Course Syllabus

Instructor: Kathy Volz Instructor, Gallogly College of Engineering Email: kvolz@ou.edu (message via Canvas preferred) Live Session (Zoom link): https://oklahoma.zoom.us/j/94488976831?pwd=MktPVFUxM2RUeURZMlRQUWpRcUgwUT09

 

University of Oklahoma

ENGR 4013: Leadership and Management for Engineers

Spring 2020

Online Course – 3 credit hours

Instructor: Kathy Volz

Email: kvolz@ou.edu (message via Canvas preferred)

Live Session (Zoom link): https://oklahoma.zoom.us/j/94488976831?pwd=MktPVFUxM2RUeURZMlRQUWpRcUgwUT09

Learning Management System: Canvas

Course Meeting Time & Location: Fully online. See course schedule.

Course Goals & Learning Objectives

This course is designed to provide a basic introduction to leadership by focusing on what it means to be a good leader. Emphasis in the course is on the practice of leadership. The course will examine topics such as: the nature of leadership, recognizing leadership traits, developing leadership skills, creating a vision, setting the tone, listening to out-group members, handling conflict, overcoming obstacles, and addressing ethics in leadership. Attention will be given to helping students to understand and improve their own leadership performance. By the end of this course, you will:

• Have an awareness of your own leadership philosophy, traits, skills, and behaviors.
• Gain an understanding of the fundamental ways that leadership is practiced in ongoing organizations.
• Gain an understanding and appreciation for the unique dimensions of your own leadership style, their strengths and weakness, and ways to improve what you do as a leader.

Required Textbooks

Book Store Link: http://ou.textbookx.com/institutional/index.php?action=browse#books/2039743/

Introduction to Leadership: Concepts and Practice
by Peter G. Northouse
Publisher: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Print ISBN: 978154435159
eText ISBN: 9781544351612
Edition: 5th
Copyright year: 2021

HBR's 10 Must Reads for New Managers
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press (February 28, 2017)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1633693023
ISBN-13: 978-1633693029

Topics Covered

The topics in this course are:

• Understanding Leadership
• Leadership Traits, Strengths, Skills, Philosophies, and Styles
• Attending to Tasks and Relationships
• Creating a Vision
• Establishing a Constructive Climate
• Embracing Diversity and Inclusion
• Listening to Out-Group Members
• Managing Conflict
• Addressing Ethics in Leadership
• Overcoming Obstacles
• Destructive Leadership

Course Format

The course is delivered in an online format, consisting of 15 weekly modules. Each module contains readings, a questionnaire, a quiz, an assignment, discussions, a live session, and introspection questions. Some modules will include lecture videos, but most of the learning in this class will come from reading, discussions, observations, and reflections.

Each module opens on a Saturday and closes 10 days later on a Tuesday; this gives you two weekends to work on each module. All gradebook items are due eight days after the module opens – at 11:59 p.m. on the second Sunday. See the Late Policy for which items may be submitted late and how they will be graded.

Readings

You will typically be required to complete two reading assignments for each module. You will be expected to have read the required Northouse chapter reading and an HBR article prior to participating in the Live Sessions.

Lectures

There will be lecture videos for some modules. You will be expected to watch all lecture videos.

Quizzes

Each module will have a quiz. Quizzes are a tool to assess your knowledge of the chapter readings. You may retake the quiz as many times as necessary to achieve a 100% on the quiz.

Assignments

Throughout the course, you will have assignments. You will be expected to complete the assignments and submit them on time, online, and on the correct template via Canvas.

Discussions

Throughout the course, you will be required to participate in discussions. Your participation in discussions must be meaningful, respectful, and value-adding. Discussions will be used to encourage dialogue amongst you, your classmates, and the instructor.

Each week, the discussion board will have multiple topics. You may choose whether to participate in one or multiple topics. You will be required to make two posts each week. It does not matter whether your posts are original or reply posts, but each post is expected to be in the range of three to seven sentences. You may make your posts in different discussion boards.

