Instructor: E-mail: English 310: Technical Writing ONLINE Winter, 2015 Sonya Dunning sdunning@cwu.edu Course Textbook It is important that you purchase (or otherwise have reliable access to) Technical Communication Today, 5 th Edition, by Richard Johnson-Sheehan (seen to the left). It is your responsibility to obtain the textbook by the first day of class. Failure to have the textbook by the first day of class will impact your ability to complete assignments in a timely manner, which will, in turn, impact your grade. Thus, if you are not able to obtain the textbook by the time the class starts, it is also your responsibility to be proactive and to find an alternative method for using the textbook for the assignments that are due in the interim. Course Overview This course allows students the opportunity research problems relevant to their field of study/work, while, at the same time, practicing writing in a variety of genres: e-mail, memo, letter, proposal, resume, definition, analytical report, and presentation. Through this research and writing practice, students will improve their knowledge of their field of study/work, as well as of the styles appropriate to the aforementioned genres and, in doing so, become better prepared to meet the demands of their future workplace/s and/or career/s. NOTE: This is a project-based class, meaning that all the work you do in the course will lead to your completion of a single project. Failure to meet this requirement will dramatically impact your grade and/or result in the failure of particular assignments and/or the entire course. Below, you will find a more detailed description of the course in the form of the following: Learning Outcomes and Expectations Course Design and Assignments Grading Details and Policies Submission Requirements Communicating with Instructor and Classmates Course Support Learning Outcomes and Expectations Learning Outcomes Students will Analyze the rhetorical situations and purposes of written documents Analyze the rhetorical purposes of visual elements Assessments Students will Offer interpretations of rhetorical situations specific to assigned readings and their own work. Discuss and report on the rhetorical effects of
Conduct research on a technical topic Identify and apply effective collaboration techniques, including task analysis and role assignments. Identify and use effective techniques for professional presentations. Demonstrate effective editing techniques for professional materials. Demonstrate ability to analyze rhetorical situations, select appropriate strategies, integrate source material and visual elements, organize materials, and create technical documents for various purposes, audiences, and contexts of use. visual elements. Complete a research proposal on a technical topic. Complete a series of group interactive exercises and evaluate those interactions according to criteria (your peer reviews serve this function) Produce a PowerPoint presentation with visuals and support materials. Complete editing and revising exercises in the project assignment sequence, and demonstrate editing competence in the final proposal. Write technical documents, including some of those listed below: E-mails, Letters and Memos Proposals Resumes Technical Definitions Analytical Reports Writing Process Expectations Members of the CWU Writing Program faculty recognize that writing is a process and that writers depend on a community of readers in order to develop and improve. We thus expect each student to participate in this course in the following ways: Prewriting to generate and clarify content Revising to provide economy, clarity, unity, and balance Editing your own work and the work of others Writing polished prose that is purposeful, clear, and effective Understanding and using criteria to self-assess your writing Working responsibly in writing groups Engaging critically and constructively in the exchange of ideas during all conversations and activities Demonstrating academic integrity in all written projects Time Commitment Since this is a 4-credit hour course, expected contact hours or hours in class or online are 40 hours. Homework hours are two hours per contact hour or 80 hours total. In other words, one should expect to spend an average of about 20 hours per week on this class. Past student reviews of the course indicate the work load is intense but that the end results are well worth the effort. It is my belief you can get out of a course only as much as you re willing to contribute. Computer and Canvas Requirements and Expectations To succeed in this online course, you need access to a computer and the Internet. You also need to be able to read Word documents (.doc or.docx) and PowerPoint slides and watch online videos. QuickTime Player, which you can download for free, is a good program for opening/viewing videos. You will also be taking tests online. Canvas is your classroom and your gradebook, and it
is your responsibility to ensure that you have adequate access to Canvas and are well-versed on how it works. Should you be unfamiliar with how Canvas works, it is your responsibility to seek the support and training you need in order to meet the demands of this course and the online learning environment at large. Grammar Skills If you re in this class, you have completed Central s English 101 and 102 (or the equivalent) or have transferred to CWU with an AA degree. Therefore, grammar and usage are assumed as acquired basic skills. However, many students continue to experience problems with these skills, so some assignments are designed to help students work on them. Keep in mind that you may have lovely ideas, but bad sentences are like dirty windows I can t see the ideas through the grime of bad grammar. Course Design and Assignments Overview of Course Design This course consists of a sequence of three units or modules, each includes a series of activities that culminate in a