Class Time: MW 9:00-9:50am, August 25-October 22

Class Location: Gatton Business & Economics Building, Room 131

 

Instructor Information

Name: Josh Longsdorf, Academic Advisor II, B&E Undergraduate Resource Center

Office Address: 144 Gatton 

Phone: 859-257-2942

Email Address: Josh.longsdorf@uky.edu (students may expect responses within 2 business days – please use email rather than Canvas messages for most efficient responses!)

Office Hours: By appointment  

 

Course Description

This course guides students to explore business majors and career opportunities while considering their individual decision making and leadership styles. Students participate in assessment activities designed to enhance their understanding of self as they examine their value-motivators, interests, personality, and strengths - factors that influence choosing an academic major and career pathway.

 

This specific section of B&E 150 serves as a connected course to the 2025-26 Direct Admit Program experience and is the first course in the Gatton Pro Series (GPS), a career-focused component of the Gatton curriculum.

 

You will take B&E 250 in your second semester. CIS 300 is taken further along in your college career, closer to graduation.

 

Course Prerequisites

There are no course prerequisites.

 

Course Goals and Student Learning Outcomes

• Evaluate and increase level of self-awareness through exploration of career assessments and exploratory activities
  • Student will be able to analyze professional interests, personality style, skill areas and work-relevant values
  • Student will be able to assess self-awareness as measured on pre/post assessment
• Examine business careers and expand personal network
  • Student will be able explore career opportunities and expand their personal network by attending a range of Gatton-specific programming including career fairs, workshops, career advising appointments, etc.
• Apply written and oral communication skills as utilized in a professional business environment
  • Student will be able to evaluate their experiences in professional scenarios by writing reflection summaries and will evaluate sample resumes to demonstrate their professional business competency
  • Student will be able to employ business-level oral communication by networking with business professionals and creating a strengths-reflection video
• Use critical thinking skills related to the career decision-making process
  • Student will be able to identify and appraise preferred career decision-making style and related resources/tools to support the process
  • Student will be able to assess confidence in career decision-making ability as measured on pre/post assessment
• Employ skills to describe career goals to employers
  • Student will be able to articulate professionally their strengths and informed career goals as detailed in their strengths-reflection video
  • Student will be able to assess confidence in career goals as measured on pre/post assessment

 

 

Technology Information and Requirements

Technology Requirements

Minimum technical requirements for UK courses and suggested hardware, software, and internet connections are available at ITS Student Hardware & Software Guidelines.

 

Share any additional technology requirements, such as required software, and your preferred procedure for resolving technical complaints for each service or software used in the course.

 

Technical Support

For account help, contact UK’s Information Technology Customer Services online, by email, or by phone at 859-218-HELP (4357).

 

 

Distance Learning/Canvas

Canvas will be used throughout this course to access information, course content, and complete/turn in assignments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Course Details

 

 

TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE: 500

Participation Options Plan                                                                                                 25 points

SparkPath Challenge Cards                                                                                                50 points

Fair Engagement                                                                                                                  75 points

Graham Engagement                                                                                                          75 points

Handshake Engagement                                                                                                     75 points

Career-Plan-Exploration Worksheet Completion                                                          100 points

Attendance/Participation                                                                                                 100 points

Fair Engagement: Attend any 1 of 3 Large-Scale Fairs (Attend 1 of 3 choices): a) Accounting Career Fair, b) All Majors Career Fair, or c) Education Abroad Fair  (75 points)

Graham Engagement: Work with Graham Your Way (Attend 1 of 3 choices): a) Have a 1:1 appointment with a Graham Career Counselor on the topic of your choice (choosing your major, searching for internships, writing your resume, etc.), b) Attend a Careers & Cane’s or Careers & Community event b) Attend a Graham Workshop or Navigation Lab (50 points)

Handshake Engagement: An active Handshake profile + attend 1 Handshake-based Virtual Info Session with a company of your choice: (75 points)

*We have 15 class sessions, which accounts for roughly 6-7 points per class. Full credit will be given for regular in-class participation and engagement. Points will be deducted for unexcused absences, disruption, and/or lack of engagement.

 

Grading Scale

450 – 500 points               90-100%               A

400 – 449 points               80-89.9%              B

350 – 399 points               70-79.9%              C

300 – 349 points               60-69.9%              D

299 points or less             <60%                     E

 

Late Assignments

Students with an excused absence may submit assignments the class period following their absence without any penalty. Assignments turned in after the deadline, without an excused absence, will not be accepted.

 

All assignments will be submitted via Canvas.  Written work must be submitted as a Microsoft Word or PDF document. Unreadable document formats will receive 0 credit.

 

Attendance Policy

This is an in-person class.  Students are expected to attend ALL class sessions unless their absence is excused. Attending class is an important part of succeeding in any course, especially a discussion-based course like B&E 150. Students will have their final grade deducted by 5% for each unexcused absence. This means that a second unexcused absence results in the drop of a full letter grade, as well as the loss of participation points for that day.  Please see the UNIVERSITY POLICIES section of this syllabus regarding what constitutes an excused absence and acceptable documentation.

