PENN STATE BEAVER

PSU 006

FIRST-YEAR SEMINAR IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (1 Credit)

FALL, 2007

Instructor: Karen C. Barr MBA

Office: 206 Ross Administration Building

Office Hours: M, W: 12:00-1:00 pm, T: 11:00am-12:00 and F: 8:00 am - 9:00 am (by appt.)

Contact Inf.: Office: (724) 773-3869

Home: (724) 457-3074

E-mail:

Class Info: Section 1: Meets Monday at 8:00am.

Section 2: Meets Wednesday at 8:00am.

COURSE OBJECTIVE

  • Assist student in examining and fine-tuning skills necessary for a successful transition to college and the business environment.

College survival skills

Time management (planner, study time, class and campus timetables).

Study skills (test taking/test anxiety).

Communication (written, oral and electronic).

Personal and business responsibility (classroom behavior, awareness of faculty, advisors, staff, college resources, academic integrity, ethics).

Research and library skills (LIAS, internet, etc.).

What is Business Administration?

Business majors offered at PennState (SmealCollege, BSB, 2BA).

How to graduate (e-Lion, degree audit, registration, add/drop).

Career exploration (resume’ writing, interview tips, college central network).

Importance of critical thinking, communications, and use of groups.

COURSE and GRADING POLICY

  • Daily Attendance will be taken. After 1 absence, one percentage point will be subtracted from your final total percentage for each additional absence. If it is necessary to miss a class it is your sole responsibility to contact another member of the class to determine what was missed.
  • Assignments must be typed. If assignment is turned in electronically, it must be composed in Microsoft Word or saved in RTF format. 1 page = 250 words.
  • Late assignments are penalized one letter grade and will not be accepted one week after the deadline.
  • Directions for all assignments will be distributed throughout the semester.
  • Attendance and participation are the foundation for the completion of all assignments and projects.
  • There will be no exams or final.

You are required to go to four workshops.

Provide a one page write up for each workshop, which describes, in your own words, what you learned and how it will help you throughout your academic career and life.

Topic Date/Day Place/Time

Workshop 1: Time Management: Sept. 12 Wednesday Auditorium 12-1pm

Workshop 2: Test Taking/Test Anxiety Sept. 26Wednesday Auditorium 12-1pm

Workshop 3 Stress Management Oct. 10Wednesday Auditorium 12-1pm

Workshop 4: Violence Prevention Nov. 28Wednesday Auditorium 12-1pm

GRADESGRADING SCALE

1. Email Project 20 points
2. Learning Style Test 20 points
3. Degree audit project 20 points
4. Workshops:
4 @ 10 points each 40 points
5. Library research project 30 points
6. 1 Module1 club (10pt each) 20 points
7. Career explorationproject 30 points
8. Resume 30 points
9. Organizer/Planner 30 points
10. Group Project:Exploring Majors
a. Written part 25 points
b. Oral part 25 points
11. Amazing Race 10 points
TOTAL 300 points
93%-100% A 77%-79.9% C+
90%-92.9% A- 70%-76.9% C
87%-89.9% B+ 60%-69.9% D
83%-86.9% B < 60% F
80%-82.9% B-

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

"The PennsylvaniaStateUniversity is committed to providing access to a quality education for all students, including those with documented disabilities. If a student has a disability and wants to request an accommodation for a course, it is the responsibility of the student to first obtain a University accommodation letter confirming the disability and suggesting appropriate remedies. This letter can be obtained from the Penn State Office for Disability services or the campus Disability Contact Liaisons. The contact person at Penn State Beaver is Barb McDanels in the AdministrationBuilding. It is encouraged that students request their accommodation need early in the semester, and once identified, a reasonable accommodation will be implemented in a timely manner. Students may also access the web site for the Office of Disability Services at University Park:

Academic Integrity: All students are expected to act with civility, personal integrity; respect other students' dignity, rights and property; and help create and maintain an environment in which all can succeed through the fruits of their own efforts. An environment of academic integrity is requisite to respect for self and others and a civil community.

Academic integrity includes a commitment to not engage in or tolerate acts of falsification, misrepresentation or deception. Such acts of dishonesty include cheating or copying, plagiarizing, submitting another persons' work as one's own, using Internet sources without citation, fabricating field data or citations, "ghosting" (taking or having another student take an exam), stealing examinations, tampering with the academic work of another student, facilitating other students' acts of academic dishonesty, etc.

