Business Communications II – OST230

3 Credit Hours

 

Mrs. Melynda Barks                                                                            Office #34         Hours TBA

Phone (573) 518-2245                                                                   E-mail:  mbarks@mineralarea.edu

 

I.                 Description of Course:  Students will complete units of study designed to supplement and reinforce information necessary for entry-level employees.  Major topics covered include:  making presentations, verbal and nonverbal communications, listening and telephone techniques, written communications, decision making and problem solving, business etiquette/netiquette, business ethics, cultural diversity, customer service, and changing/communicating among generations.  Topics are used in relation to communicating with technology in the office.

 

II.               Course Materials:  Communication Technologies, Gehris, Dennis O., and Linda F. Szul, Prentice Hall, 2002.

 

III.              Course Objectives:

1.      To better understand the concepts of communication technology and telecommunications.

2.      To understand the present state of communication technologies.

3.      To understand electronic mail as a major communication technology application.

4.      To understand more about teleconferencing, its applications, and types of systems.

5.      To better understand voice processing and facsimiles.

6.      To understand wireless communications and how it relates to the business world today.

7.      To understand telecommuting and electronic data interchange.

8.      To be introduced to the Internet, Intranets, and the history of both.

9.      To better understand electronic mail discussion groups and newsgroups and the relationship to the workplace.

10.   To learn how the World Wide Web is used pertaining the business world and how information is accessed via the Web.

 

IV.              Course Competencies:  Upon completion of this course the student will be able to:

1.      Demonstrate skills using communication technologies in the workplace.

2.      Understand and apply the importance of skills learned.

3.      Make informed and ethical decisions using communication technologies.

 

V.               Evaluation:  Chapter projects, vocabulary, questions, discussion question, quizzes, and chapter exams.

 

VI.              Assignment Due Dates:  The due date for each assignment will be announced.  NO LATE WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED.

 

VII.            Missed Assignments and Exams:  Missed exams may NOT be made up. One exam score will be dropped at the end of the semester.  I will not drop the final exam score. IT IS THE STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO TAKE THE EXAMS WHEN AVAILABLE.  MISSED POP QUIZZES MAY NOT BE MADE UP.

Attendance:  Weekly postings will stand for attendance.  Generally, a student may be dropped for non-attendance following excessive absences, as determined by the instructor.  If a student plans to withdraw from the course, it is his/her responsibility to officially withdraw from the class.  If an official withdrawal has not been processed through the Registrar’s office by the beginning of final exams, a score of 0 will be assigned to all uncompleted work and the final grade computed in accordance with Section VII above.

 

VIII.          Special Needs:  If you have special needs as addressed by the Americans with Disabilities Act and need any test or course materials provided in an alternative format, notify your instructor immediately.  Reasonable efforts will be made to accommodate your special needs.

IX.             Academic Honesty:  Students who engage in dishonest acts such as plagiarism or other forms of cheating in meeting the requirements of this course will be notified by the instructor that they are receiving a “)” for the assignment and/or an “F” for the course.  Students who wish to appeal the decision of the instructor on a matter of dishonesty may do so under the Procedural Policy for Disciplinary Action.  (Under that policy, the student is subject to suspension from college for acts of dishonesty.)

 

X.               Use of College Open Labs:  Student may use only college software; no personal software is allowed in the labs.  No college software will be illegally copied for personal, education, or business use.  No college software or hardware may be removed from the labs.  Personal, non-educational use of lab equipment and supplies is to be restricted.  NO FOOD OR BEVERAGES ARE ALLOWED IN THE CLASSROOM.

 

This syllabus represents the planned objectives, content, learning experiences, evaluation process, and competencies.  The instructor reserves the right to alter the syllabus as needed.