Course Title: Technical Writing
Course Prefix, Number, and Section Number: ENGL 2311.343
Semester/Year of course: Fall 2023
Semester start and end dates: 8/28/2023 - 12/16/2023
Modality: Online
Class meeting location, days, and times: Online
Semester credit hours: 3

Course Description: 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, email messages, letters, and descriptions of products and services. Practice individual and collaborative processes involved in the creation of ethical and efficient documents.

Required course materials: Beilfuss, Michael, Staci Bettes, and Katrina Peterson. Technical and Professional Writing Genres: A Study in Theory and Practice, 2020. Open Educational Resource published under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license. You can read and download the textbook for free at https://open.library.okstate.edu/technicalandprofessionalwriting/. 

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Name of instructor: Alisha Dietz
Office location: Bowie 116
Telephone number: 940-872-4002 Ext. 5213
Email address: adietz@nctc.edu [please use Canvas Inbox to contact me when possible; only use NCTC email if Canvas is not working]
Office hours for students:

• Monday: 10-11 AM (Bowie) & 7-9 PM (Online)
• Tuesday: 11 AM-1 PM (Bowie)
• Wednesday: 10-11 AM (Bowie)
• Thursday: 9:30 AM-1 PM (Bowie)
• Friday: 9:00-11:30 AM (Online)

SYLLABUS CHANGE DISCLAIMER

The faculty member reserves the right to make changes to this published syllabus if it is in the best interest of the educational development of this class. Any such changes will be announced as soon as possible in person and/or writing.

SUMMARY OF COURSE ASSIGNMENTS

List of graded assignments: See Course Summary below.

Final grade scale: See right column (Group and Weight).

COURSE POLICIES

Academic Integrity Policy: Scholastic dishonesty shall include, but not be limited to cheating on a test, plagiarism, and collusion. See Student Handbook “Student Rights & Responsibilities: Student Conduct [FLB- (LOCAL)]” #18.

Disciplinary Actions [Student Handbook, #5] “When cheating, collusion, or plagiarism has occurred beyond any reasonable doubt, the instructor may give the student or students involved an “F” on a particular assignment or in the course. [See Scholastic Dishonesty FLB (Local)] The instructor shall make a written report of the incident and the planned action to his Department Chair. The Department Chair shall report the incident and action to the appropriate instructional dean who shall review the case, notify the student and, if necessary, take further action. This may involve either probation or suspension of the student or students in question. If such disciplinary action is deemed necessary, the Dean of Student Services shall be notified, and the action shall be taken through that office.”

AI Writing and Acceptable Use: Submitting work generated by ChatGPT or any other AI language tool on assignments is considered academic dishonesty, even if cited as a source. NCTC's English Department uses AI detectors to enforce this policy. The writing assignments in NCTC English courses require generating new knowledge, rather than just recombining existing information. AI does not generate original research, and the information may contain factual errors. 

AI may be used in brainstorming, or developing a research question. Generally speaking, students are not authorized to use artificial intelligence and related products like large language model applications to produce work for this class EXCEPT on assignments that the instructor has identified and for which the student will have received significant guidance on the appropriate use of such technologies. Students should not, however, construe this limited use as permission to use these technologies in any other facet of their coursework. Students who submit AI-generated content as original work will be subject to the same disciplinary actions listed above in the college's academic integrity policy.

Attendance Policy: Attendance, in both online and face-to-face courses, is mandatory. If a student misses more than six face-to-face classes, the student will be required to have a meeting with me to talk about plans moving forward. Excessive absences could result in a student failing the course. 

Withdrawal Policy: A student may withdraw from a course on or after the official date of record. It is the student’s responsibility to initiate and complete a Withdrawal Request Form.

The last day to withdraw from the course with a “W” is 6 November 2023.

Late-Work Policy: All assignment due dates are explicitly posted in Canvas well in advance. I expect assignments to be submitted on time and encourage students to practice good time management and personal responsibility by meeting deadlines. That said, if you submit your work (excluding major essays) by the time I grade the assignment, I will accept it, even if you submit it late. However, I would caution you to develop a strong work ethic and submit your work as assigned to avoid accumulating zeros. I may grade an assignment right after it's due, or it may be several days. So, the question is, how lucky do you feel, and are you willing to gamble with your course grade?

Please email me if you need an extension due to an extenuating circumstance beyond your control (car accident, death in your immediate family, major illness, house flood, Covid, etc.). I am compassionate and always willing to work with a student with an emergency. I reserve the right to grant (or not grant) an extension based on each student's circumstances. Communication is key!

Student Learning Outcomes: Upon completion, students will be able to:

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.

Core Objectives: 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.

• 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 [Rev. 5-2014 THECB]

COLLEGE POLICIES

Student Handbook: Students are expected to follow all rules and regulations found in the Student Handbook.

ADA Statement: NCTC will adhere to all applicable federal, state and local laws, regulations and guidelines with respect to providing reasonable accommodations to afford equal educational opportunity. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the Office for Students with Disabilities to arrange appropriate accommodations.  See the OSD Syllabus Addendum.

