Course Syllabus

HR65 Benefits Administration,

Summer 2020, Section 8515

 

There are 2 Modules per week due in several of the weeks. Pay attention to the dates.

Instructor Contact: Eleanore Webster

Email: ewebster@santarosa.edu.  I generally respond to emails sent to my primary email address within 24 hours.

Phone: (707) 280-3448.

Office Hours: by arrangement (Maggini Hall, 1^st floor, office area)

Course Description:

Fundamentals of employee benefits programs and leaves of absence requirements. Interpretation of California and Federal law to correctly administer employee benefits and leaves of absence.  Topics include the administration of group benefits including medical, dental, life insurance, worker's compensation, unemployment, COBRA, stock options, 401(k), 403(b), and retiree benefits, as well as family, medical, and pregnancy leaves of absence.

Units:  1.5 units

Student Learning Outcomes (SLO’s):

Students will be able to:

1. Develop a comprehensive and legally compliant benefits plan suitable for today's diverse employment base in the context of the employer's size, industry and budget.
2. Determine which leaves of absence apply to specific situations, including a description of the limitations and requirements.

Objectives that support the SLO’s:

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:

SLO #1 Objectives:

1. Differentiate between the various health plan formats and describe their strengths and weaknesses.
2. Determine and describe the cost to the employer of an employee benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, life, disability, and retirement plans.
3. Describe the steps necessary to administer the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requirements, Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), Workers Compensation, State Unemployment Insurance (SUI), and other legally mandated entitlement/benefits plans.

SLO #2 Objectives:

1. Identify the most common leaves of absence available to employees in California and describe their mandated and optional characteristics.
2. Demonstrate the ability to select the appropriate leave of absence for an employee's real-life situation.

Class Meetings:

This class meets online. There is one time when you are required to meet with a team to record a presentation in Zoom. You will select this time and date with the other members of your team. All other work is at your own time preferences. The Modules are set up weekly (usually two per week) and have specific deadlines.

Course Web Site:

Students will use the Canvas course web site for all work in this course.

Textbook:

No textbook required for HR65; all material is on Canvas or provided in handouts.

Secondary Text:

If you are planning to take HR66, please review this important information.

In 1911 to 1913, Roald Amundsen and Robert Falcon Scott both set out to lead the first expedition to reach the South Pole. Both reached their destination, although Amundsen arrived four weeks ahead of Scott. Amundsen and his team returned to their base safely. Scott and his team died on their return journey.

The reasons for one team’s success and the other team’s failure have been the subject of much discussion since then. The reasons for Scott’s failure to return are highlighted often (transportation selection, nutrition, route, etc.). I believe there are lessons to be learned here in terms of human resources and leadership, especially if you view the team members as employees. Both Scott and Amundsen had to make decisions regarding recruitment, training, supplies, safety, employee relations and performance management.

As part of your grade in HR66, you will be required to turn in a two page paper that briefly reviews the highlights of both expeditions, and then identifies the human resources decisions that led to the success of one mission and the failure of the other. There are a number of readings that compare and contrast these expeditions. There is no one required selection. Books are available in the library as well as online and in book stores. The book that I enjoyed was written by Roland Huntford (1985), The Last Place on Earth. There are others, but be sure to select a work that discusses both expeditions. While the internet provides some interesting articles on this topic, I would not rely only on internet sites such as Wikipedia; there is not sufficient detail in these readings. You must come to class the first day in HR66 ready to discuss this topic with a group of your fellow students, so the required reading must be accomplished prior to the beginning of class.

Required Software:

You will need the following software for this course. Adobe Reader, Word, Excel

Important Dates: 

Date Class Begins:	6/15/2020		Date Class Ends:	7/26/2020
Last Day Add w/o add code:	6/16/2020		Last Day Add with add code:	6/22/2020
Last Day Drop for Refund:	6/18/2020		Last Day for P/NP option:	6/26/2020
Last Day Drop w/o W:	6/22/2020		Last Day Drop with W:	7/16/2020

Dropping the Class:

If you decide to discontinue this course, it is your responsibility to officially drop it to avoid getting no refund (after 10% of course length), a W symbol (after 20%), or a grade (after 60%). Also, the instructor must drop a student if they do not show for the first day of class and have not contacted the instructor.

