This course reviews the challenges of group management and personnel management in a technical organization. Students examine core functions of a technical group-level manager for planning, organizing, controlling, and leading. The course introduces topics relevant to technical group managers, including ethical leadership, team building, innovation environment, customer responsiveness, recruiting, hiring, compensation, delegation, motivation, performance management, conflict management, and organizational learning. Students address typical organization management situations and apply concepts to address expectations and challenges for a group-level manager in a technical organization.
The course materials are divided into modules. The modules can be accessed by clicking Course Modules on the left menu in your course Canvas site. A module will have several sections including the overview, content, readings, lecture/videos, discussion, assignment, journal entry, and self-check quiz. Students are encouraged to preview all sections of the module before starting. Modules run for a period of seven (7) days and exceptions are noted on the Course Outline. You should regularly check the Calendar and Announcements for assignment due dates. All assignments are graded under Grades on Canvas.
The Announcements tool normally will be used for important bulletins, grade distributions, reminders, and assignment clarifications and announcements or updates may in some cases be sent to the e-mail address that appears in the course roster (course registration) for the student.
The Technical Organization Management (TOM) course is one of the five core courses required for the Engineering Management Program. The TOM course is intended to prepare the student for group management and personnel management roles in a technical organization. The TOM course is intended to provide the student with a foundation of the primary aspects of a manager in a technical organization for planning, organizing, controlling, and leading.
Required:
Jones, G.R., & George, J. M. (2022). Contemporary Management (12th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
This textbook is available as either a rental or loose-leaf format:
ISBN 13: 978-1-260-73515-4
ISBN 10: 1-260-73515-X
Boyett, J., & Boyett, J. (1998). The Guru Guide: The Best Ideas of the Top Management thinkers. Wiley & Sons.
This textbook is available as print on demand:
An alternate 2000 edition (April 2000) of the Guru Guide may also be used, which has the same ISBN:
Textbook information for this course is available online through the appropriate JHU EP bookstore website: BNC Virtual Bookstore:
https://bncvirtual.com/vb_home.php?FVCUSNO=36172&url=jhu-ep.htm
Not Required (Optional):
American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
There are currently no other optional textbooks recommended. Any textbooks that you may have from previous courses within the Engineering Management program may also be useful for this course, as optional secondary sources.
American Psychological Association (APA) Style is the required standard for citing and documenting sources which influence a student’s thinking. Please use APA Format for all citations of sources. You may visit the JHU Library page on APA Formatting for assistance: https://guides.library.jhu.edu/citing/apa. Students may also refer to the optional textbook for APA for this class (listed above).
The course assignments (to include assignments (individual), discussions (online), team assignments (project), and final reflection paper) are meant to help students to hone their thinking and writing skills. The instructors want students to be better writers, and given that then, grammar, sentence structure, spelling and so forth are important. The instructors also expect students to cite your references (using APA format). This will help you to present a more informed opinion, offers to others "where to go" for more information, and gets you in the habit of properly citing source material. It is also ethically important that you give credit for the thoughts of others either directly or those that inspired your thinking in a particular direction [If you are not familiar with the Academic Integrity Policy of JHU, the instructors encourage you to review this policy]. Please offer at least one reference (for each question) that has influenced your thinking for individual assignments and for online discussion posts (as described below under Coursework Requirements). Further references would be expected for the team assignments and the final reflection paper.
Other links for potential reference on the APA style made provide additional information:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
https://www.mendeley.com/guides/web-citation-guide
https://www.apastyle.org/
Microsoft Office is the expected standard for the submission of homework and other assignments. All submissions should use Microsoft Office Word and should be saved in .doc(x) format (preferred). Some assignments will also require use of Microsoft Excel for submissions. Microsoft PowerPoint will be needed for the Team Project. Access to Microsoft Project might be helpful but is not required.
It is expected that each module will take approximately 8–12 hours per week to complete (typically not more than 10 hours to complete). Here is an approximate breakdown: reading the required assigned sections of the textbooks/eReserves (approximately 3–4 hours per week) as well as some outside reading; listening to the audio annotated slide presentations (approximately 1–2 hours per week); and individual assignment (approximately 3-4 hours per week; writing or equivalent alternative such as recording a video), online discussion (approximately 1-2 hours per week), journal (approximately 1-2 hours per week), self-check quiz (optional). There is a self-check quiz (optional) included for each module, which is not graded and intended for the student to assess their learning in the module.
