BUAD 364.11 (FA15) syllabus – p. 1
BUAD 364
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
IN PRACTICE
FALL SEMESTER 2015
Professor: Dr. Dustin Sleesman, Ph.D.
Email: sleesman@udel.edu
Phone: 302-831-8912
Office: 226 Alfred Lerner Hall (office hours by appointment)
Section: #11
TA: Kim de Benedictis (kimdeb@udel.edu)
COURSE ENROLLMENT
Enrollment in this course requires permission from the instructor. If you want to enroll, you must complete and
submit the Request for Enrollment form at http://goo.gl/PbS1Hi. If you are approved, you will see the course listed in
your UDSIS account within one week. Please contact me if you don’t see it by then.
COURSE OVERVIEW AND OBJECTIVES
This course integrates theory and practice by highlighting the interface between your coursework and an internship
experience consisting of at least 120 hours of work. The course format is student-initiated and faculty-supervised.
This is an independent study course, so you must be proactive about your responsibilities, including adherence to
deadlines and fulfilling all course requirements. You are required to have an initial one-on-one meeting with me, but
additional meetings beyond this are optional. We will not meet as a class.
In terms of the pace of this course, there are three completion tracks which are displayed in the course timeline at the
end of this document. Based on when your internship takes place, you must select which track you will follow and
schedule an initial meeting with me to begin the course.
After completing this course, you will:
1. Develop an appreciation for how your course content applies to a real-world context
2. Understand the educational value of your internship experience
3. Be more prepared for your chosen profession
COURSE WEBSITE
Canvas, our course management system, is the primary mechanism through which course information is shared. You
will automatically be added to the system after you are enrolled in the course. Please login regularly as important
announcements for the course may be posted there. You can access Canvas by visiting www.udel.edu/canvas. An
app is also available for Android and iOS devices. Simply download the “Canvas by Instructure” app from the Apple
App Store or Google Play and use “udel.instructure.com” for the Canvas URL, after which you will be prompted for
your UDelNet ID and password. For further support, please visit guides.instructure.com or ask me.
BUAD 364.11 (FA15) syllabus – p. 2
EXPECTATIONS & COURSE POLICIES
Internship experience
Students must complete at least 120 hours of work for the internship.
Meeting with professor
You are required to have an initial one-on-one meeting with me early in the semester or before the semester begins
(depending on which track you select) to discuss your internship and the expectations of this course in detail.
Additional meetings beyond this are optional. Please contact me at any time if you need advice or guidance.
Project proposal (100 points)
You will write a project proposal that provides an overview of your project. You may not begin working on the project
until I approve this proposal. Your paper should be structured as follows:
1. Selected project option: Choose from the following options (see details below):
My internship story
Book application to internship experience
Interview application to internship experience
2. Explanation: Explain why you think this particular option is appropriate for you.
3. Your plan: If you selected the book or interview option, you must indicate the title and author of the book
or name and your relationship with the interviewer, respectively. When will you begin working on the
project? What are your goals (including deadlines) for accomplishing the project? Include not only your
goal to submit the project but the goals along the way. Thinking about this ahead of time helps to organize
the work efficiently, reduce conflicts with other responsibilities, and avoid procrastination.
See “Additional paper guidelines” section below for further details.
Project (500 points)
You have three options for your project: (1) My internship story, (2) Book application to internship experience, or (3)
Interview application to internship experience. Each is described below:
Option 1: My internship story
Research shows that memories tend to fade and become distorted over time which means that it will become
increasingly difficult to remember the details of your internship experience. Sure, people codify their work experiences
in their resume, but this is typically restricted to a high-level overview such as company name, your title, dates of
employment, and some bullet points of your responsibilities and accomplishments. Unfortunately, most people don’t
think very systematically about their previous work experiences which impedes learning, development, and even your
ability to elucidate details during interviews in the future. This project option helps you avoid this problem by
constructing a narrative of your internship experience to help solidify the experience for you. This paper should be
structured as follows:
1. Resume information: How exactly will this internship experience appear on your resume? For several ideas,
please visit http://www.udel.edu/CSC/students/sampleresumebook.
2. Responsibilities: What were your primary responsibilities?
3. Accomplishments: What were your major accomplishments?
4. Obstacles: What obstacles did you face, and how did you overcome them?
5. Strengths: What personal or professional strengths did you discover during your internship?
6. Weaknesses: What personal or professional weaknesses did you discover during your internship? How can
you improve them?
7. Mentoring: Describe anyone you met during your internship who helped mentor you in the position or in
your career. (Not included in paper, but very important: Don’t forget to express gratitude for this!)
8. Networking: Aside from your mentor(s), describe anyone else you met during your internship with whom
you would like to remain in contact in the future, and why.
9. Learning points: What are three specific things you learned (not discussed above) that will help you pursue
your career?
BUAD 364.11 (FA15) syllabus – p. 3
See “Additional paper guidelines” section below for further details.
