Athabasca University’s School of Business has done it again! They’ve just released an exciting NEW organizational behaviour (ORGB) course that incorporates innovative online technology with the course content, creating the perfect learning atmosphere for you, the distance ed student.
Organizational Culture (ORGB 300), discusses, as its name implies, the cultural aspects of organizations and workplaces across North America. Its first section, consisting of 5 lessons, offers a detailed overview of organizational culture as students study the concept of “culture” and how it can, and currently does, affect those in the workforce. These 5 lessons include thought-provoking topics such as “The Substance of Organizational Culture,” “Cultural Forms,” “Organizational Passages and Cultural Continuity,” and “Subcultures within Organizations.”
The second part of the course, comprising 4 lessons, delves into the practical side of organizational culture. This part details relevant topics such as leadership, power, motivation and decision-making, ethics, socialization, and communication”?in lessons entitled “The Influence of Culture on Motivation and Decision Making” and “Power, Stratification, and Mobility.” Even better, these topics are illustrated at large with current news-related examples to enrich your learning experience and encourage you to think about a wide variety of practical applications for information presented in the course. Neither is the course content lacking in a lighter side; in fact, humour “a la Dilbert” has been added to guarantee a fun-filled learning experience!
Besides its well thought-out course content, this Organizational Culture course maximizes your learning potential by incorporating new technology into the learning materials in the form of a Digital Reading Room (DRR). This “bonus” feature can be compared to an online anthology of readings. The Digital Reading Room’s articles for Organizational Culture illustrate the concepts taught in this course, and are considered part of the coursework, since your grades will partly hinge on the information presented in them. Another feature of the Digital Reading Room is that it allows the course professor to continually update the articles”?thus providing you with articles that reflect current world issues, in addition to being relevant to the course content. You’ll have an abundance of real-life situations, all course-related, at your fingertips! Is your curiosity about the Digital Reading Room piqued? If so, you can “sneak preview” ORGB 300’s Digital Reading Room online at: http://library.athabascau.ca/drr/orgb.php?id=100 to gain insights into this unique learning tool.
The author of Organizational Culture, Claude Dupuis, has an impressive educational and faculty-related background. After receiving his Bachelor of Commerce (with distinction) from the University of Calgary, Claude Dupuis gained his Master of Industrial Relations at Queen’s University. He has been quoted in a wide variety of publications, many of which deal with Organizational Behaviour. Additionally, Claude Dupuis is a member of several professional associations, including the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society and the Human Resources Institute of Alberta; in 1999 he received the “Teacher of the Year” award for teaching excellence from the University of Calgary’s Engineering Student’s Society. Currently a member of Athabasca University’s School of Business, he is active in the following Athabasca courses that deal with Organizational Behaviour: ORGB 319 (Motivation and Productivity), ORGB 327 (Leadership in Organizations), ORGB 364 (Organizational Behaviour) and, of course, his latest “invention,” Organizational Culture (ORGB 300). For more information on the course professor Claude Dupuis, you can check out: http://www.athabascau.ca/html/staff/academic/ccas/clauded.htm
Organizational Culture’s marking scheme is student-friendly; your grades are determined through 3 assignments, each of which are worth 25%, and one exam (final) that counts for 25% of the your final mark. Enrolling in the course, which falls in the broad Applied Studies category, is also easy; there are no prerequisites required. In addition, Organizational Culture is conveniently available for you to take either online or in print”?it’s up to you. Prepare to enroll in Organizational Behaviour (ORGB 300) for an exciting learning experience!
To view the course syllabi for Organizational Culture (ORGB 300), visit: http://www.athabascau.ca/html/syllabi/orgb/orgb300.htm
