Course Syllabus
Contact Information
Course Details
For a list of course activities, scroll to the bottom of this page.
Course Description
In today’s globalized society improving on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is paramount to the success of any industry. As such, program training and development is a tool used to inform and grow a better environment that supports DEI.
This course explores the process of program training and development with emphasis on DEI and social justice. Specifically, this course examines the individual and organization strategies designed to foster inclusive and diverse environments using program training. This course will examine the application of theoretical frameworks used in today’s organization, as well as developing needs assessment, planning and budgeting, goal setting, and evaluation methods.
Learning Objectives
|
Learning Objectives |
Measured By |
|---|---|
|
Students will examine and organize effective evidence-based program training strategies that promote inclusion and diversity within workplaces and/or organizations. |
Developing a training proposal that describes a potential organizational training program that supports DEI. |
|
Students will examine and analyze real-world training perspectives from professional HR personnel and compare with existing literature. |
Developing and implementing an interview protocol and paper with an HR training specialist. |
|
Students will analyze and discuss current trends in the use of DEI trainings and use existing literature to support or counter the existing practices. |
Engaging in the weekly discussion board posts with classmates on current events associated with programmatic training for DEI. |
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Students will use their knowledge and skills to manage assignments in a timely and collegial manner. |
Utilizing time management and organizational skills while adhering to course deadlines. |
Course Prerequisites
Graduate standing or permission of instructor.
Course Materials
- There are no required textbook(s) for this class, however additional reading sources may be recommended.
- Journal articles will be the main source of reading in the course and will be provided in the course.
- Computer access with internet, video chat function, word-processing capabilities, and an updated web browser are needed.
Grades
Breakdown
Assignments will be used to evaluate students' abilities in synthesizing and applying material from the lectures and the class readings. Successful work with cooperative groups is also required. The grading breakdown is as follows:
| Activity | Description | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Participation | Weekly Live Sessions | 10% |
| Discussion Board | Module discussion activities (5 total) | 10% |
| Reflection | 1 reflection paper on your thoughts/perceptions on topics related to issues discussed in this course. | 10% |
| Peer Review | 2 peer evaluations (on the presentation and paper) is required once groups submit their projects. | 10% |
| HR Specialist Interview Paper | Engage in an interview with an HR specialist of your choice. Then, write a 5-page paper on your experience with the HR professional and how it connects or disagrees with the literature. | 15% |
| Training Proposal Group Assignments | Groups of 3 are engaged in a proposal to develop a training program that will require small group assignments throughout the course. | 15% |
| Training Proposal Group Paper | Groups of 3 are engaged in proposal development for a training program. Groups will develop a 20-25 page written group proposal. | 15% |
| Training Proposal Group Presentation | Groups of 3 are engaged in proposal development for a training program. Groups will develop a 15-20 minute group proposal presentation. | 15% |
| Total | 100% |
Scale
| Percentage | Letter Grade |
|---|---|
| 90–100% | A |
| 80–89% | B |
| 70–79% | C |
| 60–69% | D |
| Below 60% | F |
Course Schedule
| Week | Weekly Topics | Assignments | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Zoom Live Lecture Topic 1: Syllabus Review and Needs and Logic Models of Program Development Canvas Modules (Needs Assessment): 1.1 Determining the “who, what, when, where, and why” 1.2 Needs Assessment Evaluation Tools 1.3 Inclusivity of Who is Involved in the Development 1.4 Organizing Goals and Objectives from the “needs” 1.5 The Checklist of Steps to Take Before Training |
Discussion Board #1
|
Sunday by 11:59pm
|
| 2 |
Zoom Live Lecture Topic 2: Models and Frameworks for Training Canvas Modules (Theoretical Frameworks and Models): 2.1 Theoretical Advancements in Training 2.2 Models of Training 2.3 Cross Cultural Training 2.4 Choosing the Appropriate Theory and Model to Meet Your Goals and Objectives |
