GEN 480
Interdisciplinary Capstone Course Program Council
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Course Syllabus
Course Title: GEN 480 Interdisciplinary Capstone Course
BSBM.04-08.BSMB0533A
Course Schedule: 04/08/08 to 05/12/08
Required Text: Paul, R., & Elder, L., (2002), Critical thinking: Tools for taking charge of your professional and personal life. Upper Saddle River, NJ, Prentice Hall. Paul, R., & Elder, L., (2003), The Miniature guide to understanding the foundations of ethical reasoning, The Foundation for Critical Thinking, Dillon Beach, CA.
Ruggiero, V., (2004), Thinking critically about ethical issues 6th edition, Burr Ridge, IL, McGraw-Hill. Electronic Resources: Note: All required text materials can be found on the GEN/480 course page. The page can be accessed through the University of Phoenix Student and Faculty Website at https://mycampus.phoenix.edu/

Instructor’s Name: Jan Macomber
UOP E-mail Address: jmacomber@email.phoenix.edu

Alternative E-mail Address: jmacomber@cox.net phone: 702-799-0950 Welcome!
[img src="@6435946"]

Welcome to Gen 480 Interdisciplinary Capstone Course. My name is Jan Macomber and I will be your facilitator for this course. I have posted my autobiography in our chat room so that we may become better acquainted. I look forward to sharing learning and discussion opportunities with you.
Course Description
This is the capstone course for business, health and human services, and information technology undergraduate students. The course provides students with the opportunity to integrate and apply learning from their professional programs of study in a comprehensive manner. Students will also assess the impact of their educational experiences on their ethical perspectives and critical thinking skills. Students will reflect on and evaluate their personal and professional growth, the benefits of lifelong learning, and the impact of these elements on their future.
Topics and Objectives
Reflection
• Explain the value of the general education component of the professional degree program.
• Analyze the value of a degree program to professional and personal development.
• Demonstrate the ability to apply University of Phoenix program content within a professional context.
• Evaluate the impact of completing the University of Phoenix Bachelor's Degree program on current and future professional goals.
Critical Thinking and Ethics
• Examine your personal and professional perspective in ethics.
• Apply critical thinking to professional decision-making process.
• Analyze the relationship among ethics theory, critical thinking, and professional behavior.
• Critically assess your own and others' skills and abilities.
• Evaluate the effect of completing the University of Phoenix Bachelor's Degree program on your critical-thinking abilities, behavior, and decision-making.
Professional Skills
• Assess the evolution of the university learning goals (Professional Competence and Values, Critical thinking and Problem Solving, Communication, Information Utilization, and Collaboration) with respect to your professional life.
Lifelong Learning
• Reflect upon the role of learning and its importance to your personal growth and development.
• Recommend possible avenues for continuing education and professional advancement.
• Establish the relationship between completing the University of Phoenix Bachelor's Degree program and lifelong learning.
Point Values for the Course Assignments ASSIGNMENTS Due Points
Individual (73%)
Class Participation (8 pts. total) Weekly Discussion Questions, including Week 5 Course Summary and Final Peer Review (10 pts. total) All 18
Ethics Awareness Inventory W1 5
Professional Workplace Dilemma Paper W2 15
Critical Thinking Case Study W3 20
Past, Present, and Future Paper W4 15 Learning Team (27%)
Learning Team Skills Assessment Paper and Matrix W2 4
Learning Team Analysis of Business Specialties W3 4
Learning Team Role Identification W4 4
Learning Team Consultant Scenario Paper and Presentation W5 15 Total 100
Course Changes
Please note that the instructor’s assignments may vary from the original syllabus you received from the student web page. Assignments in this document take priority. While the reading assignments and learning objectives remain the same, some of the assignments in this syllabus have been customized for this particular section.
Attendance and participation
In order to receive 100% for class participation in any given week, you must meet the following expectations.
1. You are expected to participate in a minimum of four days out of seven days per week by posting a minimum of 2 substantive notes on each of the four days for a total of 8 notes per week. The posting of original replies to Discussion Questions (DQs) are not included in the count. The notes must be posted to the Main Classroom forum. Assignments are not considered postings and are not a part of your participation grade.