1. Class Participation - (20% of Final Grade Calculation, including the original posting and responses to fellow students, and Office Hours participation).
The 20% for Class Participation is comprised of 15% for online module discussions and 5% for sync sessions attendance (or post-office hours review).
There will be 11 discussion questions during the semester. Online discussion grading is based on the quality of responses to class online discussion questions and the quality of responses to student posts (or occasionally instructor posts). Graduate-level work is expected. For this, responses should be complete to make your position clear to the reader in the context of technical organization management concepts by referencing material provided (e.g., course text, articles, and video clips) at a minimum. Grading for online discussions will follow a rubric, which will contain specific information on criteria, weighting, and levels of achievement, as described below. Class Participation will be based upon a 4-point scale. Grading for the online discussion question will be based upon a 3-point scale. The Class Participation (Sync Session attendance or alternative summary submission) will be worth 1 point (1-point scale). Class Participation only applies for those weeks for which there is a Module discussion question. Each online discussion will close at the end of the module, and will reopen for student reference to the material, after the instructors have completed grading the online discussion.
Each student is responsible for carefully reading all assigned material, reviewing/listening to the lecture material, and being prepared for the online module discussion. Many of the readings are from the course text with additional readings assigned to supplement the course text. Note: Each week there will be required reading (unless otherwise noted) and optional reading identified under each Module’s Readings section. Optional reading is intended to supplement the student’s learning and is not a required part of the Module reading expectations. Student participation in online module discussions is imperative for a successful interactive class experience. Lessons learned and past experiences provide the entire class with a broader perspective of the topics being discussed. Throughout the semester, each student is required to submit postings to the assigned discussion threads. Online discussion citations will follow APA style format, however APA style format double spaced lines are not used for online discussion posts.
Part one of the students’ grade for a discussion question is the initial written post by the student in response to a discussion question and is one component of the student’s grade for class discussions (comprised of the quality of the original response and its timeliness). An initial post should be about 200 to 250 words. Post your initial post by the fourth day (Thursday) and no later than the sixth day of the module (Saturday).
It is expected for students to leverage course materials (textbook, lectures, course readings) to support their response to the initial discussion post (except when the discussion prompt indicates to utilize external sources). Students are not required to use in-text citations (nor provide a reference list following APA style guidelines) for the initial discussion post when using course materials. An in-text citation and reference list (following APA style guidelines) is expected to be included for the use of external sources or direct quotations. Direct quotations should always be cited when used. The initial post is worth up to 60% of the available points for the discussion portion of the grade.
Part two of the student’s grade for a discussion question is based on the quality of student interactions with peers (comprised of responses to at least two of the other students’ responses). Post your response to two peers by the evening of day 6 (Saturday) for the module week (no later than the seventh day of the module (Sunday). Additional posts may be provided. The quality of student interactions will be evaluated for substance, clarity, relevance, and diversity of thought. Student interactions shall remain civil and constructive.
Each response to peer posts should be about 100 to 125 words. It is expected for students to leverage course materials (textbook, lectures, course readings) to support their response to each peer post. Students are not required to use in-text citations (nor provide a reference list following APA style guidelines) for peer posts using course materials. An in-text citation and a reference list (following APA style guidelines) should be included for the use of external sources or direct quotations. Direct quotations should always be cited when used. The response to peers is worth up to 40% of available points for the discussion portion of the grade. Each peer response is equally weighted.
Demonstration of critical thinking and timeliness in terms of being part of the online discussions are factors considered in grading participation in the online discussions. The goals of these discussions are to (a) thoroughly examine the topic area, (b) apply critical thinking skills, and (c) establish a repository of research material to be used throughout the semester. The best responses are “significant” in nature. The definition of “significant” posting is one that: (a) covers all parts of discussion posting, (b) properly referenced, and (c) demonstrating critical thinking skills (opinion should be separated from fact).
Guidelines on Postings/Timeline (Timeline is used in grading and included in the grading rubric):
The instructors may offer a partial or alternative assignment to the online class discussions based on discussions during Sync Sessions. If the instructors offer this, at their discretion, further information will be provided to the students during the semester.
The late policy for online module discussions is included below under the heading “Grading.”
In addition to the late policy below, the post to two peers’ component will not be considered for grading if submitted after the module closes (which is typically Sunday after the module opens). The initial post component will be considered for grading if submitted after the module closes (with the deductions as described below in the late policy).
Part three of the student’s grade will consist of their participation in Sync Sessions. Students who attend Office Hours live will automatically receive this credit towards their Class Participation grade.
