EAHR 823 040- Course Syllabus/Outline

Spring 2023

COURSE OUTLINE -EAHR 823 040: TRENDS IN DEVELOPING HUMAN RESOURCES

Semester Spring 2023

Instructor Abu Bockarie (306 586-3274 Home) OR (306 519 1566 Cell)

Venue Room 209 Education Building for the ftf classes only

Schedule Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6:30pm - 9:15pm

Format Blended - ftf and Zoom

Office Education Building, Room 249

Office Hours 8:00am to 5:00pm

E-mail Abu.Bockarie@uregina.ca

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION

An inquiry into the trends and issues in developing human resources in organizations
and the workplace. Topics to be covered will include a review of trends and issues,
perspectives in understanding the HRD field, fundamental issues associated with HRD
and its process as well as some contemporary challenges facing HRD including talent
development and other types of interventions used in developing human resources in
organizations.

COURSE DESCRIPTION AND GOALS

EAHR 823 040 is a graduate seminar in research, theory, and practice relating to the
trends and issues in developing human resources in organizations. Today’s workplaces
are rapidly changing, requiring that organizations have talented employees with the
requisite expertise to respond effectively or act proactively to the trends and issues that
influence organizational effectiveness and performance. No single factor is therefore
probably of greater significance to organizations than the capability of their HR
departments to develop talented employees with the relevant skillset, knowledge and
attitudes to contribute to organizational effectiveness and efficiency.

Researchers suggest several trends are affecting today’s organizations, and those
trends have implications for developing their human resources. Some of the trends
relate to drastic times - uncertain economic conditions, organizations reflecting on

1
ways to grow and be profitable as well as a focus on doing more with less - that require
drastic measures. There is also the issue of the blurring lines between life and work,
including a focus on work-life balance or harmony, flatter and leaner organizational
structures, contingent and other forms of employment as well as outsourcing work.
There is also changing technology, including e-everything, interactive communication
technology, and artificial intelligent. Also, the Internet is changing the way we work,
connect and communicate. There is life and work in the e-lane. Organizations are also
experiencing increased workforce or workplace diversity with new faces and new
expectations from workers. They are also facing increasing rate and magnitude of
change that require employees to be more adaptable. There is also demand for
increased levels security including issues of privacy and confidentiality and the ability of
governments to provide security. There is a focus on strategic HRD instead of activity-
driven HRD, demand for corporate social responsibility, including concerns about
environmental sustainability. There are also demands for higher ethical and integrity bar
and emphases on talent development. The success of organizations in addressing these
issues and trends therefore require developing a talented workforce.

This course explores organizational trends as well as the implications of those trends for
developing human resources in organizations. The purpose of the course is therefore to
provide students an opportunity to study the trends and issues in developing human
resources in organizations. The course seeks to foster students' understanding of the
trends and issues with the intent of providing a foundation for more informed, insightful,
and reflective practices in developing human resources in organizations or the
workplace.

Ten broad learning outcomes have been developed to guide the delivery of the
course. At the end of the course, each student should be able to identify some key
organizational trends and issues and the implications of those trends and issues for
developing human resources in organizations. Specifically, each of you should be able
to:

1. Describe some trends and issues facing organizations as well as the

perspectives associated with our understanding of the HRD field.

2. Explore some perspectives on strategic HRD, as well as strategies for

managing the HRD function in organizations.

3. Demonstrate understanding of individual and organizational perspectives on

learning as well as organizational development.

4. Describe some strategies for identifying learning needs, designing and

delivering as well as evaluating HRD programs.

5. Identify strategies for managing talented employees in organizations as well

as leadership development and graduate employability.

2
 6. Describe some issues of ethics, corporate social responsibility and
sustainability in HRD.

7. Demonstrate familiarity with strategies for skills and technical training as well
as coaching and performance management in HRD.

8. Describe HRD’s role in employee counselling, well-being and inclusion in

organizations.

9. Describe and analyze HRD’s role in employee socialization and orientation in

organizations.

