Syllabus| University of Oklahoma

Presidential Dream Course

Sports Promotion

#GaylordSportsPR

Tentative Course Syllabus

Course Name: Sports Promotion

Course Number: JMC 4433/5433

Semester: Spring 2019

Professor: Dr. Jensen Moore

Location: Gaylord Hall, 1140 (Auditorium)

Days/Times: Tuesday/Thursday 12-1:15 p.m.

Course Description

This course overviews the various types of sports industry positions that utilize strategic communication skills under the overarching umbrella of "sports promotion." The goal of this course is to help students fully understand the myriad of different ways public relations, advertising, sales and marketing techniques can be used in sports promotion. To that end, we will examine the sports brand foundations, communicating the sports brand via the media, the sports brand communications mix, sports communication campaigns, emerging media and promotion methods in sports, communicating during sport controversy/crisis, merchandising rights, sponsorships, merchandising and licensing, sports fans, rivalries, communities and parasocial interactions, sports customer-centered experiences, defining and connecting with the sports fan, sports consumption and customer decision making, corporate social responsibility and community relations, legal and ethical aspects of sports promotion, sports publicity, celebrity endorsements and the athlete image, sports fiction, fantasy, and video games, sustaining the sports brand, planning the sports mega event, the influence of race, gender, ethnicity and sexuality in sports, and the influence of nationalism, culture and identity in sports.

The course enhances student chances of success in the sport industry by discussing the various public relations, advertising, sales and marketing techniques and strategies available in sports promotion on the individual athlete, sports team, or sports brand levels. The course will achieve this understanding through the recognition of the myriad of communication efforts utilized in the dissemination of information in today’s sport world. Further, the course focuses on providing students with an understanding of how the sport media plays an integral role in the success of any sport promotions.

Speakers will be used to address several of the following topics:

The various types of promotions that engage and inspire different sport consumer segments.
Ways to represent and brand athletes, teams, merchandise, and sports venues.
The day-to-day responsibilities of different types of sports communicators and promoters.
The strategies utilized in sports promotion to create consumer interest in sport products, venues, athletes, and the sport.

At the end of the course students will be expected to demonstrate the ability to apply sports promotion concepts to practical sport industry environments by developing a social media campaign to promote a particular athlete (student’s choice).

What demonstrates expertise in our field?

Writing = evidence of thinking.
Thinking = goal setting and evaluating information.
Research = finding answers to problems.
Deadline orientation/organization.

Professional Values and Competencies Addressed in this Course:

Recognizing the diversity of audiences.
Writing clearly and accurately.
Applying theories in presenting images and information.
Engaging in research and critical evaluation.
Understanding data and evaluation and applying basic numerical and statistical concepts.
Thinking critically, creatively and independently.
Evaluating critically your own work and that of others.
Applying tools and technologies appropriate for the profession.

Student Learning Outcomes

At the conclusion of the course, you should be able to:

1. Develop an understanding of history of sports promotion and the fan as a customer (evaluated using blog posts and social media campaign).

2. Analyze and discuss current issues in sports promotion including, but not limited to, ethical issues specific to sports promotion and race, gender, sexuality, and disability issues in sports (evaluated using blog posts and social media campaign).

3. Analyze and discuss communication strategies used by sports promotion professionals (evaluated using blog posts and social media campaign).

4. Analyze and discuss the effects of evolving technology and social media on sports promotion (evaluated using social media certifications, blog posts and social media campaign).

5. Identify and apply elements of the strategic sports communication model (evaluated using guest speaker promotions)

6. Identify and target key publics and develop relationships within the sports promotion field (evaluated using blog posts and social media campaign).

7. Create promotional, multimedia content including written features, press releases, social media, video and infographics (evaluated using guest speaker promotions).

Textbook

There is no textbook required for this course. Each reading is available via Canvas. In lieu of a textbook your group will be expected to pay for color printing and binding of your final social media campaign project.