major writing assignment: Unit #1 Writing Assignment: Proposal for Analytical Report (100 points), Unit #2 Writing Assignment: Expanded Technical Definition (100 points), Unit #3 Writing Assignment: Analytical Research Report and Presentation (300 points). Below, you will find a more detailed description of course activities (see Grading Details and Policies for information on point values for each major writing assignment and each type of activity). Course Activities Discussions: Provide a forum for small group and whole class discussion on a topic of relevance to the module at hand. Journals: Assist you in preparing or honing a concept or project relevant to each of the modules you ll be completing. Peer Reviews: Give you a chance to tell your peers how well the documents they have prepared meet criteria for submission. As readers, you are essentially testing the usability of each document required for the class. The writers then use your report to help them revise the work for final submission. Reading and Editing Quizzes: used to assess your comprehension of assigned readings and grammar skills. Assignments Points and Weight Grading Details and Policies Assignment/Activity Points Weight Discussions 200 (20 points each) 20%
Journals 60 (15 points each) Peer Reviews 120 (30 points each) 6% 12% Human Subjects Research Training 10 1% Quizzes 60 (15 points each) 6% Writing Assignments Letter of Inquiry (50) Research Proposal (100) Extended Technical Definition (100) Analytical Research Report (200) Research Presentation (50 points) 500 (points vary) 50% Final Test 50 points 5% Total 1000 100% More on Grading I will provide evaluation criteria with each assignment sheet. You should read those criteria and try to meet them all to get a good grade. Generally speaking, I grade on the following scale: Exemplary Proficient Clearly Vaguely Attempted But Insufficient Evidence of Progressing Progressing Not Progressing Purposeful Attempt 100% 90%-99% 80%-89% 70%-79% 60%-69% 59% or less Sent it to the presses! It s perfect! Needs refinement. Needs minor revisions. Needs major revisions. Needs massive revisions. Back to the drawing board. When I grade your assignments, I will either use the rubric posted on Canvas, or I will enter the points earned into Canvas. Should you note a discrepancy with your grade on an activity or assignment, please notify me so I can remedy the issue in a timely manner. Plagiarism Also known as academic dishonesty, plagiarism in all of its forms, will not be tolerated and will be dealt with according to the professor s discretion within the guidelines set forth by the University. The assignments each student submits must be his/her own original work. Any cases of academic dishonesty (including, but not limited to, colluding, copying, and plagiarism in all of its forms) will result in a failing grade for the assignment and may result in a failing grade for the class. Quizzes and tests are not collaborative. Ensure there is no semblance of collusion, copying, etc. Furthermore,
violations of the university s Student Rights & Responsibilities may be reported: (http://apps.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=106-120-027). Submission Requirements General Submission Requirements Each assignment and activity submitted for grading should have these rhetorical features or risk significant point reduction and/or failure: A clear and refined purpose Development relevant to that purpose Logical organization (at the sentence-, paragraph-, and whole-paper levels) An appropriate tone Well-crafted, grammatically correct sentences Consistent use of conventions for standard academic English Accurate in-text citation and end-of-text documentation of sources Achievement of basic assignment objectives Length Most of your assignments have the acceptable page range stated prominently on the assignment sheet. If you fall short of the minimum in that range, you have not met the minimum requirements of the assignment. Expect to do very badly if you turn in a paper that falls short of the minimum page count. You will automatically receive a half-grade reduction for every half of a page you are short on the minimum page count requirement. For example, if the length requirement for the assignment is 6 pages, and you turn in a document of 5 ½ pages, an assignment that would be an A will become and A-. See below regarding font and margin requirements. Page Formatting Unless otherwise stated on the assignment sheet, your papers should be single spaced with a 12- point font. Times New Roman or Calibri are acceptable fonts. Your paper must have 1-inch margins and a single column layout. Note that Word will sometimes set the default margins to 1.25 inches. You will need to change this. If you start tinkering with font sizes and margins to achieve the required page count, your paper will be marked down an entire grade. The same goes for unnecessary use of the Return key and/or extra, purposeless spacing. File Formatting For work that is turned in online, you must provide a.docx, or.doc file, and I must be able to open the file. If I can t open the file, I ll ask you to resend and the assignment will be counted as late, according the policy described below. Please note that OpenOffice allows you to save your file as.doc, which is fine. Due Dates English 310 presents practical assignments within various technical writing formats that might be included in the workaday world. Consequently, a serious, workaday approach to class reading assignments and
