assignment) is an online introduction designed to help you get acquainted with your classmates. Follow the assignment instructions for this exercise located    within Module 1.

3.      Access your discussion group

When you register for the course, you are automatically enrolled into a group in D2L. Prior to week 3, the groups may change based on additional registrations. In week 3, your group will be finalized. You can find out what group you are in by clicking on the “Groups” tab in the D2L nav bar.

Once you are familiar with who is in your group, you may wish to revisit the  online introductions to find out a little bit more about the students you will be working with throughout the course.

Your group is expected to work in the “Discussions” tab, which is an area where all students hold discussions with their groups. This area is open to everyone in the course and is meant to simulate a classroom environment where students share their ideas with the class. Although you are able to view postings in other groups, the expectation is that you will only work with the    group that you have been assigned to and will refrain from posting in other groups.

There are also some fully private discussion areas. You will use these

designated areas to work on assignments that are handed in for marking only.

Doing  Assignments

The weekly assignments usually consist of group discussions and case studies. Here are some guidelines for how to do each type of assignment in OPER 5011.

Group Assignments

There will be two group assignments during the term.

Group Assignments  1  and  2

Group assignment 1 consists of questions and problems that relate to the materials learned in Modules 1 to 4.

Group assignment 2 consists of questions and problems that relate to the materials learned in Modules 5 to 7.

Be sure to complete the two group assignments by the due date (to be provided by your Course Instructor), and submit them to your Course Instructor through the appropriate Dropboxes.

Quizzes

You are required to complete the quizzes independently. Each quiz will be 30 minutes in length. See the Course Schedule for the due dates.

Group  Discussions  (Individual  Participation)

Some of your work in this course involves group discussions and research, the outcome usually being a summary or report. The earlier assignments give you an opportunity to get to know your group and find out how you can learn to work efficiently with your group members. In later discussions, they focus on operations management processes and strategies, helping you to apply the module concepts.

When working on these group problems and cases, identify any work that you must first complete individually, such as researching a company. Complete this work, and then make your postings in the discussion forum within the period set out in the assignment question.

Weekly  Case  Assignments

The weekly case assignments involve a group effort, the outcome being a group report. In the report, you should respond explicitly to the case questions. If the case is theoretical, you may follow the format provided in "A typical case analysis format"  with the outcome being a report of 6 to 8 pages (3,000 to 4,000 words) in length, plus exhibits. It should be typed, single spaced, 12-point font, and presented in a clear,  concise manner.

Using the case analysis format, there are four steps or phases suggested for case study work in which collaborative efforts are required. These steps maybe generalized as    follows:

Step 1: Problem statement: Identifying the operations problem

Step 2: Situation analysis (including internal, external, financial, and opportunity analysis): Documenting the company and its position within its environment

Step 3: Alternatives: Generating and evaluating solutions

Step 4: Recommendation: Proposing a recommendation, action plan, and contingency plan

Working  through  Group  Assignments

Here is an overview of the process for completing a case study.

Read the case, post a response to the case questions, and discuss the responses of your group members.

Discuss any issues arising from the postings and come to a consensus on the content of the report. If you are the group recorder, prepare a report covering all aspects of the

case as well as any assigned questions and post it to the discussion board as an attachment.

Participating  in  Discussions

You will work with your discussion group each week on the various types of questions and activities outlined in the weekly assignments. There maybe discussion questions,  Course Instructor-led discussions, and/or case studies.

The course schedule shows week by week what you and your group are expected to achieve in the course. Print the schedule and keep it handy so that you can refer to it as needed. Be sure each week that you know the course requirements. If your job, other    commitments, or illness are making it difficult for you to participate fully in a module, advise your group (especially the group initiator/recorder for that week) and the

Course Instructor.

You will receive a participation mark from the Course Instructor for your work in the online discussions on the basis of the frequency and quality of your contributions. The general term for any comment, question, or other response you make in the discussion is a posting.

The intention in setting up discussion groups is to create an online environment that replicates, as much as possible, discussion opportunities in a face-to-face classroom environment. In a classroom setting, the Course Instructor would ask the class a question and a student would volunteer or would be asked to answer. Other students would then be asked to respond to the answer, elaborate on it, challenge it, or refine it. Participation will provide each student with the opportunity to engage in the intended  level of discussion and make full use of the wealth of insight and experience characteristic of a class of adult learners.

Note: In short discussion questions and case problems, you will post your responses directly in a message. For the longer mini-case studies, where you need to submit a properly formatted report, you may post your report as an attachment. For reports that are marked individually or are intended only for the Course Instructor to see, you will be asked to submit the assignment through the appropriate "Dropbox" under the "Dropbox" tab in the D2L nav bar. Note that e-mail is not to be used for sending assignment question responses to other members of your discussion group. Your Course Instructor cannot read these messages and therefore cannot award participation marks for their content.

In every discussion group there are three main roles: the Course Instructor, the group initiator/recorder (IR), and the discussion participant.

The  Course  Instructor

The Course Instructor's role in the discussion groups is to read and monitor all of the discussions, as well as to intervene from time to time to provide feedback, solve certain problems, and generally keep the discussions on track. Be sure to read the

Course Instructor's feedback to group assignments (usually located in the "Course

Instructor feedback" forum under the "Discussions" tab. The Course Instructor is also responsible for assigning a grade to each member of the group for their overall participation in terms of frequency and quality of contributions.

The  Group  Initiator/recorder  (IR)

Each group should self-organize and appoint recorders for each assignment. This responsibility should be equitably distributed throughout the course. It is important that each team member have the opportunity to take on the role of recorder before one person takes on the role for a second time.

The main task of the group recorder is usually to prepare an initial summary of the week's discussion and post it in the discussion forum. Read all the postings for your group for that week. Then,

. For the discussion questions, create a summary of the responses.

. For the case studies, ensure that the group has reached a consensus on how  the case problem(s) should be solved, and then create the report that reflects  the best ideas of the group. If time allows, circulate a draft report and ask for comments and improvements on it.

As recorder, you have the final say on what is contained in drafts, critiques, or final submissions. The quality of the content and organization of the report is your responsibility. If there are gaps, you are expected to fill them with the help of your group.

The other important task of the group recorder is to try to keep the group on task and ensure that each member of the group has the opportunity to contribute to the discussion. Sometimes a polite e-mail message sent directly to a group member may be necessary if a deadline is not being met.

Note: E-mail messages are not to be used for posting assignment question responses to other members of your discussion group. Your Course Instructor cannot read these messages and thus cannot award participation marks for their content.

As group recorder, you will be evaluated based on a combination of the quality and frequency of your participation.