2. You are expected to contribute to the class discussion in meaningful ways. Only substantive discussion on class topics in the Main Classroom forum will be counted toward your class participation grade. Failure to participate in class discussion can result in an additional reduction of your academic grade.

3. Substantive discussion means moving the discussion forward and building on the remarks of your fellow students by contributing new and relevant information from the readings, posting thoughtful questions or sharing quotes, websites, and other supplementary information. I will also be watching to see if you are trying to integrate what you are learning in the class materials into your responses. Just saying, “I agree” is not enough to add to a discussion.

4. Your grade will be affected by the quality and timeliness of your responses.

5. Post-substantive responses to the Discussion Questions. 6. In addition, please read the ExAdmin message that is the first post in the Main Classroom concerning UOP’s Online attendance policy.
Where to Go to Class—Your Course Forums
Main: This is the main forum for the class and is where discussion is conducted. It has read-and-write access for everyone.
Chat-Room: This is a read-and-write access forum. It is designed as a place to discuss issues not related to the course content. This is the forum to which we will send our bios.
Course-Materials: This is a read-only forum, which means you can read messages here but cannot send any. This is where I will post the course syllabus and materials.
Learning-Team-A, B, C, D and E: These five Learning Team forums will be used as workrooms for the learning teams. You will be assigned to one of these learning teams.
Individual Forum: You will see one forum with your name on it. This is a private forum, shared only by you and me, the facilitator. Your classmates won’t have access to this forum. This is where you will post some of your individual assignments, and where I will post your feedback. You can also ask questions here. However, if you have general questions about instructions of assignments, please post those in the Main forum, since other students may benefit by that exchange as well.
Learning Teams
University of Phoenix students are expected to work effectively in diverse groups and teams to achieve tasks. They must collaborate and function well in team settings as both leaders and followers. They should respect human diversity and behave in a tolerant manner toward colleagues and peers.
Several of the assignments in this class will be completed in Learning Teams of three to five students. I will set up these teams midway through Week 1. If you have any requests for teammates, please let me know by Thursday of the first week via private email.
If you experience difficulties working with your team, you are expected to resolve them within the team if possible. However, please feel free to contact me for guidance if you have concerns in this area.
In order to create structure for your Learning Team, you will complete a Learning Team Charter during Week 1. The form for this charter is provided in a separate message in the Course-Materials forum.
You will complete a Peer Evaluation to assess the contributions of each member of your Learning Team (including yourself). I will take these Peer Evaluations into account when assessing individual contributions to the Learning Team projects. The Peer Evaluation form and instructions for posting are included in a separate message in the Course-Materials forum.
Because Learning Team projects are outcome-based, all members of your Learning Team will generally earn the same grade for Learning Team projects. However, I reserve the right to report different grades for different Learning Team members if I see a substantial imbalance in individual contribution.
Learning Teams should provide a brief summary of any communication held outside the forum. Therefore, if you hold conference calls, work in a real-time chat room, or get together outside the OLS (Online Learning System) environment in another way, please post a log, transcript, or summary in the Learning Team forum. Further, do not use any of these supplementary communication tools unless everyone on your Learning Team agrees to the method and to the schedule. If you have any questions, please contact me.
Late assignments
Late assignments (after 12:00 pm mountain standard time) will be penalized 10% for the first day late, 20% for the second day late, and 30% for the third day late. No assignments will be accepted more than 3 days late. Points will be deducted for all late assignments regardless of reason. No credit will be give for late discussion questions.

