Syllabus

Page 1 of 6

GE347—Group Dynamics
Note: The course syllabus describes how the course will be taught and how the materials and activities are planned. Please print the syllabus for your reference.

Course Description
In this course, students examine elements of successful teams and small decision-making groups. Emphasis is on communication, critical thinking and group process techniques. Quarter Credits 4

Instructional Contact Hours 40 Instructional Methods Prerequisite Courses Co-requisite Courses 40 hours theory 0 hour lab GE117 Composition I or equivalent None

Objectives
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Explain the importance of group dynamics. Critique the performance of groups/teams in a variety of scenarios. Evaluate the use of problem-solving and decision-making techniques for virtual groups/teams. Apply theories of small group communication during small group activities. Apply ethical standards while participating in groups/teams. Apply critical-thinking and analysis skills to overcome obstacles and improvise solutions as a leader within small groups. 7. Use the ITT Tech Virtual Library for research and information necessary to complete assignments and projects.

SCANS Objectives SCANS is an acronym for Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills. The committee, created by the National Secretary of Labor in the early 1990's, created a list of skills and competencies that the committee feels are necessary for employees to function in a high technology job market. 1. Select relevant, goal-related activities, rank them in order of importance, allocate time to activities, and understand, prepare, and follow schedules. 2. Assess knowledge, skills, and talent and distribute work accordingly, evaluate performance and provide feedback. 3. Monitor performance actively and provide constant feedback. 4. Evaluate relevant information, and organize, maintain, analyze, interpret, communicate, and use applicable information. 5. Apply technology to acquire, organize, analyze, and communicate information to foster effective and efficient groups. 6. Apply theoretical principles and practices to a current situation. 7. Work cooperatively with others and contribute to a group with ideas, suggestions, and effort. 8. Demonstrate competence in helping others to apply related concepts and theories to a task. 9. Demonstrate competence in exercising leadership by encouraging, persuading, convincing, or motivating an individual or group. 10. Work toward an agreement that may involve exchanging specific resources or resolving divergent interests. 11. Explain the techniques used to meet the challenges related to working with individuals with different ethnic, social, or educational backgrounds.

http://www.content.distance-education.itt-tech.edu//cliksdmrroot/content_directory/mount...

3/21/2012

Syllabus

Page 2 of 6

Major Instructional Areas
The following key content areas will be covered in this course:
      

Group dynamics in real and virtual teams Managing communication in small groups and teams Analyzing effectiveness of team meetings Group presentations Managing tasks in small groups and teams Managing conflict in real and virtual teams Applying group leadership techniques

Course Outline
This course is designed to be taught over 11 weeks. The following is a break down of the course into its lessons with specific activities that support the learning objectives. Note: Where the start and end of an activity are not specified, the assignment must be completed and submitted in the same week. Week # 1—Computer Mediated Group Communication Activities for the Week




  

Read from Communicating in Small Groups: Principles and Practices:  Chapter 13, "Computer Mediated Group Communication," pp. 338–360 Lesson Presentation  Lesson 1: Computer Mediated Group Communication Writing Assignment: 1 Discussion: 1 Research Assignment: Introduction Read from Communicating in Small Groups: Principles and Practices:  Chapter 1, "Introducing Group and Team Principles and Practices," pp. 9–21, and pp. 28–30 Lesson Presentation  Lesson 1: Group and Team Principles Writing Assignments: 1 and 2 Discussion: 1 Read from Communicating in Small Groups: Principles and Practices:  Chapter 3, "Group Formation," pp. 58–76 Lesson Presentation  Lesson 1: Forming Groups Writing Assignments: 1 and 2 Writing Assignment: Introduction Read from Communicating in Small Groups: Principles and Practices:  Chapter 8, "Preparing to Collaborate," pp. 205–209  Chapter 12, "Leadership," pp. 312–332 Lesson Presentation  Lesson 1: Leadership

2—Group and Team Principles



  

3—Forming Groups



  

4—Collaboration and Leadership





http://www.content.distance-education.itt-tech.edu//cliksdmrroot/content_directory/mount...