10. Demonstrate familiarity with HRD’s role in promoting diversity and inclusion at
the workplace.

COURSE FORMAT & ORGANIZATION

This course will be delivered through the blended format. Some of the sessions will be
offered through the face-to-face format and others will be held over Zoom. The
delivery format for each session is indicated in this course syllabus. A variety of
instructional techniques will be used in the course, including small group discussions,
team chapter presentations, PowerPoint presentations as well as online discussions.

We will start with some discussions of the trends and issues facing organizations and
some perspectives on introductory discussions about human resource development.
We will then discuss some fundamentals of human resource development, including
strategic HRD, managing the HRD function in organizations, individual-level learning as
well as organizational learning and development. We will also explore the human
resource development process in organizations, including the identification of learning
needs, as well as designing, delivering and evaluating of HRD programs. We will also
discuss some contemporary challengers facing HRD, such as talent management,
leadership development, graduate employability as well as ethics, corporate social
responsibility, sustainability and HRD. The course will conclude with some discussion of
topics surrounding the application of HRD to practice as outlined in selected chapters
in the human resource development: Talent development text. These chapter topics
are employee socialization and orientation in organizations, skills and technical training,
coaching and performance, employee counselling, well-being and wellness, career
management and development as well as HRD, diversity and inclusion at the
workplace.

COURSE READINGS

The required text for this course is Human resource development: A concise introduction
edited by Ronan Carbery and Christine Cross. The text is available at the bookstore. In
addition to the text, we will draw on a few chapters in the text: Human resource
development: Talent development by Jon Werner for some of the team chapter

3
presentations. I have asked the library to place that text on reserve (2 hour loan) for use
by students in this course.

COURSE ASSIGNMENTS

There are Three Assignments for this course.

Assignment 1 is a review of a recent peer-reviewed article [published from 2018–2023) in

a scholarly journal publication about developing human resources in organizations and
preparing a review report. The purpose of this assignment is to help you to develop your
ability to understand and respond to academic work relating to HRD. The due date for
Assignment 1 is Thursday, June 1, 2023.

Assignment 2 involves reading a chapter in the required course text as well as the
Human resource development: Talent development text and leading a team in-class or
Zoom presentation and discussion of that chapter. The team chapter presentations
begin during Session 6, on May 23 with 2 presentations scheduled for each session. The
GTA and instructor will present the chapters that are not taken by students.

Assignment 3 is an analytical paper that explores the theoretical and conceptual

aspects of an issue or topic relating to developing human resources in organizations.

The due date for Assignment 3 is Tuesday June 20, 2023. Please note that all three
assignments for this course should be prepared in APA style. In addition, submission of
the assignments should be done by e-mail. Please forward assignments in word
document.

The Assignments are described in detail on pages 14-17 of this syllabus.

4
MINIMUM EXPECTATIONS

Each student is expected to:

1. Participate actively in the class sessions; both the online and ftf sessions. Active
participation means you engage with others in the discussion of the ideas in the
readings and presented in class and online. It also means that you are
responsive to the contributions of others and that you respect the right of others
to hold and express views different from your own. Because some of the course
content will be discussed in the ftf classes, attendance at those sessions is
considered very important.

2. Carefully read the materials prior to the sessions at which they will be discussed.
As a student in a graduate-level course, you will be also expected to identify,
acquire, read, and critically analyze other materials relating to the course
readings and assignments.

3. Submit written assignments to the instructor on the specified dates. If the

deadline passes for submitting assignments and you do not submit yours, your
mark will be based on only the work you have submitted. The Office of
Graduate Studies and Research handles grade deferrals.

4. Assist in improving the course by providing constructive criticisms to the instructor

at any time during the semester, and by participating in the formal evaluation of
the course at the end of the semester.

