ENGL 2311W: Technical and Business Writing Course Syllabus INSTRUCTOR CONTACT INFORMATION Michelle Wilder Old Main 215 903-983-8692 mwilder@kilgore.edu The best way to communicate with me is through Blackboard email. For messages sent on Monday through Thursday, I intend to respond within 24 hours. For messages sent on Friday through Sunday, I intend to respond on Monday before noon. COURSE DESCRIPTION ENGL 2311. Technical and Business Writing (3-3-0) Intensive study of and practice in professional settings. Focus on the types of documents necessary to make decisions and take action on the job, such as proposals, reports, instructions, policies and procedures, e-mail messages, letters, and descriptions of products and services. Practice individual and collaborative processes involved in the creation of ethical and efficient documents. Prerequisite: A grade of C or better in ENGL 1301. F, Sp, Su. (2313035112). COURSE RATIONALE This course partially satisfies the requirements of the associate degree at Kilgore College and transfers to a senior college offering baccalaureate degrees. EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS Required Texts: Aaron, Jane E., ed. The Little, Brown Compact Handbook. 9th ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2015. Print. Markel, Mike, ed. Technical Communication. 11 th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin s, 2015. Print or e- Book LauchPad. Access code is included with the print textbook sold at KC Bookstore. Otherwise, access a code at: macmillanhighered.com/launchpad/techcomm11e Required Equipment and Skills: regular access to a reliable computer and Internet access Microsoft WORD and PowerPoint Multi-media presentation, ex. create an audio/video recording and embed it along with graphics in a PowerPoint presentation
GRADING PROCEDURES 20% Preparation such as quizzes, exercises, etc. 20% Participation - such as discussion, collaboration/teamwork, etc. 40% Compositions and Multi-media presentation 20% Final exam COURSE POLICIES Always follow instructions. Possess required materials, equipment, and skills by the first day of class. Submit work on time. Compositions and presentations not submitted by the due date will earn a grade of zero (0). Access the course regularly. Communicate effectively with your instructor - My goal is to help you succeed in developing the learning, thinking, and communication skills required for academic and professional success by providing the instruction, learning opportunities, and assistance needed to master such skills. If you need clarification of an assignment or help in mastering a skill, contact me as soon as possible. Email: Use Blackboard email. Copy and paste the specific instructions for which you feel you need clarification. For the timing of my response, see the notice at the top of this syllabus. Plan ahead! The delays in the times between your messaging me, my receipt of your message, my response, your receipt of my response, your implementation of my advice as you complete the assignment, etc. requires planning ahead. In-person: Feel free to visit my office anytime, but I highly recommend making an appointment to ensure that I can give you my undivided attention. The final exam is taken in-person at the Kilgore College Testing Center. The dates will be posted at the beginning of the semester. Follow all policies of the testing center. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR MAJOR COMPOSITIONS Follow all assignment instructions. Compositions must be composed in Microsoft WORD unless otherwise indicated in the assignment s instructions. Apply the A.P.A. manuscript format to all computer generated assignments. See instructions and an example in either textbook or at Purdue Online Writing Lab: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/10/ Save your work two ways: internally, to your computer s hard drive, and externally, to a source such as the Cloud (ex. Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive) or a USB
KC POLICIES Attendance/withdrawal policy: 1. It is the student s responsibility to drop a course or withdraw from the college. Failure to do so will result in receiving a performance grade, usually a grade of F. See college calendar or the semester s class schedule of activities for the specific deadline for withdrawal. 2. In compliance with the Kilgore College attendance policy, as stated in the Kilgore College Catalog, the instructor may drop a student after he/she misses the equivalent of two weeks of class: four 1.5 hour sessions (MW, TR); six 1-hour sessions (MWF). Statement on Civility in the Classroom Students are expected to assist in maintaining a classroom environment that is conducive to learning. Inappropriate or distractive classroom behavior is prohibited in order to assure that everyone has opportunity to gain from time spent in class. Should a disruptive classroom incident occur, the faculty member in charge may remove the student on either a temporary or a permanent basis. Students have the right to appeal through the appropriate channels (taken from the college website at www.kilgore.edu under the heading of Student Handbook). Statement on Academic Honesty Kilgore College expects students to do their own work. The department will not tolerate academic dishonesty, including plagiarism (submitting someone else's work as your own). The following information concerning academic dishonesty is taken from the Student Handbook section found under "Categories of Misconduct" and reads as follows: Misconduct for which students are subject to discipline falls into the following categories: A. Acts of dishonesty, including but not limited to the following: 1. Academic dishonesty including but not limited to cheating and plagiarism. a. The term "cheating" includes, but is not limited to (1) acquiring information for specifically assigned projects, working with one or more persons on an exam that is to be taken as an individual, or observing work from another individual's exam; (2) providing information on an exam that is to be done individually or giving out the exam or content prior to the exam time. b. The term "plagiarism" includes, but is not limited to (1) failing to credit sources used in a work product in an attempt to pass off the work as one's own; (2) attempting to receive credit for work performed by another, including papers obtained in whole or in part from individuals or from other sources, including the internet. c. Misconduct also includes conspiracy to commit an act of academic dishonesty. Additional information is found under "Student Disciplinary Procedures." B. Matters of Academic Dishonesty Academic dishonesty matters may first be considered by the faculty member who may recommend penalties such as withdrawal from the course, failing the course, reduction or changing of a grade in the