3/21/2012

Syllabus

Page 3 of 6

  

Writing Assignments: 1, 2, and 3 Research Assignment: Submission Course Project: Introduction Read from Communicating in Small Groups: Principles and Practices:  Chapter 2, "Small Group Communication Theory," pp. 38–56 Lesson Presentation  Lesson 1: Theories of Small Group Communication Writing Assignments: 1, 2, and 3 Read from Communicating in Small Groups: Principles and Practices:  Chapter 4, "Relating to Others in Groups and Teams," pp. 79–109 Lesson Presentation  Lesson 1: Relating to Others in Groups and Teams Writing Assignments: 1 and 2 Discussion: 1 Course Project Part 1 Read from Communicating in Small Groups: Principles and Practices:  Chapter 5, "Improving Group Climate," pp. 114–130 Lesson Presentation  Lesson 1: How to Improve Group Performance Writing Assignments: 1 and 2 Discussion: 1 Course Project Part 2 Read from Communicating in Small Groups: Principles and Practices:  Chapter 7, "Managing Conflict," pp. 168–199 Lesson Presentation  Lesson 1: Managing Conflicts Writing Assignment: 1 Discussion: 1 Read from Communicating in Small Groups: Principles and Practices:  Chapter 9, "Making Decisions and Solving Problems," pp. 229–235 Lesson Presentation  Lesson 1: Decision Making and Problem Solving Writing Assignments: 1, 2, and 3 Course Project Part 3 Read from Communicating in Small Groups: Principles and Practices:  Chapter 10, "Using Problem-Solving Techniques," pp. 260–274 Lesson Presentation  Lesson 1: Using Problem-Solving Techniques Writing Assignments: 1 and 2 Discussion: 1 Course Project Part 4 Read from Communicating in Small Groups:

5—Theories of Small Group Communication







6—Relating to Others in Groups and Teams





  

7—How to Improve Group Performance



   

8—Managing Conflict



  

9—Decision Making and Problem Solving in Groups





 

10—Systematic Problem Solving In Groups



   

11—Creativity in Groups and



http://www.content.distance-education.itt-tech.edu//cliksdmrroot/content_directory/mount...

3/21/2012

Syllabus

Page 4 of 6

Teams

   

Principles and Practices:  Chapter 11, "Enhancing Creativity in Groups and Teams," pp. 286–304 Lesson Presentation  Lesson 1: Creativity in Groups and Teams Writing Assignment: 1 Discussion: 1 Course Project

Note: You will be placed in one team for the entire quarter to complete the various assignments together, including work due in Week 3 and the final project.

Instructional Materials and References
Student Textbook Package


Textbook: Beebe, Steven A., John T. Masterson, Thomas E. Harris, and John C. Sherblom. Communicating in Small Groups: Principles and Practices, Custom Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Custom Publishing, 2007.

References ITT Tech Virtual Library (The ITT Tech Virtual Library is offered by ITT Tech to enhance your learning experience. Log on to the ITT Tech Virtual Library to access online books, journals, and other reference resources selected to support ITT Tech curriculums. You can access the ITT Tech Virtual Library by clicking the VIRTUAL LIBRARY tab at the top of the Course Dashboard.) The following resources are not required for this course but contain relevant reading materials, which you may refer to for further enrichment of your learning experience. ITT Tech Virtual Library (http://library.itt-tech.edu)


> Books> Ebrary:  Benson, Jarlath F. Working More Creatively with Groups. 2nd ed. New York City: Routledge, 2000.  Croasdell, David, Andrea Fox, and Suprateek Sarker. Systems Development by Virtual Project Teams: A Comparative Study of Four Cases. Hershey, PA: Idea Group Publishing, 2002.  Earley, Christopher P., and Cristina B. Gibson. Multinational Work Teams: A New Perspective. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2002.  Edwards, Abigail, and John R. Wilson. Implementing Virtual Teams: A Guide to Organizational and Human Factors. Burlington, VT: Gower Publishing Limited, 2004.  Fong, Michelle W. L. E-Collaborations and Virtual Organizations. Hershey, PA: IRM Press, 2004.  Frey, Lawrence R. Group Communication in Context: Studies in Bona Fide
  