5
 University of Regina & Faculty of Education
Summary of Academic Regulations & Reminders (revised Spring/Summer 2010)
For the official record of the policies of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research
please refer to the Graduate Calendar:
http://www.uregina.ca/gradstudies/calendar/index.shtml
1. Attendance and Punctuality – Regular and punctual attendance is very important in
the Faculty of Education because courses are often based on participation and
experiential learning rather than lecture. As well, group activities and assignments
are often negatively affected by the absence of students. Instructors will monitor
student attendance.
2. Academic Misconduct – University of Regina, Graduate Calendar,
http://www.uregina.ca/gradstudies/calendar/policy_univ.shtml#conduct
Acts of academic dishonesty or misconduct include acts which contravene the
general principles governing student behaviour. All forms of academic misconduct
are considered serious offences at the University.
Plagiarism – Plagiarism is another form of academic misconduct. Plagiarism form of
academic dishonesty in which one person submits or presents the work of another
person as his or her own, whether from intent to deceive, lack of understanding, or
carelessness. Unless the course instructor states otherwise, it is allowable and
expected that students will examine and refer to the ideas of others, but these ideas
must be incorporated into the student’s own analysis and must be clearly
acknowledged through footnotes, endnotes, or other practices accepted by the
academic community. Students’ use of others’ expression of ideas, whether quoted
verbatim or paraphrased, must also be clearly acknowledged according to
acceptable academic practice. It is the responsibility of each student to learn what
constitutes acceptable academic practice. Plagiarism includes the following
practices:
 not acknowledging an author or other source for one or more phrases,
sentences, thoughts, code, formulae, or arguments incorporated in written work,
software, or other assignments (substantial plagiarism);
 presenting the whole or substantial portions of another person’s paper, report,
piece of software, etc. as an assignment for credit, even if that paper or other
work is cited as a source in the accompanying bibliography or list of references
(complete plagiarism). This includes essays found on the Internet.
Students who are uncertain what plagiarism is should discuss their methodology with
their instructors.
3. Invigilators’ Rights – An invigilator who suspects a student of cheating has the
authority to ask the student to do such things as empty pockets, pencil cases, etc.,
and roll up their sleeves. The invigilator should ensure they have a witness when
asking the student to perform the request. The invigilator should not badger the
student or unduly disrupt that student’s (or other students’) ability to complete the
examination. If the student refuses to cooperate, the invigilator cannot do more

6
 except to make written note of the students’ refusal when reporting on the matter
under the disciplinary regulations.
4. Harassment – All members of the University community are entitled to a professional
working and learning environment free of harassment and discrimination. This
entitlement, however, carries with it the expectation that all members of the
University community will conduct themselves in an appropriate and responsible
manner, with due respect and regard for the rights of others. No member of the
university community shall cause or participate in discrimination against or
harassment of another person.
http://www.uregina.ca/presoff/vpadmin/policymanual/hr/2010510.shtml
5. Late Assignments – Action regarding late assignments may vary from instructor to
instructor. Expectations or due dates for assignments, as well as the marks that may
be deducted for late assignments are noted in the course syllabus. (For example,
some instructors deduct one mark for each day late.)
6. Language Competence – Students are expected to meet recommended standards
of language competence as part of graduation requirements in the Faculty of
Graduate Studies and Research.
7. Unprofessional Conduct – Students of the University of Regina are expected to
conduct themselves responsibly and with propriety both in their studies and in their
general behaviour, and are expected to abide by all policies and regulations of the
University. Misconduct, which may be academic (that is, in academic studies) or
non-academic (in general behaviour), is subject to disciplinary action.

8. Special needs - Any student with a disability, injury or illness who feels they may need
academic accommodation should discuss this with the course instructor after
contacting the Centre for Student Accessibility, located in Riddell Centre 251, phone
306-585-4631, e-mail accessibility@uregina.ca.”

7
 Graduate Programs in the Faculty of Education
Grading Rubric for 800 and 900 Level Classes

Rationale:
The purpose of this document is to provide graduate students and instructors with a
rubric1 that will assist them in understanding Faculty of Education expectations for
student submissions. At the graduate level it should not be assumed that simply
submitting all assignments at an acceptable level will lead to a mark that an objective
observer would interpret as implying “excellent” or “exceptional” performance. This
rubric describes quality of submission expectations for each mark range.