Student Services: NCTC provides a multitude of services and resources to support students.  See the Student Services Syllabus Addendum for a listing of those departments and links to their sites.

QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, or COMPLAINTS

The student should contact the instructor for any questions, concerns, or complaints specific to the class. If the student and faculty cannot resolve the issue, the student may contact the chair or coordinator of the division. If the student remains unsatisfied, the student may contact the instructional dean.

Name of Chair/Coordinator: Kristen Weinzapfel
Office Location: Gainesville 502
Telephone number: 940 668 3343
Email address: kweinzapfel@nctc.edu

Name of Instructional Dean: Dr. Rochelle Gregory
Office Location: Flower Mound 200
Telephone number: 940 496 6297
Email address: rgregory@nctc.edu

USEFUL INFORMATION AND RESOURCES

Basic Needs: Any student who faces challenges securing food or housing and believes this may affect their performance in the course is urged to contact the Dean of Students, Dr. Roxanne Del Rio (rdelrio@nctc.edu) for support. Furthermore, please notify me if you are comfortable doing so. This will enable me to direct you to additional resources for support.

Career Services Center. Who will you become? The Career Services Center (CSC) provides career development & job readiness coaching for students and alumni. Services are free and available at all NCTC campuses by appointment. Our NCTC Career Coaches can work with you to develop your resume, practice for interviews, and provide guidance and coaching toward your employment and career goals. To book an appointment, access our online job board (CareerLion by Handshake), or view additional resources and platforms, visit NCTC’s Career Services website or send an email to careerservices@nctc.edu!

Completion Center. The Completion Center provides a variety of services for first-time college students. This includes academic success coaching, goal setting, course planning, and connecting to resources for all new college students. Free online Success Seminars are available through Student Lingo. New students will enroll in a First Year Experience (NCTC 1001) course to get started on the right track and can also qualify to join the National Society of Leadership and Success.

Counseling and Advising. Advisors/Success Coaches help students explore majors and programs offered, identify the best combination of classes to meet their goals, navigate how and when to transfer, and motivate students to continue on their journey to academic and personal success. Students are assigned to a specific Advisor/Success Coach based on their major and can schedule in-person, phone, or virtual appointments through their online calendar!

Students also have access to FREE 24/7 telehealth counseling and medical appointments through TimelyCare and can contact one of our NCTC Counselors for help locating
Community Resources or request assistance with housing, childcare, food, and other needs.

Course Content in Canvas: All course content is housed in this Canvas shell, and all work must be submitted here. While dual credit students might use a different online course management system, all NCTC coursework must be submitted in Canvas.

Disability Accommodations: The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD)

Links to an external site. provides accommodations for students with disabilities. OSD counselors and advisors also provide strategies for academic success; individual, career, and academic counseling services as well as referrals to campus and community services and assistance with admission and registration. It is not necessary that a student with a disability disclose his/her disability to college officials if he/she is not requesting any accommodations. OSD is federally funded through the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Federal Grant. NCTC is committed to making its degree and certificate programs accessible to all qualified persons in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, ADA Amendments Act, and The Rehabilitation Act (1973), Section 504. 

• New Students: Accommodations require advanced preparation.  Please make your request before the semester begins. Documentation is required before any accommodations can be provided.  Depending on your diagnosis, this documentation should come from a medical doctor, psychologist, or other licensed or properly credentialed professional.
• Current Students: Contact the OSD at the beginning of each semester well in advance of registration.

Contact Us: Please reach out to us to schedule an intake or if you have questions or concerns. Wayne Smith, OSD Manager, kwsmith@nctc.edu, (940) 498-6207 Yvonne Sandmann, OSD Advisor, ysandmann@nctc.edu, (940) 668-3300.

Early Alert and CARES. Faculty and staff may refer students who are struggling academically as an Early Alert in an effort to provide needed intervention and support services. Students submitted as an Early Alert will be contacted by their Advisor/Success Coach through text, phone, and/or via their NCTC email address to discuss any current challenges as well as helpful success strategies. Our Academic Recovery programs can also help you get back on track from Academic Probation or Suspension. We want our students to finish strong!

Additionally, the NCTC CARES Team is concerned not only about our students' academic success but also their emotional and physical well-being. As a student, you have the ability to report concerning behavior that could impact your own safety or the safety of another NCTC student, such as stalking, harassment, physical or emotional abuse, violent or threatening behavior, or self-harm. Download our Campus Safety app, and if you feel there is an immediate threat to your welfare (or to another student), please call 911 immediately.

Email Correspondence: I reserve 24 hours to respond to students’ emails during the week and 48 hours on the weekends. Emails sent to me become my personal property, and I may disclose them to third parties if I determine it’s necessary.

Equity. NCTC defines equity as encompassing the practice of acknowledging individual differences and systemic disparities when developing new programs and resources for our campus community, which may sometimes challenge our own beliefs and assumptions, in order to ensure balanced educational opportunities toward completion. For more information, refer to this handout

Download handout.