Groups. 2nd ed. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2003. Gignac, Francine. Building Successful Virtual Teams. Norwood, MA: Artech House, Inc., 2004. Godar, Susan H., and Sharmila Pixy Ferris. Virtual and Collaborative Teams. Hershey, PA: Idea Group Publishing, 2004. Haslam, Alexander S. Psychology in Organizations: The Social Identity



Approach. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2004. Heckman, Robert, Dave Maswick, and Jamie Rodgers. The Impact of Information Technology on Roles and Role Processes in Small Groups. Hershey, PA: Idea Group Publishing, 2000.

http://www.content.distance-education.itt-tech.edu//cliksdmrroot/content_directory/mount...

3/21/2012

Syllabus

Page 5 of 6



Hildreth, Paul M. Going Virtual: Distributed Communities in Practice. Hershey, PA: Idea Group Publishing, 2003.  Jones, Robert, Robert Oyung, and Lise Pace. Working Virtually: Challenges of Virtual Teams. Hershey, PA: Cybertech Publishing. 2005.  Kleiner, Art. Who Really Matters: The Core Group Theory of Power, Privilege, and Success. New York: Doubleday Publishing, 2003.  Kock, Ned. Business Process Improvement Through E-Collaboration: Knowledge Sharing Through the Use of Virtual Groups. Hershey, PA: Idea Group Publishing, 2005.  Kostner, Jaclyn. Bionic e-Teamwork: How to Build Collaborative Virtual Teams at Hyperspeed. Chicago IL: Dearborn Trade Publishing, 2001.  Ottaway, A. K. C. Learning Through Group Experience. London: Routledge, 2000.  Pauleen, David J. Virtual Teams: Projects, Protocols and Processes. Hershey, PA: Idea Group Publishing, 2003.  Paulus, Paul B., and Bernard A. Nijstad. Group Creativity: Innovation through Collaboration. NY: Oxford University Press, 2003.  Phillips, Julie. Groupwork in Social Care: Planning and Setting up Groups. Philadelphia, PA: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2001.  Ringer, T. Martin. Group Action: Dynamics of Groups in Therapeutic Educational and Corporate Settings. NY: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2001.  Roberts, Timothy S. Online Collaborative Learning: Theory and Practice. Hershey, PA: Idea Group Publishing, 2003.  Snair, Scott. Stop the Meeting I Want to Get Off!: How to Eliminate Endless Meetings While Improving Your Team's Communication, Productivity, and Effectiveness. New York City, NY: McGraw-Hill Professional, 2003.  Knippenberg, Daan van, and Michael A. Hogg. Leadership and Power: Identity Processes in Groups and Organizations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2004. > Program Links:  General Education/Technical Basics> Recommended Links> Group Dynamics> Academy of Achievement  General Education/Technical Basics> Link Library> GE347 Group Dynamics


Course Tools
Hardware
    

Pentium III or equivalent PC-compatible (Macintosh or Unix-based machines are not supported) 256 MB RAM (512 MB preferred) CD-ROM 2 GB free space (5 GB preferred) on master hard drive 56 Kb modem (Cable or DSL connection strongly preferred)

Software
   

Windows XP or 2000 (or higher) Microsoft Office Professional 2003 (or higher) Internet Explorer 6.0 (or higher) and Functional e-mail address with file attachment capabilities

Course Evaluation and Grading
Assignments are constructed from and directly related to objectives. Assignments will be graded by the

http://www.content.distance-education.itt-tech.edu//cliksdmrroot/content_directory/mount...

3/21/2012

Syllabus

Page 6 of 6

instructor. You can check your grades at any time by clicking "Activity & Grade Report" on the Course Dashboard. The allocation of grades is based on the following criteria: Evaluation Criteria Table Categories Discussions Writing Assignments Weights 20% 25%

Research Assignment 5% Course Project Part 1 10% Course Project Part 2 10% Course Project Part 3 10% Course Project Part 4 10% Course Project Total 10% 100%

Grading Conversion Table Grade Percentage Credit A B+ B C+ C D+ D F 90–100% 85–89% 80–84% 75–79% 70–74% 65–69% 60–64%