Supervision - A Guide to Credit for Prior Learning
Typical Learning Experiences of Students Earning Lower-Level Credit:
- Work in private, public, or non-profit organizations, often in supervisory roles.
- Attend one or more training sessions in areas such as management, interpersonal relations, supervision, diversity in the workforce, sexual harassment, business ethics, performance evaluation and other topics in the area of supervision.
Typical Learning Experiences of Students Earning Upper-Level Credit:
- Work in private, public, or non-profit organizations, often in supervisory roles, and often at the middle or upper-level management level.
- Attend one or more training sessions in the areas listed above.
- Play a role in delivering training sessions to employees or in the implementation of organizational efforts based on training received (e.g. Students may have actually designed a new performance appraisal system or created programs to enhance the effectiveness of diversity in the workplace.)
- Applicants for upper level credit in this area often seek credit in more narrowly defined areas. Common topics for which upper-level credit is awarded are diversity in the workplace; business ethics; motivation; communication; performance appraisals; personnel selection; human resource management or training and development.
Discussion Topics:
If students are familiar with some (but not necessarily all) of the following topics, they may be eligible for lower-level credit in the area of supervision. If students are familiar with advanced questions, they may be eligible for upper-level credit. If knowledge of some of the topics is substantial, the students may consider requesting additional credit in more narrowly defined areas.
Group 1. "The Role of Supervision"
Supervision
Facts, definitions, concepts (lower-level):
- List the common tasks of a supervisor.
- Distinguish between supervision and leadership.
- Describe three or more different supervisory styles.
Personnel Selection
Facts, definitions, concepts (lower-level):
- List the common methods used in selecting human resources.
- What is the government's role in personnel selection decisions, particularly in the areas of constitutional law, federal law, executive orders, and judicial precedent.
Relationships, knowledge of discipline, methodologies (upper-level):
- Describe the degree to which each of the common methods (i.e. interviews, personality inventories, honesty tests, and drug tests) used in selecting human resources meets the demands of reliability, validity, and legality.
Performance Appraisals
Facts, definitions, concepts (lower-level):
- List at least two common appraisal techniques.
- Identify the major determinants of individual performance.
- Discuss the general purposes of performance management.
- Identify criteria for effective performance-management systems.
Relationships, knowledge of discipline, methodologies (upper-level):
- Evaluate several different approaches to performance management.
- Choose the most effective approach to performance measurement for a given situation.
- Distinguish types of rating errors and explain how to minimize each in a performance evaluation.
Group 2. " Social/Cultural Processes" includes Motivation, Communication, Gender Issues in the Workplace, and Diversity in the Workplace.
Motivation
Facts, definitions, concepts (lower-level):
- Define motivation and say why it is important to supervisors.
- Describe the motivational uses of job enrichment and job enlargement.
Relationships, knowledge of discipline, methodologies (upper-level):
- Describe and contrast content from process theories of motivation.
- Describe an application of the principles of content and process theories of motivation to management practice.
Communication
Facts, definitions, concepts (lower-level):
- Why is communication important to organizations?
- Define upward, downward, and horizontal communication.
- Give examples of different communication channels and their messages.
- Describe the communication styles congruent in both tall and flat organizational hierarchies.
Relationships, knowledge of discipline, methodologies (upper-level):
- Explain the connection between communication practices and TQM.
Diversity in the Workplace
Facts, definitions, concepts (lower-level):
- Define diversity and why it should be viewed as an asset in organizations today.
- List the primary and secondary dimensions of diversity.
Relationships, knowledge of discipline, methodologies (upper-level):
- Explain the current theory about shifting from assimilation to differentiation in organizations.
- Describe the history and effects of a homogeneous culture in American organizations.
Gender Issues in the Workplace
Facts, definitions, concepts (lower-level):
- Define sexual harassment and give examples of quid-pro-quo and hostile environment types of harassment.
- Explain the glass ceiling and why it is important.
Relationships, knowledge of discipline, methodologies (upper-level):
- Define affirmative action. Discuss the arguments in support of affirmative action policies and against them.
- Relate some of the social/cultural issues that are relevant to gender.