Key Takeaways on Student Learning from the First Written Assignment

I've wrapped up my review of the first written assignment. That includes the initial drafts as well as resubmissions. I offer students who earned less than a full A on the assignment to revise and resubmit their work. Eight (out of 85 students in both classes) chose to do so. 

Almost all students wrote about material that had been discussed in class prior to the assignment. I expected that. A handful incorporated material to be covered after the assignment due date. 

Students most often wrote about emotional intelligence; conflict; and power and influence. References to the latter two topics were more nuanced than those related to emotional intelligence. That suggests I need to expand my coverage of emotional intelligence and how it might be applied. I can draw on my recent certification to do so. I would love to be able to offer students the opportunity to complete the emotional intelligence assessment. I plan to explore doing so when I again teach this course (Summer 2026). 

Kerr's article on the folly of rewarding A while hoping for B  was mentioned several times by name. It's a classic, so I was delighted to see students write about it. That said, I was expecting (hoping for?) more consideration of motivating and incentivizing. Applying the theories in class would be worthwhile with this goal in mind. That's another area for me to consider revising when I plan the next version of the course. 

The First Written Assignment (continued); Class Size vs. Assignments Dilemma

As I review and ultimately grade student papers, I've confronted anew a dilemma. Let me explain.

I have 85 students in two sections of the organizational behavior class. That's a lot. And class sizes are only increasing. That challenges me in terms of creating assignments that serve my teaching goals while not overwhelming me with grading in the process. 

It's a fine line I walk in this regard. I cannot in good conscience not assign a paper to students enrolled in any organizational behavior class I teach. It seems to go with the territory. The one this quarter is no exception. I don't just review for content, but for writing as well. I don't have to cover both domains, but I do. I have a background in communications. I teach a communications course. I cannot simply "turn off" my communications mindset. So, students get the added benefit of that feedback on their papers.

Out of concern for my workload, I limit this assignment to 1500 words. Some students exceed that limit. But on average, 1500 words equals five double spaced pages. With 85 students, that makes for 425 pages to read, critique, and grade. That's a lot. It's a slog. I struggle to balance the need to consider each paper with fresh eyes against the need to review and return them to students as soon as possible. Fortunately, students can write about any topic they wish as long as it relates to the course material. That offers some variety in what I'm reading. Nonetheless, it's easy to feel worn down by the process. 

On top of that, students who receive less than a full A can revise and resubmit their work for another review and possible grade adjustment. I settled on that option as an alternative to allowing drafts. In the past many students submitted drafts that were good enough (and excellent in many cases) that no revision and resubmission would be warranted. That said, not everyone this quarter will get an A. Therefore, I'm potentially looking at another round of papers that I'm reading for the second time and comparing to the initial draft. That increases the total page count I'm reviewing for this first assignment. 

I know I don't have to allow students to resubmit their work. Yet not to do so contradicts my philosophy about the importance of writing and revising. Besides, most of my students haven't been in school for some time. Some show considerable anxiety about writing. My revise and resubmit policy is one way I can help to reduce these concerns. 

Yet it's the only paper I've assigned this quarter. That's a concession to the number of students. In the past I've assigned a second paper based on the analysis of a case study. The prospect of reading 85 analyses of one of two (or three) case studies that are traditionally used in organizational behavior courses at my school was simply too much for me to consider. 

What I'm Learning from Reviewing the First Written Assignment

The first (and only) individual student assignment in this class is due today. Here's a summary of the assignment: 

The theories and concepts taught in this course will only contribute to your professional success if you apply what you have learned in the classroom to your everyday experiences. To that end, the objective of the individual diagnosis paper is to give you some practice in looking at your life through an OB lens. For this assignment, you will reflect on an organizational problem that you experienced. The term “organizational” is used here quite broadly. You can write about an experience in the military, at a summer job, on a sports team, a school or work group, or any other situation in which you worked with other people for the purposes of completing a collective task (in other words, you’re not limited to writing about your military experience although most students do). Once you have selected a work or organizational challenge from your past, describe and diagnose the situation using concepts from the course, outline the factors that contributed to the situation, and discuss how the concepts could have helped you and/or others deal with the situation more effectively if you faced it again. 

