· Hello everyone!welcome. i cant wait to get started with you a

1. · Hello Everyone!
Welcome. I can't wait to get started with you and hope that you
find this class as interesting as I do in teaching it : -)
· The topic of project management in terms of logistics and
managing contracts is a key part of your education in project
management.
· As soon as possible, get started with readings and discussions
this first week. Post your discussion during the week of each
module so that you can get a good discussion started. Don't
forget to support your main posting with a source, placed below
your response, in APA format. Reply to 2 peers' posts with
significant comments (about 200 words or so) as you see peers
post their work.
* If you are new to Trident, please email me to let me know
and I'll work extra hard to get you oriented to the class.
1. As soon as you can, introduce yourself to your classmates
and me in the class discussion area. Tell us about where you are
in your Trident studies, and how you hope this course might
benefit your career, including any general information about
your career goals. It will be great to get to know you!
2. Read/view any course materials before attempting the cases
and SLPs. If you skip them, you’ll find your scores lowered
since they contain the learning you need to do before you apply
it in research and application.
3. Please keep an eye on the course’s Module Discussion area. I
post reminders there with additional coaching for
assignments, when helpful. Be aware that assignments are due
every two weeks on Sundays as a final due date, and that points
are subtracted for lateness. Be sure to post one assignment per
week to keep your pace steady. Don’t forget to keep an eye on
the discussion area, visiting it at least twice a week.
HOW TO PROCEED:
· Begin first by answering the discussion question. Even though
it is listed last in the module order, it is best to attempt it first

2. since it does not require the extensive reading that the case and
SLP do. * You also want to post it early in the module, so that
you get full credit for posting on time. Bear in mind that you
must include an outside reference in the main posting of your
discussion, even if it is asking for 'your opinion'.
· Be sure to examine the Rubrics for discussions posted as a
link at the bottom of the discussion assignment (when accessed
from the module). I usually post discussion requirements early
in the discussion area. I require only 2 peer responses since I
want them to be substantive and exploratory. Try to keep the
discussion going!
All assignments in this course should be formatted in APA, both
in the document body and in the references section. Be sure that
you read below this point to understand how plagiarism for your
written work is to be avoided.
Label all assignments like this:ITM# Last Name SLP# or Case#
That helps me get context rapidly. And, if you are asking about
an assignment, please refer to the module # and whether it’s a
case or SLP. This way I can get answers to you rapidly!
Consult the rubrics for assignments and discussions to fully
understand the requirements for each!
* The emphasis at Trident on using outside expert sources to
reinforce key points in assignments and discussions is
university-wide. As a result, I'll expect you to include in-text
citations. I do not require direct quotes unless they add unique
perspectives and specific (often technical) descriptions or
definitions. Feel free to use them occasionally (forty words or
less).
· Use in-text citations liberally when you paraphrase
information you do not know from your own experience.
In the Resources area on your own home page, look for the
Writing Guide for APA. I understand there is also a Writing
Center there for general help in writing papers. Some of you
have been away from college for some time and may need a
refresher on how to write for school. BUT, our focus is also on
business writing. I’ll be reminding you of this as we move

3. along.
General Instructions: How Trident courses work and my
expectations of you:
The class consists of 4 modules, each lasting 2 weeks. Unless
you have a valid excuse such as illness, hospitalization, or
funerals of immediate family, I will expect you to turn in all
your assignments the second Sunday of each module – at the
latest. It’s a good idea to complete one assignment a week (your
case first, then your SLP or vice versa). Being on time enables
me to provide you with coaching that improves your work as
you go!
I want to encourage you to work EARLY on each module. This
way, you don’t become overwhelmed, feeling pressured to catch
up. Rushing tends to make you perform in an inferior manner,
and grades begin to fall.
So, do not expect to turn in all of your assignments the final
week of the course. This does not provide you an opportunity
to gradually improve your work as per my grading comments to
you.
Also, note that your interactions in the discussion area play a
key role in your education. You might find it surprising to see
what you can learn by fully exploring the discussion topics as
you work through the issues and defend your position to your
peers. It’s challenging and energizing!
Use of Acronyms in discussions and papers:
If you are a military or technical student, be aware that not all
students may understand what you mean when you discuss
certain acronyms or terms. If you are in the military, be
generous in explaining some of the ways the military 'works'
and others will share with you the way their civilian jobs do,
too. If you are in IT, do the same for your peers.
A handy guide to remember in papers you write as well as
discussions is to write out the full name of a technical term,
followed by the acronym in parentheses, for example -
Department of Defense (DoD). From that point forward, you
may use the acronym freely in the same discussion and/or paper.

