POLS 536 01: Public Personnel Administration

We have three teaching and learning frameworks for our course: active learning; developing your academic, personal, and professional knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs); and self-reflection. After successfully completing the course, you will be able to:

1. Identify and understand the foundational theories and functions of public personnel administration and human resource management
2. Explain the key structural, human resource, political, and symbolic frameworks within which public administrators must organize employees to accomplish organizational goals
3. Understand and apply the core functions of public personnel administration, including planning, acquisition, development, safety, and sanctions, to contemporary issues in organizational supervision, management, and leadership
4. Identify and develop the kinds of professional knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) that will help you achieve your personal and professional goals.
5. Communicate effectively your analysis, evaluation, and synthesis of issues related to public personnel administration, including the formulation of alternative solutions to contemporary organizational dilemmas

Required Readings: This course has one required text that you must get from whichever outlet and in whatever format you wish. It’s on order at the UND Bookstore and also available elsewhere online and in an ebook format for rental or purchase. Please see the important notes below.

Jared L. Llorens, Donald E. Klingner & John Nalbandian, Public Personnel Management: Contexts And Strategies, 7e (Routledge, 2017) (“LKN” in the syllabus) ISBN-13: 978-1138281202 (note: eBook & rental options available wherever you purchase your books, including the UND Bookstore (click here)

There is one optional recommended text that provides additional current context on course topics:

Richard C. Kearney & Jerrell D. Coggburn, Eds., Public Human Resource Management: Problems and Prospects, 6e (CQ Press, 2016) (“KC” in the syllabus) ISBN-13: 978-1483393452 (note: eBook & rental options available wherever you purchase your books)

Note: Please get current editions; this is a must for Llorens et al., otherwise you may not be able to do the reading or learn course topics that have changed dramatically since prior editions were published.

“Supplements TBD”: I will post supplementary readings, links, TED Talks, podcasts, or other free resources to contextualize a particular topic, suggest a problem for class discussion, or incorporate current events.

In order to succeed in this course, at a minimum, you should be able to:

• Navigate in and use basic Blackboard functions
• Navigate in and use Zoom functions to attend class meetings, speak or use the chat or polling function to participate, or view class recordings.
• Navigate in and use YuJa functions in Blackboard to record your own short video presentations while displaying a PowerPoint or similar visual aid.
• Download and open electronic documents
• Create, save, and upload/attach electronic documents
• Send, receive, and manage email

Class Format & Weekly Timing

Our default is to meet synchronously as a full class cohort in real time at the scheduled time.  This includes meeting in the classroom and/or online in Zoom. We also may use an asynchronous format, in which I record and post an online presentation that you watch on your own and complete any accompanying activity during the designated week. We also may meet in designated groups or individually on a TBD basis. All class times or deadlines are in Central Standard Time (CST). I will provide you with sufficient notice on any changes to our format, with some flexibility to change things up and adapt to specific requests, needs, and schedules. Each class session will include a combination of directed and active learning, in which we work through core themes, ideas, and definitions in both a theoretical and a practical or applied setting. We will have plenty of opportunities to share peer-to-peer questions and insights. Throughout, we will work toward increasing your ability and comfort level in presenting online.

Weekly Timing

Wednesday and Thursday will be key to timing the release and completion in Blackboard of topics, materials and assignments or due dates. New topics and assignments will be introduced on Thursdays with release dates color-coded in green. You will complete assignments and submit them by uploading to Blackboard by the start of class at 7 p.m. CST on Wednesdays with due dates in red. Please take into account that since we meet just once per week, some weeks that include assignments or deadlines will seem “shorter” than others due to holidays.

Blackboard Course Webpage, Zoom Virtual Classroom, & YuJa Video Platform

Course materials will be available on Blackboard. You’re expected to check the course webpage regularly for announcements, assignments, supplements, and updates or changes to the course schedule. The page also hosts grading,  Zoom, our virtual classroom, and YuJa, to record and share asynchronous video presentations. You’ll need a stable Wi-Fi or other internet connection, mike and/or headset, camera, and laptop or other supported device. These are your responsibility, but if you’re facing specific tech challenges, please let me know.

To get started with our course in Blackboard, please go to: http://blackboard.UND.edu and log in with your NDUS.Identifier, Username and Password. If you do not know your NDUS Identifier or have forgotten your password, please visit Your NDUS Account Webpage on the UIT website.

I’ll always do my best to communicate with you clearly and on time. If you have a question or will be late for a class or assignment, email me. Within reason, expect to hear back from me within 24 hours. This is a two-way street; if I email you, I also expect to hear back within 24 hours.

Assessment of learning outcomes will take place throughout the course. Both formative and summative assessment techniques will be explained and utilized. All students will learn about the value of assessment and participate in it. 