Here's what I've learned so far from reviewing student essays:

• The assignment offers the opportunity to look at significant experiences. These are mostly difficult or negative ones, now considered from new perspectives based on what students learn in the class. As unpleasant as some experiences are, I'm comforted by the fact that they've chosen to use this assignment to reconsider them in a new light. 
• The quality of student writing is high. I provide feedback on writing. My comments thus far have focused on the following: overly long paragraphs, misuse of semicolons, and a need to elaborate on key points that connect student experiences with course material.
• Many students have skillfully applied course material to their personal experiences. In-class case studies and articles are frequently referenced. There's been very little by way of long, direct quotes from the readings (which I urged them not to do) 
• Other students refer to course material in a very limited way, if at all. They will receive feedback along these lines. Their grades will reflect that. And I can be even clearer and more direct in the assignment instructions that they need to be explicit in referencing course material. 

As I review additional student submissions and gain new insight, I'll share my impressions here. 

Reflections on Sixth Class (July 24, 2025): Group Behavior and Working in Teams

I asked students to discuss the following questions based on the assigned reading:

What is effective group process?

How did past group experiences reflect (or differ from) what you’ve read?

How can you apply the readings on effective group process to your experience in this course?

After discussing their responses, I presented additional content on group and teams. I discussed Tuckman's stages of group development, in addition to social loafing and the Abilene Paradox.  I've found these three phenomena especially useful for understanding what works and what doesn't in team functioning.

Today's class (7/29/25) considers the Strike in Space Case Study as a vehicle for applying what we discussed related to groups and teams. For perspectives on the case, go here and here. 

Sixth Class (July 24, 2025): Group Behavior and Working in Teams

Today we'll consider issues related to group behavior and working in teams. Readings cover the new science of building great teams; McChrystal's "team of teams;" and making group process work. 

The organizing questions for today's class are as follows:

* What makes group process effective?

* Where can group process go awry?

* What can we do to make our group experiences positive and productive?

Reflections on Fifth Class (July 22, 2025): Perception and Decision Making (continued); Persuasion, Power, and Influence

Here are some random thoughts about yesterday's class:

The second part of our discussion on perception and decision making focused on the latter, drawing on two assigned readings. Combined with last week's presentations on errors in perception/biases, I feel the conversations nicely covered key points I wanted students to leave with. 

In transitioning to persuasion, power, and influence, I presented on sources of power and contingencies of power. The students applied this information to their analysis of the "Getting Squeezed" case study. The readings did not cover power and contingencies of power. So, in future iterations of the course, I plan to assign articles like this one. Students thus won't need to rely solely on my presentation when discussing the case study. 

As noted in an earlier post, I knew I would be hard-pressed to learn student names. My intent from day one was for them to display the name tents I asked them to create in the first class. Typically I collect these at the end of the class, and students pick them up as they arrive in class. This time I asked students to hold on to their name tents and to display them in every class. If I don't ask them to do so--and even when I do--I don't see many name tents. Bottom line: if I want students to use name tents, I need to collect, hold, and distribute them in future classes. 

Fifth Class (July 22, 2025): Perception and Decision Making (continued); Persuasion, Power, and Influence

We continue our discussion of perception and decision making today, focusing on the following topics:

• Decision making approaches (inquiry vs. advocacy)
• How conflating correlation with causation, underestimating sample size, focusing on wrong outcomes, misjudging generalizability, and overweighting specific results undermine effective decision making

We'll then turn to persuasion, power, and influence, using a case study ("Getting Squeezed") to consider the following organizing questions on the topic:

• What is the purpose of organizational politics?
• Who has power? Why? How can they wield it? How do they wield it?
• How can you use an understanding of persuasion, power, and influence to advance in your organization?