Deadlines will be defined as 11:59 p.m. MST. If you know you will be offline the day an assignment is due, please make sure to post it early. Anytime you feel that you might be falling behind in the course, it is best to contact me to discuss your situation. As noted in the first message posted in the Main forum, no assignments can be accepted after the final day of class.
If you have an assignment completed by the deadline but are unable to post it in the forum for technical reasons, you can send it to me by email to demonstrate that it was completed on time. However, you must post the assignment in the forum once that becomes available.
No assignments will be accepted following the last day of class.

Formatting assignments
Please note that all assignments with the exception of DQ responses are to be regarded as formal presentations. All assignments are to be prepared in Microsoft Word and formatted in accordance with APA guidelines per UOP policy. Such assignments may then be submitted. Failure to follow APA format will result in an automatic 1 point reduction for the assignment in question.

Attachments
Attachments cannot always be opened. If you submit an assignment as an attachment and I cannot open it, it will be considered late until it is submitted in readable form. All Office 2007 documents must be Saved As a previous version. You are ultimately responsible for the readability of your assignments.
Feedback
I will try to provide your feedback summaries within 2-3 days, but in all cases feedback for assignments and weekly grade summaries will be sent to your individual forums no later than 7 days after receipt.
Academic Honesty
Academic honesty is highly valued at each University of Phoenix campus. A student must always submit work that represents his or her original words or ideas. If any words or ideas are used that do not represent the student's original words or ideas, the student must make clear the extent to which such sources were used through the use of quotation marks or a freestanding indented block quotation (for a quotation of 40 or more words) followed by the appropriate citation in accordance with the APA manual. Words or ideas that require citations include, but are not limited to, all hardcopy or electronic publications, whether copyrighted or not, and all verbal or visual communication when the content of such communication clearly originates from an identifiable source. At the Online campus, all submissions to any public meeting or private mailbox fall within the scope of words and ideas that require citations if used by someone other than the original author
Academic dishonesty in an online learning environment could involve:
• Having a tutor or friend complete a portion of your assignments
• Having a reviewer make extensive revisions to an assignment
• Copying work submitted by another student to a public class meeting
• Using information from online information services without proper citation
If you have any questions about appropriate academic citations, you may want to review the "Plagiarism Tutorial.” This tutorial, provided by the Center for Writing Excellence, is designed for use by students to help you understand and avoid plagiarism. The tutorial is available on your Student Web page. Click Services and then select Center for Writing Excellence from the drop-down menu. Once you are on the CWE site, click Tutorials & Guides.
Academic Resources
Coursework in this class must uphold the high standards of academic integrity established by the University of Phoenix. Consequently, when you are conducting research for an assignment, the majority of your sources should be peer-reviewed academic journals, such as those you find in the University Library or in the additional readings on the rEsource page for this course.
PLEASE NOTE: Internet searches will often take you to non-academic information resources such as Wikipedia.com, Ask.com, Encarta.msn.com, Infoplease.com, etc. You may supplement your research with these sources, but keep in mind that the information you find there may not be accurate, since it does not come under a formal oversight or peer-review process.
While you may use and cite non-academic resources such as Wikipedia when working on assignments, you may not rely on them exclusively. The majority of your sources should be peer-reviewed academic journals. Further, remember that you are responsible for the accuracy of any facts you present in your assignments and therefore should confirm the veracity of information you find on non-academic sources through further research.
Confidentiality and Proprietary Information
One of the cornerstones of the University of Phoenix learning model is the practical application of theoretical concepts. You are encouraged to share your personal and professional experiences as a means to integrate knowledge by reflecting on its application. However, it is important to note that we all are bound by confidentiality in this class. To assure that we can have a free and open discussion in which you may elect to discuss your company and its policies and procedures as they apply to the course material, I expect each person to respect the confidentiality of what your classmates are willing to share with us. At the same time, I ask that each of you exercise good judgment in what you choose to share and avoid disclosing non-public or competitively-sensitive information.
It is University of Phoenix policy that students and faculty members must not share present or past employer information that is considered to be proprietary, confidential, company-sensitive, or protected trade secrets. Students are encouraged to examine their organization's limitations on sharing information externally.
Students and faculty members may appropriately choose to illustrate lessons from their experience that might challenge these boundaries, without identifying specific employers or individuals by name.
If you have any questions about any of the information contained in this syllabus, or about any other aspect of this class, please do not hesitate to ask! How points and percentages equate to grades 95 + A 74-76 C
90-94 A- 70-73 C-
87-89 B+ 67-69 D+
84-86 B 64-66 D
80-83 B- 60-63 D-
77-79 C+ - 59 F