Option 2: Book application to internship experience
There are a number of books relevant to your major and career. Examples may include:
How to be an effective leader
How to be successful in sales
How to write a business plan
How to conduct research and analyze data in your field
How to do business in specific cultures
How to use technology to optimize supply chains
This project option requires you to read a relevant popular press book (not a text book!). You may not select a book
you have already read or with which you are already familiar. After reading the book, you will write a paper which
should be structured as follows:
1. Summary of book: What is the book’s main thesis? What are some of the key points made by the author?
What are some real-world examples that support the author’s arguments?
2. Critical analysis: Most popular press books cover topics that are rather complex. Unfortunately, sometimes
authors do not sufficiently address this complexity or do not give attention to views that contradict their
position. What are some counter-points that go against the author’s main thesis or key points? What are
some real-world examples that question the author’s arguments? How can these disagreements be
reconciled?
3. Application to internship: Discuss three specific links between the book’s content and your internship
experience. Provide specific examples for each link.
See “Additional paper guidelines” section below for further details.
Option 3: Interview application to internship experience
This project option requires you to interview a professional in your field. This individual may or may not work for
your internship company. The interview may be conducted in-person or virtually (email, phone, video conference,
etc.). I highly recommend that you provide a list of questions to the professional before the interview to allow some
time to think about his/her responses. This paper will summarize and analyze the interview, and it should be
structured as follows:
1. Professional’s current job: What is his/her current job title and primary responsibilities?
2. Professional’s past: Why did he/she choose this career and this company in particular?
3. Trends in profession: What are the “big picture” changes that have been occurring in the field and what is on
the horizon?
4. Common mistakes of newcomers: What are the most common mistakes made by inexperienced people in the
field?
5. Advice for newcomers: What advice does he/she have in order to increase your chances of being successful in
your chosen career?
6. Application to internship: Discuss three specific links between the information you learned in the interview
and your internship experience. Provide specific examples for each link.
See “Additional paper guidelines” section below for further details.
BUAD 364.11 (FA15) syllabus – p. 4
Internship reflection report (400 points)
Finally, you will write a paper that reflects upon your internship experience. This paper should be structured as follows:
1. Description of company: What is its industry, history, organizational structure, and other pertinent information?
2. Description of your job: What were your primary responsibilities? With whom did you work in order to
accomplish your work tasks? What did you do in a typical day or week?
3. Your role in the company: How did your particular role fit within the company? In other words, how did you
ultimately affect the company’s “bottom line”?
4. Relationship with UD coursework: Identify the three most valuable courses you’ve taken at UD that helped you
succeed in your internship, and why.
5. Skill development: Identify three skills that you have improved as a result of the internship. These can be
universal/soft skills (e.g., conflict resolution, leadership, teamwork, etc.) or industry-specific skills (e.g.,
analytical techniques, software, compliance reporting, etc.). Be specific in terms of how these skills were
improved.
6. Plans for the future: What are the next steps in your career path? Examples include additional classes or
degrees, another internship, etc.
See “Additional paper guidelines” section below for further details.
Additional paper guidelines
1. Your project proposal, project, and internship reflection report should be 1 page, 8-10 pages, and 6-8 pages
in length, respectively. All text should be double-spaced with 1-inch margins and a 12-point font
2. Include a cover page with the following elements:
a. Title of paper (e.g., Project proposal) and one-sentence description
b. Your name
c. Your title at, and name of, internship company
d. Course number and semester
3. Cite all referenced sources, if applicable
4. Upload your papers (in PDF format) to Canvas before the deadlines indicated in the course timeline at the
end of this document. Failure to upload by the deadlines will result in a deduction of points, so upload
well-before the deadlines in case there are any technical issues.
5. I will grade your papers based on the following criteria: Adherence to guidelines and clarity. Effective
writing is essential! Please proofread your work before submitting. If you need help writing clearly, I
encourage you to visit the University Writing Center for a free one-on-one
consultation: http://www.cas.udel.edu/writing-center.
BUAD 364.11 (FA15) syllabus – p. 5
Course grade calculation
Points for course components are allocated as follows:
Project proposal 100 points
Project 500 points
Internship reflection report 400 points
Thus, grades will be calculated on the basis of 1000 total points. Final point scores will be converted into course
grades using the following scale:
Grade Minimum Points
A (94-100%) 940
A- (90-93%) 900
B+ (87-89%) 870
B (84-86%) 840
B- (80-83%) 800
C+ (77-79%) 770
C (74-76%) 740
C- (70-73%) 700
D+ (67-69%) 670
D (64-66%) 640
D- (60-63%) 600
F (0-59%)
Grade appeal procedure
If you disagree with how a grade was determined, you must document to me via email why you believe the grade
should be changed. A subjective disagreement or meritless persuasion attempt (e.g., I am very close to the next letter
grade and I need to maintain my scholarship, etc.) will not be effective. Your rationale must be grounded in principles
of logic and fairness. This appeal must occur within one week of receiving the grade in question.
Special arrangements
If you have circumstances in your life that may influence your ability to meet the expectations of this course, please
discuss these with me during the first week of class. You must register with the Office of Disability Support Services
(www.udel.edu/DSS) in order to have accommodations arranged.
BUAD 364.11 (FA15) syllabus – p. 6
Academic honesty
I expect everyone in this course to abide by your student Code of Conduct (accessible via www.udel.edu/stuguide).