Discussion Board #2 Group Assignment: Literature Review |
Sunday by 11:59pm
|
| 3 |
Zoom Live Lecture Topic 3: Designing the Training Canvas Modules (Program Design): 3.1 Strategies for Facilitating Training 3.2 Determining and Designing Topic Areas for Training 3.3 Deliverables & Activities that Support Diversity and Inclusion 3.4 Technology-Based Training Methods vs. Traditional Methods 3.5 Common Practice Missteps in Designing Program Training |
Group Assignment: Needs Assessment & Logic Model |
Sunday by 11:59pm |
| 4 |
Zoom Live Lecture 4: Planning the Training Canvas Modules: 4.1 Developing a Budget for Success 4.2 Constructing a Planning Timeline 4.3 An Active Training Program 4.4 Intentional Planning to Manage for Diversity and Achieving Inclusion |
Discussion Board #3 HR Training Specialist Interview |
Sunday by 11:59pm |
| 5 |
Zoom Live Lecture Topic 5: Executing and Assessing Success of Training (Part 1) Canvas Modules (Program Training Evaluation): 5.1 Frameworks for Training Evaluation 5.2 Quantitative Data vs Qualitative Data in Training Evaluation
|
Discussion #4 Reflection Paper |
Sunday by 11:59pm |
| 6 |
Zoom Live Lecture Topic 6: Executing and Assessing Success of Training (Part 2) Canvas Modules (Program Training Evaluation): 5.3 Designing an Evaluation Tool 5.4 What Does Success Look Like in Training Evaluation |
Group Assignment: Developing a Budget and Timeline |
Sunday by 11:59pm |
| 7 |
Zoom Live Lecture Topic 7: Post-Training Canvas Modules (Post-Training Planning): 6.1 Using Evaluations to Make Improvements 6.2 Institutional Change and Workforce Development 6.3 The Future of Training and Development |
Discussion Board #5 Group Assignment: Developing an Evaluation Tool |
Sunday by 11:59pm |
| 8 |
Zoom Live Lecture Topic 8: The Future of Training |
Training Proposal Paper and Presentation |
Sunday by 11:59pm |
Course Components
Participation
Each week, we will meet for Live Sessions online. Attendance/participation in the Live Session is highly encouraged and will be graded. There are two ways in which you can earn points for the Live Session:
- Participate Live: This option should be your preferred choice. When possible, you should attend and participate in the Live Sessions in real-time. To get credit for your attendance, type in the date and time of the session you attended by clicking on the red "Start Assignment" button at the top the Live Session page. Your self-reported attendance log will be cross-checked against the attendance tracker in Zoom.
- Make-Up (Watch Recording-Submit Written Summary): In the event that your time zone, work or personal schedule makes it impossible for you to attend, you will need to review the recording of the Live Session and write a paragraph summarizing the Live Session from your perspective. Click on the "Start Assignment" button to type (or copy/paste) your paragraph into the text field. You will have until Sunday at 11:59 p.m. Central to submit your paragraph summary.
Note: Be sure to utilize option 1 or 2 for each of the Live Sessions to receive full points. Regardless of when the session occurred, you must post your response based on option 1 or 2.
Discussion Board
Throughout the course, each member of the class will post analysis, explanation, and interpretation for a variety of exercises on the discussion board.
For each discussion, each member of the class will make an original discussion posting with at least 250 words. Additional requirements for each original posting are included with discussion board information.
Discussions will be graded based upon quality, timeliness, responsiveness and moving the conversation forward, which is discussed in further detail in the scoring section of the rubric. There will be 5 discussions in this course.
Each discussion will be posted on the Sunday to start the week and your initial post is due by Friday at 11:59 pm and your 2 replies are due by Sunday at 11:59pm. You are expected to participate throughout the week in the discussions. You are also expected to read your classmates’ posts and respond to them.
Responses must be substantial and non-frivolous. Responses that consist of comments such as or similar to “I did that too”, “I agree with that”, “That is nice”, “I like what you did", “That helped me understand”, and “I like how you organized your work” are frivolous and will earn zero (0) discussion points. The purpose of responses is to further the conversation and involve members of the class in the problem solving and analysis process.
This course relies heavily on each student’s ongoing participation in discussion.
