Instructor Information

David X. Swenson PhD.
3130 Tower Hall, CSS
Office: (218)723-6476
FAX: (218)723-6290
E-mail: dswenson@css.edu
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Course Description

This course is designed to integrate theory and practice of teamwork and training and development in organizational settings. Teams will be used to examine interpersonal processes, stages of development, decision making, problem solving, and related team performance. Projects will be conducted in a training context, and cover design and methods of employee development.

Objectives

As a result of this course, participants will be able to better understand and participate in both teamwork and training and development activities of organizations. The objectives for each component include:

• Teamwork
• describe the change drivers that are requiring organizations to revise how they perform
• know when to use and not use teams
• know the differences between effective and ineffective teams
• understand the importance of teambuilding and stages of team development
• be able to design a team-building workshop using principles of program design and structured activities
• to evaluate individual and team performance
• Training & Development
• understand the relation of training to organizational strategy
• know the current trends in training topics
• know different approaches to need assessment
• be able to describe learning style and customize training for styles
• apply learning theory to a learning activity
• know the four levels of evaluation of training impact

Methods

This course is designed as a simulation in which participants are probationary employees in a training/consulting organization specializing in teamwork services. Participants will form semester long teams to work on short and long term projects related to training functions involving teams. Learning activities will involve structured exercises, group discussion, self-directed teams, brief lecture, web-based instruction, and construction of a Manager's Teamwork Handbook.

Resources

Instead of a standard textbook for this class, we will be using online web-based resources for all assignments. This approach to having multiple resources available online and requiring searching and screening information to answer questions is parallel to the requirements of the workplace. Since there are a lot of possible readings, you will need to focus your search and study to answer specific questions.

Evaluation

Performance in this course will be evaluated on five different measures:

• Content examination-- multiple choice and short answer exam (100 points) covering key terms in teamwork and training and development disciplines.
• Team construction of a Manager's Teamwork Handbook as a paper manual or as a web site (100). (see sample)
• Team presentation of a team-building or other training program (using Power Point) (100).
• Team member evaluation of each other's contribution to team work on the above projects (100).
• News discussion and participation (bonus points) each class session.

Policies

• Attendance-- You should attend every class possible. When absences are unavoidable, make arrangements with your team to obtain additional handouts, check notes, and update yourself on task assignments. The major disadvantage of not being in class is that you will be unable to fully support and participate with your team on activities. This may affect their perceptions of your contribution and consequently your performance evaluation.

• Honesty-- You are encouraged to actively work with others throughout the course, but are accountable for your own work. Be sure to give credit to others (team members or authors) in your work, and make sure the final product is your own (while considering their advice). Any work not your own will be eliminated from consideration in final grading, and you may be subject to disciplinary action. If you have any questions about when or how to acknowledge credit, check with the instructor.

• Course completion-- All requirements for this course must be completed by the end of finals week. In case of exceptional circumstances (e.g., serious emergency), alternate arrangements can be discussed with the instructor.

• Team membership-- This course experience is team-based, which means that most of the work relies on collaboration with others in the class. It is not possible for an individual working alone to complete the work assigned in the tasks. Therefore, if a team member is unable to work effectively with teammates, does not carry his/her delegated work load and perform in a manner agreed to in the team contract, the team (with consultation from the simulation manager) can "fire" a member from the team. Unless another team adopts the member, he/she will have to withdraw from or drop the course.

• Special needs-- this course follows the College regarding special needs, such as learning disability or handicap. In the case of unexpected emergency that may affect your performance in the class, please check with the instructor to determine what other arrangements might be possible.