Course Syllabus

Instructor: Jovana Markovic, PhD          Credits: 3 Semester Hours – Graduate Level

Office: Powers 257                                   Phone: 305-899-3608                

E-mail: jmarkovic@barry.edu                  

 

CATALOG DESCRIPTION:  

This course emphasizes knowledge and skills necessary to build an effective team and team relationships to carry out a work related goal. Topics include person-to-person communication, small group processes, conferencing skills, networking, and coaching.

 

EXPANDED COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course provides an understanding of the field of group dynamics and the working knowledge of its theory and practice necessary for creating effective and high-performance work groups. The focus of the course is on the development and mastery of group skills necessary for achieving group goals. The theory and exercises are incorporated into the course via an experiential approach to learning. The course enhances students’ understanding of vital group processes, like goal settings, social interdependence, effective communication, leadership, use of power, and decision making.

 

ALLIGNMENT TO UNIVERSITY MISSION:

Core Commitment I: Knowledge and Truth

The purpose of this course is to engage students into critical thinking and reflection in relation to the scientific study of group dynamics. The course supports the mission by encouraging students to actively engage into pursuing new knowledge and truth through reflective reading assignments, meaningful peer-to-peer discussions, as well as experiential learning activities that enable students to spread the knowledge and truth beyond the classroom environment.

 

Core Commitment III: Service

The course introduces students to the fundamentals of group dynamics. Groups are ubiquitous in human lives: Effectively functioning groups provide a solid foundation for a productive and happy society. In this course, the students learn how to be of service to organizations and, especially, the people who those organizations employ, by learning how to create and sustain effectively and efficiently functioning groups. The design and the content of the course are aimed at equipping students with necessary knowledge, skills, and attitudes enabling them to be effective at ensuring group members’ commitment to clear mutual goals, accurate and complete communication among members, effective group decision making, and constructive conflict resolution.

 

COURSE DESIGN:

This course is conducted in congruence with adult learning principles via a variety of learning approaches, including lectures, presentations, group discussions, case studies, and experiential activities.

 

REQUIRED TEXT:

Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, F. P. (2017). Group theory and group skills (12^th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

*** Additional articles and handouts will be required for reading throughout the course and will be available in class or via Canvas.

 

GRADING CRITERIA

All assignments are due on the designated date and in the stated format. All assignments must be submitted in order for a grade to be obtained. Exceptions will not be made unless there are extenuating circumstances as so deemed by the professor. Unexcused absences and excessive tardiness will result in a lower grade.

                                                                            

Assignments	Points
Discussion Boards	40
Group Activity	10
Chapter Brief	20
Reflection Paper	30
	100

 

The grading scale will be as follows:

 

Total Points	Grade
100-90	A
89-80	B
79-70	C
69 or below	F

 

Late Assignments:

The deadlines for submitting the assignments are assignated for each assignemnt. Assignments submitted late will not receive full credit. Please note that no Incomplete will be granted unless it is due to rare circumstances. Assignments submitted after the course has ended will NOT be accepted and will NOT receive any credit.

 

WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT CRITERIA:

Written materials are expected to reflect students’ knowledge of the subject as well as the use of critical thinking skills (analysis, interpretation, synthesis, and evaluation). Materials should contain required content, and be of a graduate-level caliber, including correct spelling, punctuation, grammar, and a professional visual presentation. Papers must be typed (using Times New Roman, 12-point font, double-spaced), include references, and follow the American Psychological Association (APA) format when applicable.

 

            Suggested APA Resources:

American Psychological Association (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6^th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

 

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01

 

http://www.apastyle.org/

 

COURSE POLICIES:

1. Adherence to the Barry University Honesty Policy, as described in the University Student Handbook, is required. Please review this policy. The handbook is available electronically at http://student.barry.edu. Click on the link to the student handbook. You must have Adobe Acrobat reader installed on your computer to view this file.
2. Barry University students are responsible for the contents of both the University Catalog and the Student Handbook.
3. The instructor reserves the right to modify this course syllabus at any time. Students will be given advance notification when there are modifications.

 

ACADEMIC HONESTY:

It is expected that each student will become familiarized with Barry University's Academic Dishonesty Policy, specifically, as it relates to plagiarism. Consequently, any evidence of plagiarism submitted in course assignments will be dealt with harshly, with a failing grade for the course and recommendation to university officials for the expulsion of the offender.

Cheating is defined as the attempt, successful or not, to give or obtain aid and /or information by illicit means in meeting any academic requirements, including examinations. Cheating includes falsifying reports and documents. Plagiarism is defined as the use, without proper acknowledgement, of the ideas, phrases, sentences, or larger units or discourse from another writer or speaker. Plagiarism includes the unauthorized copying of software and the violation of copyright laws.

PARTICIPATION AND ATTENDANCE

Students are expected to attend all synchronous sessions of the course. Unexcused absences in synchronous sessions will result in a loss of points towards the final grade. Sometimes life circumstances cause absences. It is the students’ responsibility to make arrangements with the instructor prior to missed classes.

SERVICES FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:

If you have any special learning needs, please advise the professor so that accommodations can be made; if you wish, you may also contact the Office for Students with Disabilities at 305-899-3488.

 

COURSE ASSIGNMENTS

 

1. Chapter Brief– (20 points)

Each week you will be required to deliver a short and concise chapter review from the Group theory and group skills (Johnson & Johnson, 2017) textbook. Focus on the key elements of the chapter and what have stood out for you. This assignment is due each week throughout the course duration. 

 

 2. Group Activity (individual) – (10 points)

Each student will develop a group activity. The activity should reflect theoretical concepts addressed in the class readings. This assignment should include a detailed description of the activity (2-3 pages) including the following: title of the activity, purpose of the activity, how it is relevant in the context of work groups, and citation/source. This assignment is due on February 8th. 

 

 3. Discussion Board – (40 points)

Each week you will be asked to answer posted questions via Canvas. The questions will relate to the assigned readings from the course textbook. You are expected to answer the questions and share your thoughts and viewpoints about the topic. This assignment is due each week throughout the course duration.

 

4. Reflection Paper – (30 points)

Based on the content of the course a student is required to reflect on his/her own experience with working in a group setting. Reflect on the time when the group you were involved in was underperforming, explain why and address based on what you have learned in this course what you could’ve done differently to improve group performance. The reflection could be structured with introduction that describes the problem in the narrative form, and secondly with the solution based on the content from the class sessions, textbook, and relevant references. The length of the reflection shouldn’t exceed 7 pages including the reference page. This assignment is due on February 22.