Arkansas State University-Jonesboro
College of Education
Department of Educational Leadership, Curriculum and Special Education
Master of Sciences Degree with a Major in College Student Personnel Services
I. COURSE SYLLABUS: ELAD 6333, Organization and Administration of College Student Personnel Services.
Professor: Les Wyatt
Email:
Contact hours: 10 am-10 pm CST daily
II. READINGS:
A. Required text:
Schloss, Patrick J., and Cragg, Kristina M. (2013). Organization and Administration of Higher Education. New York: Routledge.
The text is available at the ASU Bookstore or through online booksellers.
B. Required subscription:
Daily News Update: Weekly News Update: Inside Higher Education. Washington D. C. www.insidehighered.com/subscribe. This is a free subscription.
C. Optional readings are cited in references at the end of each chapter of the text.
III. PURPOSES:
The purpose of the College Student Personnel Services major is to prepare entry-level professionals for a broad array of student services positions in higher education.
The purposes of the Organization and Administration of the College Student Personnel Services course are to provide an overview of the professional field of higher education including types, functions, roles, processes, and interactions that lead to effectiveness; to describe planning, personnel, legal and tactical functions in higher education; and to address contemporary institutional examples of the organization and administration of student affairs.
IV. MAJOR COURSE GOALS:
Cognitive
1. Become aware of the necessary interaction of the parts of higher education.
2. Become aware of how to address the components to improve performance.
3. Become aware of the relationship between theory and practice by using an experiential sample and practical examples from higher education institutions.
Behavioral
1. Develop skills in finding information to inform decision-making.
2. Develop capabilities to effectively present opinions and criticism to other professionals.
3. Develop capabilities to effectively develop and make a presentation based on research in student affairs.
Affective
1. Determine whether one is suited to a career in higher education.
2. Identify a match between personal interests and professional opportunities in higher education, particularly in Student Affairs areas.
V. COURSE OUTLINE (tentative):
MODULE 1
A. August 18, 2014
Introduction to the course
Syllabus review
Information about the text and Inside Higher Education
Student posting process
Grading strategies
Examinations
Assignments
MODULE 2
B. August 24, 2014
Presentation of Chapter 1 of text: Understanding the Range of Postsecondary Institutions and Programs
Explanation of the course posting process
C. August 31, 2014
Presentation of Chapter 2 of text: Key Leadership Positions and Performance Expectations
D. September 7, 2014
Presentation of Chapter 3 of text: The Role of Internal Governance, Committees, and Advisory Groups
E. September 14, 2014
Presentation of Chapter 4 of text: Student Governance and Involvement in Institutional Leadership
F. September 21, 2014
Presentation of Chapter 5 of text: Administrative Aspects of Accreditation and Assessment
G. September 28, 2014
Assignment of Mid-Term Examination
No text chapter reading assignments
No posting requirements
MODULE 3
H. October 5, 2014
Presentation of Chapter 7 of text: A Guide to the Development of an Institutional Plan
Comments about midterm examination
I. October 12, 2014
Presentation of Chapter 6 of text: The Nature and Role of Budget Processes
J. October 19, 2013
Presentation of Chapter 10 of text: Effectively Managing Human Resources in the 21st Century
K. October 26, 2014
Presentation of Chapter 12 of text: Developing Crisis Management and Emergency Plans
L. November 2, 2014
Presentation of Chapter 13 of text: Key Legal Aspects for Higher Education Administrators
MODULE 4
M. November 9, 2014
Assignment of final summation project
No text chapter reading assignments
No online article posting
N. November 16, 2014
Continuation of final summation project
No text chapter reading assignments
No online article posting
O. November 23-30, 2014
FALL SEMESTER BREAK.
No presentations
No assignments
P. November 30-December 5, 2014
Continuation of final summation project
VI. COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND EVALUATION PROCEDURES
A. Course requirements
This course is designed for entry into the higher education workplace. Requirements for the course reflect typical workplace expectations of all employees, and on occasion the heightened expectations for leaders.
1. Participation policy: participation each week of the course is expected, to simulate best practices in the workplace. Participation is demonstrated by weekly student assignments, which include finding and sharing information and participating meaningfully in discussions, to simulate best practices in the workplace.
If a student fails to post for whatever reason, excusal must be sought in advance of the deadline, as would be the case in the workplace. The grade may be docked for failure to post, similar to a consequence for failure to complete an assignment in the workplace.
2. Timeliness policy: submission of material on a timely basis is expected, as is the best practice in the workplace. Assignments are expected during the week of a given chapter in the text, so that other students may respond to your work. The summation project is to be submitted by an announced deadline.
3. Assignments:
A. For each week a new text chapter is introduced, a blog page post must be made to share a digital article from a credible and accessible source that demonstrates a point germane to the chapter.
For each post, the student must offer an explanation about how the digital article relates to the text. There is not a right or wrong response, but is rather a demonstration of independent thought and articulation of that thought. This is similar to the best practice in the workplace of offering ideas and suggestions regarding workplace or professional issues.
B. For each week a new text chapter is introduced, students must join one or more discussion threads following a discussion prompt I will provide. Discussions will occur on the discussion board page. Again, there is not a right or wrong response position. The purpose of these responses is to develop a practice of thoughtful and professional commentary about the work of others, as is a best practice in the workplace.
C. The mid-term examination is designed to test the integration of information gathered over an extended period of time (several text chapters and posts) and to offer a response that indicates an ability to locate and summarize points of information. This process is similar to best practices in the workplace where consideration of individual points of information gathered over time forms the basis for an appropriate response.
D. The summation project will be defined toward the latter part of the course. The project will be designed to incorporate information presented and obtained throughout the course, and will give students an opportunity to prepare and present a project that demonstrates their understanding of the material addressed by the course.
3. Grading:
1. Ten weekly article postings (an online article related to the text and a personal response to the digital article) may be worth up to five points. 5 points per week X 10 weeks = 50 points possible.
2. Ten weekly discussion postings (an individual discussion post and one or more discussion responses to other student discussion posts) may be worth one point per week. 1 point X 10 weeks = 10 points possible.
3. The midterm exam has 20 points possible.
4. The final project has 20 points possible.
5. The end-of-course evaluation has 5 points possible.
There are 105 points possible for quality performance in all course categories. Grades are assigned on the following scale:
- A = 90 points and above
- B = 80-89 points
- C = 70-79 points
- D = 60-79 points
- F = 59 points and below
VII. SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS
A. In postings, on exams, and in the summary project written responses are expected to have proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation befitting a master’s level student. Use spelling and grammar checks on the computer and proof read your work. This simulates workplace best practices for written communication.
B. Citations for digital articles used in posts, in exams, and in the summation project must indicate the URL label for the source. Copy and paste the URL into the response. This information is helpful to others interested in your work and reflects a workplace best practice of attribution of sources.
C. Personal contact between a student and the professor for the course is invited and encouraged. Contact may be made through email at any time and responses will be made as quickly as possible. The email exchanges will be retained for subsequent reference. A student may reach the instructor at .
D. Because this in an online class, various services are available to support students in the online environment, including the Blackboard Help Desk (972-3839). The course instructor provides course content information rather than technical support.
VIII. PROCEDURES TO ACCOMMODATE STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Aspects of this course will be modified as appropriate to accommodate students with disabilities. Students who have special needs related to disabilities that have been documented by the Arkansas State University Office of Disability Services should inform the professor as early in the semester as possible to arrange appropriate modifications. Students who have not documented a disability with the Office of Disability Services must do so before requesting modifications.