A Final Note on Grading

Please know that all grades are submitted and posted on your secure online accounts. There will be no percentage round-ups for the course grades. All grades will be assigned according to the number of points you get, not according to the percentage. Thus, you may get ~79.6% in class with 1035 points, but will receive a C grade. You will have an access to your grades throughout the semester. All students, and particularly graduating seniors, should monitor their performance closely and confront problems or deficiencies during the semester. The time to deal with potential problems is during the semester, not after final grades are posted.

There is a limited period to discuss and/or appeal your grades for assignments and exams in this class. You can ask questions about the grades, discuss your grades on a particular assignment, or look at your exam or other assignments ONLY WITHIN ONE WEEK from the date the assignment/exam grades were posted. There will be no discussions or possibilities to appeal your grade, ask questions about your grades, or look over your assignment after that time period has passed. If you want the professor or TA to reconsider your grade, please note that in this case we will grade the assignment again, from the start. Thus, it is possible that you will receive a lower grade than you received originally – if we find that we missed any rubric requirements the first time we graded the assignment, exam, etc.

Please DO NOT EMAIL us questions about grades as we will not respond to those emails. All grade discussions will have to be in person. You will need to schedule an appointment with me or the TA to discuss grades.

Basis of Course Grade

All grades will be posted on Canvas. Pay attention to your POINT TOTAL not your percentage.

This is the way your grade will be computed:

Individual Assignments

Engagement Points (150 points) - Attendance, Class Discussions, Exercises, Live Tweeting During Guest Speaker Visits (use #GaylordSportsPR hashtag)
Professionalism Points (100 points) - Individual Evals Provided by Instructor/TA (40), Individual Evals Provided by Peers (60)
Blogging certification (100 points)
Hootsuite Platform Training Certification (100 points)
Hootsuite Social Marketing Training Certification (100 points)
Peer Evaluations (5 at 10 points each = 50)

Group Assignments

Group Blogs – Adopt a Team (11 at 50 points each = 550)

Instead of weekly quizzes, groups will create 11 blog posts examining the communications/promotions of a men’s or women’s professional baseball, basketball, hockey, football, or soccer organization (college teams do not count as professional). Posts will provide a summary of the staffing of the communications/promotions offices along with responsibilities, examples of positive/negative publicity handled over the past three years pertaining to the organization, and examples of media coverage of the publicity. Student will be expected to provide an outside analysis of the effectiveness of communications/promotions operations with respect to the overall goals of the sports organization, incorporating concepts and principles from course discussions, readings, and guest speakers (hint, hint: use the key terms provided in the course schedule in your blog posts). The blogs will require students to conduct secondary and primary research via outside sources, incorporate information from at least two approved outside sources (per post), and provide suggestions as to how the organization could have met those goals more effectively.

2. Guest Speaker Promotion (100 points)

Your group will create promotional, multimedia content promoting one of this semester’s guest speakers. This will include written features, press releases, social media, video and graphics.

3. Campaign Project and Presentation - Sports Humanitarian of the Year Social Media Campaign (450 points)

There will be four parts of the campaign that will need to be completed during the course. Each group will choose one athlete to use for their campaign. No two teams may select the same athlete.

Introduction, Social Media Audit, Secondary and Primary Research, SWOT (50 points)
Key Public Personas, Positioning, Objectives of Campaign (50 points)
Plan for Growing Social Channels, Strategies and Tactics (50 points)
Implementation Plan and Social Media Channel Evaluation (50 points)
Social Media Campaign Book (200 points)
Social Media Campaign Final Presentation (50 points) – everyone on team must present, any one not presenting will earn zero (0) points

TOTAL: 1700 points

A = highest level of attainment, 1530 points and above

B = high level of attainment, 1360-1529 points

C = average performance, 1190-1359 points

D = passing performance despite some deficiencies, 1020-1189 points

F = failed; unacceptable performance, 1019 points and below

**Master's and Honors students enrolled in this course will complete the Guest Speaker Promotion individually and write a critical reflection of the promotion items they created.

