Eastern Oregon University
College of Business
BA 490 Senior Project. 5 Credits
Syllabus

Online Course

Dr. Bob Larison

• phone: (541) 962-3558
• e-mail: blarison@eou.edu
• fax: (541) 962-3701
• office: ZH 214 9-11:00 AM M-TH
• web site: www.eou.edu/~blarison

Course Objectives:

Upon completion of the senior project, the student should be able to:

• converse easily about the interrelationships between the central concepts of their Business Administration option.
• demonstrate the application of some of the central concepts of their Business Administration option.
• easily explain the central concepts of their option to a formal audience.
• demonstrate essential managerial and organizational skills and techniques.
• demonstrate the capacity to plan, organize, and successfully complete a major task.

About the course:

Students within an option in the Business Administration program will conduct an activity that will provide a culminating and coalescing experience within their senior option. This activity will require the application of central concepts and skills within their option and will result in an academic product that may be formally presented to the faculty and students of their option at the end of their senior year. The senior project may have many forms ranging from an internship in a business location to the authoring of a formal academic research project. The form and content of the project will be developed jointly by the student and their instructor. The experience will encompass a period of a minimum of 150 hours of activity. (30 hours per credit) Again, the form may vary greatly from student to student. Examples of senior projects might be:

• An internship with a firm that will allow the student to explore and develop skills that will enhance their potential in the business environment and specialty of their choice.

• The development of a portfolio of materials that will qualify a student for work in the business environment of their choice. An example of this type of portfolio might be web-based marketing materials.

• A research project that will explore existing conditions in a specific industry or industry condition.

• A public service internship within the community that serves social needs within the community and allows the student to make use of their significant business skills.

• Development of a complete business plan for a new business the student is considering.

• A project based in the student's current work environment that would be constructive for the firm and would enhance the student's work qualifications or experience.

• An international business experience associated with student exchange.

• Many other options are available that can be developed with the student's project advisor.

Prerequisites:

• Completion of a minimum of 130 credits.
• Completion of a minimum of 40 credits with BA or EC prefix.

Project standards:

For distance students the senior project will generally culminate in one academic product: The product is a formal written report that is prepared in a professional manner. It will be fully documented and will focus on the central issues of the project. In addition, an informal daily log of all activities conducted on the project will also be turned in with the project. This log will document the student's experiences during the project including notations of all readings, experiences, thoughts, insights, that occur each day of the project. The log is especially important for students involved in internships and other experiential projects. Again, the log is informal and can be very informal. It is a working document. It can be used as a source of information for the final paper.

E-mail and Internet use:

All course materials including the syllabus will be posted on the internet for distribution to students. In addition, e-mail will serve as a primary medium of communication between students and their project advisor. For distance students it will serve as the primary means. Student should have access to the internet and to e-mail.

Grading:

The grade on the project will be based on the quality of the work produced during the project and on the formal written report. Students should regard all work on the project as being very important and contributing to the quality of the entire effort. The project log remains informal, however.

Testing:

No testing will be done within the senior project. All evaluation will be based on the products produced by the experience.

This schedule is provided for distance students for them to relate to the campus schedule for the course. If completion is desired in one quarter, the timeline set by the schedule will provide a good guide. The schedule is only a guide--since distance students do not meet as a group.

• Prior to week 1--Students may meet with their option instructor to begin development of a project concept. This will be especially important for internship or other experientially based projects or academic projects that will require significant primary data gathering. Some projects may well extend over the entire senior year or two quarters. If this is the case, the student should contact their instructor as soon as possible after their senior year begins. They may begin their project well in advance of formal registration for the Senior Project course.

• Week 1--Campus class will meet in the classroom designated by the campus course schedule. The project process will be discussed and students will begin the process of determining their projects. This will be done in consultation with the course instructor. Distance students will contact their instructor by e-mail and/or telephone to arrange a conference to discuss their project.

• Week 2--Projects should be determined during this week. The campus class will meet to discuss and finalize projects. Students will begin their projects. Assignment: Submit a one page summary of your final project idea to your instructor via email--if you have not done so already.

• Week 3--No class meeting. Students (including distance students) continue work on projects and consult with instructor individually via e-mail or in person.
• Week 4--Same
• Week 5--Same
• Week 6--The campus class will meet for progress discussion.
• Week 7--No class meeting.
• Week 8--Projects should be nearing completion.

• Week 9--Projects should be almost complete.

• Week 10--Finalize projects and mail to instructor

• Final Week--Monday--All projects including Distance student projects should be in instructor's hands.

• NOTE: SOME PROJECTS (most of them actually) MAY EXTEND INTO THE FOLLOWING QUARTER(S) DUE TO THE NATURE OF THE PROJECT.