 

Mid-term Grade

Your mid-term grade will be posted in myUK by the deadline established in the Academic Calendar (http://www.uky.edu/registrar/registrar-academic-calendar).

 

Exams

This course has no final exam.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Course Schedule

Week:	MW Class Meeting Dates:	In-Class Topic:	Assignments due by 11:59 pm on each due date.
Week 1	25-Aug	Course Welcome + What’s Your Start Date?	Begin marking your calendar for participation option choices over the course of the semester, due by Sep. 3.
	27-Aug	Confident Communication - Conversation Skills for Networking: WeConnect Cards
Week 2	1-Sep	NO CLASS - LABOR DAY!
	3-Sep	The World Needs You: Discovering What’s Possible in the World of Work – Part 1	Participation Options Plan Due in Canvas
Week 3	8-Sep	The World Needs You: Discovering What’s Possible in the World of Work – Part 2	Complete Challenge Cards Activity Worksheet
	10-Sep	Seeing Blue, Abroad: Gatton’s International Education Portfolio –  Spotlight: Business Goes Global: Paris + The Gatton Global Experience: Rome, with TBD
Week 4	15-Sep	Gain the Experience You Need: An Introduction to High Impact Practices (Internships, Ed Abroad, Campus Leadership, Undergraduate Research) + Transdisciplinary Education (tentative)
	17-Sep	Class Cancelled – GO TO THE ALL MAJORS CAREER FAIR ON SEPT. 18!
Week 5	22-Sep	Plans & Playing Fields: Industry Experts Panel	Meet in B&E Classroom 399- we will be joining another B&E 150 section for a Panel
	24-Sep	Thinking Beyond the Major: The Skills Employers Want
Week 6	29-Sep	Finding Opportunities: Using Handshake + LinkedIn	Fair Engagement Due
	1-Oct	The Basic Do’s and Don’ts for a College Resume: The Who Gets The Interview Challenge
Week 7	6-Oct	16P: Personality. It’s How You’re Wired.	Graham Engagement Due
	8-Oct	Career Creativity: Room for Re-sets, Re-brands, and Re-inventions Throughout Your Career.
Week 8	13-Oct	Setting the Coordinates: Small-group-work with the Career Exploration Summary Sheet + Large Group Discussion	Handshake Engagement Due
	15-Oct	So, What’s on Your Mind? A Chat Built Around Your Questions.	Career Exploration Worksheet Due
Week 9	20-Oct	Course Wrap-up: Learn who you are, plan where you’ll go, and get where you’re going.  But start with why.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

University Policies and Resources

 

Gatton College of Business and Economics Standards of Excellence

The Gatton College of Business fosters an environment of teaching, research, and outreach and embodies a spirit of honesty and trust that is necessary for a conducive learning environment. Gatton encompasses a set of key values shared among members of the college.

The core values underlying and reflected in the Gatton Standards of Excellence are:

• Inclusion as demonstrated by developing and contributing to a community that encourages a sense of belonging for students of all backgrounds
• Integrity as demonstrated by a commitment to academic honesty and by retaining a strong set of moral principles
• Leadership as demonstrated by guiding and supporting each other in an encouraging manner
• Professionalism in all settings as demonstrated by showing respect for others and representing the institution in the highest standard
• Responsibility as demonstrated by consistently fulfilling obligations and maintaining accountability
• Service as demonstrated by voluntarily helping and giving back to members of the community

 

These values are an expectation of all undergraduate students who are members of the Gatton College of Business and apply to all settings both in person and virtual. These Standards of Excellence define the expectations of conduct for undergraduate students in the Gatton College of Business.

 

Distance Learning Library Services | Carla Cantagallo, Distance Learning Librarian, 859-218-1240

 

Please see more information on Academic Policy Statements here.

 

Plagiarism

 

All academic work, written or otherwise, submitted by students to their instructors or other academic supervisors, is expected to be the result of their own thought, research or self-expression. In cases where students feel unsure about a question of plagiarism involving their work, they are obliged to consult their instructors on the matter before submission. When students submit work purporting to be their own, but which in any way borrows ideas, organization, wording or content from another source without appropriate acknowledgment of the fact, the students are guilty of plagiarism.

 

Plagiarism includes reproducing someone else's work (including, but not limited to a published article, a book, a website, computer code or a paper from a friend) without clear attribution. Plagiarism also includes the practice of employing or allowing another person to alter or revise the work which a student submits as their own, whoever that other person may be, except under specific circumstances (e.g. Writing Center review, peer review) allowed by the Instructor of Record or that person’s designee. Plagiarism may also include double submission, self-plagiarism or unauthorized resubmission of one’s own work, as defined by the instructor.

