Course Syllabus
Overview
This course helps students apply the concepts and skills they have learned in their coursework to a professional project. During the first week of the course, students identify an appropriate 50-hour project they can use for the course. Projects fit into one of three areas: work-related projects, service, and volunteer projects, or personal professional development projects. In addition to completing the 50-hour project, students complete tasks and assignments that help promote professional development and career readiness.
Program Message
The GS 497: Professional Projects class is an important part of the Professional Studies Degree Program. This course will help you develop as a professional and apply what you have learned during your time at BYU-Idaho in a professional context. We realize students in the Professional Studies program come from a lot of different backgrounds and have varying levels of professional experience. This course was designed to allow all students to build on their individual prior background and create a project that is relevant and useful for their individual future goals.
Requirements
Prerequisites
Complete at least 80 credits.
Required Resources
No outside resources required.
Structure
Course Outcomes (CO)
- Demonstrate the ability to work independently on a senior-level professional project.
- Communicate the outcomes of the project through a written report.
- Create a summary of the professional project to include in a professional portfolio.
- Develop career-readiness skills.
Major Assignments
In this class you will plan and carry out a Professional Project that will help you apply what you have learned in your coursework and apply it to your future career. This project should help you grow and learn new skills and should be a project that goes beyond current work, service, or personal responsibilities. Projects need to have a specific goal and outcome in mind and not merely include amount of time worked or volunteered.
The table below is meant to help you see the relevance of each major assignment as it pertains to the course outcomes (CO).
| Major Assignment | Description | CO# |
|---|---|---|
| W02 Project: Initial Proposal | Submit a proposal of your project including your proposed timeline, your goals, etc. | 2 |
| W04 Project: Revised Proposal | Submit a revised proposal based on instructor feedback and changes based on initial work on your project. | 2 |
| W12 Project: Report | Submit your project report and project artifacts. | 3 |
| W14 Project: Portfolio | Submit evidence of your project in your digital portfolio. | 4 |
Weekly Patterns
The table below displays typical weekly activities, due dates, and activity descriptions.
| Due Date* | Learning Model | Activity Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midweek | Prepare | W## Activity: Various | Activities will vary depending on the week but will be focused on developing career readiness skills. |
| Midweek | Teach One Another | W## Group Share: Project | Teach one another activities will be group discussions every few weeks where you can share your progress on your project and receive feedback and support from others. |
| End of Week | Ponder/Prove | W## Report: Weekly Progress on Project | Students will complete a quiz reporting work they have done on their project including successes and struggles in the week. |
| End of Week | Prove | W## Project: Various | See Major Assignment section for descriptions of these assignments. |
*Set your time zone within user preferences so the dates and times for course activities will display correctly for your time zone.
Feedback
Your instructor will monitor your progress and be available to answer any questions as needed throughout the course. Beyond that, you will receive instructor feedback as needed especially through the first few weeks as you work on getting your project approved. You will also receive feedback on your weekly progress reports.
Learning Model
This course seeks to apply the principles and steps of the learning model throughout the course. Students will be expected to exercise faith in Jesus Christ, seek teaching from the Holy Ghost and study the word of God as aids to their efforts to complete their 50 hour individual project. By completing the 50 hour project, students will be expected to act for themselves and accept responsibility for learning and teaching. In three points in the semester, students will share their progress with their projects and seek to teach one another about their work, and love and serve each other by providing support and tips to help each other complete their projects.
Students will be given opportunities to prepare by creating a proposal for their project and be given an opportunity to revise their proposal. They will teach one another in discussion boards sharing their projects and what they have learned about creating, working on, and completing a project. Finally, students will be able to prove their learning through a completed project report and ponder on their degree and next steps moving forward at the end of the course.
Expectations
Workload
Students are expected to put in 6–8 hours of work for each week in this course.
Group Work
Group work is limited to discussion boards in Weeks 03, 07, and 13. These group discussions will allow you to share your project proposal, progress, and experiences in completing the project. This will also allow you to provide valuable feedback to your classmates.
Late Work
As a sign of professionalism and respect, you should complete your work on time. However, your instructor has the discretion to accept late work or extend due dates as appropriate.
Retries
Retries will not be allowed in this course.
Extra Credit
Extra credit will not be offered in this course.
Grading Scale
| Letter Grade | Percent |
|---|---|
| A | 100% – 93% |
| A- | 92% – 90% |
| B+ | 89% – 87% |
| B | 86% – 83% |
| B- | 82% – 80% |
| C+ | 79% – 77% |
| C | 76% – 73% |
| C- | 72% – 70% |
| D+ | 69% – 67% |
| D | 66% – 63% |
| D- | 62% – 60% |
| F | 59% and lower |
University Policies
Students with Disabilities
BYU-Idaho is committed to providing a working and learning atmosphere that reasonably accommodates qualified persons with disabilities. Reasonable academic accommodations are reviewed for all students who have qualified documented disabilities. Services are coordinated with the student and instructor by BYU-Idaho Disability Services. If you need assistance or feel you have been unlawfully discriminated against on the basis of disability, you may seek resolution through established policy and procedures.
If you have any disability that may impair your ability to complete this course successfully, please contact Disability Services as soon as possible, preferably before the beginning of the semester, in order to ensure you receive appropriate accommodations.
This course includes required synchronous meetings. If you are currently registered with the Disability Services Office and need an interpreter or transcriber for these meetings, please contact the deaf and hard of hearing coordinator at (208) 496-9219.
Disability Services Contact Information:
- Website: Disability Services
- Phone (US only): (208) 496-9210
- Email: disabilityservices@byui.edu
- Fax: (208) 496-5210
Other University Policies
Go to the Student Resources module to review the university policies regarding honesty, online etiquette, communication expectations, etc.
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|