Extra Credit

Several extra credit opportunities will be offered throughout the semester. Take advantage of them. They may be the difference in a letter grade at the end of the semester. Missed extra credit cannot be made up.

PRSSA: You may want to consider joining and participating in PRSSA if you are not a member. Participation in PRSSA (not just attending meetings – service, fundraising, etc. are also offered) can earn you extra credit points. You will be expected to live tweet the PRSSA function and provide a print-out of your tweets for extra credit points.

Research Extra Credit: Taking part in additional research projects can earn you extra credit. Only course-approved research opportunities will be granted extra credit. If you are in doubt as to whether a research opportunity will count – ask. If you take part in an approved research opportunity it is up to you to provide the professor with documentation that you participated.

Guest Speaker Extra Credit: You may earn extra credit by attending ANY guest speakers hosted by the Gaylord College (outside of the guest speakers for this class). Keep an eye out for guest speaker fliers in the building as emails/announcements will not always be sent. For the guest speaker lectures, plan on these presentations lasting approximately 90 minutes. All students attending these presentations should be respectful of the speaker and follow these rules when attending:

Arrive at the lecture location at least 15 minutes before the scheduled start time.
Before entering the lecture hall turn off cell phones, pagers, etc. and leave them off until after you have exited the lecture hall at the end of the presentation.
Do not get up and leave until the presentation is finished. This may include a Q & A session. If you have to leave early do not attend the lecture.

If you take part in an approved guest speaker lecture it is up to you to provide the professor/teaching assistant with documentation that you participated.

There will likely be additional extra credit opportunities offered throughout the course. Check your email regularly for details. Extra credit must be completed before the final day of class (during dead week). No extra credit will be counted after dead week. In many cases the type of documentation will be provided to you in advance – make sure to adhere to the guidelines listed if you want credit. It is your responsibility to provide documentation of any extra credit you participate in. Make sure to bring copies of extra credit materials to class. Extra credit points will not be awarded for “your word” that you participated.

You may not earn more than 10 extra credit points for this course.

Course Policies

Penalties for Late Work

Please turn all the assignments in before the beginning of the class period on the date assigned. Turning your assignment in later the same day will result in your assignment being dropped one letter grade. No assignment will be accepted after 11:59 p.m. on the due date.

Make-up Policy

If you miss a class, you will not be able to make-up any quizzes, exams, and/or any in-class activities. However, if you have an excused, documented absence that falls within the OU regulations, you will have one opportunity to make-up missed points. Please note that this option will be available one time only. Please contact your TA ahead of time, or as soon as possible (in case of emergency), to take advantage of this option.

Please note that scheduled routine appointments with a doctor, dentist, etc. will not qualify you for this make-up option. You must provide documented proof of your OU-approved absence within one week of the absence. Make-up quizzes, exams, assignments or documentation after one week will not be accepted.

Attendance Policy

Everyone is allowed to have two absences (excused or unexcused). If a student misses more than three classes during the semester, he/she will lose 10% of the final grade. For example, if a student gets a B at the end of the semester and has four absences, she or he would receive a C grade. Miss five or more classes and you will get an automatic F for the class.

You are responsible for making sure your name appears when there is an attendance sign in sheet, or on any quiz/class exercise for attendance. If you fail to do so during class time you will not be able to add your name at a later time. Also, anyone caught putting down someone's name who is not in class will be reported for Academic Misconduct.

If you miss a class, you are responsible for accessing the information we covered in class and for completing all readings and assignments that are due that class (by the current deadline) and the next class. Please make sure to contact your classmates to get lecture notes and review materials on Canvas. Do not contact the TA or the professor asking what you missed or if you missed anything important. You are responsible for figuring out yourself what you missed and how best to prepare for the next class. Missing a class does not excuse you from completing assignments.

