting Pass/Fail grades must successfully complete all regular assignments in order to earn a Pass grade. Please submit all written work in a legible, grammatically correct form. An extra credit assignment may also be available to the entire class.

THE CHECK MARK- - is a tool used by the instructor to note that an assignment or a key portion of one was completed satisfactorily. THE CHECK serves as an acknowledgement that the terms of the assignment were fulfilled by the material marked by THE CHECK. For purposes of course grades THE CHECK is counted as an assignment done satisfactorily.

Grades are based on:

Two Exams -Individual assignment	15% each		A	90+
Project Team Presentation	20%		B+	87-89
and Research Paper	15%		B	80-86
Quiz, Class Participation			C+	77-79
Career Night			C	70-76
COM-LINK,SIGI-PLUS,ACNF	10%		D+	67-69
DISC RESUME Professional			D	60-67
Career Planning Exercise	5%		F	59-
***Project Team Text Chapter Outlines and Presentations	15%
and Performance Appraisal	5%

PROJECT TEAMS - will be selected by the students using a matrix model seeking to ensure diversity among team members on a variety of factors including: gender, race, age, major, gpa, career goal, employer, etc. The composition of all Teams must be approved by the instructor.

Just as each student is expected to interact with the course through the application of computing and information technology, Project Teams are expected to communicate among their members, with other Teams, with the instructor, and with other sources on the Internet, etc.

***Project Team Text Chapter Outlines and Presentations - Due Weekly (15%)

This assignment directly addresses the intention to use new teaching strategies that encourage students to be active partners in the learning process, as self-managed learners. Each Project Team will develop outlines and in-class presentations for assigned text chapters as listed on pages 2-3. These outlines and presentations will be delivered on assigned dates. In order to successfully complete this assignment students in each Project Team will need to read the assigned chapters and collaborate to prepare chapter outlines and to present the chapters in class to the rest of the class. The presentation should take approximately 30 minutes, should be accompanied by copies of the outline, prepared on WP 5.1, for each student in the class (24 +/-), and should allow for questions from the other students and the instructor. Outlines and presentations should also include a reflection on how the chapter relates to the Career Services Handbook and Job Choices.

Early Career Influences Assignment

Throughout life in our various roles the decisions we make and the choices we select are largely based on our interests and values. It has been said by various theorists that our interests and values are influenced, even shaped, by the prominent events and people of our early lives, largely from about age 10-20. In order to view what might be some of the events and people influencing the interests and values of your generation, please write 3 pages that concisely address the following:

1) a time line for the decade or so during which you grew from 10-20. Research various news sources: newspapers, magazines, films, music, TV, theatre, etc. and plot some of the major events and people of the last decade or so,

2) project as best you can, briefly, how these events and people will effect the interests and values of your generation and include some of your own feelings and those you see for other people your age.

3) relate this to your expectations regarding how your generation might approach the topics discussed in class as relating to the issues you will face and decisions you may have to make.

Year-end, Year-in-Review, and Decade-in-Review editions of Time, Newsweek, U.S.News, Life, Ebony, Business Week, Fortune, Forbes, People, etc. and various newspapers may be especially helpful. Keep it to 3-4 pages on a PC and use a chart or time line where appropriate. Please include wherever possible the sources of your information and copies of articles, etc. where available.

DISC RESUME PROFESSIONAL Career Planning Exercise - Due week #6 (5%)

Using DISC RESUME PROFESSIONAL complete the career planning exercise including the following documents.

1. Two copies of your resume.

2. Three job advertisements that interest you.

3. Two signed copies of a cover letter to one of the respective employers listed in the job advertisements. In this letter ask the employer's assistance in reviewing the your resume. Note that you are not asking the employer for a job. Rather, you are seeking the employer's insights about your resumes. Specifically, you would like to know what it would take for the employer to consider you a competitive applicant for such a position.

4. Two envelopes:

• 1)to assist the employer in responding to you, enclose a stamped, self-addressed #10 business return envelope addressed to you, and
• 2) a stamped and addressed #10 business envelope to the employer.

Project Team Presentation: Employee Recruitment, Retention, and Career Development in a Changing World - Due Week 14 (20%)

I.

This is a simulation project, a learning game that we will conduct using our student Teams, and based specifically on our text, JobShift. You will learn by experimenting and experiencing many of the issues we discuss in class. You will prepare outside of class for an in class presentation. The task is to build a new program for 1) Employee Recruitment, 2) Retention, 3) Career Development, and 4) Technology for an organization that you will lead in a changing world. What does JobShift lead you to believe that you and organizations will need to do to be successful?

It is intended that Team members learn from preparing the paper and the presentation, and that both the presenting Team and the class will also learn from the presentations. Therefore, careful preparation and attention to the quality of both the paper and the presentation are important to the success of the Team's work.

Your Project Team will serve as the top management team of an organization you may have researched in the Career Information Center or other class activities. Your management Team is your group. You decide who will be in which leadership positions. Based on the research you are doing on occupations and organizations in which you might do those occupations, pick one of the organizations researched by one or more of your members to be the one for your Project Team in this game. Use the characteristics and environment of that organization (its functions, products/services, revenues, employee, etc.) as the basis for developing your new program for Employee Recruitment, Retention, Career Development, and Technology. Describe the nature of your organization, what does it do, make, sell or provide and give your organization a name.