Online Week
Day 1 - Tuesday
Day 2 - Wednesday
Day 3 - Thursday
Day 4 - Friday
Day 5 - Saturday
Day 6 - Sunday
Day 7 - Monday Week One
General Education and the Adult Learner
Reflection
• Explain the value of the general education component of the professional degree program.
• Demonstrate the ability to apply University of Phoenix program content within a professional context.
Critical Thinking and Ethics
• Examine your personal and professional perspective in ethics.
• Apply critical thinking to professional decision-making process.
• Analyze the relationship among ethics theory, critical thinking, and professional behavior.
• Critically assess your own and others' skills and abilities.
ASSIGNMENTS
€INDIVIDUAL
1. Read Chapter 1in the text Thinking critically about ethical issues.
2. Read Chapter 1 in the text Critical thinking: Tools for taking charge of your professional and personal life.
3. Read pages 2-15 in The Miniature guide to understanding the foundations of ethical reasoning.
4. Ethics Awareness Inventory (Due Week 1, Day 6 posted to your Individual forum)
Complete the Ethics Awareness Inventory and submit to your Individual folder.
[img src="@6435947"] LEARNING TEAM
1. Review the objectives from Week One, and discuss additional insights and questions that may have arisen.
2. Learning Team Skills Assessment Paper and Matrix (Due Week 2, Day 7 posted to the Main Classroom)
Refer to the University of Phoenix Material “Learning Team Consulting Firm Paper and Presentation” for directions to this week’s learning team assignment.
Week Two
Critical Thinking and Ethics; From Theory to Application
Critical Thinking and Ethics
• Examine your personal and professional perspective in ethics.
• Apply critical thinking to professional decision-making process.
• Analyze the relationship among ethics theory, critical thinking, and professional behavior.
• Evaluate the effect of completing the University of Phoenix Bachelor’s Degree program on your critical-thinking abilities, behavior, and decision-making.
Professional Skills
• Assess the evolution of the university learning goals (Professional Competence and Values, Critical thinking and Problem Solving, Communication, Information Utilization, and Collaboration) with respect to your professional life.
ASSIGNMENTS
€INDIVIDUAL
1. Read chapters 2, 7, & 12 in the text Critical thinking: Tools for taking charge of your professional and personal life.
2. Read Appendix A in the text Thinking critically about ethical issues.
3. Read pages 16-23 in the text The Miniature guide to understanding the foundations of ethical reasoning.
4.. Professional Workplace Dilemma Paper (Due Wk 2, Day 6 posted to your Individual forum)
Prepare a 700-1050-word paper analyzing a professional dilemma and values conflict that you experienced before you began your major course of study or during your program of studies at the University of Phoenix. Be sure to complete all three sections of the assignment.
Describe the experience:
a. What was the ethical issue you experienced?
b. Who was involved? (Please use only first names or initials for the participants.)
c. What was the relationship of the other individual(s) to you? Analyze the ethical dilemma:
a. Was there a difference in power and authority? Explain.
b. What were the ethics in question?
c. What personal values were in conflict?
d. What were the potential outcomes?
e. What were the potential consequences to you and the other parties involved? Evaluate the outcome
a. What was the outcome at the time?
b. What were the consequences to you and the other parties involved?
c. Based on what you have learned since you began your program of study at the University of Phoenix and through your continuing work experience, would you handle the situation differently or in the same way? Explain.
[img src="@6435947"] LEARNING TEAM
1. Review the objectives from Week Two, and discuss additional insights and questions that may have arisen.
2. Learning Team Analysis of Business Specialties (Due Week 3, Day 7 posted to the Main Classroom)
Refer to the University of Phoenix Material “Learning Team Consulting Firm Paper and Presentation” for directions to this week's learning team assignment.
Week Three
Critical Thinking, Ethics, and Making Personal and Professional Decisions
Critical Thinking and Ethics
• Apply critical thinking to professional decision-making process.
• Analyze the relationship among ethics theory, critical thinking, and professional behavior.
• Evaluate the effect of completing the University of Phoenix Bachelor's Degree program on your critical-thinking abilities, behavior, and decision-making.
Professional Skills
• Assess the evolution of the university learning goals (Professional Competence and Values, Critical thinking and Problem Solving, Communication, Information Utilization, and Collaboration) with respect to your professional life.
ASSIGNMENTS
€INDIVIDUAL
1. Read chapter 15 in the text Critical thinking: Tools for taking charge of your professional and personal life.
2. Read chapters 7, 8, 9, & 10 in the text Thinking critically about ethical issues.
3. Critical Thinking Case Study (Due Week 3, Day 6 posted to your Individual forum)
a. Select the link entitled, “Critical Thinking Case Study,” under the Assessment heading in Week Three of rEsource to review the case study.
b. Select the link entitled, “Critical Thinking Case Study Assignment,” located just below the case study to get access to the corresponding assignment.