Reflections on Fourth Class (July 17, 2025): Perception and Decision Making (Part One)

It's critical for students to know and identify common traps or biases individuals (and teams) face when making decisions. These include the framing, anchoring, confirming evidence, sunk cost, status quo, recallability, overconfidence, and prudence traps, as well as the halo effect and self-serving bias, among others. Only when students understand these terms can they identify how to address or overcome them to make better decisions. That's why I decided to veer away from simply defining these pitfalls in a PowerPoint presentation. Instead, I invited the teams of students to "act each out" in small groups. I urged them to let their dramatic and/or theatrical abilities run amuck as they came up with a team activity that both made us laugh (and many of them did) while educating us. After short team presentations (see photo), the remaining students in the class needed to guess the name of the pitfall. A discussion followed about the nuances of each pitfall once students had made their selection. 

The assignment was explained as follows:

• Each team receives a card identifying a hidden trap or bias in decision making (which were covered in the readings assigned for class)
• The team will develop and deliver a role play (scenario) based on their trap/bias in action without identifying it by name
• The class then will identify the trap/bias by name, and offer ways to combat it

Students seemed to enjoy the activity. One student commented that "it was better than PowerPoint." Another said he was skeptical when I introduced the activity, but liked it (and got a lot out of it) nonetheless. 

Fourth Class (July 17, 2025): Motivating and Incentivizing (continued); Perception and Decision Making

We'll continue our discussion of the Drill Sergeants case study today. Given that the case spans several topics covered in the class, the conversation will continue past today's class. What I plan to focus on is the leadership challenge of how to motivate and incentivize a specific group of followers within an organizational culture and context. 

We'll then look at perception and decision making. It's the next topic that considers the individual component of organizational behavior. The organizing questions on these topics are as follows:

• How do we make sense of what happens in our lives? How do we construct meaning?
• How do we make judgements about others?
• How do we use this information to think through options and make decisions?

I've planned a role-playing activity where students will apply what they've learned about errors of perception and biases. It's the first time I've tried such an activity in teaching this class. I'll report on it in my next post here. 

Reflections on Third Class (July 15, 2025): Motivating and Incentivizing (Part Two)

Yesterday's class included my presentation of additional material on emotional intelligence. It was based on my recent certification coursework in the area. There were few student questions or comments about that material. That said, since then I've spoken with students outside the classroom about the assessment as well as other issues they face that fall under the umbrella of "emotional intelligence." Those conversations suggested my message resonated with at least some of the students. 

When I talk about feelings and emotions -- and when I talk about personal and professional development -- I inevitably talk about myself. That's what I did yesterday when I spoke about emotional intelligence. Sometimes what I share about myself is positive, sometimes not so much. I only share if it's relevant and if I believe the students will benefit. My boundaries in this area feel right for me in my role as an instructor. 

Here's one final thought regarding my presentation on emotional intelligence. While speaking (or "lecturing") is something I do naturally, I'm always wary given the absence of a mechanism to solicit student feedback (above and beyond asking if there are any questions). I felt that wariness yesterday at the conclusion of my presentation. There are no doubt other (and even better) ways to talk about emotional intelligence. I'll explore them when I prepare for future classes that cover this topic. 

After my presentation on emotional intelligence, we continued our exploration of motivating and incentivizing. Students met with their teams to discuss Kerr's article. Based on their responses to prompts, they understood the main lessons of the article. These concerned how and why rewards systems break down in organizations, and how they might be better constructed. 

The discussion continued with team meetings to discuss the "A Change for Drill Sergeants" case study. To summarize the case in the words of its publisher, Harvard Business Review: "US Army Officer Captain Richard Swift was the newly-appointed commander of a 100-person Basic Combat Training unit, whose mission was to train brand new enlistees in the Army. Swift sensed malaise within his team of drill sergeants, (as these individuals) led the majority of the training. Swift was concerned that these instructors, with an average service of 13 years in the Army and multiple combat deployments, were no longer motivated to do their best and had lost sight of the importance of their work. He wanted to change this." In short, it's a case study on motivation, leadership, change, and communication, among other topics. 

Given that class time was limited, I chose to solicit initial student feedback on the case in the form of one or two sentence takeaways. That is, I asked for specific feedback as opposed to having to start discussions responses to the prompts and then having to cut them off in the interests of time. These initial student comments on the case expressed doubt on Captain Swift's actions. We'll pick up where we left off with this conversation in class tomorrow.