Course Syllabus
Overview
In this one-credit course, students develop resources, professional connections, and essential professional skills to obtain and improve employment or start or grow a business in a field related to their university certificate. The life-long skills gained in this course are valuable for both active and future career development.
Requirements
Prerequisites
You should have completed or be concurrently enrolled in the last course of your introductory certificate. See the list of Co-Requisites on the GS 170 Academic Catalog page.
Textbook
No textbook is required for purchase.
Minimum Computer Requirements
Refer to Computer Standards for Students.
Structure
Course Outcomes (CO)
- Communicate personal and essential professional skills.
- Identify and pursue networking and work opportunities in your area.
- Curate a professional digital presence.
- Apply for a job, find a better job, or start and grow a business.
- Demonstrate effective interviewing and post-interviewing skills.
Major Assignments
You will complete seven Application Activities designed to help you succeed in this course.
The table below is meant to help you see the relevance of each major assignment as it pertains to the course outcomes (CO).
| Activity | Description | CO# |
|---|---|---|
| Me in 30 Seconds | Memorize and record a brief introduction about yourself. | 1 |
| Start a Professional Contact List | Start a list of 10 contacts and 10 work opportunities. | 2 |
| Update Your Resume | Update your resume. | 1 |
| Create a Digital Profile | Create or Update a digital profile. | 3 |
| Application & Letter | Write a cover letter and fill out a job application. | 1 |
| Formal Email & Question Preparation | Write a formal email and prepare for an interview | 4 |
| Interviews | Engage in two interviews (real or mock). | 5 |
| Final List & Reflection | Submit a final list of 20 contacts and 20 work opportunities and a reflection paper. | 2 |
Weekly Patterns
The table below displays typical weekly activities, due dates, and activity descriptions.
| Due Date* | Learning Model | Activity Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| End of Week | Prepare | Prepare Activities | The Prepare Activities in W01 and W02 get you ready for the course. |
| Mid Week and End of Week | Teach One Another | Ministering Activities | The Ministering Activities (W02–W06) help you learn to be job READY and uplift others. You will teach others and make an initial post by midweek. You will make response posts by the end of the week. |
| End of Week | Prove | Application Activities | The Application Activities help you create opportunities for work or start or grow a business. |
*Set your time zone within user preferences so the dates and times for course activities will display correctly for your time zone.
Learning Model
An important part of your education is to learn how to teach one another (See Doctrine and Covenants 109:7). This course contains a series of short ministering activities designed for you to get to know the other members of your group, and to help them identify the unique gifts God has given them to serve His children. Each activity builds upon the previous activity, and gives you an opportunity to look outside yourself, form relationships, and ultimately help you become a disciple leader. The word "ministering" is used purposefully because of its special meaning in the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. We hope these friendships will become a rewarding part of your journey in GS 170.
Expectations
Feedback
You can expect to receive grades and feedback on submissions within seven days of the due date. Assignments submitted after the due date may take longer to return.
Generative AI
Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, like Chat GPT, Microsoft CoPilot, and so on, cannot be used to generate content for graded submissions to this course. The outcomes of the course require you to think about various topics and put your thoughts together on your own. All writing or speaking submissions must not be generated, even in part, by AI tools.
Workload
You should expect to spend about 4–6 hours a week on this 7-week course. Prepare and Ministering activities should take about 2 hours, with the Project assignments taking about 3 hours.
Late Work
Turning work in on time is a sign of professionalism and respect for the instructor as well as the other students in the class. Students are expected to submit all work on time.
If you do not submit an assignment or graded quiz by the due date, that assignment or quiz will automatically be given a score of zero. Submitting work late may still earn you points, as long as it is within two weeks of the due date or before the end of the block in week 5–7.
A late penalty of -1% per day will be applied to submissions turned in after the due date. You may contact your instructor to request the removal of the late penalty. This gives the instructor and you an opportunity to communicate about any challenges you might be facing around meeting deadlines.
All discussion boards are due midweek and close at the end of the week. You must post by the end of the week.
Retries
Students wishing to resubmit an assignment after the due date or after the assignment has been graded must obtain permission from their instructor to resubmit. If permission is granted, the instructor will indicate as much in the assignment comments.
Extra Credit
No extra credit is available in this course.
Grading Scale
| Letter Grade | Percent |
|---|---|
| A | 100% – 93% |
| A- | 92% – 90% |
| B+ | 89% – 87% |
| B | 86% – 83% |
| B- | 82% – 80% |
| C+ | 79% – 77% |
| C | 76% – 73% |
| C- | 72% – 70% |
| D+ | 69%–67% |
| D | 66% – 63% |
| D- | 62% – 60% |
| F | 59% and lower |
Grading Policy
Students will earn points for each assignment. The grades are not weighted.
University Policies
Students with Disabilities
Brigham Young University-Idaho is committed to providing a working and learning atmosphere that accommodates qualified persons with disabilities. If you have a disability and require accommodations, please contact the Accessibility Services Office at 1-208-496-9210 or visit their website and follow the Steps for Receiving Accommodations. Reasonable academic accommodations are reviewed for all students who have qualified documented disabilities. Services are coordinated with students and instructors by the Accessibility Services Office.
This course may require synchronous meetings. If you are currently registered with the Accessibility Services Office and need an interpreter or transcriber for these meetings, please contact the deaf and hard of hearing coordinator at 1-208-496-9219.
Other University Policies
Student Honor and Other Policies
Please read through the document called University Policies. It gives important information about the following topics:
- Student Honor
- Academic Honesty
- Student Conduct
- Sexual Harassment
- Student with Disabilities
- Complaints and Grievances
- Copyright Notice
Go to the Student Resources module to review further resources and information.