Course Requirements & Grading Standards

Throughout the semester, you will complete assignments outside of class that will serve three purposes: guide you through the topic; help you learn and retain the material; and prepare you to participate in class. Your final course grade will be based on:

• Course Participation, including consistent attendance, participation, engagement, and effort throughout the semester (30%)
• PPA Applied Experience, Self-Reflection & Assessment Portfolio, weekly assignments and activities including diverse opportunities to demonstrate comprehension of the material, develop your practical toolkit, and reflect on you administrative style, skills, and experience (70%)

Total (100%)

My general standards for evaluating your work are: (1) content; (2) comprehension; (3) reasoning; (4) organization; and (5) conventions of communication. I will distribute a rubric that explains each. For any and all of these categories, I also take into account your apparent preparation, engagement, and effort. You will always get a score and individualized feedback from me in Blackboard, generally within a week and/or prior to the next assignment.

The overall grading scale is as expected: A (90-100%) B (80-89%) C (70-79%) D (60-69%) F (below). However, I reserve the right to curve based on the performance of the specific course cohort. (You can expect that “curves” always go in favor of students, not the other way around.)

Note: Wednesday and Thursday will be key to timing the release and completion in Blackboard of topics, materials and assignments or due dates. New topics and assignments will be introduced on Thursdays with release dates color-coded in green. You will complete assignments and submit them by uploading to Blackboard by the start of class at 7 p.m. CST on Wednesdays with due dates in red. Because our course only meets weekly, please take into account that some weeks are shorter due to holidays.

Part I. What is Public Personnel Administration?

Week 1 (August 23). Introduction to Public Personnel Administration

Week 2 (August 30). The Past, Present, and Future of Public Personnel Administration

Part II. Planning

Week 3 (September 6). Strategy-Driven Public Personnel Administration I: Overview & SHRM

Week 4 (September 13). Strategy-Driven Public Personnel Administration II: Frames & Tools

Week 5 (September 20). Workforce Planning: Job Analysis, Design, and Description

Week 6 (September 27). Compensation: Pay & Benefits

Part III. Acquisition

Week 7 (October 4). Recruitment & Selection I: Process

Week 8 (October 11). Recruitment & Selection II: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Part IV. Development

Week 9 (October 18). Leadership & Employee Performance

Week 10 (October 25). Training, Education, and Staff Development

Week 11 (November 1). Performance Management & Appraisal

Week 12 (November 8). Workplace Safety, Security, Health, and Wellness

Part V. Sanctions

Week 13 (November 15). The Legal Environment

Week 14 (November 22). NO CLASS: HOLIDAY BREAK

Week 15 (November 29). Employee Rights, Discipline, and Organizational Justice

Part VI. Self-Reflection & Celebration

Week 16 (December 6). Course Reflection & Celebration: What we've Learned & Achieved Together

Assignment Policy & Late Work

Due dates for each assignment or activity will be posted in Blackboard. All assignments must be submitted by the due date and time posted in the course. All times are posted in the Central Time Zone. The acceptance of late assignments or “make-up work” is at the discretion of the instructor. If extenuating circumstances arise, it is your responsibility to you contact the instructor prior the due date if at all possible. Serious medical problems and/or family emergencies are excepted only with sufficient advance notification and documentation. Advance notification is defined as contacting me directly (by phone, email, or in person) at least one hour prior to the time the assignment is due. Students are responsible for scheduling a time to make up the missed assignments. Students who fail to complete assignments on time, or to provide advance notice, may be penalized on appropriate make-up materials by the equivalent of up to one letter grade for each day late, and may not be able to make up assignments after one week has passed. I reserve the right to require additional documentation of any medical problem or emergency before granting make-up assignments without penalty.

Please note: You do not need to disclose or perform trauma when asking for an extension; you just need to let us know (very broadly) that you need help, and we will do what we can to get you back on track in the course.

Class Participation

Attendance and participation in class activities are considered integral parts of a university education. Per University policy, attendance in classes is expected of all students. Getting the grade you want in this course starts with coming to class, being prepared, participating, showing effort, and getting your work done on time. Frequent absenteeism and a lack of preparation will affect your capacity to excel.

Incompletes

It is expected that students will complete all requirements for a course during the time frame of the course. For reasons beyond a student’s control, and upon request by the student or on behalf of the student, an incomplete grade may be assigned by the instructor when there is reasonable certainty the student will successfully complete the course without retaking it. The mark “I,” Incomplete, will be assigned only to the student who has been in attendance and has done satisfactory work up to a time within four weeks of the close of the semester, including the examination period, and whose work is incomplete for reasons satisfactory to his or her instructor. More information regarding UND’s Incomplete policy can be found on The Grading System Webpage.

Resolution of Problems

Should a problem occur, you should speak to your instructor first. If the problem continues to be unresolved, go to the department chair, and next to the college dean. Should the problem persist, you have the right to go to the provost next, and then to the president.

While this syllabus outlines many of the most important academic policies and procedures, a complete catalogue of those applicable to all courses at UND can be found here, and Nistler College of Business and Public Administration policies here.