Regulations regarding Student Grades:

1. Students at the masters or doctoral level must receive a mark greater than 70% to
pass a course. A graduate student may fail (achieve a grade of less than 70%) one
course and continue in his/her program. Should a student fail a second graduate
class in his/her program, he/she will be required to discontinue from that program.
2. Masters students must complete all requirements of their programs with a passing
grade; however, no minimum GPA is required to complete a masters program.
3. Doctoral students are expected maintain a minimum GPA of 80% or higher in their
course work. This guideline was established by the Faculty of Education, not the
Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research.

Rubric
It is understood that Students at the graduate level are expected to be able to write at
a scholarly level. The grade descriptions are in 5-mark intervals. These descriptions are
intended as guidelines for evaluation purposes.

70 – 75%
 Work in this range is to be considered as minimally acceptable; students should view
a mark in this range as a message that improved performance is desirable and
expected.
 Assignments are complete but little new analysis is provided in the work
 Grammatical structure contains fundamental errors. The wording may make
understanding the written arguments difficult. The paper contains errors in
mechanics (spelling, usage, etc.).
 Arguments are not adequately supported by evidence. Citations are missing or
infrequently used. Unsubstantiated “truth” claims are made in the paper. Literature
cited may be limited and/or not appropriate; for example, articles cited may not be
peer reviewed or not from scholarly sources.
 Arguments are not consistent or logically made.

1 a set of printed rules or instructions, e.g. the rules governing how Christian services are to be conducted,
often printed in red in a prayer book

8
76 – 80%
 The work done in this mark range will be a little below the average level expected
at the graduate level.
 Assignments include some new analysis but do not consistently show strength. The
work contains more than a very few errors in grammar, spelling, usage, etc.
 Arguments are supported by citing appropriate literature; however, weaknesses in
the arguments are obvious (e.g., counterarguments of which the student should be
aware are not addressed).

81 – 85%
 Work in this range is what might be considered the norm for graduate students.
Assignments that are well done should be graded in this range.
 Work will be consistently free of grammatical and spelling errors, and written at a
scholarly level.
 Citations are made when they are required. The references should be appropriate
when used. Students should demonstrate that they know the difference between
peer-reviewed sources and other types of references that are cited in scholarly
writing.
 Analyses should be made in clear, logical, persuasive arguments and appropriately
supported. In this mark range analysis should begin to show deeper understanding
of the material and an ability to apply these understandings in new ways.

86 – 90%
 To be awarded marks in this range, assignments should be written in a clear, formal
academic style. They should be free of grammar, usage, and spelling errors.
 Arguments should be clear and highly persuasive. Analyses should show original
thinking, clearly beyond simply summarizing the literature. Critical comparisons of
literature should be made.
 Connections should be made between the reviewed material and other materials in
the field. These connections should be original and not a reiteration of conclusions
drawn by previous writers.
 Work receiving grades in this range should be at a level such that the instructor
would not hesitate to recommend the student for scholarship or a doctoral
program.

91 – 95%
 Work in this range should be exemplary; that is, it should be clearly superior to all but
the best graduate student work.
 Work at this level contains no errors in format, style, or mechanics.
 Arguments must be clearly formulated and supported extensively by argument and
evidence from the literature.
 Analyses of material should be sophisticated, and normally would be expected to
present a new interpretation of the material.
 Work awarded marks in this range should be publishable in an appropriate
academic journal, with only minimal changes.

9
 It is very unlikely that even one student(s) in a Masters level class of 16 would meet
this standard.
 Masters students who achieve this grade should be directed to consider a doctoral
program.