You need to hire and keep the best employees, so your major task is to design a program for Employee Recruitment, Retention, and Career Development for your organization in a changing world. Based on your organization's function you should determine the mission, management style, organizational chart, job titles, numbers of people, salaries, etc. Then outline how you will provide for the recruitment, selection, retention and career development of your employees. How will some of the following characteristics be handled in the future?

 

- recruitment and selection procedures	- innovation and risktaking
- corporate culture	- quality
- promotion policies	- on the job training
- education programs and benefits	- EEO and AA
- staff development and training	- performance evaluation
- computing and info technology	- globalization
- non-job oriented training	- community service
- change	- raises
- managing diversity	- mentoring, etc.

 

II.

Each Team should prepare a Brief (5 minutes) Update on their selected organization to be presented in class during week 10.

An organizational outline of the presentation with a clear division of labor showing each person's responsibilities are due by week 10. Teams should organize themselves to learn from each other. You will need to assign responsibilities and meet regularly probably once a week before or after class or at another mutually convenient time. It is vital that you learn to work together in a team with everyone contributing to the development and delivery of the presentation and report. Evaluation will include the continuity of the team work and how much each person adds or detracts from the overall success of your effort.

On an assigned date (weeks 14-15) each team will make an in-class presentation to the rest of the class. The rest of the class will represent the company's Board of Directors and potential employees. Your program should, therefore, be presented in such a way as to satisfy the Board of Directors cost concerns and other company issues, while also attracting and keeping the employees. The class presentation will serve as the essay portion of the Final Exam so participation is important. Participation and creativity is a must - get involved, study a new aspect of careers and have some fun along the way.

Presentation Background Research Paper Assignment - Due Week 14 (15%)

Each team will prepare a Background Research Paper using JobShift, the other assigned readings and 1 article per student to discuss the impact of the changing career environment with a specific focus on implications for:

a. Employee Recruitment

b. Retention

c. Career Development

d. Technology

Teams should decide who will read which chapters and prepare an outline/study guide on the textbooks which they will share with the rest of the team. All students are responsible for being familiar with each chapter.

Papers should also include the 1 article per student, one on each topic, from other sources. PROQUEST, ABI Periodicals on Disk, Compact Disclosure and other CD data bases in the Library can ne very helpful. To help you on your way, please turn in 1 related article per student with l/2 page hand written summary of each attached by week 4.

This is a Research Paper providing information from the readings useful in developing the presentation. Papers should be 8-10 full pages, well written - double spaced - with properly cited references and a bibliography. Use a logical, easy to read format with clear transitions. Papers must be produced on a personal computer. Citations must be provided for all references to work which is not either your original thought or common knowledge. Do not use fancy covers or binders and avoid blank sheets of paper.

Papers may be turned in at least one week early in draft form for ungraded review, in order to allow corrections on your disks and to improve your final paper grade. Students who chose this option should turn in both copies, the first draft and the final draft together for their grade.

Performance Appraisal - Due Week 15 (5%)

Each Project Team will also deliver a written (3%) and verbal (2%) performance appraisal of another group's presentations. The written appraisals will be done in memo form and should be both specific and constructive - how could the Team and its members improve.

The Project Team and presentation is important. Participation and creativity are a must -get involved, study and practice important new skills and aspects of management and have some fun along the way.

Optional Extra Credit Assignment - Due by Week #16

Through our text and class discussions, we will explore the dynamics of a changing workplace as well as the way in which work is done. Students wishing to earn extra credit may bring to class "quality" current articles which reflect the on-going changes in the workplace. In order to share with the class, make copies for the instructors and each team (who will then be responsible for distributing it throughout their own team). Come prepared to give a brief overview of the article. Articles can be taken from the newspaper, magazines, or the internet, and may be submitted throughout the semester to earn extra credit. All articles must be current to receive credit.

Each article will be worth 1 point added to your final grade. (Limit of 5 points)

Presenting Team#          Organization:                               Date:                  Appraising Team#

RATINGS: A=Outstanding, B=Well Satisfied, C=Satisfied, D=Minimally Satisfied, F=Not Satisfied

I. New strategic plan for organizational change to insure the survival of a competitive advantage regarding Employee Recruitment, Retention, Career Development, and Technology for an organization you manage in a changing world:

A. briefly, the current situation (2%)

1. what does it do, make, sell now

a. mgt. team/organizational chart

b. financial situation

B. changing environmental forces - SWOTs analysis (6%)

1. internal -

a. Strengths

b. Weaknesses

2. external -

a. Opportunities

b. Threats

C. best plan (future) for responding proactively to the changes (12%)

1. what will you do, differently, how, why and mgt. team/organizational chart

a. regarding:

1. Employee Recruitment

2. Retention

3. Career Development

4. Technology

b. financial situation - Lotus 1-2-3

c. means to evaluate your results

1. JobShift

2. Employment Recruiting Handbook

3. Job Choices, Vol. I

4. Articles

1. by each team member

2. among team members

3. with appraising team (copies)

4. Handouts/Charts/Posters/Transparencies

5. Computers and Info Technology, INTERNET, etc

(sjm-1/97)