4. Avoiding Plagiarism
Plagiarism is taking credit for the thoughts or ideas of others
and representing them as your own. Even if you hate to use in-
text citations, you will need to do so to avoid plagiarism. If a
specific idea or thought is not yours, or even a more general
idea, you should be citing a source for it even when you don't
directly quote it.
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa
_formatting_and_style_guide/general_format.html
I also attached Trident's APA basics to this note for your
convenience. Make sure you understand the value of in-text
citations and how to note them within your document. Let me
know if you have questions.
TurnItIn requirements
TurnItIn is useful to help you avoid plagiarism and to learn
when to cite references. This is a good career skill since an
organization you work for can be sued if you plagiarize in any
of the official documents for that company.
You will be required to submit each assignment paper to
TurnItIn for review was you post it to the grade center. Posting
to TurnItIn is part of the assignment submission process and
should flow seamlessly.
The goal is to achieve a less than 14% likeness to the sources
you use. This means that you must avoid copying text from
websites, articles or books without providing proper attribution
to them.
Papers with 15% or more similarity index should be revised and
resubmitted, ideally before I grade the paper. Revising a paper
is highly recommended, and it should be done immediately after
the 15% or more similarity index percentage is determined.
Otherwise, waiting a day or so for the revision could be too
long because I might have graded the paper already.
You can view your similarity report from TurnItIn by clicking
on it in the grading center. The report tells you where you need
to make corrections.
See table below:

5. Similarity Index
Grading
Less than 15%
The danger exists that you might be plagiarizing, so check your
report to see if you can improve any area.
15 -29%
You will see a deduction of 10% of your paper's grade since you
have plagiarized. Check your report to see where the issues
occur and fix them. Repost your paper before the assignment
deadline, ideally.
30% or more
You will be asked to rewrite the paper and assigned a temporary
D grade. Only one resubmission will be allowed and the grade
will be improved if your scores are lower than 15%.
Use double quotes around anything that you directly copied and
provide the source citation. Use APA formatting.
Do not assume that you can avoid quoting or using sources to
avoid a high TurnItIn score. It's easier, yes, but your work lacks
precision and clarity. Remember that key points you make need
support and references do that for you, even if they aren’t direct
quotes. Don't be afraid to quote a source and use an in-text
citation with the APA guide in the Resources Tab on your home
page.
I'd rather you try and fail to get it 100% right the first time than
to be afraid to try. I will take off points for lack of citations in
Cases, SLPs, and primary discussion posts.
Why is this?
· Citations provide the proof to support your point of view from
experts who have worked in the field and researched the topics
you are discussing. Citations provide evidence in the form of
facts, proof and/or experienced developers. This generates
confidence in the paper’s key points.
· Your opinions are just that - personal opinions - unless you
have some supporting evidence to back them up. Now, it's true
that your experiences don't need to be supported per se, but