96 – 100%
 For work to receive marks in this range it should be on its way to being published; in
fact, it would be appropriate to recommend specific journals to which the piece
could be submitted.
 Work at this level contains no errors in format, style, or mechanics.
 Work would have to show new and unique interpretations, arguments and
conclusions.
 It would not be expected that a grade at this level would be assigned to a Masters
student more than once in several years. Doctoral students who achieve a mark at
this level should be recruited to the Faculty.

10
 COURSE SCHEDULE, READINGS AND ASSIGNMENTS

Session 1 – May 4 (ftf Class Meeting)

 Introductions
 Overview of the Course
 Brief Overview of Trends and Issues impacting organizations

Readings

Course Outline/Syllabus
PowerPoint Notes

Session 2 – May 9 [Zoom Class Meeting]

 Introduction to HRD

Reading

Chapter 1 of the HRD: Concise introduction text

Session 3 – May 11- HRD Fundamentals (Zoom Class Meeting)

 Strategic HRD

Reading

Chapter 2 of the of the HRD: Concise introduction text

Session 4 – May 16: Fundamentals of HRD – Cont’d (Ftf Class Meeting)

 Managing the HRD function

Reading

Chapter 3 of the HRD: Concise introduction Text

Session 5 – May 18: Fundamentals of HRD – Cont’d (ftf Class Meeting)

 Individual-Level Learning

Reading

Chapter 4 of the HRD: Concise introduction text

11
 Session 6 – May 23: Fundamentals of HRD cont’d (Zoom Class Meeting) (Chapter
Presentations Begin)

 Organizational Learning
 Organizational Development

Readings

Chapters 5 and 6 of the HRD: Concise introduction text

Session 7 – May 25: HRD Processes (Chapter Presentations Continue) (Zoom Class
Meeting)

 Identifying Learning Needs

 Designing HRD Programs

Readings

Chapters 7 and 8 of the HRD: Concise introduction text

Session 8 – May 30: HRD Processes (Chapter Presentations Continue) (Ftf Class Meeting)

 Delivering HRD Programs

 Evaluating HRD Programs

Readings

Chapters 9 and 10 of the HRD: Concise introduction text

Session 9 – June 1: Contemporary Challenges (Chapter Presentations Continue) (ftf

Class Meeting)

 Managing Talented Employees

 Leadership Development

Readings

Chapters 11 and 12 of the HRD: Concise introduction text

Session 10 – June 6: Contemporary Challenges (Chapter Presentations Continue) (Zoom

Class Meeting)

 Graduate Employability
 Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability and HRD

Readings

12
Chapters 13 and 14 of the HRD: Concise introduction text

Session 11 – June 8: Readings from the HRD: Talent development text (Chapter
Presentations Continue) (Zoom Class Meeting)

 Onboarding: Employee socialization and orientation

 Skills and Technical Training

Readings

Chapters 8 and 9 of the HRD: Talent development text

Session 12 – June 13 (Chapter Presentations Continue) (ftf Class Meeting) From the HRD:
Talent development text

 Coaching and Performance Management

 Employee Counselling, Well-being and Wellness

Readings

Chapters 10 and 11 of the HRD: Talent development text

Session 13 – June 15 (Chapter Presentations Continue) (ftf Class Meeting) From the HRD:
Talent development text

 Career Management and Development

 HRD, Diversity and Inclusion: Beyond Diversity Training
 Overview of the Semester

Readings

Chapters 12 and 15 of the HRD: Talent development text

13
Course Assignments

There are three assignments for this course

Assignment 1: Article Review and report

Assignment 1 is a review of a recent peer-reviewed article [published 2018–2023) in a

scholarly journal publication about developing human resources in organizations and
preparing a review report. The purpose of this assignment is to help you to develop your
ability to understand and respond to academic work relating to HRD. The due date for
Assignment 1 is Thursday, June 1, 2023.

The report should be no more than five pages in length, double-spaced, excluding the
references. A font size of 12’ should be used. I suggest you seek the assistance of the
reference librarian to locate journal articles and other relevant readings for this
assignment and the course.

Three features are normally integrated into an article review---the introduction, the
content analysis, and the evaluation.

