EPOKA UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF ECONOMICS AND ADMINISTRATIVE SCIENCES
DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
COURSE SYLLABUS
2023-2024 ACADEMIC YEAR
COURSE INFORMATIONCourse Title: COMMUNICATION SKILLS |
| Code | Course Type | Regular Semester | Theory | Practice | Lab | Credits | ECTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BUS 114 | C | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| Academic staff member responsible for the design of the course syllabus (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature) | Prof.Dr. Osman Köroğlu okoroglu@epoka.edu.al |
| Main Course Lecturer (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature) and Office Hours: | M.Sc. Mikaela Süslü (Musta) msuslu@epoka.edu.al , E302, Tuesday, 09:00-11:00 Wednesday, 13:00-15:00 |
| Second Course Lecturer(s) (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature) and Office Hours: | NA |
| Language: | English |
| Compulsory/Elective: | Compulsory |
| Study program: (the study for which this course is offered) | Bachelor in Software Engineering (3 years) |
| Classroom and Meeting Time: | A-127, Mondays, 12:40-13:30, 13:40-14:30, 14:40-15:30 (Punctuality is a must) |
| Teaching Assistant(s) and Office Hours: | NA |
| Code of Ethics: |
Code of Ethics of EPOKA University Regulation of EPOKA University "On Student Discipline" |
| Attendance Requirement: | 75% - Absences are not justifiable. No medical reports will be accepted. Students who are not punctual, cause disturbance in the class by communicating with other students, or engage in activities not related to the lecture, will be considered as absent even if physically present. |
| Course Description: | Communication Skills: This course aims to provide better understanding of purposes and processes of communication in business. Cases and projects improving students` skills in a collaborative communication are provided. With the help of exercises, including videotaping, students have opportunities to improve and evaluate their oral communication skills. This course aims to provide better understanding of purposes and processes of communication in business. Cases and projects improving students` skills in a collaborative communication are provided. With the help of exercises, including videotaping, students have opportunities to improve and evaluate their oral communication skills. |
| Course Objectives: | Develop career-enhancing skills in business communication. Learn the three-step writing process and apply it to craft messages for digital channels, and to write routine messages, positive messages, negative messages, and persuasive messages. Learn how to develop and deliver business presentations. |
|
BASIC CONCEPTS OF THE COURSE
|
| 1 | effective communication |
| 2 | professional communication |
| 3 | active listening |
| 4 | non-verbal communication |
| 5 | business reports |
| 6 | digital channels |
| 7 | routine / positive / negative / persuasive messages |
| 8 | presentations |
| 9 | resume / CV |
| 10 | three-step writing process |
|
COURSE OUTLINE
|
| Week | Topics |
| 1 | Introduction & Orientation to the Course (19 Feb 2024) |
| 2 | CHAPTER 1 Professional communication in a digital, social, mobile world. Understanding why communication matters. Communicating as a professional. Exploring the communication process. Using technology to improve business communication. Committing to ethical and legal communication. (pg. 40-76) (26 Feb 2024) |
| 3 | Chapter 2 Interpersonal Communication Skills. Explain why listening is such a complex communication process, and describe three steps to becoming a better listener. Explain the importance of nonverbal communication, and identify six major categories of nonverbal expression. Outline an effective process for initiating, sustaining, and concluding workplace conversations. Explain the causes of workplace conflict, and identify five productive steps for resolving conflict. Describe the importance of negotiation as a communication skill, and explain how to prepare for and conduct a negotiation. (pg. 77-107) (4 March 2024) |
| 4 | Chapter 5-6-7 Applying the Three-Step Writing Process. Planning, writing, and completing business messages: The essentials. (pg. 177-402) (11 March 2024) |
| 5 | Chapter 11 Writing Persuasive Messages. Apply the three-step writing process to persuasive messages. Describe an effective strategy for developing persuasive business messages, and identify the three most common categories of persuasive business messages. Describe an effective strategy for developing marketing and sales messages, and explain how to modify your approach when writing promotional messages for social media. Identify steps you can take to avoid ethical lapses in marketing and sales messages. (pg. 372-401) (18 March 2024) |
| 6 | Chapter 12-13 Preparing Reports. Adapt the three-step writing process to reports and proposals. Identify the three most common ways to organize analytical reports. List the topics commonly covered in the introduction, body, and close of informational reports, analytical reports, and proposals. Discuss six principles of graphic design that can improve the quality of your visuals, and identify the major types of business visuals. Summarize the four tasks involved in completing business reports and proposals. (pg. 403-493) (25 March 2024) |
| 7 | National Holiday Catholic Easter (1 April, 2024) |
| 8 | Chapter 8 Messages for the Digital Channels. Identify the major digital channels used for brief business messages, and describe the nine compositional modes needed for digital media. Describe how companies use social networking platforms, and explain how to create effective content for these channels. Explain how to adapt the three-step writing process to email messages, and describe the importance of email subject lines. Identify the major types of business messaging, and list guidelines for effective messaging in the workplace. Describe the uses of blogging in business communication, and briefly explain how to adapt the three-step process to blogging. Describe the uses of Twitter and other microblogging systems in business communication, and offer tips on writing effective tweets. Outline the process of producing business podcasts. (pg. 267-308) (8 April 2024) |
| 9 | MIDTERM (25%) (15-20 April 2024) |
