EDC630A- The Practicing Professional
EDC 630A.22
The Practicing Professional
OMET: DeepSix
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Professor Information:
Melissa Anderson
Adjunct Instructor, GSEP
Home: 949-706-1244
Work: 310-430-8112
Email:
Course Description
As described in the course catalog-
This course prepares students to exit the program and move forward in their profession. Students situate today’s educational challenges and opportunities in a historical context. They prepare for future professional opportunities, share learning with the greater community, and are assisted in defining their future goals.
Course Objectives
In order to meet the above description and provide you with the tools you may need to take the next steps in your professional career, this course will seek to help you achieve the following objectives.
- Identify key aspects of the professional community you choose for yourself, including (but not limited to): current leaders, major corporate/nonprofit/educational players, professional organizations and journals/publications.
- Develop a resume and cover letter/letter of interest to follow you throughout your career.
- Develop a portfolio of your academic and professional work appropriate for your field that will assist you in achieving your career goals.
To meet these objectives, our discussions will center around two major themes. First, we will discuss the concept of possibility, specifically in how it can open your life to an endless stream of opportunities. This discussion will primarily center on the Art of Possibility. Second, we will discuss and investigate practical strategies for managing your career after graduation. These strategies will include identifying networking approaches, marketing/branding yourself and developing written and web-based collateral material. This theme will use Selling the Dream as its contextual source. The two themes will be interwoven in all activities you engage in during the course.
Collaboration
I hope to capitalize on your already well-established community to achieve the above goals. Online collaboration will be the main source to both formally and informally bring the community together in meaningful discussions with myself and a number of guest speakers. Below is the list of the required online participation activities for this course. All online collaboration will take place in the Blackboard course space established for this course. Log-in information will be provided to you during the first week of the semester. You will be required to check Blackboard at least twice per week throughout the semester as course updates and announcements will be posted on Mondays and Thursdays.
Synchronous Sessions: There will be three synchronous sessions lasting one hour long during the course (you may select either the 5pm or the 8pm session to attend). Topics will be announced the week before the related session as an announcement in Blackboard.
May 13, 2004 at 5 pm and 8 pm PST.
May 27, 2004 at 5 pm and 8 pm PST.
June 10, 2004 at 5 pm and 8 pm PST.
Asynchronous Sessions: During the weeks we do not have synchronous sessions we will be collaborating using the discussion board. The last two weeks of the semester will be left for you to work on your final projects and we will therefore not have any required collaborative activities. Plan to be reading and posting to the discussion boards during the following weeks.
May 3, 2004
May 17, 2004
June 1, 2004
June 14, 2004
June 21, 2004
Coaching Sessions: I would like to meet with each of you either individually online or on the phone to discuss your progress in the course and the career paths you are considering at least once during the course. We will set these times as they best fit your schedule. The coaching session will last approximately 45 minutes in length.
Assessments
As with any course, there are grades to be given! Your performance in the following activities, with a total value of 100 points, will determine your grade in this course.
Course surveys. You will be asked to complete two anonymous surveys, one assessing pre-course expectations and the other assessing the effectiveness of the course in meeting both the instructor’s and your objectives. These surveys are anonymous and each community member will receive full credit as long as the entire cadre completes the surveys. These surveys will be conducted in Blackboard, with an announcement alerting you to their location and due date. Each completed survey is worth a total of 10 points.
Course reading. There are two required texts for this course, the Art of Possibility by Rosamund & Benjamin Zander and Selling the Dream by Guy Kawasaki. Both books should be read in their entirety. The Art of Possibility should be completed by May 17, 2004 and Selling the Dream should be completed by June 7, 2004. Each community member will be asked to interview another member about the impact one of the two texts has had on how you perceive your career and future. More specific guidelines and grading rubrics for this assignment can be found in Blackboard. The one page summary of this interview is to be posted by you in Blackboard by June 7, 2004. A well written, thoughtful interview is worth a total of 10 points.
Collaboration. Active participation in our online collaborative activities as describes is worth a total of 40 points (your participation each week is roughly worth 5 points).
Resume & Cover Letter/Letter of Intent. A well written resume and cover letter/letter of intent, based on our community discussions and your career research are worth a total of 20 points and due by June 1, 2004.
Portfolio. A comprehensive portfolio will allow you to share with prospective employers or colleagues your experiences and successes from this program. We will discuss the focus and various formats of a portfolio during the first few weeks of the course. You are asked to develop a portfolio of your work most applicable to your career and future goals by July 1, 2004. The portfolio is worth a total of 20 points.
Grading Scale
Your final grade in the course will be based on the total number of points earned during the semester on each of the assignments listed above. The following scale will be used:
95% (95) - 100% (100)A
90% (90) - 94.9% (94.9)A-
87% (87) - 89.9% (89.9)B+
83% (83) - 86.9% (86.9)B
80% (80) - 82.9% (82.9)B-
77% (77) - 79.9% (79.9)C+
70% (70) - 76.9% (76.9)C
Below 70% (69.9 or less)F
Late assignments will not be accepted.
Note on Writing Support
GSEP offers writing supportto students in the form of various seminars as well as one-on-one consultancy. For more information, please contact Dr. Michelle Rosensitto at or at (949) 223-2365. Alternately, visit the GSEP Writing Support Program website at
Note Regarding Students with Disabilities
While no students, including those with disabilities, will be discriminated against in this course, students with disabilities, like any other students, have the responsibility to complete course requirements and to communicate directly with me regarding any concerns they may have about the course. Reasonable accommodations will be considered for students with documented disabilities. For more information regarding Pepperdine’s policies and programs concerning students with disabilities, contact the Disability Services Office at (310) 506-4269 or visit their website at
About the Professor
For those of you curious who I am…
Academically, I began my career at UCLA, where I completed a BA in Political Science. From there, I traveled to New York City to complete an MA in Educational Policy and an MBA in Marketing at Columbia University. I am currently finishing my Ed.D in Educational Technology at GSEP (I will hopefully be finishing my dissertation by mid-fall 2004). As many have teased me, I am sure there is another degree in my future.
Professionally, I have worked in K12, higher education and corporate learning environments. Selected positions include: teaching 9th and 12th grade social studies in a public school in NYC, developing online test preparation applications and corporate products for Kaplan Educational Services, serving as the Director of Recruiting for career services at NYU and managing educational and instructional technology groups at both the NYU Stern School of Business and GSEP. I just began a new position at Blackboard, Inc. as the Pedagogical Solutions Engineer. And so the traveling begins…