My default is to trust students; however, I will investigate suspicions of violations; and if any are found, the course grade of the
violator will suffer and a report will be filed with the Office of Student Conduct. It is your responsibility to understand and abide
by your student code. You are especially encouraged to become familiar with the section on academic honesty, as
featured below.
1. Statement of Policy
All students must be honest and forthright in their academic studies. To falsify the results of one’s research, to steal the words or ideas of another, to
cheat on an assignment, or to allow or assist another to commit these acts corrupts the educational process. Students are expected to do their own
work and neither give nor receive unauthorized assistance.
Any violation of this standard must be reported to the Office of Student Conduct. The faculty member, in consultation with a representative from
the Office of Student Conduct, will decide under which option the incident is best filed and what specific academic penalty should be applied.
2. Academic Violations
a. Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the inclusion of someone else’s words, ideas, images, or data as one’s own. When a student submits academic work that
includes another’s words, ideas, images, or data, whether published or unpublished, the source of that information must be acknowledged
with complete and accurate references and, if verbatim statements are included, with quotation marks as well. By submitting work as his or
her own, a student certifies the originality of all material not otherwise acknowledged. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:
i. The quotation or other use of another person’s words, ideas, opinions, thoughts, or theories (even if paraphrased into one’s own
words) without acknowledgment of the source; or
ii. The quotation or other use of facts, statistics, or other data or materials (including images) that are not clearly common
knowledge without acknowledgment of the source.
b. Fabrication
Fabrication is the use of invented information or the falsification of research or other findings. Fabrication includes, but is not limited to:
i. The false citation or acknowledgment of a direct or secondary source, including the incorrect documentation of a source;
ii. The citation, in a bibliography or other list of references, of sources that were not used to prepare the academic work;
iii. The inclusion in an academic work of falsified, invented, or fictitious data or information, or the deliberate and knowing
concealment or distortion of the true nature, origin, or function of such data or information; or
iv. The unauthorized submission of an academic work prepared totally or in part by another.
c. Cheating
Cheating is an act or an attempted act of deception by which a student seeks to misrepresent that he or she has mastered information that
has not been mastered. Cheating includes, but is not limited to:
i. Copying all or any portion of another’s academic work and submitting it, in part or in its entirety, as one’s own;
ii. Allowing another person to copy one’s own academic work – whether intentionally or unintentionally;
iii. The unauthorized use or possession of a class textbook, notes, or any other material to complete or prepare an academic work;
iv. The unauthorized collaboration with any other person on an academic exercise, including collaboration on a take-home or makeup
academic exercise;
v. The unauthorized use of electronic instruments, such as cell phones, PDAs, translators or personal response systems (clickers) to
access or share information; or
vi. The unauthorized completion for another person of an academic work, or permitting someone else to complete an academic
work for oneself, including through the use of personal response systems (clickers).
d. Academic Misconduct
Academic misconduct is any other act that disrupts the educational process or provides a student with an academic advantage over another
student. Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to:
i. The unauthorized possession, copying, distribution, sale, or other transfer of all or any part of an academic exercise, or the
answers or solutions to an academic exercise, whether or not the exercise has been administered;
ii. Changing, altering, attempting to change or alter, or assisting another in changing or altering any grade or other academic record,
including grades or records contained in a grade book or computer file, that is received for or in any way attributed to academic
work;
iii. Entering any University building, facility, office, or other property, or accessing any computer file or other University record or
storage for the purpose of obtaining the answers or solutions to an academic exercise or to change a grade;
iv. Continuing to work on an academic exercise after the specified allotted time has elapsed;
v. Bribing another person to obtain an academic exercise, including answers to questions of an unadministered academic exercise;
vi. Failing to adhere to standards of professional behavior established by a faculty member, academic program or college in
conjunction with an academic course; or
vii. Posting of notes or other materials from a class (whether the student is enrolled in the class or not) on the Internet, whether or
not for a fee, if the faculty member has expressly prohibited the posting of such materials.
e. Other forms of academic dishonesty not described here but in violation of the Academic Honesty Statement of Policy.
BUAD 364.11 (FA15) syllabus – p. 7
COURSE TIMELINE
DATE TRACK 1 TRACK 2 TRACK 3
Before
Semester Begins
Initial meeting
Week 1
Sept 1 – 4
Project proposal Initial meeting
Week 2
Sept 7 – 11
Project proposal Initial meeting
Week 3
Sept 14 – 18
Project proposal
Week 4
Sept 21 – 25
Project
Internship reflection report
Week 5
Sept 28 – Oct 2
Week 6
Oct 5 – 9
Week 7
Oct 12 – 16
Week 8
Oct 19 – 23
Project
Internship reflection report
Week 9
Oct 26 – 30
Week 10
Nov 2 – 6
Week 11
Nov 9 – 13
Week 12
Nov 16 – 20
Project
Internship reflection report
Week 13
Nov 23 – 27
<———————————————————- Thanksgiving Break ———————————————————->
Week 14
Nov 30 – Dec 4
Week 15
Dec 7 – 11