The introduction is concise and it describes both the aim and organization of the article
being reviewed.

The content analyses aims at explaining and analyzing the contents of the article. The
analyses may include an overview of the writer's stated theme, purpose of the article,
whether the writer’s arguments are well developed, strengths and weaknesses of the
author’s approach, particular features of the article that deserve special attention, and
the writer’s conclusions about the topic under discussion.

In the evaluation section, you offer your opinion about the article, Your opinion may
include issues like whether the author’s argument is convincing, the perceived
relevance of the work to the HRD field, the issues or questions the writer overlooked or
failed to address and suggestions for improving the article.

Marking for the article review report will be based on the following criteria.

Introduction 2
Content analysis of article 6
Evaluation of the article 7
Overall quality of review report
(e.g., writing style, grammar, structure,
APA style writing and referencing, etc.) 5

Grade: 20% of the total mark for the course is allocated to the article review report.

DUE DATE: Thursday, June 1, 2023. Allow a three-week turn-around time for this
assignment. Please email me your paper as word document.

14
ASSIGNMENT #2: Team Chapter Presentations

Early in the semester, each of you will select a team partner (maximum of 2 to a team).
The team will sign up for a chapter presentation in the Human resource development:
Concise introduction text or one of the listed chapter topics in the Human resource
development: Talent development text. The team will conduct further research in that
chapter topic for an in- class or Zoom presentation.

One of the purposes of the assignment is to help you to work toward the achievement
of the course outcomes as a team. Each team is expected to research additional
relevant material in their chapter topic for the presentation. Teams should prepare
notes of their presentation for distribution to class colleagues, the GTA and the
instructor. The chapter research presentations begin during Session 6, May 23, with two
presentations scheduled for each session. The GTA and instructor will present the
chapters that are not taken by students.

Below is the guide for grading the chapter presentations.

Detailed coverage of chapter topic, including evidence of outside reading in the topic
10 marks
Coherent and orderly organization of notes and presentation 5
Ability to answer questions raised during the presentation 5
Critique or analysis of the chapter topic 5
Overall quality of presentation (APA style referencing, etc.) 5

Grade: 30% of the total mark for this course is allocated to this assignment. The chapter
research presentations begin during Session 6, May 23, with two presentations
scheduled for each session. The GTA and instructor will present the chapters that are
not taken by students.

Assignment #3: Major Research Project: An Analytical Paper

For your final assignment, you will write an analytical paper about an issue or trend
influencing the development of human resources and the implications for the
workplace. Analytical papers should demonstrate your command of the literature in
the trend or issue of your choice and the implications for the workplace. The paper
should also demonstrate your ability to analyze, critically assess and form judgments
about the various perspectives on that trend or issue.

Analytical papers should be between 15-20 double-spaced, typewritten pages of 12"

font size including the title/cover page and the references.

Marking for Assignment 3 will focus on the following specific criteria:

Clarity of expression and writing 10

Accuracy and depth of analysis of literature,
including discussion of alternative perspectives 10
Cogency of arguments presented, and how well supported by literature 10

15
Overall quality of paper, degree to which stated purpose of paper is addressed,
organization and writing style, APA style, etc. 10

Grade: 40% of the total mark for the course is allocated to this assignment.

DUE DATE: June 20, 2023

Class Participation: Inasmuch as the experience of students is a potential source of

valuable learning for other students, and because a variety of perspectives are sought,
10% of the final mark will be allocated to each student's attendance (in both the ftf and
Zoom sessions) and contribution to class discussions.

The expectation is each of you will have studied the readings assigned for each session
in advance of the class meeting so that time can be most profitably spent in the
discussions. Participation requires that you engage with the instructor and colleagues in
the discussions of the readings and class presentations. You are also expected to be
responsive to the contributions of others and not dominate the discussion time.

Marks for class participation will be based on my assessment of students’ contribution to

the learning climate in the class, including the relevance of contributions and the
degree to which they reflect a good understanding of the readings.

16
17