deadlines is expected. I realize, however, that life sometimes interferes with work, so I offer everyone one free get out of jail free card that is, one day of extra time on ONE activity other than the Writing Assignments, Peer Reviews, and Quizzes. To receive the extra time, you must write me an e-mail asking permission essentially, you will be writing me a persuasive request for an extension. Otherwise, late assignments and revision of work (other than that scheduled and assigned) will not be accepted. Discussions and other Activities are always due by 11:59 pm on the day assigned (unless otherwise specified). Communicating with Instructor and Classmates Overview on Outlook E-mail and Canvas as Communication Tools This course requires that you have, and maintain, access to Outlook e-mail for the purposes of corresponding with your instructor and/or classmates. It is your responsibility that you make certain you are able to use Outlook e-mail and that you maintain your passwords and access throughout the quarter. Should you have an issue with your e-mail, it is your responsibility to resolve the issue in a timely manner so as to be certain channels of communication with your instructor remain open. Unless otherwise specified, you will NEVER submit any work to your instructor via e-mail. Regarding the content of your e-mails, please remember e-mails are considered a form of professional correspondence in this course they are an extension of the work you do in the course and should therefore be professional in content and form. No exceptions. E-mails that are not professional in content and form may not receive a reply. A Note about Canvas Please remember that Canvas is NOT a substitute for e-mail, and that all correspondence with your instructor should be done through Outlook e-mail (see below). Should you have an issue with Canvas, it is your responsibility to contact Canvas Support to resolve the issue. The Canvas site offers a number of ways to get help. Explore them by clicking on the red Help button at the top right of the page. There are user guides, a 24-hour live chat option (which is highly recommended), and a telephone number you can call for support. How to Communicate With Your Instructor Via E-mail and/or Telephone You should e-mail me if you have something to convey of a personal or sensitive nature or if you have a question that is specific to your particular work. If you do e-mail me, you can generally expect a response within 24 hours (usually sooner), but there will be times, especially on weekends, when the wait time might be longer. If you don t hear from me within 24 hours, please don t hesitate to e- mail me again. To talk to me by phone, you must schedule an appointment by e-mail. How to Communicate With Your Classmates You ll introduce yourselves to me and to each other in Discussions. Occasionally, you might also work with assigned small groups in Discussions that don t include the whole class. I highly recommend that you do your work offline, then cut and paste into the online boxes, because if you are working online and lose your connection, you lose your work. You will be assigned partners for Peer Review assignments. The expectation is that you post your Peer Review drafts and feedback on time. However, should there be an instance in which someone s post or feedback is not posted in a timely manner, the expectation is that you will take initiative to resolve the issue on your own in addition to alerting me, via e-mail about the issue.
Netiquette Below are some basic rules of Internet etiquette. Please follow these guidelines when posting to the forums: Use common courtesy and good manners. Proper use of grammar, sentence structure, and correct spelling is encouraged. Adhere to the same standards as you would for written language. Remember whom your audience is when posting to discussion boards, sending emails, or participating in a chat room discussion. You should behave as if you were sitting in a traditional classroom. Remember: the online classroom setting is more formal than in public forums or personal chat groups you may have used. Be clear and concise. Explain your ideas entirely but get quickly to the point. Using all capitals is the equivalent of SHOUTING and considered RUDE. Avoid "flaming" or attacking someone for his or her point of view. Remember that many readers, including the instructor, will read it. Read over what you are going to send at least once, just as you would proof read a paper you submit. Remember: once you submit your work, discussion, or email, you cannot change what you have written. It is not acceptable for you to present work or ideas of others as your own. If you quote from a source, use quotation marks and provide the original author's name and the work from which the quotation is taken. Use your own understanding of the work, instead of direct quotes if possible, and give credit to the original author by citing name and source of idea. Do not use acronyms. Example: ROFL (rolling of the floor laughing). Not all readers will know the meanings of these. Course Support Canvas Support The Canvas site offers a number of ways to get help should you need it. Explore those options in advance by clicking on the red Help button at the top right of the page. There are user guides, a live chat option, and a telephone number you can call for support. Disability Policy If you have a disability and require accommodations for this course, please speak with me privately as soon as possible so that your needs may be appropriately met. If you have not already done so, you will need to register with Disability Services (DS). DS is located in Bouillon 140. Call (509) 963-1202 or email ds@cwu.edu for more information. The Learning Commons Tutors at the The Learning Commons are available to help you with your work. See the website for further details: http://www.cwu.edu/learning-commons/
Diversity In my classroom, diversity is welcomed and celebrated. I will not tolerate any forms of prejudice or discrimination, including those based on age, color, disability, gender, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status. We are here to learn in a climate of civility and mutual respect. To find out more about diversity, contact the Diversity Education Center at X1685 or see the website at: www.cwu.edu/diversity.