To receive credit to the participation grade, students not attending Sync Sessions will be expected to submit to the instructors a summary (via Canvas) of the main points discussed during Sync Sessions after reviewing (listen/view) the Zoom recording. Sync Sessions attendance or submitting the summary (via Canvas) to the instructors, will be part of the class participation grade when there is an online discussion for a module. It is expected that the student will review (listen/view) the Sync Session recording and submit a summary of at least 100 words. The summary should provide 3 to 5 main points, learning points, or takeaways which were the most impactful or meaningful for yourself from the Sync Sessions, either as individual sentences or as a composite paragraph. The post-office hours summary must be submitted by the end of that Module when the Module discussion closes, normally on Sunday night (11:59PM U.S. Eastern Time).
The instructors will monitor class discussions and may participate to guide the discussions. In some instances, the instructors may summarize the overall discussions and post the summary for the module.
2. Assignments (Individual) - (25% of Final Grade Calculation)
There will be 5 individual assignments during the semester. Assignments will include a mix of scenario assignments (e.g., literature reviews, scenario’s, case study summaries). APA style guidelines will be the source for formatting (to include font, spacing, and other elements). Grading for assignments will follow a rubric, which will contain specific information on criteria, weighting, and levels of achievement.
Referencing of course material is expected for all assignments (required). Please offer at least one citation (per question in each assignment) that is represented or referenced in your response or has influenced your thinking for your response. External sources may be used to supplement or augment the response (and should also be properly referenced, following the APA style guidelines). Refer also to the Required Writing Resources section in this syllabus.
In addition to APA style guidelines, each homework assignment should include the following elements:
Assignments (individual assignments) should be about 1,000 words (with a typical range of 800 – 1,500 words) in length. As a guide: double-spaced, 1,000 words would produce about 4 pages on average. Refer to the APA Publication Manual for general assignment formatting and formatting for citations. Line spacing should be double-spaced between text lines. The preferred font type is Times New Roman with 12-point size. Team assignments (Module 3, Module 6, Module 9) will be longer (additional word count), as described below under Team Assignments.
All assignments are due according to the dates in the Calendar (as listed in Canvas for due dates).
The late policy for assignments is included below under the heading “Grading”.
Assignments are graded according a rubric, considering the following criteria:
Note: Each week there will be required reading (unless otherwise noted) and optional reading identified under each Module’s Readings section. Optional reading is intended to supplement the student’s learning and is not a required part of the Module expectations.
There will be 3 team assignments during the semester. The team assignments (also referred to as the Team Project) are introduced in Module 3, during the third module of the course. The Team Project will be comprised of assignments given during 3 modules during the semester.
The 30% for Team Assignments is comprised of 3% for the first team assignment (Module 3), 9% for the second team assignment (Module 6), and 18% for the team assignment presentation (Module 9).
The Team Assignments (Team Project) will begin during Module 3 (first assignment), continue in Module 6 (second assignment), and continue in Module 9 (third assignment). For the Module 6 and Module 9 assignment, the team will have two weeks each to complete the assignment (the Module 3 assignment will be allowed 1 week for completion). The Module 9 team assignment will culminate in a Team Presentation. The Team Presentation will be submitted as a recording at the end of Module 10.
All team members are expected to participate and contribute to the Team Project (as team assignments), as assigned in Module 3, Module 6, and Module 9 (including the presentation by the team with the recording due in Module 10). Team members will be asked to provide team member participation ratings for the team, at the end of the Team Project (under Module 11).
For each team assignment(s), including the Team Presentation, each team member will receive the same composite team grade taking into consideration the team submission by one team member (as requested).
Team members are asked to contact the instructors if there are concerns about the participation or communication of any team member(s) for the team assignments for the Team Project. The instructors at their discretion will re-evaluate the grade of a student(s) that is not considered to be participating or not contributing to the team assignment(s) and/or may assign an alternate individual assignment to the student(s) considered to be not participating or contributing.
The Team Assignments (Written Assignments) grading will follow a rubric and consider factors specific to the team assignment:
The Team Presentation (Video Recording and Presentation File [typically including talking points/script]) will follow a rubric and be evaluated with consideration of several factors:
The 3 team assignments will vary in length and the expectations for these assignment details will be provided under Canvas for each of the assignments under Module 3, Module 6, and Module 9, respectively.
4. Final Reflection Paper (including Journal) - (25% of Final Grade Calculation)
There will be 12 journal entries during the semester, with 1 mid-term journal submission (with journal entries for module 1 through 7) and 1 final reflection paper submission (with journal entries for module 1 through 12 included as an appendix).