University Sanctioned Events Statement

Students who are part of a university-sanctioned group (e.g., sports or academic team) should provide the professor with an official letter from a coach/advisor indicating the dates that he/she will be absent. Absences taken without at least one week prior notification in this manner will be considered unexcused.

Class Cancellation Statement

If class is cancelled for any reason (e.g., inclement weather, professor illness) you will be notified via email. Make sure to get into the habit of checking your email accounts/Canvas announcements before coming to class.

Communication with the Professor/TAs

All communication with the Professor and TAs should take place through Canvas. This allows us to keep track of all correspondence in one central location.

Please, please, please talk to us at any time if you have questions or concerns. We are here to help, but if you don’t ask us, we can’t help you. Please use Canvas to ask questions about assignments or course content – that way everyone can benefit from the answers and multiple emails do not get sent.

Communication Via Email

Essential Email Etiquette: emailing your professor

All electronic communication should be professional. If you decide to communicate with the professor or TA via email, you should:

always use an informative subject line: MAIN REASON YOU ARE WRITING,
have a professional greeting: for ex., Dear Dr. Moore, etc.,
include your full name in your email,
write email as you were to write an actual letter (use a standard greeting, clearly state the purpose of your email in the lead, choose words carefully, etc.),
email the TA a JPEG of your favorite superhero by Sunday of the first week of class for one extra credit point, and
be SHORT, professional, and respectful.

A grammatically correct, organized short email is a simple and effective way to show your respect and professionalism. The TA and I reserve the right NOT to answer any emails that do not meet these requirements. In addition, we WILL NOT answer any emails with questions that have answers found in the syllabus. Any emails on weekdays will be answered within 48 hours. Weekend emails will be answered on the next weekday of classes (i.e., if there is a school holiday on Monday, the email will be answered on Tuesday).

Personal Electronics Statement

I have been made aware of students’ attempted use various electronic devices to cheat in this and other Gaylord College courses. You may use your devices to take notes. However, even if you get a permission to use the device, you cannot use it for other activities (such as surfing the internet or accessing social media accounts). If you do, you will be banned from using the device in class for the remainder of the semester and lose professionalism points.

Lectures may not be recorded. If you are caught using your cellular phone or any other banned device during a quiz or exam, you will be considered in violation of the university’s policy on academic dishonesty and I will assess the harshest punishment available. If you surf the internet, send text messages, or utilize any technology during lectures, you will be asked to leave the classroom immediately. In addition, if you get caught using text messaging, playing games, sending or receiving pictures, SMS, emails, etc., or surfing the internet, you will lose 20% of your total grade for the course.

Professionalism Statement

The classroom is a place of learning. I will attempt to make that process as enjoyable as possible, but the classroom is not a meeting place for casual conversation or a lounge for taking naps. It also is not a place for rudeness. Displays of disrespect for fellow students, the professor or the graduate teaching assistant will not be tolerated. If you have a cellular phone, turn it off before you enter the room. If you forget and the phone goes off during class, turn it off immediately and stow it away. If you answer your phone, you must leave the room. Do not use your cell phone or internet in any way during lectures! Do not walk out of the class during the lectures without an excuse. It will distract your professor and your fellow classmates. As a result, the learning process will be interrupted.

Our differences add richness to our learning experience. Please consider that sarcasm and humor can be misconstrued in digital interactions and generate unintended disruptions. Working as a community of learners, we can build a polite and respectful course ambience. Your professor and fellow students wish to foster a safe learning environment. All opinions and experiences, no matter how different or controversial they may be perceived, must be respected in the tolerant spirit of academic discourse. You are encouraged to comment, question, or critique an idea - but you are not to attack an individual. Personal attacks of any kind will not be tolerated and will result in an “F” and/or dismissal from the course. What constitutes a personal attack is solely up to the discretion of the professor.

