MCOM 389.D01.02.

03
PORTFOLIO & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
CREDIT HOURS, 3
FALL 2010
MONDAY/WEDNESDAY/FRIDAY, 09.00-09.50AM
BEADLE HALL, ROOM 113

Dr. Stacey Berry | Beadle Hall 111 | 605.256.5269 | stacey.berry@dsu.edu | https://d2l.sdbor.edu/

Office Hours MWF, 08.00-09.00A, 10.00-11.00A
TR, 11.00A-01.00P
and by appointment

Course Description
from Dakota State University: 2009-2010 Undergraduate Catalog, 233.
MCOM PORTFOLIO AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. Planning, creation, and production of
portfolios and other professional materials.

Course Goals

This class is designed to help students assess their own skills and career interests, compile personal
documents, develop an effective and targeted portfolio, and enhance job interviewing skills. A portfolio,
for our purposes, is a coherent set of materials, including work samples and reflective commentary on
them, compiled by an individual to represent his or her skills, training, and work experience.

Prerequisites and Technology Skills

This class has no specific prerequisites. As part of the 300-level sequence, the expectation is that
students have begun to create a mature body of work from which to draw on for the creation of their
portfolio. The course might be better suited to those students nearing the completion of their degree
programs; however, senior status is not required.

Students must have a D2L account and access to a computer, a web browser, and web authoring and
multimedia software to use in the creation of the portfolio. All documents and back-up copies of
assignments are the responsibility of the student.

Required Textbooks

Your Career: How to Make It Happen, 7E, by Julie Griffin Levitt & Lauri Harwood, Thomson South-
Western ; ISBN: 0-538-730099-4; (2010)

Additional readings, videos, and handouts on D2L and may be added as necessary.
 MCOM389.D01.02.03 2

Course Delivery and Instructional Methods

A variety of traditional and online learning approaches will be used, including lecture, group discussion,
collaborative instruction, and portfolio assessment. We will spend significant time not only in individual
processes and discovery, but also in small and large groups working collaboratively and sharing and
responding to each other’s work.

Grading

E-Portfolio 25%
Hard-copy Portfolio 15%
Career Management Folder 20%
Final Portfolio 10% [70% for polished work]

Study Guides 15%

Attendance and Participation 15% [30% for process]

This system of grading rewards you for timely serious effort on daily assignments and in workshops. It
gives extra weight to your highest level of achievement near the end of the semester.

More specific grading criteria for assignments and class participation are available via the course shell.

Classroom Policies

Attendance
I make no distinction between excused and unexcused absences—you are either here or you are
not. If you experience some kind of catastrophic event that will interfere with your participation
in the class, please let me know as soon as possible.

Habitual tardiness will affect your final grade.

Participation
Earning high marks for attendance and participation means not only that you turn up, but that
you are prepared. You must actively participate in discussion and in group work.

Make-up Policy
In general, I do not accept late work for credit. Nor do I allow you to make-up work that you
missed if you were absent from class.

See the Trojan Handbook for more specific details regarding “Student Conduct Policies and Procedures”
(http://www.dsu.edu/documents/0910-student-handbook.pdf).

If I need to cancel class, I will try to post a message on D2L and send an email. Missing classes is rare for
me, but if after 15 minutes I have not arrived, and there are no other signs or messages, please assume
that class is cancelled.
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Assignment Guidelines

Paper Specifications

All formal writing assignments must be typed in Times New Roman 12-point font and double spaced
with one-inch margins. Headings and documentation must conform to MLA style. All individual
assignments will be outlined during class, and the information will be posted to our course shell. Late
papers will not be accepted.

The written work for this course and included in your portfolio should be free of mechanical errors and
conform to the conventions of standard written English. Use the DSU Reference Guide (or another
writing handbook), spell checking systems, and a college-level dictionary.

Please make use of the DSU Tutors or the DSU Writing Lab.

ADA Statement

If you have a documented disability and/or anticipate needing accommodations (e.g., non-standard note
taking, extended time on exams or a quiet space for taking exams) in this course, please contact the
instructor. Also, please contact Dakota State University’s ADA coordinator, Keith Bundy (located in the
Student Development Office in the Trojan Center Underground or via email at Keith.Bundy@dsu.edu or
via phone (605-256-5121) as soon as possible. The DSU website containing additional information,
along with the form to request accommodations, is available at http://www.dsu.edu/student-
life/disability-services/index.aspx. You will need to provide documentation of your disability. The ADA
coordinator must confirm the need for accommodations before officially authorizing them.

Academic Honesty Statement

Cheating and other forms of academic dishonesty run contrary to the purpose of higher education and
will not be tolerated in this course. All forms of academic dishonesty will result in a failing grade in the
course and may lead to expulsion from the University. Please be advised that when the instructor
suspects plagiarism, the Internet and other standard means of plagiarism detection will be used to
resolve the instructor’s concerns. DSU’s policy on academic integrity (DSU Policy 03-22-00) is available
online (http://www.dsu.edu/hr/policies/03-22-00.aspx).

Freedom in Learning Statement

Students are responsible for learning the content of any course of study in which they are enrolled.
Under Board of Regents and University policy, student academic performance shall be evaluated solely
on an academic basis and students should be free to take reasoned exception to the data or views
offered in any course of study. It has always been the policy of Dakota State University to allow students
to appeal the decisions of faculty, administrative, and staff members and the decisions of institutional
committees. Students who believe that an academic evaluation is unrelated to academic standards but
is related instead to judgment of their personal opinion or conduct should contact the dean of the
college which offers the class to initiate a review of the evaluation.
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Use of Tablet PC in the Classroom

The Tablet PC platform has been adopted across the DSU campus for all students and faculty, and tablet
usage has been integrated into all DSU classes to enhance the learning environment. Tablet usage for
course-related activities, note taking, and research is allowed and encouraged by DSU instructors.
However, inappropriate and distracting use will not be tolerated in the classroom. Instructors set policy
for individual classes and are responsible for informing students of class-specific expectations relative to
Tablet PC usage. Failure to follow the instructor’s guidelines will hinder academic performance and may
lead to disciplinary actions. Continued abuse may lead to increased tablet restrictions for the entire
class.

Because tablet technology is an integral part of this course, it is the student’s responsibility to ensure
that his/her Tablet PC is operational prior to the beginning of each class period.