Reflections
Having an opportunity to reflect on your own experiences with the subject matter is a great way to develop an understanding of the relevance and importance of policies, programs, and practices. You are required to complete one reflection paper during the course. Reflections are your thoughts/perceptions on the topics related to issues discussed in this course. You will be provided the literature to review and questions to respond to in a written 2-3 page paper.
Peer Review
As part of the group project, members will also be asked to evaluate group members for participation and provided a separate grade.
HR Specialist Interview Paper
Learning from those in the field provides an opportunity to engage in lived-experience research and can serve validating or counter to the literature. For this paper, you will schedule an interview with a Human Resource Specialist (preferably one that is a training specialist) or, if you prefer, you can interview a training specialist from a recent training you attended. This will be a semi-structured interview where you will be provided a list of prompt questions to get the conversation started and then you are free to engage with the interviewee in any direction that the questions may take you or you can stick strictly to the provided interview questions.
The interview will likely last between 30 mins to an hour. You will want to take notes and gain permission to record the conversation (provided you inform the interviewee when setting up the interview and right before you engage in the interview; you also want to eliminate any participant identifiers and further instructions on this process can be found on Canvas).
Following the interview, you will write a 5-7 page double spaced paper (12-point, Time New Roman Font) describing your participant responses, comparing it to the literature on the field, and providing your own perspective and feedback based on the literature and interviewee responses.
Training Proposal Group Assignments
There are group assignments (Literature Review, Logic Model, Needs Assessment, Budget and Timeline, Evaluation/Assessment) throughout the course that are part of the overall proposal that one person from each group will submit. These assignments are meant to help guide you in the direction of expectations for the proposal, as well as provide an opportunity for feedback on different elements of the proposal prior to the submission of the final project.
Training Proposal Group Paper
For this final paper, each student will be added to a group and develop a proposal for a training program related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Your group is tasked with developing a training program to convince leadership, or an organization of your choice, that your training program can lead to improvements in the company’s DEI standing.
For this paper you will need to include:
- A title page
- Organizational overview
- Literature review
- Theoretical framework
- Overview of needs assessment strategy and Logic Model
- Action planning strategy (including deliverables, budget, objectives, timeline, and goals)
- Conclusion
- Recommendations
- References
Training Proposal Group Presentation
Finally, each group will submit a video presentation of their training proposal. This presentation video can utilize any visual format you choose (PowerPoint, Prezi, infomercial etc.) but there must be a video presentation.
Your presentation should provide:
- A brief introduction of the theory used
- An overview of the organization
- Training plan of action
- Recommendations
- Concluding thoughts
Note: Videos should be at least 10 minutes and uploaded by the final day of class.
Course Policies
Communication
You are encouraged to reach out with any questions, conflicts, or clarifications regarding the course via email at shalynne@ou.edu. Please allow 24-48 hours for a response before sending a follow-up. While weekends are generally reserved for family, I will make an effort to respond. However, you can expect a reply Monday at the latest.
For urgent matters (such as technical issues or pressing conflicts), please include "urgent" in the subject line, and I will aim to respond more promptly.
You may address me as Shae, Shalynne, or Professor Jackson—whichever feels most comfortable. I see myself as a guide here to support your learning, but the real magic happens when you engage with each other. No question nor thought is too small or unimportant, so don’t hesitate to speak up. Active engagement is key, and respectful dialogue—whether in agreement or disagreement—is expected in both verbal and written communication. Disrespectful behavior will not be tolerated.
Feedback/Grading
Discussion posts will be graded within 5 days of their due date, and papers will typically be graded within 7 days, depending on the depth and rigor of the assignment.
Late Policy
Assignment due dates and specific instructions for each assignment are listed in Canvas. Due to the accelerated nature of the course, late work is subject to a 50% grade reduction. Life does happen, though. If an unforeseen issue arises, reach out as soon as possible and we’ll discuss possible accommodations.
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.
For more information about plagiarism, watch this video and then take this short course offered by University Libraries.
University Academic Policies and Student Support
Access the University Academic Policies Document.
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|