It is very hard to judge the “tone” of digital interactions. That said, I encourage all of you to interact with one another with respect, tact, and appreciation when using social media, text messages, and email. These are your colleagues. Every one of us will make mistakes throughout this course, but we should be professional enough to deal with one another with consideration, poise, and class. Professionalism points will be reduced if you do not show respect to your classmates or professor in any and all course interactions.

Remember to be a professional and behave like one. You will be evaluated on your professionalism as part of this course.

Professionalism points are awarded at the professor’s discretion based on peer evaluations as well as instructor/TA observances.

Professionalism points indicate responsibility taken for one’s own intellectual development. Professionalism points encompass everything that you do in this class. This includes the following: content mastery, communication skills, interaction (including constructive criticism), creativity (going beyond the assignment given), enthusiasm and interest.

Additional points may be awarded for extra effort put into assignments and taken away for sub-par efforts including constant excuses regarding assignments, failure to participate, failure to communicate with the professor or teammates and other unprofessional behavior. See statement on Canvas regarding professionalism.

Professionalism points are given in full at the beginning of the semester and can be reduced even after final grades are posted.

PRSSA Code of Ethics/Conduct & PRSA Code of Ethics

All students in this course must adhere to the PRSSA Code of Ethics and Conduct as well as the PRSA Code of Ethics. Failure to do so represents Academic Misconduct as noted above (see Canvas).

American Association for Public Opinion Research Code of Conduct

All students in this course must adhere to the AAPOR Code of Professional Ethics and Practices. Failure to do so represents Academic Misconduct as noted above (see Canvas).

Academic Honesty Statement

Honesty is fundamental in all academic activities, and those privileged to be members of a university community have a special obligation to observe the highest standards of honesty and a right to expect the same standards of all others.” – OU Faculty Handbook.

According to OU's guide to academic integrity for students (http://integrity.ou.edu/students.html), misconduct includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, fabrication and improper collaboration. I take academic misconduct very seriously. You will be subject to the university’s academic misconduct policy.

Plagiarism Statement

The Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication commits to the preparation of mass communication professionals and scholars. Such a mission demands the highest standards of academic honesty and integrity. Violations of academic honesty, including but not limited to plagiarism, collusion, deception, conflict of interest and theft, are not tolerated and can lead to severe penalties. Disciplinary actions are outlined in the OU Student Handbook. I do not tolerate dishonesty and will assess the harshest punishment available if you are caught cheating in any way in my course.

All work must be your original work, exclusively written for this class. Academic integrity is expected. Plagiarism in any form will not be tolerated and will result in getting 0 points for the assignment and failing the class. Lack of knowledge of academic policy is not an excuse.

If you cheat or plagiarize, you will fail this course. For more information about academic integrity at OU please go to: http://integrity.ou.edu/students.html

Reasonable Accommodation Statement

If you need accommodation based upon a disability under the terms of the Americans with Disabilities Act or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 or have a special need based upon other circumstances, please discuss your needs with me before the end of the second week of the semester.

Students requiring academic accommodation should contact the Disability Resource Center for assistance at (405) 325-3852 or TDD: (405) 325-4173. For more information please see the Disability Resource Center website http://www.ou.edu/drc/home.html Any student in this course who has a disability that may prevent him or her from fully demonstrating his or her abilities should contact me personally as soon as possible so we can discuss accommodations necessary to ensure full participation and facilitate your educational opportunities.

Adjustments for Pregnancy/Childbirth Related Issues Statement

Should you need modifications or adjustments to your course requirements because of documented pregnancy-related or childbirth-related issues, please contact me as soon as possible to discuss. Generally, modifications will be made where medically necessary and similar in scope to accommodations based on temporary disability. Please see www.ou.edu/content/eoo/faqs/pregnancy-faqs.html for commonly asked questions.