6. opinions do. Why? Opinions in professional environments need
to be supported by facts and evidence to be trusted by others.
Let's say you want to persuade your boss to adopt something
new. Your personal opinion does not hold enough clout for a
company to change its policy or direction. You need facts and
evidence to support your opinion. In your Trident courses, you
are learning how to form professional opinions, so you need
sources of evidence, facts, and data.
· Quoting experts should include those who have more
information and experience than yourself. If you are an exper t
in your area, other experts will agree with you and support your
point of view with the data you need. If you disagree, it
becomes your job to prove why experts are not accurate or
perhaps why contributing facts may have led to wrong
conclusions.
I'm sure you can think of more reasons, but those are a few key
ones. Your papers should include depth of information
gathering. The more you learn, the more valuable you are as a
contributor and a leader who can guide others. It might be
helpful to remember two words to guide you as you write: Dig
Deeper
Avoid using fancy language or business or technical jargon to
fill in the gaps in your papers. Direct, concise ad plain
language is highly valued in business communications.
Why do you need to include outside sources for Discussions,
Cases, and SLPs?
I am required to use Trident's rubrics to grade discussions &
assignments. and they require you to use outside sources. Let
me clarify:
When you are asked for your opinion in a discussion or an SLP,
you are not being asked for your personal opinion. You are
being asked for your professional opinion. This implies that you
have evidence and findings to support your opinion(s).
To provide a professional opinion instead of simply a personal
one, you will need supporting evidence for key points. This
helps you become an effective persuasive professional.

7. Evidence that convinces others is usually backed by research
and/or the expertise of people who have worked in the subject
area for some time and can provide knowledge, facts or research
findings that will strengthen your point of view.
If it helps you, consider that you are building professional
persuasive skills, even in the discussion area. (Your main
discussion must have at least one outside source that reinforces
a key point you are making, noted in APA style.)
Viewing My Grading Comments
Be sure each time you receive a grade that you view my grading
comments. I expect you to make the improvements I recommend
as you write your next paper. I rarely allow re-do's of the
assignments unless you have received a failing grade (F). A 'D'
is a passing grade, so be sure to do your BEST the first time you
attempt a paper. I do not review drafts of assignments.
Note:
· Please don't post a blank document to avoid losing timeliness
points. I won’t give you credit for posting a blank document or
the wrong one in order to retain your timeliness points. It's your
responsibility to post the correct document to get those points.
· Fix any problems that TurnItIn is finding, to get your
percentage down to 14% or less.
· Fix grammar, punctuation and any problems such as not
capitalizing 'I' in discussions and papers. MS Word’s tool menu
helps you catch errors in writing and grammar. Be sure to use
the tools available..
· Post all your assignments within the course module timelines.
Don't be tempted to procrastinate because you can lose
significant points as well as lower your scores in the course.
· Use references in your main discussion posting and format
them in APA.
· Study APA on the site I provided above to ensure you know
how to set up your assignment template and to properly cite
sources.
Be sure to read any attachments I send via email. They are all
important to your success in this course.

8. Welcome and I look forward to meeting each of you!
Leadership and change
Task:1500 words Harvard style referencing
You are required to:
• Critically reflect on your own effectiveness as a leader.
• Produce recommendations for your own personal leadership
development.
The reflection and recommendations should focus on one
or two broad aspects of leadership (see the content list for the
module as a guide to the various possibilities). Your reflection
should ideally focus on current leadership experience and/or
that of
the recent past (i.e. the last two years).
Learning Outcomes 1-2
Weighting: 50% of final mark.
Important Considerations
Although the report will contain elements of description to
outline
the circumstances, the emphasis should be on critical evaluation
of
your leadership of the change process.
You should use relevant classical and contemporary leadership
and
change theories or paradigms reviewed during the course of the
Module (covered in weeks 1-5) as a focus for your analysis.
You should, where possible, seek to produce evidence to
support
your points. The range of acceptable evidence might include:
written feedback from colleagues etc. (where applicable),
reflective

9. exercises, surveys, appraisal reports etc. Evidence may be
placed
in appendices to the main report.
Mark Learning Outcome
1 Critical reflection of current/recent leadership effectiveness
40% 1 - 2
2 Recommendations for future leadership development 40% 1 -
2
3 Critical review of relevant theories & paradigms 20% 1 - 2
Total Marks: 100%
The resit for this assignment is to follow the same instructions
but
cover one or two different leadership topics to those covered in
your previous assignment ie.
You are required to write a management report and:
• Critically reflect on your own effectiveness as a leader;
• Produce recommendations for your own personal leadership
development.
The reflection and recommendations should focus on one or two
different broad aspects of leadership (see the content list for the
module as a guide to the various possibilities). Your reflection
should ideally focus on current leadership experience and/or
that of
the recent past (i.e. the last two years).