| 10 | Chapter 9-10 Writing Routine, Positive, and Negative Messages. Outline an effective strategy for writing routine business requests. Outline an effective strategy for writing routine replies, routine messages, and positive messages. Explain how to use the direct/indirect approach effectively when conveying negative news. List the important points to consider when conveying negative organizational news. Describe successful strategies for sending negative employment-related messages. (pg. 309-372) (22 April 2024) |
| 11 | Chapter 14 Developing and Delivering Presentations. Highlight the importance of presentations in your business career, and explain how to adapt the planning step of the three-step process to presentations. Describe the tasks involved in developing a presentation. Describe the six major design and writing tasks required to enhance your presentation with effective visuals. Outline four major tasks involved in completing a presentation. Describe four important aspects of delivering a presentation in today’s social media environment. (pg. 494-530) (29 April 2024) |
| 12 | National Holiday Orthodox Easter (6 May 2024) |
| 13 | Chapter 15-16 Writing Resumes and Interviewing for Employment. Explain the purposes of application letters, and describe how to apply the AIDA organizational approach to them. Describe the typical sequence of job interviews, the major types of interviews and interview questions, and the attributes employers look for during an interview. List six tasks you need to complete in order to prepare for a successful job interview. Explain how to succeed in all three stages of an interview. Identify the most common employment messages that follow an interview, and explain when you would use each one. (pg. 568-603) (13 May 2024) |
| 14 | Delivering Business Presentations + (Winners of Best Reel Awards) (19 May 2024) |
| Prerequisite(s): | |
| Textbook(s): | Excellence In Business Communication, Global Edition, 14th edition, by John V. Thill and Courtland L. Bovee, Pearson (2023) https://www.pearson.com/en-gb/subject-catalog/p/excellence-in-business-communication-global-edition/P200000009918/9781292450124 |
| Additional Literature: | Human Communication: The basic course, 14th edition, by Joseph A. DeVito, (2018) https://www.pearson.com/en-us/subject-catalog/p/human-communication-the-basic-course/P200000002791/9780137478378 |
| Laboratory Work: | No |
| Computer Usage: | Yes |
| Others: | No |
|
COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES
|
| 1 | Learn effective communication. |
| 2 | Gain collaboration skills. |
| 3 | Understand nonverbal expression. |
| 4 | Learn and apply business etiquette. |
| 5 | Improve intercultural communication skills. |
| 6 | Learn how to plan, write, and complete a business message. |
| 7 | Develop messages for the digital channels. |
| 8 | Write routine, positive, negative, and persuasive messages. |
| 9 | Build an effective resume and get ready for job interviews. |
| 10 | Successfully develop a business report and deliver a business presentation |
|
COURSE CONTRIBUTION TO... PROGRAM COMPETENCIES
(Blank : no contribution, 1: least contribution ... 5: highest contribution) |
| No | Program Competencies | Cont. |
| Bachelor in Software Engineering (3 years) Program | ||
| 1 | Engineering graduates with sufficient theoretical and practical background for a successful profession and with application skills of fundamental scientific knowledge in the engineering practice. | 1 |
| 2 | Engineering graduates with skills and professional background in describing, formulating, modeling and analyzing the engineering problem, with a consideration for appropriate analytical solutions in all necessary situations | 4 |
| 3 | Engineering graduates with the necessary technical, academic and practical knowledge and application confidence in the design and assessment of machines or mechanical systems or industrial processes with considerations of productivity, feasibility and environmental and social aspects. | 1 |
| 4 | Engineering graduates with the practice of selecting and using appropriate technical and engineering tools in engineering problems, and ability of effective usage of information science technologies. | 3 |
| 5 | Ability of designing and conducting experiments, conduction data acquisition and analysis and making conclusions. | 2 |
| 6 | Ability of identifying the potential resources for information or knowledge regarding a given engineering issue. | 4 |
| 7 | The abilities and performance to participate multi-disciplinary groups together with the effective oral and official communication skills and personal confidence. | 5 |
| 8 | Ability for effective oral and official communication skills in foreign language. | 5 |
| 9 | Engineering graduates with motivation to life-long learning and having known significance of continuous education beyond undergraduate studies for science and technology. | 4 |
| 10 | Engineering graduates with well-structured responsibilities in profession and ethics. | 3 |
| 11 | Engineering graduates who are aware of the importance of safety and healthiness in the project management, workshop environment as well as related legal issues. | 2 |
| 12 | Consciousness for the results and effects of engineering solutions on the society and universe, awareness for the developmental considerations with contemporary problems of humanity. | 3 |
|
COURSE EVALUATION METHOD
|
| Method | Quantity | Percentage |
| Homework |
3
|
10
|
| Midterm Exam(s) |
1
|
25
|
| Presentation |
1
|
10
|
| Final Exam |
1
|
35
|
| Attendance |
0
|
|
| Total Percent: | 100% |
|
ECTS (ALLOCATED BASED ON STUDENT WORKLOAD)
|
| Activities | Quantity | Duration(Hours) | Total Workload(Hours) |
| Course Duration (Including the exam week: 16x Total course hours) | 16 | 3 | 48 |
| Hours for off-the-classroom study (Pre-study, practice) | 16 | 3 | 48 |
| Mid-terms | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Assignments | 4 | 6 | 24 |
| Final examination | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Other | 1 | 1 | 1 |
|
Total Work Load:
|
125 | ||
|
Total Work Load/25(h):
|
5 | ||
|
ECTS Credit of the Course:
|
5 | ||
|
CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE COURSE LECTURER
|
|
While we have covered a comprehensive range of topics, it's important to acknowledge the limitations, such as, time constraints that may have prevented an in-depth exploration of certain areas. I would encourage students to pursue further research independently or in advanced courses to delve deeper into specific aspects of the subject. It was observed that students enjoy hands-on activities and are able to understand the concepts better through such activities. Activities to foster teamwork should be designed and implemented to increase teamwork skills. |