Course Syllabus: ENGL 2311.401 Technical and Business Writing Spring 2017

 

Instructor: Dr. Bill Franklin

Email: Use the Canvas INBOX. If it is unavailable, use wfranklin@nctc.edu

Phone: (940) 498-6240 Note: Quicker and more reliable communication via Canvas INBOX.

Office: COR 201 Office 207

On-Campus Office Hours: 

Tuesday 10-11; 12:30-1:30; 5:30-6:30                                  

Thursday 10-11

Online Office Hours: 

24/7, with shortest response time between 7-11 a.m. and 7-11 p.m. each night other than Tuesday. I check Canvas INBOX frequently and prefer you contact me there. I am happy to set up a Skype or face-to-face appointment as needed.

Course Description

The study of the fundamentals of clear writing in general.  A study of presentations of technical information to non-technical audiences through samples of such writing and through practice in specific tasks, such as process analyses, object descriptions, instructions, reports, manuals and business correspondence. 

 

Prerequisite: ENGL 1301 Composition I or equivalent

Required Book

The Essentials of Technical Communication, 3rd edition, by Elizabeth Tebeaux and Sam Dragga. Oxford UP, 2015.

For matters of style, grammar, sample papers, etc., we will use Purdue Online Writing Lab at https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/

Course Type:

• Academic General Education Course(from Academic Course Guide Manual but not in NCTC Core)
• AcademicNCTC Core Curriculum Course
• WECM Course

 Grades (Categories of Assignments)

• Written Online Discussions; Communications/Participation: 30%
• Résumé, Cover Letter, Memos, and other Forms: 30%
• Compilation of Course Notes (Annotated Bibliography) and Major Proposal:  40%

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Grades are holistic, based on the following rubric:

• A: Clearly superior
• B: Excellent
• C: Good
• D: Passable
• F: Not appropriate for a college level-writing course

Course Requirements

The course requires frequent participation in online discussions, with an expectation of at least three hours weekly, engaged in reading the materials, researching as necessary, and writing with the community.

Research and the writing of required papers is a separate block of time, easily equal to another three-to-six hours weekly. Be sure to plan enough time to stay current in the discussions as well as to produce the required compilations of notes and major papers.

Papers must be submitted in docx format. No other formats will be accepted. Regardless of your computer or word processor, always save course submissions as doc or docx files.

Tablets and smart phones are not sufficient as writing instruments. You should have full-time access to your own computer and internet. Do not contact the Professor for technical support of your tools.

Core Objectives

• Critical Thinking Skills (CT)- to include creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, and analysis, evaluation and synthesis of information
• Communication Skills (COM)- to include effective development, interpretation and expression of ideas through written, oral, and visual communication
• Teamwork (TW)- 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 (PR)- to include the ability to connect choices, actions, and consequences to ethical decision-making

Foundational Component Area:  Communication. Courses in this category focus on developing ideas and expressing them clearly, considering the effect of the message, fostering understanding, and building the skills needed to communicate persuasively.  Courses involve the command of oral, aural, written, and visual literacy skills that enable people to exchange messages appropriate to the subject, occasion, and audience.

INSTITUTIONAL LEARNING GOALS

• A quality general education curriculum in all associate degree programs.
• Quality freshman and sophomore level courses in arts and sciences which parallel the lower division offerings of four-year colleges and universities.
• Quality technical programs leading directly to careers in semi-skilled and skilled occupations, and quality technical education programs up to two years in length leading to certificates and associate degrees.
• Quality programs and services in support of adult literacy and basic skills development as a mean of workforce enhancement and expanding access to higher education.

Academic Integrity

Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating on a test, plagiarism, and collusion. See Student Handbook, "Student Rights and Responsibilities: Student Conduct [FLB- (LOCAL)]" #18. Anyone who commits such acts will fail the course and may be suspended from the university.

Plagiarism is the presentation of another person’s work as your own, whether intentionally or not. Plagiarism includes copying a passage from another writer’s work without acknowledging that writer. But it also includes not paraphrasing sufficiently, or even getting an idea from another writer without acknowledging the source of that idea.

Collusion is receiving unacknowledged help on an essay. If you get help on a particular assignment, you need to describe that help in writing and submit it along with the assignment. You can always discuss your ideas with others and even let them proofread your essays; however, the actual wording of the essays should be your own.

Disability Services (OSD)

The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) provides accommodations for students who have a documented disability. On the Corinth Campus, go to room 170 or call 940-498-6207. On the Gainesville Campus, go to room 110 or call 940-668-4209.  Students on the Bowie, Graham, Flower Mound, and online campuses should call 940-668-4209.