Live Sessions

We will have a Live (synchronous) Session every week. Our Live Sessions will be on Thursdays from 7:15 – 8:15 p.m. Central time. The Live Sessions are graded; receiving full credit depends on attending the full session and having your camera on. Please comply with the Live Session etiquette recommendations posted in the Getting Started Module.

The Live Session discussions typically begin with questions relating to the readings; the questions are posted in advance, should you wish to review them beforehand. Because the Live Sessions are as much student-led as instructor-led, conversations may deviate significantly from the posted Live Session questions. Students are encouraged to bring their personal and professional experiences to bear in the Live Sessions. Because there is no one “right” way to lead, disagreement is expected and welcome.

If you are unable to attend a Live Session, you may choose to complete each week’s specific make-up activity to make up the points you missed. You will find the make-up activity in the Live Session; Live Session make-ups are due the Sunday after the Live Session. 

Evaluation

You will be evaluated as follows:

Assessment Group	Description	% of Grade
Questionnaires	Self-assessment questionnaires, from the textbook.	5%
Live Sessions	Weekly Live Session or make-up assignment.	25%
Quizzes	Multiple attempts. Highest grade recorded.	5%
Discussion Boards	Minimum of two posts, weekly.	15%
Assignments	Weekly assignments.	30%
Introspection Questions	Up to three essay questions related to final paper.	10%
Final Paper	Personal Leadership Development Plan	10%

Grading Scheme: 90-100 (A), 80-89 (B), 70-79 (C), 60-69 (D), and < 60 (F).

Late Policy

Late work will be accepted up to 48 hours after the due date (with a deduction of 25% of the point value) for Assignments, Discussion Boards, and Live Session make-up assignments. Without prior arrangement with the instructor, no assignments will be accepted more than 48 hours after the due date

 

UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA

ACADEMIC POLICIES AND STUDENT SUPPORT

Land Acknowledgement Statement

Long before the University of Oklahoma was established, the land on which the University now resides was the traditional home of the “Hasinais” Caddo Nation and “Kirikirʔi:s” (Link to an external site: https://wichitatribe.com/media/18910/wichita.mp3) Wichita & Affiliated Tribes. We acknowledge this territory once also served as a hunting ground, trade exchange point, and migration route for the Apache, Comanche, Kiowa and Osage nations. Today, 39 tribal nations dwell in the state of Oklahoma as a result of settler and colonial policies that were designed to assimilate Native people. The University of Oklahoma recognizes the historical connection our university has with its Indigenous community. We acknowledge, honor, and respect the diverse Indigenous peoples connected to this land. We fully recognize, support, and advocate for the sovereign rights of all of Oklahoma’s 39 tribal nations. This acknowledgement is aligned with our university’s core value of creating a diverse and inclusive community. It is an institutional responsibility to recognize and acknowledge the people, culture, and history that make up our entire OU Community.

Copyright Policy

Sessions of this course may be recorded or live-streamed. These recordings are the intellectual property of the individual faculty member and may not be shared or reproduced without the explicit, written consent of the faculty member. In addition, privacy rights of others such as students, guest lecturers, and providers of copyrighted material displayed in the recording may be of concern. Students may not share any course recordings with individuals not enrolled in the class or upload them to any other online environment.

It is illegal to download, upload, reproduce, or distribute any copyrighted material, in any form and in any fashion, without permission from the copyright holder or his/her authorized agent. The University of Oklahoma expects all members of its community to comply fully with federal copyright laws. If such laws appear to have been violated by any user, the university reserves the right (1) to terminate that user’s access to some or all of the university’s computer systems and information resources and (2) to take additional disciplinary actions as deemed necessary or appropriate. Repeat offenders will be sanctioned and their privileges terminated.

Catalog

Please familiarize yourself with the student catalog: http://catalog.ou.edu/courses/courses.htm

On-Line Library

Students in the program can use the University of Oklahoma library by visiting: http://libraries.ou.edu/

Academic Misconduct

In addition to the course conduct policies outlined by your professor in the Course Syllabus in the online classroom, please review the Graduate Student Handbook.

