Welcome to the Instructor Resource Text for Introduction to Professional Development: A Business Communication Approach. This resource is designed to assist educators in planning their in-class instruction.

Utilizing the Manual

This instructor manual includes chapter outlines that summarize key concepts, allowing you to effectively plan your lessons and highlight essential topics. Each chapter outline provides ‘priming the mind’ discussion questions, a roadmap for navigating the material, and student activities to apply course content.

Furthermore, a sample syllabus is included to assist you in structuring your course. This syllabus outlines a sequence of topics and assessments in an 8-module format that can easily be implemented in 4, 8, and 16-week semesters.

Understanding OER

An Open Educational Resource (OER) is teaching, learning, or research material that is freely available for anyone to use, adapt, and share. This text and the textbook it pairs with fall under the OER framework, meaning you have the freedom to reproduce, modify, and distribute the content to best suit your instructional needs. By utilizing OER, you not only enhance accessibility for your students but also foster a collaborative educational environment that encourages innovation and shared learning.

I hope this manual serves as a valuable tool in your teaching journey and inspires you to engage your students in meaningful ways as they explore the essential skills of professional development and business communication.

Rose Helens-Hart, PhD

Fort Hays State University