North Central Texas College is on record as being committed to both the spirit and letter of federal equal opportunity legislation, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, ADA Amendments Act of 2009, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (P.L. 93-112).   http://www.nctc.edu/StudentServices/SupportServices/Disabilityservices.aspx

Support Services

Counseling and Testing staff offer a variety of services to current and prospective students, such as College 101, placement testing, academic advising and course registration, transfer assistance, and College Success seminars (Time Management, Study Skills, Test Anxiety, Choosing a Major, Learning Style Strategies, Career Exploration), and much more.  http://www.nctc.edu/StudentServices/CounselingTesting.aspx

Student Success offers academic coaching, tutoring, including a Writing Center, a Math Lab, free 24/7 online tutoring through Grade Results and assist new students acclimate to college by providing computer lab services for prospective students.   First generation students can also participate in TRIO which offers specialized support services.

http://www.nctc.edu/StudentServices/SupportServices.aspx

Financial Aid offers financial resources for students that qualify, visit the financial aid offices for more information.  http://www.nctc.edu/FInancialAidHome.aspx

Early Alert/CARES

The NCTC Early Alert program has been established to assist students who are at risk of failing or withdrawing from a course. Your instructor may refer you to this program if you are missing assignments, failing tests, excessively absent, or have personal circumstances impacting your academic performance. If submitted as an Early Alert you will be notified via your NCTC e-mail address and then contacted by a Counseling and Testing advisor or counselor to discuss possible strategies for completing your course successfully.

 The NCTC CARES (Campus Assessment Response Evaluation Services) Team addresses behavior which may be disruptive, harmful or pose a threat to to the health and safety of the NCTC community-such as stalking, harassment, physical or emotional abuse, violent or threatening behavior, or self-harm. As a student, you have the ability to report concerning behavior which could impact your own safety or the safety of another NCTC student. Just click the NCTC CARES Team logo posted on MyNCTC, or send an e-mail to CARESTeam@nctc.edu.  As always, if you feel there is an immediate threat to your own safety or welfare (or to another student), please call 911 immediately.

 

 

 

CALENDAR OF THE COURSE

The following calendar is tentative and will change as necessary. Each current week will be shown on the Home Page of the course. Look there to see the current assignments, and read the discussions carefully for updates. Once I post it to the class, you are responsible for the updated information.

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Week 1 January 16-22

Classroom Discussion: Introduction to the Course

Discussion Forum: Inventing the Sweatswamp Saga (The SSS)

Assignment: Positions Available Page and Résumé

 

Week 2 January 23-29

Classroom Discussion of the SSS, Positions, and Résumé; Introducing the Collaborative Annotated Bibliography

Discussion Forum (continues): Inventing The SSS: minimum of 5 substantive posts

Assignments: Positions Available Page (revisions); Résumé (revisions)

 

Week 3 January 30-February 5

Classroom Discussion: Introducing the Collaborative Annotated Bibliography

Discussion Forum (continues): Leadership Skills; Inventing The SSS (minimum of 5 substantive posts)

 

Week 4 February 6-12

Classroom Discussion: Brainstorming the Plot Line/Storyboard and the Development Teams

Discussion Forum: Technical Writing and the Analysis of the Storyboard Process; collaborative writing within teams dedicated to aspect development of The SSS

Assignment: Continued collaboration on the Group Annotated Bibliography

 

Week 5 February 13-19

Classroom Discussion:  Object Descriptions: Characters and Sets

Discussion Forum: Describing the characters and the sets collaboratively

Assignment: Begin building your Professional Portfolio with Formal Proposal

 

 

Week 6 February 20-26

Classroom Discussion:  Reports: the Annotated Bibliography becomes a Formal Report on Findings

Discussion Forum: What are our findings?

Assignment: Reduce the Annotated Bibliography to a Report

 

Week 7 February 27-March 5

Classroom Discussion:  Leadership Skills: Instruct your Team on the steps to follow to achieve your portion of The SSS Project

Discussion Forum: Collaborative discussion of the form of a written instructional piece

 

Week 8 March 6-12 Midterms

Online Discussion: SxSW.EDU Conference; reports and collaboration; “New Media” and the evolution of Writing

Assignment: Online Midterm: Instructional Piece

 

Spring Break March 13-19

 

Week 9 March 20-26

Classroom Discussion: The Professional Portfolio and Proposal

Discussion Forum: The Moving Parts of the Portfolio

 

Week 10 March 27-April 2

Classroom Discussion: The Set and the Characters within their Plots

Discussion Forum: Plotting The SSS with Setting and Character

 

Week 11 April 3-9

Classroom Discussion: The Professional Portfolio and Proposal (II)

Discussion Forum: The Moving Parts of the Portfolio (II)

Assignment: Rough Draft of the Formal Proposal

 

Week 12 April 10-16

Classroom Discussion:  Formal Proposal within its Formal Setting

Discussion Forum: Problems, Troubleshooting, and Advising

 

Week 13 April 17-23

Online Discussion Forum from Sweat Swamp South Carolina:

Assignment: From the developing information out of South Carolina, revise the Formal Proposal so that it matches the reality of the project with all the information to date.

 

Week 14 April 24-30

Classroom Discussion:  Finalizing the Portfolio and Formal Proposal

Discussion Forum: Problems, Troubleshooting, and Advising

Assignment: Finish your Professional Portfolio and Formal Proposal

 

Week 15 May 1-7

Classroom Discussion: Next Steps

Discussion Forum: Capitalizing on the Experience

Assignment: Formal Résumé

 

Week 16 May 8-11

Final Exam