Title IX Resources Statement

For any concerns regarding gender-based discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, stalking, or intimate partner violence, the University offers a variety of resources, including advocates on-call 24.7, counseling services, mutual no contact orders, scheduling adjustments and disciplinary sanctions against the perpetrator. Please contact the Sexual Misconduct Office 405-325-2215 (8-5, M-F) or OU Advocates 405-615-0013 (24.7) to learn more or to report an incident.

Also, please be advised that a professor/GA/TA is required to report instances of sexual harassment, sexual assault, or discrimination to the Sexual Misconduct Office. Inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies may be directed to: Bobby J. Mason, University Equal Opportunity Officer and Title IX Coordinator at 405/325-3546 or bjm@ou.edu. For more information, visit http://www.ou.edu/content/eoo/policies.html.

Religious Holiday Statement

In keeping with stated university policy, an exception will be made for religious holidays. They will not count toward the absence limit if you notify me in advance in writing. (“It is the policy of the University to excuse absences of students that result from religious observances and to provide without penalty for the rescheduling of examinations and additional required classwork that may fall on religious holidays.” — Section 3.13.2, OU Faculty Handbook)

Diversity Statement

The Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication is a nationally accredited program and therefore strives to adhere to a set of standards designed to prepare JMC majors to excel within their chosen professions. These standards include a mandate to provide curriculum that “fosters understanding of issues and perspectives that are inclusive in terms of gender, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation.”

SEE http://www2.ku.edu/~acejmc/PROGRAM/STANDARDS.SHTML for a full description of these standards.

*NATIONAL ACCREDITATION: The OU Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication complies with national accrediting standards designed to help prepare students to understand and relate to issues of interest to women and people of color in a multicultural, multi-ethnic and otherwise globally diverse world.

Academic Freedom Statement

Some of the material dealt with in this class may be perceived of as controversial/offensive to some students. While students are encouraged to respond to the material and to freely offer their opinions, if any student becomes uncomfortable with any of the topics or finds any of the material questionable, that student is urged to contact the professor about alternative assignments.

Basic Security Needs Statement

Any student who has difficulty affording groceries or accessing sufficient food to eat every day, or who lacks a safe and stable place to live, and believes this may affect their performance in the course, is urged to contact Yvette Walker, Gaylord's Assistant Dean of Student Affairs at ywalker@ou.edu or (405) 325-5684 for support. Furthermore, please notify the professor if you are comfortable in doing so. This will enable me to provide any resources that I may possess.

Course Requirements and Expectations

Reading is necessary for a passing performance in the class. There will be some readings in addition to the required texts. You are responsible for completing all assigned readings BEFORE the lecture on that day (see the class schedule). Thus, you need to come to class ready to be discuss and apply information from the chapters which are due that day. The textbooks, lectures, and additional readings are the content of the course. You are responsible for understanding materials covered in the readings and lectures. Please take detailed notes on the material covered in class.
All assignments must be uploaded in PDF format via Canvas. You are responsible for making sure your assignment uploads to Canvas properly. Any assignment that does not upload properly will be counted as a missed assignment and given a zero grade.
Please use the paper formats provided to properly organize your paper. You will lose points if you do not follow the guidelines. The assignments will be assigned to you later in the semester. All the details and requirements will be provided well in advance.
You are expected to follow the current sports communication campaigns of major visible sports companies and organizations and be able to discuss them in class. Read newspapers and magazines, watch TV, listen to radio, and surf the internet sources to seek examples of good and bad public relations research to bring in for discussion. Your participation grade will be greatly influenced by introducing topics for discussion using this method (hint, hint).
Peer evaluations: The evaluations will enable you to assess the contributions fellow groupmembers make to the course assignments. Such an exercise mirrors the experience you receive in a real sports organization. You will provide a summary of what your group has accomplished, evaluate each group member’s contributions, performance, attendance at agency meetings, etc., and give each member a grade of A, B, C, D or F. These evaluations provide you with a hard look at your skills, your areas for growth, and your contributions to the task at hand. If you receive a failing grade from the majority of your peers in the first progress report, I will discuss your performance with you and the group. If you receive failing grades from the majority of your peers on the two subsequent progress reports, I will reduce your grade for the project by at least one letter grade.