Pass‐No Pass (P/NP):

You may take this class P/NP. With a grade of C or better, you will get P.

You must file for the P/NP option by the date stated above. Once you decide to go for P/NP, you cannot change back to a letter grade. If you are taking this course as part of a certificate program, you can probably still take the class P/NP. Check with a counselor to be sure.

Instructor Announcements and Q&A Forum:

The instructor will post announcements on the “Instructor Announcements” page in Canvas throughout the course. Canvas notifies students according to their preferred Notification Preferences as soon as the instructor creates an Announcement. A “Q&A Forum” is also on Canvas to ask for assistance of your classmates. Be sure to set your "Notification Preferences" under your "Account Settings" so that you are able to see the Announcements.

Attendance:

I monitor your activity in Canvas. If you do not regularly submit your work and review the material in Canvas, I may drop you from the course.

Late Policy:

All assignments are due 11:59 PM PST on the due date, unless otherwise stated. A late submission will receive a reduced grade. Submissions later than the final acceptance date will not be accepted without prior arrangement.

Grading Policy:

Visit the “Grades” in Canvas to keep track of your grades. I post grades and comments on the online Canvas grade book. Grades will be assigned as follows:

A	90%	900 to 1000 points
B	80%	800 to 899 points
C	70%	700 to 799 points
D	60%	600 to 699 points

If taking Pass/No Pass you need at least 70% of the total class points to pass the class.

List of Assignments:

Instructions are in each Module. Assignments include the following:

Assignment (See Canvas for Rubrics)	SLO	Points
Compare and contrast health care in the US with another country. Participate in a team presentation via Zoom about how health care works in another country (you have been assigned the country), in contrast to the US health care system (oral presentation, recorded in Zoom). Presentation recording due week of Module 8. Team Self Assessment is due in Module 10 and valued at 10 points.	1.1	210
Write a paper on retirement plan options and responsibilities. Due last day of class.	1.2	150
Successfully complete 9 quizzes in Canvas for Modules 2 through 10 (20 points per quiz; open book) plus 1 quiz for Module 1 at 5 points.	1 2	185
Prepare a “New Hire Employee Orientation” outline to post in Canvas. Via Discussion, provide feedback to at least two other students' orientation outlines. Outline due week of Module 7; feedback via discussion due week of Module 9.	1.1 1.2	50
Identify specific requirements on the ACA. Review the website www.coveredca.com, which is California’s home for the Affordable Care Act. Answer specific questions about coverage options (written). Due week of Module 3.	1.3	50
Report health care costs. Develop a premium statement in Excel, with premium calculations and census coverage data (spreadsheet). Due week of Module 4.	1.2	100
Demonstrate understanding of course content. Participation in Canvas Discussions and Feedback. Due weekly throughout the course. There is one introductory discussion valued at 5 points. (Discussions 4 x 20 points; Feedback responses 3 x 10 points; one Discussion x 60 points due to requirements)	1 2	175
Analyze leaves of absence to determine which is most appropriate for a given situation. Due week of Module 10.	2.1 2.2	80
Extra Credit Option (written paper on COVID-19 responses; 100 points). May submit up to July 29th.
Total Points for the Course		1000

Standards of Conduct:

Students who register in SRJC classes are required to abide by the SRJC Student Conduct Standards. Violation of the Standards is basis for referral to the Vice President of Student Services or dismissal from class or from the College. See the Student Code of Conduct information on the College website.

Collaborating on or copying of tests or homework in whole or in part will be considered an act of academic dishonesty and result in a grade of 0 for that test or assignment. I encourage students to share information and ideas, but not their work.

Special Needs:

Students with disabilities who believe they need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact Disability Resources (527-4278), as soon as possible to better ensure such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.