Journal:
The Journal will represent 5% of the 25% grade for the Final Reflection Paper. Of the 5% for the Journal, the Mid-Term Journal (Module 1 through 7) grade will represent 3% and the remainder of the Journal entries (Module 8 through Module 12) will represent 2%.
Students should use the journal template provided under Module 1 as a Word file (which the student should download and use each subsequent Module through Module 12 for journal entries). Each student will be asked to establish and maintain a journal throughout the semester to support the final reflection paper. Each student will be asked to record thoughts and facts throughout the semester under each module, with guidance for the Journal entry provided under each Module. The journal will be reviewed with comments provided by the instructor at mid-term (graded) and the journal will be an input source into the reflection paper. The student will submit the Journal at the end of Module 8 to include Journal entries up through Module 7. The instructors will review and grade the mid-term Journal Entries. The final Journal (covering Modules 1 through 12) will be included as an Appendix to the Final Reflection Paper. This appendix (of Journal entries) will be submitted as a separate document (file) on Canvas, along with the Final Reflection Paper, instead of one contiguous document (file).
Final Reflection Paper:
The Final Reflection Paper will represent 20% of the 25% grade for the Final Reflection Paper (with the mid-term journal and journal appendix representing the other 5% of the 25%). The final reflection paper assignment (instructions) will be available to students at the start of Module 13 (11/18/2024) at 12:00AM (Midnight) and two weeks will be allowed for the paper which will then be due on 12/08/2024 at 11:59PM (U.S. Eastern Time). Students will have that period of time to complete the paper. Students may use the course text, lectures, assigned course readings or any properly identified and referenced material to complete the final reflection paper.
The final reflection paper will be evaluated following a rubric. The final reflection paper rubric will be available on Canvas.
The final reflection paper should consider the full breadth of learning during the course. The student responses should consider all course material in a composite context and demonstrate understanding of the full course curriculum. Students are strongly encouraged to provide rationale supported by examples and references, including external references (use of external references is optional) in completing the final reflection paper. Referencing of course material is expected for the final reflection paper (required).
The final reflection paper will require the student to address 9 module topics from the course framework for Planning, Organizing/Controlling, Leading; with some module topics being required:
The final reflection paper is expected to be 4,000 – 6,000 words in length (5,000-word target). As a guide: double-spaced, 4,000 words would produce about 16 pages on average. The assignment details will be provided under Canvas for the Module 13 assignment. To further elaborate on the grading rubric considerations, refer to the final reflection paper rubric on Canvas. For graduate-level writing and research standards, students are expected to meet or exceed graduate-level English and scholarship standards. The final reflection paper will consider grammar, style, as well as content. Research sources external to course materials should be appropriately referenced (APA format and style guidelines).
Student assignments are due according to the dates in the Calendar (and due dates listed under each module's assignment items in the corresponding modules. The instructors will post grades approximately one week after assignment due dates.
Grading Late Policy
As you students know, this is not an Independent Study Course. Your active participation is a course requirement. Distant Learning offers some additional flexibility as students do not have to be in the same spot every week at the same time to do your academic work. However, that flexibility does not extend to submission dates. These are Hard Dates. Your work is always due NLT 11:59 pm U.S. Eastern Time (JHU Main Campus is U.S. Eastern Time zone) each Sunday evening (the last day of the module).
If a student thinks they will have an issue with a particular submission in advance, please send the instructors an email with a request for an extension, the reason, and the proposed new date. The instructors understand unexpected events or changes to plans do occur, so the instructors try to be as flexible as possible. However, the instructors are balancing their lives also, and have planned our time to get the grading accomplished and so forth. Please be considerate of the instructors, as well.
If something happens unexpectedly; and it might; please send an email to the instructors and make sure that email occurs before the assignment is due. After the fact does not help. The instructors must keep a level playing field for everyone; therefore, the instructors reserve the right to deny the request. [There was previously one student that asked every week for a new submission date, which is not fair either. That is the type of request that will be denied.] If an emergency occurs that does not allow for advance notice, please contact the instructors (via email preferably) as soon as this is practical.
If your work is late, then here are the penalties for this course. Let us know if you have any questions. Bottomline: communicate early to the instructors.
Enforcement of deadlines for activities which require interaction with other students, such as weekly discussion board postings, follows these guidelines, too.