Group Work

Your group will plan a comprehensive social media campaign plan that you will present to the class during finals week. As you begin your campaign, you will conduct a considerable amount of primary and secondary research. You will work in a group of approximately four-six students and devote approximately 30 hours during the semester to the campaign. This campaign will involve much coordination, so divide responsibilities among teammates. Make sure all teammates know what the others are doing.

This project addresses the top 10 competencies employers look for (across disciplines – Korn Ferry/Lominger Model):

Action orientation
Dealing with ambiguity
Creativity
Decision quality
Problem solving
Motivating others
Planning
Priority setting
Strategic agility/thinking ahead
Time management

This project will require a full commitment from everyone in the group. A half-hearted commitment will result in a low grade for you and your teammates. Set up weekly meetings to coordinate activities. I have found that groups do very well when all members are involved in some way in all aspects of the campaign.

You will need to work with your group via email, texting, or phone calls. It may benefit your group to create a Google Docs site and Dropbox where you can all access the course assignments you will be working on together in real time (rather than sending different versions to one another via email). You may also want to use an app such as GroupMe, SamePage, Slack, or Flow to keep everyone on task.

Group Contract

Each participating group member will sign an contract regarding social media campaign development. The contract states the student is committed to participating effectively in the class, especially during group meetings inside and outside the classroom and will strive to do the following:

Communicate promptly and always maintain open communication with team;
Participate actively and equally, exhibiting a positive work ethic;
Collaborate with an open mind to ideas that may be different from his/her own;
Take personal responsibility to be organized, prepared and on time for all classes and team meetings;
Be supportive of and encourage all members of his/her group by giving and receiving positive and appropriate feedback;
Show respect to group members through a positive and motivated attitude, active listening and time management; and
Be willing to ask for and accept help from others.

If the student does not follow the above way of working, he/she will:

Prepare a Plan of Action (POA) to correct and improve his/her behavior and participation and submit to his/her team members for approval prior to taking corrective action;
Immediately notify his/her team to inform them that he/she cannot meet a deadline and be willing to do acceptable alternatives;
Accept earlier deadlines for future work until he/she has restored the confidence of his/her team if he/she consistently procrastinates and/or misses deadlines;
Understand that his/her consistent failure to follow the rules may result in team meetings being extended in order to complete my assigned work;
Correct his/her actions and work toward effectively preventing further disrespectful behavior and verbally apologize to his/her team if he/she fails to be respectful of his/her peers;
Understand that he/she may be subject to lower peer evaluations as a result of his/her actions; and
Accept full responsibility for his/her actions and accept any and all consequences that may result including being removed from his/her team resulting in a lower grade or failure to pass capstone.

Advice Regarding Group Work

On occasion, some groups experience difficulties with a person who does not pull his/her weight on a project. If that happens in your group, you must:

Try to work it out as a group. Document the problem, how you tried to work it out and the outcome of that effort. Give this to me in a written statement.
If the outcome of your internal meetings and efforts is less than satisfactory, you may schedule a time to meet with me as a group to discuss and resolve the problem.
If this meeting still does not resolve the problem, then the group may ask permission from me to fire the individual who is not contributing to the group work.
I hold the sole authority to authorize a group to fire a member. No authority to fire a member will be given without first attempting to work out problems within the group and subsequently with my help in a second meeting. Firing can be a lengthy process, so you must identify problems quickly. If you wait until a week before an assignment is due to raise a concern, you are likely too late.
Any person fired from a group may be required to FULLY complete all remaining assignments on his/her own. The individual assignment must include all of the elements of the group project and will be due at a date and time determined by me, most likely the same date and time as the original assignment.

** At any point during the semester the professor may change the make-up of a group (i.e., remove, add, swap group members) for any reason.