The assignment will require the preparation of a report in two parts for the CEO of the organization highlighted in the case study:
1) Write an executive summary. (See example posted in the Course Materials forum)
2) Respond to the specific questions found under the assignment link.
[img src="@6435947"] LEARNING TEAM
1. Review the objectives from Week Three, and discuss additional insights and questions that may have arisen.
2. Learning Team Role Identification (Due Week 4, Day 7 posted to the Main Classroom)
Refer to the University of Phoenix Material “Learning Team Consulting Firm Paper and Presentation” for directions to this week's learning team assignment.
Week Four
Lifelong Learning: A Look to the Future
Reflection
• Analyze the value of a degree program to professional and personal development.
• Evaluate the impact of completing the University of Phoenix Bachelor's Degree program on current and future professional goals.
Critical Thinking and Ethics
• Apply critical thinking to professional decision-making process.
• Evaluate the effect of completing the University of Phoenix Bachelor's Degree program on your critical-thinking abilities, behavior, and decision-making.
Professional Skills
• Assess the evolution of the university learning goals (Professional Competence and Values, Critical thinking and Problem Solving, Communication, Information Utilization, and Collaboration) with respect to your professional life.
Lifelong Learning
• Reflect upon the role of learning and its importance to your personal growth and development.
• Recommend possible avenues for continuing education and professional advancement.
• Establish the relationship between completing the University of Phoenix bachelor's program.
ASSIGNMENTS
€INDIVIDUAL
1. Read chapters 8 & 9 in the text Critical thinking: Tools for taking charge of your professional and personal life.
2. Past, Present, and Future Paper (Due Week 4, Day 6 posted to your Individual forum)
This is a three-part paper of 1400-2100 words in which you will reflect on your personal and professional growth during your program of study at the University of Phoenix.
Part One: Reflect upon where you were in your personal and professional life when you started the University of Phoenix program.
a. How did you feel about the role of learning and its importance to your personal growth and development?
b. What was your level of professional competence in problem solving, written and oral communication skills, information retrieval and utilization, and collaboration?
c. What were your career goals?
Part Two: Evaluate the growth you experienced during your University of Phoenix program of study.
a. Evaluate how your courses and experiences in your University of Phoenix program have contributed to your growth, problem solving, written and oral communication skills, information retrieval and utilization, and collaboration.
b. Identify the two general education courses and the two core courses taken during your program of study that had the greatest impact on your current or potential employment. Explain why you selected these courses and how they have impacted your personal and/or work life positively. Be specific.
c. Recommend any changes or accommodations that would have enhanced or improved your University of Phoenix experience. Explain how your recommendations will enhance or improve the program for future students. Part Three: Analyze the impact of completing the University of Phoenix bachelor's program on your current and future professional goals?
a. Now that you have completed your program of study, how do you feel about the role of lifelong learning and its importance to your personal growth and development?
b. What are your personal, professional, and educational goals for the next five years?
1) What programs will you attend?
2) What skills or competencies will you continue to develop?
3) What professional organization(s) have you or will you join?
4) What conferences or workshops will you attend?
5) What additional degrees might you pursue?
[img src="@6435947"] LEARNING TEAM
1. Review the objectives from Week Four, and discuss additional insights and questions that may have arisen.
2. Learning Team Consultant Scenario Paper and Presentation (Due Week 5, Day 6 posted to the Main Classroom)
Continue working on the Learning Team Project. Refer to the University of Phoenix Material “Learning Team Consulting Firm Paper and Presentation” for directions to this week’s learning team assignment.
Week Five
Synthesis, Closure, and Next Steps
Professional Skills
• Assess the evolution of the university learning goals (Professional Competence and Values, Critical thinking and Problem Solving, Communication, Information Utilization, and Collaboration) with respect to your professional life.
Lifelong Learning
• Reflect upon the role of learning and its importance to your personal growth and development.
• Recommend possible avenues for continuing education and professional advancement.
• Establish the relationship between completing the University of Phoenix Bachelor's program and lifelong learning.
ASSIGNMENTS
€INDIVIDUAL
1. Read chapters 13 & 14 in the text Critical thinking: Tools for taking charge of your professional and personal life.
2. Learning Team Consultant Scenario Paper and Presentation (Due Week 5, Day 6 posted to the Main classroom)
a. Submit the final Learning Team Consultant Scenario Paper.
b. Deliver the final Learning Team Consultant Scenario Presentation.