Grading Expectations
The instructors generally do not directly grade spelling and grammar. However, egregious violations of the rules of the English language will be noted without comment. Consistently poor performance in either spelling or grammar is taken as an indication of poor written communication ability that may detract from your grade.
A grade of A indicates achievement of consistent excellence and distinction throughout the course that is, conspicuous excellence in all aspects of assignments and discussions in every week.
A grade of B indicates work that meets all course requirements on a level appropriate for graduate academic work. These criteria apply to both undergraduates and graduate students taking the course.
Grading Scale:
100% - 97% = A+
<97% - 93% = A
<93% - 90% = A−
<90% - 87% = B+
<87% - 83% = B
<83% - 80% = B−
<80% - 77% = C+
<77% - 73% = C
<73% - 70% = C−
<70% - 67% = D+
<67% - 63% = D
<63% - 0%
Final grades will be determined by the following weighting:
Item | % of Grade |
Class Participation/Discussions (Including Office Hours) | 20% |
Assignments (Individual) | 25% |
Team Assignments (3 Assignments, Including Team Presentation) | 30% |
Final Reflection Paper (Including Journal) | 25% |
Deadlines for Adding, Dropping and Withdrawing from Courses
Students may add a course up to one week after the start of the term for that particular course. Students may drop courses according to the drop deadlines outlined in the EP academic calendar (https://ep.jhu.edu/student-services/academic-calendar/). Between the 6th week of the class and prior to the final withdrawal deadline, a student may withdraw from a course with a W on their academic record. A record of the course will remain on the academic record with a W appearing in the grade column to indicate that the student registered and withdrew from the course.
Academic Misconduct Policy
All students are required to read, know, and comply with the Johns Hopkins University Krieger School of Arts and Sciences (KSAS) / Whiting School of Engineering (WSE) Procedures for Handling Allegations of Misconduct by Full-Time and Part-Time Graduate Students.
This policy prohibits academic misconduct, including but not limited to the following: cheating or facilitating cheating; plagiarism; reuse of assignments; unauthorized collaboration; alteration of graded assignments; and unfair competition. Course materials (old assignments, texts, or examinations, etc.) should not be shared unless authorized by the course instructor. Any questions related to this policy should be directed to EP’s academic integrity officer at ep-academic-integrity@jhu.edu.
Students with Disabilities - Accommodations and Accessibility
Johns Hopkins University values diversity and inclusion. We are committed to providing welcoming, equitable, and accessible educational experiences for all students. Students with disabilities (including those with psychological conditions, medical conditions and temporary disabilities) can request accommodations for this course by providing an Accommodation Letter issued by Student Disability Services (SDS). Please request accommodations for this course as early as possible to provide time for effective communication and arrangements.
For further information or to start the process of requesting accommodations, please contact Student Disability Services at Engineering for Professionals, ep-disability-svcs@jhu.edu.
Student Conduct Code
The fundamental purpose of the JHU regulation of student conduct is to promote and to protect the health, safety, welfare, property, and rights of all members of the University community as well as to promote the orderly operation of the University and to safeguard its property and facilities. As members of the University community, students accept certain responsibilities which support the educational mission and create an environment in which all students are afforded the same opportunity to succeed academically.
For a full description of the code please visit the following website: https://studentaffairs.jhu.edu/policies-guidelines/student-code/
Classroom Climate
JHU is committed to creating a classroom environment that values the diversity of experiences and perspectives that all students bring. Everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect. Fostering an inclusive climate is important. Research and experience show that students who interact with peers who are different from themselves learn new things and experience tangible educational outcomes. At no time in this learning process should someone be singled out or treated unequally on the basis of any seen or unseen part of their identity.
If you have concerns in this course about harassment, discrimination, or any unequal treatment, or if you seek accommodations or resources, please reach out to the course instructor directly. Reporting will never impact your course grade. You may also share concerns with your program chair, the Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, or the Office of Institutional Equity. In handling reports, people will protect your privacy as much as possible, but faculty and staff are required to officially report information for some cases (e.g. sexual harassment).
Course Auditing
When a student enrolls in an EP course with “audit” status, the student must reach an understanding with the instructor as to what is required to earn the “audit.” If the student does not meet those expectations, the instructor must notify the EP Registration Team [EP-Registration@exchange.johnshopkins.edu] in order for the student to be retroactively dropped or withdrawn from the course (depending on when the "audit" was requested and in accordance with EP registration deadlines). All lecture content will remain accessible to auditing students, but access to all other course material is left to the discretion of the instructor.