Students charged with a breach of academic integrity will receive due process and, if the charge is found valid, academic sanctions may range, depending on the severity of the offense, from F for the assignment to F for the course.

The University's statement on academic integrity, from which the above statement is drawn, is available at

COURSE OUTLINE AND PROJECT ASSIGNMENT

CLASS

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TOPIC

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ASSIGNMENT

1
Sec.1 m: 8/27
Sec.2 w:8/29 / Course introduction/philosophy
E-mail account/angel information
Degree audit discussion / Handout: E-mail Assignment (1)
Handout: Learning Style Test (2)
2
Sec.1 m: 9/3
Sec.2 w: 9/5 / NO CLASS: HOLIDAY / DUE:E-mail Assignment (1) Angel drop box by midnight 9/5
3
Sec.1 m: 9/10
Sec.2 w: 9/12 / GUEST SPEAKER: CAREER SERVICES / Attendance Required at Time Management Workshop #1 on Sept. 12th12 noon in Auditorium
Handout:Degree Audit Project with advisor signature (3)
DUE: Learning Style Test and Write-up (2) Due inClass
4
Sec.1 m: 9/17
Sec.2 w: 9/19 / GUEST SPEAKER: LIBRARY
Pick Company for Library Research Project / Handout: Library Research Project (5)
Handout: Group Project: Exploring Majors (10)
DUE:Write-up of Workshop #1Drop box by midnight 9/19
5
Sec.1 m: 9/24
Sec.2 w: 9/26 / Selection of groups
Career Exploration Discussion / Attendance Required at Test Taking Workshop #2 on Sept. 26th12 noon in Auditorium
Handout: Career Exploration Project (7)
DUE:Degree Audit Project (3) DueIn Class
6
Sec.1 m: 10/1
Sec.2 w: 10/3 / NO CLASS: (wkshp 1) / DUE:Write-up of Workshop #2 Drop box by midnight 10/3
DUE:Library Research Project (5) Drop box by midnight 10/3
7
Sec.1 m: 10/8
Sec.2 w: 10/10 / Follow-up Discussion of College/Library Resources / Attendance Required at Stress Management Workshop #3 on Oct. 10th12 noon in Auditorium
DUE:Library Research Project hard copies of sources (5) Due in class
8
Sec.1 m: 10/15
Sec.2 w: 10/17 / Amazing Race / In Class Time for Group Project
Handout:Organizer/Planner Project (9)
DUE:Write-up of Workshop #3 Drop box by midnight 10/17
9
Sec.1 m: 10/22
Sec.2 w: 10/24 / NO CLASS: (wkshp 2) / Handout: Resume Project (8)
10
Sec.1 m: 10/29
Sec.2 w: 10/31 / Discussion of Peer/Self Evaluation
Discussion of Team/Group Work / Due: Career Exploration Project (7) Drop box by midnight 10/31
11
Sec.1 m: 11/5
Sec.2 w: 11/7 / NO CLASS: (wkshp 3) / DUE:Resume Project (8)
12
Sec.1 m: 11/12
Sec.2 w: 11/14 / Oral Presentations: Exploring Majors / DUE: Module Write-up (6) Drop box by midnight 11/14
DUE:Club Experience Write-up (6) Drop box by midnight 11/14
13
Sec.1 m: 11/26
Sec.2 w: 11/28 / Oral Presentations: Exploring Majors / Attendance Required at Violence Prevention Workshop #4 on Nov. 28th12 noon in Auditorium
DUE: Planner with write-up(9) Planner due in class and write-up due in dropbox 11/28 by midnight
14
Sec.1 m: 12/3
Sec.2 w: 12/5 / Wrap Up of Oral Presentations and Class / DUE: Written Portion of Group Project (10)Drop box 12/5 by midnight
DUE: Write-up of Workshop #4Drop box by midnight12/5
15
Sec.1 m: 12/10
Sec.2 w: 12/12 / NO CLASS (wkshp 4)
STUDY FOR FINALS!!!!!! / GOOD LUCK ON FINALS!!!!!

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