course, a test, assignment, or in other academic work; denial of a degree and/or performing additional academic work not required by other students in the course. Acceptance of the faculty member's recommended penalties by the student shall make the penalties final and constitutes a waiver of further administrative procedures. If the student does not accept the decision of the faculty member, he/she may have the case heard by the appropriate department chair, dean and Vice President of Instruction for review. If the student is ultimately found not to have been involved in academic dishonesty, the instructor shall not base his/her evaluation of the student on the alleged but unproven dishonesty. If the student is ultimately found to have violated matters of academic dishonesty, the appropriate disciplinary sanction shall be implemented. Any student who believes that a grade has been inequitably awarded should refer to the academic grade change procedures. Use of plagiarism detection service Students in all college-level English courses will be required to submit papers/major essays to a plagiarism detection service. Student Grievance If a student wishes to pursue through the administrative structure some action that has been taken that significantly impacts him or her in a negative way, he or she needs to complete a Student Grievance Form available from the offices of department or division support specialists. This procedure applies to both instructional and non-instructional issues. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES Upon successful completion of this course, students will: 1. Recognize, analyze, and accommodate diverse audiences. 2. Produce documents appropriate to audience, purpose, and genre. 3. Analyze the ethical responsibilities involved in technical communication. 4. Locate, evaluate, and incorporate pertinent information. 5. Develop verbal, visual, and multimedia materials as necessary, in individual and/or collaborative projects, as appropriate. 6. Edit for appropriate style, including attention to word choice, sentence structure, punctuation, and spelling. 7. Design and test documents for easy reading and navigation.
FOUNDATIONAL COMPONENT AREAS: Critical Thinking Creative thinking Innovation Inquiry Analysis of information Evaluation of information Synthesis of information Communication Effective development, interpretation and expression of ideas through -written communication -oral communication How will the objective be addressed? Students will practice creative thinking to write about a subject compellingly and persuasively. Students will use available techniques and tools to design and write technical documents for easy reading and navigation. Students will gather pertinent information through primary and secondary research. Students will write informational documents and give oral presentations for a specific reading or listening audience after analyzing the audience and purpose, researching and compiling information, and choosing an appropriate format. Students will review, evaluate, and test documents and Web sites for easy reading and navigation. Students will follow a process to produce effective, efficient technical documents and/or oral presentations: plan, draft, revise, edit, and proofread. Students will produce a wide range of types of technical communication, focusing on rhetorical concerns such as considering diverse audiences and purpose, gathering sources through primary and secondary sources, planning the organization of documents, and editing for appropriate style, effective sentences, grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Students will organize, develop, and present oral, technical communication appropriate to purpose, genre, and diverse audiences How will the objective be assessed? and may include common assessments embedded in exams, which may include objective and/or subjective questions and may include common assessments embedded in exams, which may include objective and/or subjective questions
-visual communication Teamwork Ability to consider different points of view Ability to work effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal Personal Responsibility Ability to connect choices, actions and consequences to ethical decision-making Students will produce visual and multimedia technical communication appropriate to purpose, genre, and diverse audiences. To draw on a greater knowledge and skills base, students will collaborate to produce written, oral, and visual technical communication. See above. Students will analyze responsibilities involved in technical communication and maintain academic integrity by providing appropriate attribution to primary and secondary research and by producing original work. Submit documents to a plagiarism detection service Critical Thinking Skills - to include creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, and analysis, evaluation and synthesis of information Communication Skills - to include effective development, interpretation and expression of ideas through written, oral and visual communication Teamwork - to include the ability to consider different points of view and to work effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal Personal Responsibility - to include the ability to connect choices, actions and consequences to ethical decision-making Disclaimer: As instructor, I reserve the right to amend and/or modify this syllabus as necessary to promote the best education possible within prevailing conditions affecting this course. Each semester students will be given an opportunity to evaluate the instructor and the course. ADA Statement: Kilgore College is committed to making reasonable accommodations to assist individuals with disabilities in reaching their academic potential. If you choose to request accommodations for a documented disability which may impact your performance, attendance, or grades in this course, you must first register with the Office of Disability Services. Please note that classroom accommodations cannot be provided prior to your instructor s receipt of an accommodation letter from the Office of Disability Services. For more information about accommodations, please contact the Disability Services office on the second floor of the Devall Student Center: (903) 983-8206.