MPA eQuad
As an active MPA student you have access to the MPA eQuad located on your eTroy Blackboard page under "Organizations". The MPA eQuad is your immediate access point to information and links for suggested course sequencing, course concentrations, registration, MPA and eTroy forms, major program requirements, professional opportunities, MPA program orientation, faculty advising, "live" chat access and much more. Visit the MPA eQuad 24/7 for the latest program happenings and to review the available resources. Please take approximately 4 minutes to view this video link http://www.screencast.com/t/M1lEiJpBlf to find out what the MPA eQuad can do for you.

COURSE INFORMATION:

Course Prerequisite: PA 6624

DESIRED COMPETENCY:

Students will be able to identify and apply key legal concepts to public sector employment issues to explain complex human resources issues and defend appropriate actions using case analysis methodologies.

Method of Instruction

This is an eTROY class. It is not a “correspondence course” in which a student may work at his/her own pace. Each week there will be assignments, on-line discussions, and/or exams with due dates. Refer to the Course Schedule in this syllabus for more information.

Student Expectation Statement

• Interaction will take place primarily via the course discussion board supported by email as needed. Weekly postings are required to the discussion board in response to posted assignments. I will respond to each posting and provide general responses to the class.
• In addition to instructor-student interaction, student to student interaction is expected in the discussion board, and specific group assignments will be posted that require such interaction. I assess that interaction by reviewing the group discussion board I will create for each group.
• Students are to participate in this course by following the guidelines of this syllabus and any additional information I will provide during the term.
• The student is expected to remain in regular contact with the instructor and class via email or other communication means by participating in the discussion forums, submitting assignments, and taking exams.
• TROY expects instructors to respond to student emails within 24 hours Monday-Thursday and 48 hours Friday-Sunday, but I normally respond to all questions issues within 24 hours, and usually faster.
• As the instructor, I will communicate on the Blackboard.com Announcements page, in the discussion board for the appropriate week and/or via email. Check your email, the announcements section of Blackboard and especially the discussion board area daily.

Internet Access

Since this is an on-line class, students must have access to a working computer and access to the internet. Students can use the TROY computer lab, a public library, etc., to insure they have access. “Not having a computer” or “computer crashes” are not acceptable excuses for late work. Have a backup plan in place in case you have computer problems.

Useful Web Sites for This Course:

See the External Links section in Blackboard.

TEXTBOOKS AND OTHER REQUIRED MATERIALS:

Remington, John; Heiser, Richard; Smythe, Cyrus F. and Sovereign, Kenneth L. (2012). Human Resources Law, 5th ed. Saddle River, NJ. ISBN: 978-0-13-256889-0.

The textbook provider for the eTROY of Troy University is MBS Direct. The Web site for textbook purchases is http://bookstore.mbsdirect.net/index.htm.

Students should have their textbook from the first week of class. Not having your textbook will not be an acceptable excuse for late work. Students who add this course late should refer to the “Late Registration” section for further guidance.

PROFESSIONALLY SUGGESTED READINGS: Visit online resources I will provide to the class once the course begins.

You are required to apply concepts from the core courses in PA 6699.  Accordingly retain your textbooks from this course to support work in the PA6699 Capstone in Public Adminsitration Course.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS/ASSIGNMENTS:

a. Class Preparation and Participation: Students are expected to read all assigned material and to participate in class discussion. Active participation will enhance understanding of the course material. Weekly Participarion is required and failure to submit weekly discussions on time will result in significant grade reduction.

b. Group Case Analysis Presentation: Students will be assigned to groups to prepare a group case analysis presentation using the Case Analysis Worksheet available via the link below as the guide for creating the cases analysis, with at least one slide persection. The assigned cases will be provided at the end of Week 1 when groups are assigned.

c. Legal Issues Analysis Paper: Students must prepare and discuss in class, a legal issues or case analysis paper on a topic approved by the instructor. A topic consistent with one of the text Chapter 2 thgrough 11 areas, must be submitted by week three of the course for instructor approval. Legal issues analysis papers should follow the legal development of a particular area of employment case law or if a case analysis is chosen, case analysis papers should examine a specific problem in accordance with the TROY Case Analysis Worksheet (as modified in class) available at the following the link (Case Analysis Worksheet). Papers should represent the student's best effort in academic writing, using traditional academic style according to the APA style guide. The paper will be used to judge student achievement of student learning outcomes identified above.

d. Examination: A final examination, designed to measure students' understanding of and ability to integrate course material will be administered during week eight of the term.