 

Students may discuss assignments among themselves or with an instructor or tutor, except where prohibited by the Instructor of Record (e.g. individual take-home exams). However, the actual work must be done by the student, and the student alone, unless collaboration is allowed by the Instructor of Record (e.g. group projects). When a student's assignment involves research in outside sources or information, the student must carefully acknowledge exactly what, where and how they have employed them. If the words of someone else are used, the student must put quotation marks around the passage in question and add an appropriate indication of its origin. Making simple changes while leaving the organization, content and phraseology intact is plagiaristic. However, nothing in this AR shall apply to those ideas which are so generally and freely circulated as to be a part of the public domain.

 

Common Knowledge

Common knowledge does not require citations. If a student is in doubt about whether a source needs to be cited, ask the course instructor before submitting the assignment or a draft of the assignment.  Drafts of assignments may be charged with plagiarism.

 

Cheating

 

Cheating is defined by its general usage. It includes, but is not limited to, the wrongfully giving, taking or presenting any information or material by a student with the intent of aiding themself or another on any academic work which is considered in any way in the determination of the final grade. 

 

The fact that a student could not have benefited from an action is not by itself proof that the action does not constitute cheating. Any question of definition shall be referred to the UAB.

 

The fact that a student could not have benefited from an action is not by itself proof that the action does not constitute cheating. Any question of definition shall be referred to the University Appeals Board.

 

Appendix: Classroom Emergency Preparedness and Response

 

Nothing is more important than the safety and well-being of our campus community. W.hile the University of

Kentucky Police Department continues to enhance campus safety measures, it’s important to remember that

everyone has a responsibility in keeping our community safe. To find more information visit Emergency

Response Guide | University of Kentucky Police Department (uky.edu)

 

Emergency Reporting & Action

 

Reporting

 

If there is an emergency, DIAL 911. To report suspicious activity or non-emergency situations, call the UK

Police Department at 859-257-8573 or #UKPD from any mobile phone.

 

If an emergency occurs in a classroom or residence hall with a red emergency button, press to quickly notify

UKPD. Emergency responders will immediately be dispatched to your location.

 

Action

During an emergency, you are responsible for your own safety.  If an emergency occurs during class, your instructor will provide further direction based on university and department emergency plans.

 

Warning Systems

 

UK Alert

The university provides emergency notifications through UK Alert, which sends messages via email, text

message, phone calls, building alarm systems, digital signage, social media and outdoor sirens. If you receive a

UK Alert message during class, notify your instructor and classmates immediately.  For more information, visit https://police.uky.edu/get-notified/uk-alert.

 

LiveSafe

The university provides additional emergency preparedness information and safety tools through LiveSafe, a

free mobile app for iOS and Android. You can report suspicious activity, message with UK Police and virtually

escort your friends through the SafeWalk tool. For more information, visit https://police.uky.edu/safety/livesafe.

 

Blue Emergency Towers

Blue Emergency Notification Towers are strategically placed at over 50 locations across campus to provide

outdoor alert tones and broadcast emergency messages with loud speakers. Each tower also features an

emergency push button speaker phone that reaches UKPD and a camera mounted above the tower. For more information, visit https://police.uky.edu/safety/blue-emergency-towers.

 

Medical Emergency

If there is a medical emergency, dial 911 and do not act outside the scope of your medical training. After dialing

911, inform your instructor of the situation.

 

Evacuation

It is required to evacuate for a fire alarm or when university officials order us to do so. Evacuation routes are

marked with illuminated exit signs throughout the building. Avoid using elevators during any evacuation.

 

Emergency Sheltering

 

Storm Sheltering

Report to the recommended shelter locations. Recommended shelter locations are marked throughout the

building. If shelter locations are unavailable, protect yourself from lightning and flying debris by moving to an interior

room or hallway on the building's lowest level. Avoid outside doors and windows and get under a sturdy table

and use your arms to protect your head and neck.

 

Shelter-in-Place

If a shelter-in-place order is issued, you will learn about this through UK Alert, the university’s emergency

notification system. If you are inside, stay where you are unless the building you are in is affected. If the building is affected, and the fire alarm has been activated or directed by law enforcement, you should evacuate. If you are outdoors, proceed into the closest UK building or follow instructions from emergency personnel or alerts.

 

It is ideal to shelter-in-place in an interior room with the fewest or no windows and no doors to the outside if

possible. Shut all windows and close exterior doors.

 

If a hazardous chemical release occurs outside the building, follow these same procedures.

 

Active Aggressor

 

In a situation where an aggressor is trying to attack you or others, follow three steps:

1. Run - Attempt to get away from the attacker.
2. Hide - If you cannot run, barricade yourself in a safe place. Turn your phone to silent and dim your

brightness. If possible, use the LiveSafe App to message UK Police and alert them to your location. If you don’t

have the app, dial 911. If you cannot speak, leave the line open and allow the dispatcher to listen.

3. Fight - If you cannot run or hide, do whatever you need to do to stop the attacker.

 

UK Police will communicate additional information through the UK Alert system during an active aggressor

situation. Every UKY email automatically receives UK Alerts. You can also sign up in myUK to receive alerts

via text and phone call.