It is the responsibility of each student to be familiar with the definitions, policies and procedures concerning academic misconduct. The Student Code is available from the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs and is contained in the Student’s Guide to Academic Integrity, available at http://integrity.ou.edu/students_guide.html This site also defines misconduct, provides examples of prohibited conduct, and explains the sanctions available for those found guilty of misconduct.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the most common form of academic misconduct at OU. There is basically no college-level assignment that can be satisfactorily completed by copying. OU’s basic assumption about writing is that all written assignments show the student’s own understanding in the student’s own words. That means all writing assignments, in class or out, are assumed to be composed entirely of words generated (not simply found) by the student, except where words written by someone else are specifically marked as such with proper citation. Including other people’s words in your paper is helpful when you do it honestly and correctly. When you don’t, it’s plagiarism.

Go to http://integrity.ou.edu/students_guide.html to learn more about the rules for avoiding plagiarism. Test your skills in avoiding plagiarism by taking the library’s plagiarism tutorial, available at https://libraries.ou.edu/content/academic-integrity-tutorial

Reasonable Accommodation for Disabilities

The University of Oklahoma is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for all students with disabilities. Students with disabilities who require accommodations in this course should contact their professor as early in the semester as possible. Students with disabilities must be registered with the Accessibility & Disability Resource Center prior to receiving accommodations in this course. If you have a disability and you would like to make a request for reasonable accommodation, please see the Graduate Student Handbook or visit the Disability Resource Center and other disability services at OU at: http://drc.ou.edu/

Adjustments for Pregnancy/Childbirth Related Issues

Should you need modifications or adjustments to your course requirements because of documented pregnancy-related or childbirth-related issues, please contact me as soon as possible to discuss. Generally, modifications will be made where medically necessary and similar in scope to accommodations based on temporary disability. Please see www.ou.edu/content/eoo/faqs/pregnancy-faqs.html for commonly asked questions.

Title IX Resources

For any concerns regarding gender-based discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, stalking, or intimate partner violence, the University offers a variety of resources, including advocates on-call 24.7, counseling services, mutual no-contact orders, scheduling adjustments and disciplinary sanctions against the perpetrator. Please contact the Sexual Misconduct Office 405-325-2215 (8-5, M-F) or OU Advocates 405-615-0013 (24.7) to learn more or to report an incident. Also be aware that all OU faculty and graduate assistants are “mandatory reporters.” When an instructor or graduate assistant becomes aware of an alleged act of sexual assault, stalking, dating or domestic violence, sexual harassment, or gender discrimination, they must promptly share the information with the Sexual Misconduct Officer. The Sexual Misconduct Officer will work directly with the student to address their privacy concerns.

Religious Holidays

It is the policy of the University to excuse absences of students that result from religious observances and to provide for the rescheduling of examinations and additional required classwork that may fall on religious holidays without penalty. It is the responsibility of the student to make alternate arrangements with the instructor at least one week prior to the actual date of the religious holiday.

Copyright Policy

It is illegal to download, upload, reproduce, or distribute any copyrighted material, in any form and in any fashion, without permission from the copyright holder or his/her authorized agent. The University of Oklahoma expects all members of its community to comply fully with federal copyright laws. If such laws appear to have been violated by any user, the university reserves the right (1) to terminate that user’s access to some or all of the university’s computer systems and information resources and (2) to take additional disciplinary actions as deemed necessary or appropriate. Repeat offenders will be sanctioned and their privileges terminated.

Registration and Withdrawal

If you choose to withdraw from this course, you must complete the appropriate University form and turn the form in before the deadline. If you stop attending the course and doing the course work without doing the required paperwork your grade will be calculated with missed homework and examination grades entered as zero. This could result in receiving a grade of F in the course. Deadlines are shown in the Academic Calendar, which is available from the Office of Admissions and Records or online at http://www.ou.edu/admissions/home/academic_calendar.html

Student Grievances

In addition to any policies outlined related to submitting an informal or formal grievance by your professor in the Course Syllabus in the online classroom, please review the Graduate Student Handbook for more information about the process of submitting a formal grievance.