Examination Schedule and Instructions: A three to four hour closed book final examination will be administered during Week 8 of the course and will consist of complex essay questions and/or cases requiring students to explain and apply course concepts and case analysis methodology. The course final examination will not require a proctor, but it will be an online examination to be completed in Blackboard with security arrangements to be detailed during the course.

METHOD OF EVALUATION AND ASSIGNMENT OF GRADES:

Failure to participate in the course may result in an FA grade which has the same impact as an F grade.

COURSE POLICIES:

Submitting Assignments
Weekly assignments must be posted to the discussion board by the submission deadline. I do not permit attachments in the discussion board (except for the group presentation). Instead, text should be pasted directly into the discussion board submission to allow me and your classmates to read the material online without opening another program. The weekly assignments will be the primary interaction mechanism for the course. Instructor comments and discussion of student submissions will be provided each week. These assignments will assist the student in preparing for the examination, all portions of which will have been discussed in this manner.

Technology requirements: See eTROY Policies and Procedures in Blackboard, but keep in mind technology problems are not an acceptable excuse for late work.

Submit papers in Standard English using a 12-point format, 1-inch margins, and double spacing in MS-Word format. The American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines are the standards for writing and referencing papers in the MPA program. Use the APA Research Style guidelines found at:

lhttp://troy.troy.edu/writingcenter/research.html

Failure to submit assignments on time will result in point deductions. Assignments posted to the appropriate discussion board area for the week by Sunday evening at 8:00 PM unless otherwise instructed. (note: Blackboard and I operate on US Central Time).

eTroy Courses At Troy University
All eTroy courses at Troy University utilize Blackboard Learning System. In every eTroy course, students should read all information presented in the Blackboard course site and should periodically check for updates—at least every 48 hours.

Site Map for Your Blackboard Course Site
To obtain a site map to enable students to navigate through the Blackboard course, please go to the Blackboard course site and click on the “Start Here” button found in the course functions menu on the left.

Late Registration
Students who register during the first week of the term, during late registration, will already be behind, but are still expected to meet all course deadlinescatch without exception. Students who do not feel they can meet deadlines should not enroll in the class.

Also note that late registration may mean you do not receive your book in time to complete Week #1 or 2 assignments. Not having your book on the first day of class is not an excuse for late work after the deadlines in the Schedule.

ATTENDANCE POLICY: Although physical class meetings are not part of this course, participation in all interactive, learning activities is required. Student assignments and student/instructor communications will be conducted primarily via Blackboard, although students may also contact me via telephone, mail, or e-mail as necessary. Weekly class participation will be used as the attendance in the course, and weekly scores will be assigned for participation. As such, students must actively participate to earn participation points and verify their "attendance" from week to week. Inability to participate for "excused periods" must be coordinated with the instructor ahead of time except in an emergency. Unexcused absences from weekly discussions/interaction will be assessed a penalty, and even excused absences must be limited to allow proper class interaction.

MAKE UP WORK POLICY:  Missing any part of this schedule may prevent completion of the course.  If you foresee difficulty of any type (i.e., an illness, employment change, etc.) which may prevent completion of this course, notify the instructor as soon as possible.  Failure to do so will result in failure for an assignment and/or failure of the course.  See “Attendance,” above. If I have not heard from you by the deadline dates for assignments, exams, or forums, no make-up work will be allowed (unless extraordinary circumstances existed, such as hospitalization). Requests for extensions must be made in advance and accompanied by appropriate written documentation if the excuse is acceptable to the instructor. "Computer problems" are not an acceptable excuse.

Policy for Requesting and Granting an Incomplete
Missing any part of the Course Schedule may prevent completion of the course. If circumstances will prevent the student from completing the course by the end of the term, the student should complete a request for an incomplete grade.

Note: A grade of Incomplete or “I” is not automatically assigned to students, but rather must be requested by the student by submitting a Petition for and Work to Remove an Incomplete Grade Form. Requests for an incomplete grade must be made on or before the date of the final assignment or test of the term. The form will not be available after the last day of the term. A grade of “I” does not replace an “F” and will not be awarded for excessive absences. An Incomplete will only be awarded to a student presenting a valid case for the inability to complete coursework by the conclusion of the term. It is ultimately the instructor’s decision to grant or deny a request for an incomplete grade, subject to the policy rules below.

