Sheridan Course Outlines

Land Acknowledgement

Sheridan College resides on land that has been, and still is, the traditional territory of several Indigenous nations, including the Anishinaabe, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the Wendat, and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. We recognize this territory is covered by the Dish with One Spoon treaty and the Two Row Wampum treaty, which emphasize the importance of joint stewardship, peace, and respectful relationships.

As an institution of higher learning Sheridan embraces the critical role that education must play in facilitating real transformational change. We continue our collective efforts to recognize Canada's colonial history and to take steps to meaningful Truth and Reconciliation.

Section I: Administrative Information

Total hours: 18.0
Credit Value: 0.0
Credit Value Notes: N/A
Effective: Fall 2021
Prerequisites: N/A
Corequisites: N/A
Equivalents: N/A
Pre/Co/Equiv Notes: N/A

Program(s): Build Your Way to Success
Program Coordinator(s): N/A
Course Leader or Contact: N/A
Version: 20210907_00
Status: Approved (APPR)

Section I Notes: Access to course materials and assignments will be available on Sheridan's Learning and Teaching Environment (SLATE). Students will need reliable access to a computer and the internet.

Section II: Course Details

Detailed Description
Students develop skills focused on successfully communicating in the Canadian workplace, both in person and in writing. Students learn formal and informal writing using templates for emails, memos and notes including common phrases and language chunks that can be used in workplace settings. Students also learn how to communicate effectively using non-verbal communication skills. Through interactive learning activities, students review English sentence structure and explore how to prepare oral presentations, including the effective use of Microsoft PowerPoint. Through independent research, discussions, analysis of written samples of business correspondence, and the creation of a short presentation, students acquire skills in how to communicate effectively in the Canadian workplace, and to achieve professional success.

Program Context

Build Your Way to Success	Program Coordinator(s): N/A
Build Your Way to Succuss Micro-Credential

Course Critical Performance and Learning Outcomes

	Critical Performance:
	By the end of this course, students will have demonstrated the ability to successfully communicate in the Canadian workplace by applying the principles of effective oral and written workplace communication.

Learning Outcomes:

To achieve the critical performance, students will have demonstrated the ability to:

Explain the main differences in workplace communication between Canada and other countries that students have lived or worked in.
Identify examples of acceptable and appropriate written and spoken workplace communication.
Analyze how effective over-the-phone communication strategies differ in Canada compared to other countries students have lived or worked in.
Evaluate differences in successfully making a good impression in the Canadian workplace compared to workplaces in other countries students have lived or worked in.
Apply effective verbal and non-verbal communication skills in a short oral presentation.

Evaluation Plan
Students demonstrate their learning in the following ways:

Evaluation Plan: ONLINE

	Assignment #1 - business email or a memo	50.0%
	Assignment #2 - job talk or a sales pitch	50.0%
	Total	100.0%

Evaluation Notes and Academic Missed Work Procedure:

TEST AND ASSIGNMENT PROTOCOL

The following protocol applies to every course offered by Continuing and Professional Studies.

1. Students are responsible for staying abreast of test dates and times, as well as due dates and any special instructions for submitting assignments and projects as supplied to the class by the instructor.

2. Students must write all tests at the specified date and time. Missed tests, in-class/online activities, assignments and presentations are awarded a mark of zero. The penalty for late submission of written assignments is a loss of 10% per day for up to five business days (excluding Sundays and statutory holidays), after which, a grade of zero is assigned. Business days include any day that the college is open for business, whether the student has scheduled classes that day or not.  An extension or make-up opportunity may be approved by the instructor at his or her discretion.

Provincial Context
The course meets the following Ministry of Colleges and Universities requirements:

Essential Employability Skills
Essential Employability Skills emphasized in the course:

Communication Skills - Respond to written, spoken, or visual messages in a manner that ensures effective communication.
Critical Thinking & Problem Solving Skills - Use a variety of thinking skills to anticipate and solve problems.
Information Management Skills - Analyze, evaluate, and apply relevant information from a variety of sources.
Information Management - Locate, select, organize and document information using appropriate technology and information systems.
Personal Skills - Manage the use of time and other resources to complete projects.
Personal Skills - Take responsibility for one's own actions, decisions, and consequences.

Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition
PLAR Contact (if course is PLAR-eligible) - Office of the Registrar

Not Eligible for PLAR

Section III: Topical Outline

Some details of this outline may change as a result of circumstances such as weather cancellations, College and student activities, and class timetabling.
Instruction Mode: Online
Professor: N/A
Resource(s):

	Type	Description
Required	Textbook	Recruiting, retaining, and promoting culturally different employees (available at Sheridan Library), Laroche, Lionel; Rutherford, Don, Routledge, 1, ISBN 978-0750682404, 2011

Applicable student group(s): Continuing Education Students
Course Details:

Week 1

Welcome and Course Introduction

Welcome Message and introduction of the Course 2 goals
Student and Teacher Expectations (How to achieve success in this course)
Needs Assessment (including analyzing provided writing samples; flame (or offensive) emails; greetings, closings, formatting, etc.)
Canadian business writing conventions vs. conventions in other countries

Written and Spoken Workplace Communication

Formal versus informal writing – Which format to use and when
Templates for emails, memo, notes, and other forms of written workplace communication
Common phrases and language chunks used in workplace
Speaking to your colleagues and supervisors – Making a good impression

(Analysis of differences in face-to-face communication)

Week 2

Overview of English Sentence Structure

Types of sentences and sentence variety
Run-ons and comma splices and how to correct them
Punctuating sentences properly to avoid sentence errors

Communicating on the Phone

Phone Etiquette
Recording phone greetings
Leaving messages

Week 3

Oral Presentations

What makes an effective presentation?
Planning a presentation: objective, structure, time constraints, audience
Using Microsoft PowerPoint
Non-verbal communication

Assignments

Assignment 1: Record a 5 min presentation for a job talk or a sales pitch
Assignment 2: Write a memo or email on an industry specific issue

Course Summary and Reflection

Group discussions: What are the three most important or surprising facts you have learned in this module? How will this help you succeed at work?
Q&A session
Final reflections and feedback

Sheridan Policies

It is recommended that students read the following policies in relation to course outlines:

Academic Integrity
Copyright
Intellectual Property
Respectful Behaviour
Accessible Learning

All Sheridan policies can be viewed on the Sheridan policy website.

Appropriate use of generative Artificial Intelligence tools: In alignment with Sheridan's Academic Integrity Policy, students should consult with their professors and/or refer to evaluation instructions regarding the appropriate use, or prohibition, of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools for coursework. Turnitin AI detection software may be used by faculty members to screen assignment submissions or exams for unauthorized use of artificial intelligence.

Course Outline Changes: The information contained in this Course Outline including but not limited to faculty and program information and course description is subject to change without notice. Nothing in this Course Outline should be viewed as a representation, offer and/or warranty. Students are responsible for reading the Important Notice and Disclaimer which applies to Programs and Courses.

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