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7
Wk 1 Tues 4/08 Wed 4/09 Thurs. 4/10 Fri. 4/11 Sat. 4/12 Sun. 4/13 Mon.4/14 Class Starts Personal Bios Due DQ #1 response due

DQ #2-3 responses due
Ethics Awareness Inventory due

Wk 2 Tues.4/15 Wed. 4/16 Thurs. 4/17 Fri. 4/18 Sat. 4/19 Sun. 4/20 Mon.4/21 DQ #1 response due

DQ #2-3 responses due
Professional Workplace Dilemma Paper Due Learning Team Skills Assessment Paper and Matrix due Wk
3 Tues. 4/22 Wed.4/23 Thurs. 4/24 Fri. 4/25 Sat. 4/26 Sun. 4/27 Mon. 4/28 DQ #1 response due DQ #2-3 responses due
CriticalThinking Case Study due Learning Team Analysis of Business Specialties due

Wk 4 Tues. 4/29 Wed.4/30 Thurs. 5/01 Fri. 5/02 Sat. 5/03 Sun. 5/04 Mon. 5/05

DQ #2-3 responses due
Past Present, and Future Paper due Learning Team Role Identification and Useful Course Analysis due

Wk 5 Tues. 5/06 Wed 5/07 Thurs. 5/08 Fri. 5/09 Sat. 5/10 Sun. 5/11 Mon.5/12

DQ #1 response due Learning Team Consultant Scenario Paper and Presentation due 350 word course summary due.

Class Ends!

Jan Macomber
University of Phoenix Online Faculty jmacomber@email.phoenix.edu --
Jan Macomber
University of Phoenix Online Faculty jmacomber@email.phoenix.edu ________________________________________ ________________________________________