Policy/Rules for granting an Incomplete (I)

An incomplete cannot be issued without a request from the student.
• To qualify for an incomplete, the student must:
a. Have completed over 50% of the course material and have a documented reason for requesting the incomplete (50% means all assignments/exams up to and including the mid-term point, test, and/or assignments).
b. Be passing the course at the time of their request.

• If both of the above criteria are not met an Incomplete cannot be granted.
• An Incomplete is not a substitute for an F. If a student has earned an “F” by not submitting all the work or by receiving an overall F average, then the F stands.

Please see the Graduate Catalog for information on the time limit for removal of an Incomplete as well as student responsibilities. No incomplete may exceed nine weeks from the date it is assigned.

STANDARDS OF CONDUCT AND PLAGIARISM
The awarding of a university degree attests that an individual has demonstrated mastery of a significant body of knowledge and skills of substantive value to society. Any type of dishonesty in securing those credentials therefore invites serious sanctions, up to and including suspension and expulsion (see Standards of Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures section in The Oracle: The Troy University Student Handbook and the University Wide Regulations section in the Troy University Graduate Catalog).  Examples of dishonesty include actual or attempted cheating, plagiarism, or knowingly furnishing false information to any university employee.

Be sure to review the Troy Plagiarism StatementApproved by Academic Steering Committee (June, 2011) which may be accessed in Blackboard under the Syllabus Button.

eTROY Policies and Procedures

Click on the syllabus link in Blackboard to review all important eTROY policies and procedures you are responsible to understand and comply with. Contact me for any questions.

TROY E-Mail

Just a reminder that all e-mail correspondence from me will go to your TROY e-mail account. Be sure to check it frequently, and be sure to empty the account of old e-mails from time to time so your account storage is not exceeded, which would result in e-mails being rejected causing you to miss important notices.

COURSE SCHEDULE/CALENDAR OF WEEKLY ASSIGNMENT:

(Any required weekly work is due by 8:00 PM, Sunday of the week in question unless otherwise posted, as necessary, due dates are further explained in the discussion board area of the course): MATERIAL SUBMITTED AFTER THE DUE DATE WILL RECEIVE A GRADE PENALTY OF AT LEAST TEN POINTS PER DAY. Weekly assignments will be posted in the Weekly Assignment folder in Blackboard at the appropriate time, and will consist of weekly discussion questions and ethics scenarios for student submission in the corresponding Weekly Discussion Board for my review and response.

Week One: Introduction; Read Remington et. al. Chapter 1 and in the discussion board respond to the questions posted in the Week 1 assignment folder.

NOTE: Weekly postings are due by 8:00 PM Sunday evening of each week unless otherwise instructed and are to be poosted directly into the Discussion Board, not submitetd as attachments.

Week Two: Read Remington et. al. Chapter 2 & 3 and in the discussion board respond to the questions posted in the Week 2 assignment folder.

Week Three: Read Remington et. al. Chapter 4 & 5 and in the discussion board respond to the questions posted in the Week 3 assignment folder.

Week Four: Read Remington et. al. Chapter 6 & 7 and in the discussion board respond to the questions posted in the Week 4 assignment folder.

Week Five: Read Remington et. al. Chapter 8 & 9 and in the discussion board respond to the questions posted in the Week 5 assignment folder.

Week Six: Read Remington et. al. Chapter 10 & 11 and in the discussion board respond to the questions posted in the Week 6 assignment folder.

Week Seven: Read Remington et. al. Chapter 12 and in the discussion board respond to the questions posted in the Week 7 assignment folder.

Prepare and deliver the Group Cases analysis presentation by posting the PowerPoint as a link to the Week 7 Discussion Board.

NOTE: The final exam will be available after the seventh week for completion during week eight.

Week Eight: There will be no weekly postings required to allow students to complete the final exam planned for the eighth week of the course.

Week Nine: Course project and final exam discussions

(Projects are due by 8:00 PM, Wednesday evening of week nine to allow for discussion)

Course Design Matrix PA 6674