BCM 247, Business CommunicationThis is a Web-based course taught by Dr. Marsha L. Bayless.
Instructor Contact Information
Dr. Marsha L. Bayless
email: mbayless@sfasu.edu
(936) 468-1496
Link to instructor's home page at http://www.faculty.sfasu.edu/f_baylessml/Course Description
Application to business of logical and psychological communication principles through letters, memos, reports, and oral presentations.Textbook Requirements (required texts)
Johnson, B. S., & Bayless, M. L. (2005). Business Communication, Fourth Edition. Houston, TX: Thomson. ISBN 0-759-33810-8.
Study Guide for Business Communication, (2005). Fourth Edition, Johnson & Bayless, Houston, TX: Thomson. ISBN 0-759-34159-1.Course Prerequisites
Completion of Prerequisites: 6 hours from English 131, 132, 133H, or 235 and keyboarding skills of 30 wpm.Course Format and Participation Requirements
The format for this course includes scheduled assignments and deadlines, offline reading assignments and projects, online readings and participation using web pages, email, discussion boards, and chat. The course includes scheduled online quizzes and exams. The course also requires some scheduled face-to-face meetings as indicated below. All exams are online. To be successful in this course, the typical student should plan to spend at least 6-10 hours per week working on this course.On-campus or Face-to-Face Meeting Requirements
This course will have two face-to-face meetings on campus. The first will be on Thursday, September 7, and will consist of a meeting with your team members, directions about upcoming assignments [oral presentation and report], and the opportunity to ask questions. The second meeting will be on Thursday, October 12, and will consist of making oral presentations and a discussion of other key elements of the course. The meetings will be from 4:00-6:30 p.m. on those Thursdays. The course will also have optional bonus chats. The chats will also be in the 4:00-6:30 Thursday framework.Course Assessment
Team Members – Teams will be assigned at the first face-to-face meeting on Thursday, September 7, 2006. This course will require two major projects working with the team: the oral presentation (100 points) and the written report (350 points). Your involvement with the team is important. The official channel of communication is your “team discussion board” on WebCT. Use this approach to send attachments and communicate with each other. This will be the way that I can determine if we have difficulties with team members. You should not make your team chase you around. It is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to keep in touch with your team about your activities. If you lose interest in the course or lose touch with your team, you are in danger of making an oral presentation by yourself and writing a report by yourself to obtain a passing grade in the course. Participating in a team is not an option—it is required. Your team may choose to meet in person or may wish to work virtually.
If a team member is not performing effectively, the other members of the team may decide to divorce the team member. The team members will write a memo to me that will be posted on the team’s discussion board providing appropriate details. The divorce will not be final until I have reviewed the memo and details. A divorced student will be expected to complete the remaining team activities. No team points will be awarded. For example, on the report, 30 points are awarded for team participation. A divorced member would earn 0 points. An additional penalty deduction of 20 points will also be assigned.
Oral presentation – The oral presentations will be presented by teams on the face-to-face meeting on Thursday, October 12. If for some reason, you are unable to be present to make your team presentation, you have the following options: 1) Inform the team that you will be making an individual presentation (This option will require that you videotape your presentation using VHS, VHS-C, or digital tape and deliver or mail the tape to the instructor. You should have an audience of at least three people visible during your presentation. The audience does not have to be members of the class.) 2) Meet with your team and have the whole team videotape the presentation using one of the formats in step 1 with an audience of at least three people at a time of your convenience. Mail or deliver the videotape to the instructor. I think you will find it easier to show up and give your presentation in person rather than trying to locate a video camera, an audience and tape the presentation. However, you do have that option.In order to receive a passing grade, each student MUST complete a written formal report and must make the oral presentation as well as earning sufficient points to pass the course.
Electronic mail will be an integral part of the course. This communication link will provide another way to communicate with the instructor and other class members.
Grading Scale
A 90-100% of total points
B 80-89% of total points
C 70-79% of total points
D 60-69% of total points
Estimated Distribution of Points
Tests: Mid_term exam Ch 1-5 100
Pre_final exam Ch 6-10 100
Final exam Ch 11-15 100
Computer-based writing exams:
Exam 1 Positive news message 100
Exam 2 Negative news message 100
Exam 3 Persuasive message 100
*Formal report+ 270
Team participation (written report) 30
Team participation (oral presentation) 10
Research assignment for formal report 50
*Oral presentation++ 100
Out-of-class writing assignments/quizzes/
use of electronic mail/study guide 90
Online quizzes 50
Total points (estimated) 1200
*Students MUST COMPLETE these items in order to earn a passing grade in the course.
+Students will write the formal report cooperatively. A team of students (as determined by the instructor) will work together on the report. More information will be provided later. If a student is expelled from a group, he/she will be expected to write the report individually using the same standards as the team who writes the report. In addition, an expelled student will not receive team points—the score will be 0 of 30 points.
++Oral presentations will be team presentations (unless circumstances force some individual presentations) and will use a different topic from the formal report.Effort Expected
This is a 3-credit-hour course. You should expect to work 1 to 3 hours per week for each credit hour. To be successful in this course you should expect to spend about 3 hours a week on readings, assignments, discussions, and other activities. This estimate is for the fall and spring semesters; if the course is offered during the summer course, more time per week may be necessary.Technical Requirements for the Course
Other than the minimum technical requirements for any course, students will need Microsoft Word software for writing assignments, Microsoft PowerPoint for oral presentation and to view slide presentations. If you choose to not attend the face-to-face meeting to give your oral presentation, you will be responsible for obtaining a video camera and computer running Powerpoint to use in your presentation.Before the Course Begins
Complete the Getting Started area of sfaonline. Register and pay for the course just as you would any other SFA course. As soon as you are registered, please send an email message to the instructor. Carefully read and complete all steps of Getting a myCourses Username and PIN. F-1 Visa Holders
RESOURCE LINKS:
There are important federal regulations pertaining to distance education activity for F-1 Visa holders. All students with an F-1 Visa should follow the instructions at the following link to make sure they are in compliance.
http://www.oit.sfasu.edu/disted/facsup/f1visa.html
Prepare for an online course: Getting Started Order your textbooks online: Textbooks Log on to your course: myCourses Logon SFA has a mandatory email policy:
