Master of Nonprofit Administration Mendoza College of Business Field Project MNA75110 Syllabus Spring 2015 January 12-April 29, 2015 DRAFT Instructor: Angela R. Logan Office: 126B Mendoza College of Business Notre Dame, Indiana 46556 Contact Information Email: alogan2@nd.edu SKYPE: angela.logan08 Telephone: 574-631-7793 office Office Hours: By appointment to assure availability. I typically respond to appointment requests within 48 hours; however, please do not hesitate to call or email again should I be detained for any reason. Course Learning Objectives To provide a capstone experience for students emphasizing the practice of nonprofit leadership, sustainability and administration, based on Master of Nonprofit Administration (MNA) coursework and research To consider the short and long-term social impact of the project for all stakeholders involved in the assignment To integrate classroom theory into nonprofit practice as demonstrated, in the final project To contribute to the mission fulfillment of a nonprofit organization or the greater nonprofit community To demonstrate the ability to locate, integrate and critically evaluate nonprofit field literature and business practice To critically think through issues and effectively analyze nonprofit problems and solutions To prepare and deliver a formal nonprofit document that represents excellent business writing, research, planning, and project development To write a well-organized paper (project) that integrates theory, practice and personal experience 1
Prerequisites The student should have much of the core coursework completed to adequately complete this project. This will provide access to the educational tools and resources available to MNA students. The field project is constructed by the student and must be approved by the instructor prior to course registration. The nonprofit employer is the traditional recipient of this effort of the field project. However, there are instances when this is not feasible or desired. Other organizations may be used if and when appropriate. Course Materials Suggested Review: Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6 th Edition, 3 rd Printing. It may be helpful to understand this style guide, which is available at most libraries. This book may be available at your local library. Additionally, there are a variety of internet resources that may be helpful in learning this writing style. Please check with the instructor for resources, if needed. This course does not involve formal readings; however, it would benefit the student to use the Mendoza Business Information Center (BIC) and nonprofit educational resources. It is the student s responsibility to research and examine resources to complete the project. This may include investigating Docushare, journal articles and using the latest theory and practice found in nonprofit trade association, conferences and/or other relevant publications. Additionally, project specific articles and resources may be shared by the instructor throughout the course as needed. Additionally, this course links theory to practice. If the student wants to prepare a marketing plan, the marketing framework and/or resources that will be used to begin the project must be shared. This should be approved as part of the proposal, prior to the first week of class. Overview of the Course This is the capstone experience for students in the Master of Nonprofit Administration program. It is assumed that students have a fundamental knowledge of the nonprofit sector including nonprofit theory and principles. The course will focus on the development of an agreed upon project that supports the sector and that develops a new skill set for the student based on classroom activity and nonprofit research. It is designed to enhance leadership development and nonprofit practice. The class is nontraditional in the sense that students direct and have control over learning and structure. 2
Project The student will choose a project that would benefit a nonprofit organization, a specific nonprofit community or the nonprofit community at large (e.g. case study for publication purposes). This is one project- not two (some students feel the need to prepare a second, more academic document). The project can be started prior to student course registration but the written proposal must be accepted by the instructor and by the nonprofit organization prior to any initial project activity. The project must be completed (and delivered to instructor and organization) by the end of the course (see Course Outline/Proposal section). The project must be submitted to the nonprofit organization for consideration. Ideally, the project will be implemented. The student must provide the organization s comments (acceptance or otherwise) in the final project. Therefore, careful planning and time/project management by the student is required. Business Writing At times, projects require sources to support the process or argument of a particular project. If sources are needed, it is preferred that APA style of writing* be used for the paper. It mandates a style that complements proper business writing. The student is encouraged to submit written work in advance for feedback and commentary. *Please seek approval if another writing style must be used (i.e. organizational preference). Project Guide The student may wish to work with an expert in the field to gain insights, mentoring, and/or direction. This may be an industry expert or faculty member. It is the student s responsibility to contact this person and to assure the person gives feedback to the student and to the instructor. Project Examples There are a few examples of field projects located on the MNA website. Past projects include Business Plans, Strategic Plans, Board Development Manuals, Marketing Proposals, Resource Development Plans, etc. Please remember when choosing a project, it is helpful to have a framework or theory that will assist you in project implementation. Reflection In addition to the project, the student will prepare a reflection, as an addendum to the project. This is the student s opinion and summary of the experience. The assignment is limited to three pages and should include insights about the project, organizational reaction (acceptance or rejection) and other interesting discoveries. 3
Organizational Commentary The instructor will be discussing the end project with the host organization. This evaluation is twofold: First to assure the project was instructive and helpful to the organization. Second is to evaluate overall degree content. These evaluations will be used to assess requirements of the program and to assure that MNA students have the appropriate skill set to lead in the nonprofit sector. Please put contact information of the nonprofit oversight person or decision maker in the email along with final project. Course Outline/Proposal A written proposal of the project can be emailed to instructor (prior to student registration). This can be done up to a year in advance; however the student should prepare and submit the proposal at a minimum of one month in advance of the semester. The student is encouraged to start the project prior to the actual semester. It is strongly recommended that the written proposal (or a form of it) is shared with the organizational liaison. This allows the student to assure that the organization understands the timeline and the final product in addition to gaining commitment from the organization. a) Name and contact information (preferred email and phone please) b) Project organization(s), project supervisor and contact information (email) c) Project description with timeline d) Methodology (including theories and frameworks) e) The level of intellectual challenge and critical thinking you feel the project involves (low, medium or high)* f) Primary learning objectives for the student g) Project products and outcomes (reports plans, paper, presentation etc.) h) Please indicate if this project coincides with another academic project or class i) Please indicate intended date for course registration and graduation date j) Other details that you feel may be important to share *Those projects that are not identified as high in intellectual challenge will need to offer an additional explanation. Typically the instructor will not accept those projects that are not highly stimulating nor offer a high level of learning and challenge. This is a semester project. The student has every chance to improve the final project over the semester since it is a progressive work. The student may submit drafts, outlines etc. for instructor feedback up to two weeks before the final project is due. Drafts will not be accepted after April 15, 2015 for review. Three (3) progress meetings are required. It is the student s responsibility to initiate and schedule communication. All meetings will be scheduled at EDT/EST. The professor can 4
be reached at 574-631-7793 unless other arrangements are made (SKYPE or face to face meetings). Final projects should be submitted to instructor s email address unless other arrangements have been made. The instructor will not release grades for projects received prior to the due date. *DUE: April 29, 2015 at 11:59 PM EDT. Late projects will be accepted until April 30, 2015 at 11:59 PM EDT with a deduction of one full grade. It is anticipated this project will consume a minimum of 40 hours per credit hour which is consistent with a three credit graduate level course. Grading Project 75% Reflection 15% Progress Meetings (minimum of three conversations ) 10% Grading Scale: A 94-100% A- 90-93% B+ 88-89% B 84-87% B- 80-83% C+ 78-79% C 74-77% D 69-73% F 68% or lower This is a proactive course and the student determines the structure and organization. The instructor is prepared to meet with each student on a regular basis or as needed. The absence of a traditional class requires the student to create a schedule and determine course progress. Incompletes are not given for this course except for extreme cases, as determined and approved by the program director. All work must be completed to pass the course. Student and Academic Integrity Plagiarism (using others work, including paraphrasing from the web or anyplace else without proper attribution) will result in a failing grade for the assignment. Plagiarism is a violation of the University of Notre Dame s Graduate Business Honor Code and is a serious offense. Violations may result in failure of the course or dismissal. Student grievances begin with the Nonprofit Professional Development Director. 5
Students with Disabilities It is the student s responsibility to provide the instructor with documented information about a disability in a timely manner so that accommodations may be instituted. For more information, please contact the Office of Disability Services at 574-631-7157. Other Important Information The project will be property of the MNA program upon completion. It may be used for students or alumni after it is submitted. If there are confidential items, please inform the instructor to determine an appropriate course of action for the submitted document. Please note all appointments will be set on Eastern Standard/Daylight Time since the University of Notre Dame is located in that time zone. Please allow approximately one week for review of any assignments submitted to instructor. Many students are interested in publishing their work in peer reviewed or field specific publications. If you are interested in a case study or other research methodology, please let the instructor know sooner rather than later. The instructor will give copious feedback in track changes (Word) or via phone/skype (as determined by the student). If the student feels more feedback is needed, it is the student s responsibility to schedule additional appointments. This is a tentative syllabus and the instructor reserves the right to amend or adjust the content of the syllabus to meet the objectives of the course. Any changes will be announced via email. 6