Employment Law

Course Project Overview

Develop a training program to help new managers learn the fundamentals of employment law and their role in implementing the policies and practices that maintain legal compliance in the workplace. Components of the project are assigned in each module, contributing to the comprehensive final product by the end of the course.

Training Objectives

Develop 5-7 training objectives for the program. What should managers know and be able to do when they have completed the training program?

Program Outline

Develop a 1-page outline of the content you plan to include in the training program. What major topics and subtopics will be covered? What are the most important things managers will need to know about their role in employment law compliance? Include ideas about the kinds of training methods best suited for delivering the content and achieving the learning objectives.

• Informational methods: one-way communication to convey important factual information (i.e. lectures and audiovisual media).
• Experiential methods: interactive methods to give trainees opportunity to apply knowledge, practice skills, and demonstrate behaviors (i.e. e-learning, simulations, case study analysis, and role play).

Annotated Bibliography

Write an annotated bibliography to gather descriptive information about the sources you will use to develop your training program; use at least five credible, scholarly resources besides the text. Once complete, the annotated bibliography will also serve as a reference list for trainees, a takeaway new managers can use on the job when confronted with employment law issues and the need to consult specific resources for further information.

In addition to the bibliographical information about the source that would typically appear in a works cited list, include a concise paragraph or two to briefly summarize the content of the source and to describe how it is relevant to the training or how it will be useful to managers beyond the training.

Here is an example of an annotated bibliography entry for the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL):

Purdue OWL. “Annotated Bibliographies.” The Purdue OWL. Purdue U Writing Lab, 08 Jan. 2010. Web. 10 March 2010. <http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/614/01/>

This webpage from the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) defines how an annotated bibliography is different from a typical works cited list, in that it includes additional descriptive information about the sources in paragraph form. It further explains that the annotations, or additional notes about a source, might serve one or more purposes: to summarize the content of the source; to evaluate its usefulness, reliability, and objectivity; and/or to reflect about its applicability to a particular argument or research. Students who are asked to write an annotated bibliography will find this information helpful because it clearly explains what an annotated bibliography is, why it might be useful to write one, and how to do so (including links to additional information on formatting in various writing styles such as MLA and APA).

Training Content, Part 1

Expanding on the outline created in Module 2, develop the content for the first half of the training program as it will be presented to trainees. In the outline, you identified the most important things managers will need to know about employment law. In this part of the project, you will explain those things in greater detail so that new managers can better understand their role in human resource practice and workplace compliance with employment laws.

This component of the project will likely take the form of a Power Point presentation, although other delivery methods may be considered. Whatever medium is used, it should allow for a sufficient amount of detail about each subtopic and key point. For example, the slides in a Power Point presentation might contain concise bullet points, while elaboration of those key points is provided in the “notes” section below each slide (in normal view, but not visible in slideshow mode). Alternatively, audio recordings can be added to the presentation so that trainees may view it in slideshow mode and hear the trainer elaborate on the key points in each slide. Be sure to cite sources and provide references for trainees to seek further information.

Training Content, Part 2

Develop the content for the second half of the training program.

Case Study

Write a 2-page original case study in which you present a scenario (related to some aspect of employment law) for trainees to analyze. The scenario may be hypothetical, or based on actual events or circumstances (so long as the names of individuals and companies are changed to protect privacy and confidentiality).  The case study should provide sufficient background information and factual details so that trainees can apply knowledge gained from the training as they analyze the scenario and formulate solutions or recommendations. The written case study should include 4-5 questions to stimulate critical thinking and discussion about the scenario and relevant concepts.

Trainee Assessment (Knowledge and Application of Content)

Develop an instrument to measure the trainees’ understanding of and ability to apply specific concepts from the training. To what extent are they able to do that which was identified in the training objectives? This portion of the project may take the form of a traditional paper/pencil “quiz” or a computer-based simulation, if students have sufficient technology skills. Be sure to provide both questions and answers so that trainees are able to self-evaluate their understanding of the concepts and their degree of achievement of the training objectives. 

Complete Training Program

Based on feedback from the instructor and peers in previous modules, make revisions to various portions of the training program as needed or appropriate. Compile the individual components into an integrated whole, and submit the final project.