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About Your Instructor

Welcome to LEI 6931 Strategic Management.

Wende is an Adjunct Instructor in the Department of Tourism, Recreation and Sport Management at the University of Florida. Wende earned a B.S. in Parks and Recreation Administration from the University of Florida and then attended Penn State University, State College Campus where she earned her Master’s.

Wende is a 30 plus award winning hospitality veteran whose passion for the business has resulted in a very successful career. Her enthusiastic consensus building leadership style gives credence to the outstanding positive results for ownership and all participating stakeholders. She is a seasoned industry leader, investing over two decades of her hospitality career as a General Manager, several years with Hilton Hotels Corporation, Marriott, Benchmark Hospitality International, Wyndham Hotel Group, Interstate Hotels and several other leading hotel and resort brands.

Wende’s entrepreneurial and critical management skills have provided mentorship for many hospitality talents throughout her career. She is passionate about the industry and is excited to be teaching at UF to share her experiences and mentor future hospitality professionals.

Wende is Past President of the International Association of Conference Centers (IACC), a worldwide professional organization governing the multi- billion-dollar conference center industry. Wende has also served in leadership roles with numerous chambers of commerce, sports and tourism boards.

Wende received the University of Florida Distinguished Alumni Award. She also received IACC’s highest honor, the Mel Hosansky Distinguished Service Award for several years of volunteer leadership and professional development teachings.

Thank you and welcome to the class.

Wende Blumberg, Adjunct Professor Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management

wblumberg@ufl.edu

352.258.4156

Review UF Student Support Information

UF Policies and Services

Online Course Evaluation Process

Students are expected to provide feedback on the quality of instruction in this course by completing online evaluations at https://evaluations.ufl.edu. Evaluations are typically open during the last two or three weeks of the semester, but students will be given specific times when they are open. Summary results of these assessments are available to students at https://evaluations.ufl.edu/results/.

Academic Honesty

On all work submitted for credit by students at the University of Florida, the following pledge is either required or implied: “On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment.”

Accommodation for Students with Disabilities

Students requesting classroom accommodation must first register with the Dean of Students Office. The Dean of Students Office will provide documentation to the student who must then provide this documentation to the Instructor when requesting accommodation. UF Counseling Services: Resources are available on-‐campus for students having personal problems or lacking a clear career and academic goals which interfere with their academic performance. These resources include:

University Counseling Center, 301 Peabody Hall, 392-1575, personal and career counseling
Student Mental Health, Student Health Care Center, 392-1171, personal counseling
Sexual Assault Recovery Services (SARS), Student Health Care Center, 392-1161, sexual counseling
U Matter We Care (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
Veterans and Active Duty Military (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
Career Resource Center, Reitz Union, 392-1601, career development assistance and counseling

Student Services

Student Support and Services

Information for Veterans (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. Veterans Affairs Certification (352) 294-2948

Student Financial Affairs (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (352) 392-1275

Financial Aid Podcasts (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

University Bursar (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. – tuition payments, financial aid disbursements and refunds (352) 392-3261

Academic Services

UF Student Self Service (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. – course registration, final grades, transcript requests, degree progress audit, …
GatorRater (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. – online faculty evaluations and results
UF Academic Deadlines and Calendar (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Schedule of Courses (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. – select “UF Online Courses (Limited to UF Online admits.)” for the UF Online schedule.

UF Bookstore (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (352) 392-0194 | ufbookstore@bsd.ufl.edu
UF Libraries (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (866) 281-6309 | libref@uflib.ufl.edu

Services for Distance Students (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
Ask a Librarian (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. – chat with librarians online
Should you have any complaints with your experience in this course please visit http://www.distance.ufl.edu/student-complaints (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.(Links to an external site.) to submit a complaint.

Technical Help

Technical Help and How to Use Canvas

For all technical assistance questions please contact the UF Computing Help Desk (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Phone: (352) 392-HELP (4357)

Email: helpdesk@ufl.edu

Online Apps (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. – access to software applications from any computing device from any location, at any time
lynda.com (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. – free online computer software training
Safe Computing Practices (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. - keep your computer and online information safe
Student Software Licensing (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. – free or reduced rate software for all UF students
Office365 (Student Cloud services) (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. – e-mail, calendars, instant messaging and web conferencing
Migrating to Office365 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
UF Mobile App (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
UF Virtual Private Network (VPN) (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. – secured internet connection required for some UF services like the library's course reserves (you can also use a Proxy Connection (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. for this type of activity)

How to Use Canvas

UF Expectations for Online Students

It is important to recognize that the online classroom is in fact a classroom, and certain behaviors are expected when you communicate with both your peers and your instructors. These guidelines for online behavior and interaction are known as netiquette.

Security

Remember that your password is the only thing protecting you from pranks or more serious harm.

Don't share your password with anyone
Change your password if you think someone else might know it
Always logout when you are finished using the system

General Guidelines

When communicating online, you should always:

Treat your instructor with respect, even in email or in any other online communication
Always use your professors’ proper title: Dr. or Prof., or if in doubt use Mr. or Ms.

Unless specifically invited, don’t refer to them by first name.

Use clear and concise language
Remember that all college level communication should have correct spelling and grammar
Avoid slang terms such as “wassup?” and texting abbreviations such as “u” instead of “you”
Use standard fonts such as Arial or Calibri and use a size 12 or 14 pt. font
Avoid using the caps lock feature AS IT CAN BE INTERPRETED AS YELLING
Limit and possibly avoid the use of emoticons like :)
Be cautious when using humor or sarcasm as tone is sometimes lost in an email or discussion post and your message might be taken seriously or offensively
Be careful with personal information (both yours and others')
Do not send confidential patient information via e-mail

Email Netiquette

When you send an email to your instructor, teaching assistant, or classmates, you should:

Use a descriptive subject line
Be brief
Avoid attachments unless you are sure your recipients can open them
Avoid HTML in favor of plain text
Sign your message with your name and return e-mail address
Think before you send the e-mail to more than one person. Does everyone really need to see your message?
Be sure you REALLY want everyone to receive your response when you click “reply all”
Be sure that the message author intended for the information to be passed along before you click the “forward” button

Message Board Netiquette and Guidelines

When posting on the Discussion Board in your online class, you should:

Make posts that are on topic and within the scope of the course material
Take your posts seriously and review and edit your posts before sending
Be as brief as possible while still making a thorough comment
Always give proper credit when referencing or quoting another source
Be sure to read all messages in a thread before replying
Don’t repeat someone else’s post without adding something of your own to it
Avoid short, generic replies such as, “I agree.” You should include why you agree or add to the previous point
Always be respectful of others’ opinions even when they differ from your own
When you disagree with someone, you should express your differing opinion in a respectful, non-critical way
Do not make personal or insulting remarks
Be open-minded

How to Succeed in an Online Course

Taking an online course can be a lot of fun! Here are some tips that will help you get the most of this course while taking full advantage of the online format:

Schedule "class times" for yourself. It is important to do the coursework on time each week. You will receive 0 points for work that is turned in late!
Read ALL of the material contained on this site. There is a lot of helpful information that can save you time and help you meet the objectives of the course.
Print out the Course Schedule located in the Course Syllabus and check things off as you go.
Take advantage of the online discussion boards. Ask for help or clarification of the material if you need it.
Do not wait to ask questions! Waiting to ask a question might cause you to miss a due date.
Do your work well before the due dates. Sometimes things happen. If your computer goes down when you are trying to submit an assignment, you'll need time to get another machine.
To be extra safe, back up your work on an external hard drive, flash drive, or even one of those old school CD things.

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