Evaluation

• “A” Work: This writing is excellent and demonstrates excellence in development, organization, style and tone, and mechanics. There is clear evidence of the writing process (invention, drafting, revision, editing, and proofreading).  A = 95   A- = 92   A-/B+ = 90
• “B” Work: This is good work and delivers substantial information—that is, substantial in both quantity and interest-value. It is well-developed and unified around a clear organizing principle that is apparent early in the piece. There is evidence of the writing process. B+ = 87  B = 85  B- = 8  B-/C+ = 80
• “C” Work: This is an average piece that is generally competent in its development, organization, style, and tone, and mechanics. It meets the needs of the assignment, has few mechanical errors, and is reasonably organized and developed. This piece also shows some evidence of the writing process. C+ = 77  C = 75  C- = 72. C-/D+ = 70
• “D” Work: This is below-average work that lacks development and is not effectively organized to facilitate the reader’s understanding. The paper also shows little or no evidence of the writing process. D+ = 67  D = 65  D- = 62
• “F” Work: This work fails in all aspects of the evaluation criteria.  There is no evidence of the writing process, and the paper fails in all aspects of development, organization, style, and mechanics. F (work submitted and attempted) = 55. F (no work submitted or attempted) = 0

Financial Aid. Financial Aid offers financial resources for students that qualify. Visit the financial aid offices for more information.

Grade Appeals and Incomplete Grades: Students can read more about the college's grade appeal processes and procedures for assigning incomplete grades by visiting the Academic Catalog.

Identity: Please let me know if you prefer to be called a different name than what is on the class roster. Please advise me of this preference early in the semester so that I may make appropriate changes to my records and so I may call you by your preferred name and/or pronouns. Please contact the Registrar's office if you'd like your name changed in the roster.

Library Services & Technical Support: Once you have purchased any required textbooks, access codes, and other supplies through the NCTC Bookstore or other textbook resource, then visit one of our NCTC Libraries for access to scholarly books, media, online databases, study guides, as well as a free Laptop
and Calculator Loaner program! Contact our NCTC Library through their Ask a Librarian form or visit with one of our very helpful librarians in person during their campus hours. Students needing support for online classes and/or with Canvas specifically can visit our eLearning site for helpful tips or submit a ticket for Canvas support. For any other technical issues related to your OneLogin or accessing your needed technology on or off campus, please contact our ITS (Information Technology Services) Help Desk.

Plagiarism: Plagiarism, which should be avoided at all costs, includes the following student actions:

1. Unintentionally or inadvertently turning in someone else's ideas, opinions, theories, or work as your own as the result of failing to document sources both internally and in the Works Cited.
2. Copying words, ideas, or images from someone without giving credit; Failing to put a quotation in quotations marks.
3. Giving incorrect information about the source of information, quotations, or images.
4. Changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit.
5. Copying so many words, ideas, or images from a source that it makes up the majority of the student's work, whether or not the student gives credit.
6. Giving your paper, discussion board posts, or reflections to a classmate to use as his/her own.
7. Having another person write, type, edit, or revise any parts of your writing assignments.  

Please be aware that the department takes plagiarism very seriously. You may not use someone else’s Writing Assignment or buy one from a “professional” source. Failure to follow the proper guidelines for documentation constitutes plagiarism. Considering the severity of the issue, if you ever have any questions or concerns regarding plagiarism, please consider this an open invitation to visit with me about the issue. If I discover that a student has committed intentional plagiarism, the Writing Assignment that has plagiarized materials will receive a zero, and it will recommend to the English Department Head that the student fails the course.

Professionalism: Your college courses are also opportunities for you to learn what it means to be a “professional” in your field. Therefore, I expect you to act like a “professional” student in this course. Consider these suggestions:

• • Prepare and participate meaningfully in online discussion boards.
  • Be assertive. (An assertive student exhausts all available resources of information before contacting me. In other words, read the assignment sheet carefully before e-mailing me to ask how many sources are required in your paper, and if you are unsure how to cite a source, look it up in your handbook or a credible, online source—such as The Purdue Owl or a handbook.)
  • Consider the quality (and effort) of required drafts, notes, and daily assignments.
  • Turn in writing assignments on time and as assigned.
  • Mind the quality and tone of email correspondence.

Student Rights & Responsibilities: NCTC Board Policy FLB (Local) Student Rights and Responsibilities states that each student shall be charged with notice and knowledge of the contents and provisions of the rules and regulations concerning student conduct. These rules and regulations are published in the Student Handbook published in conjunction with the College Catalog. All students shall obey the law, show respect for properly constituted authority, and observe correct standards of conduct.

Student Success Center: The Student Success Center helps all students at NCTC develop tools to achieve their academic goals. The center links students to FREE tutoring, including a Writing Center, a Math Lab, Study Groups, and online tutoring. First generation students can also participate in TRIO whose mission is to equip historically underrepresented student populations with skills, experiences, and academic practices that assist them in achieving their educational goals. Student Success also offers a childcare assistance program for students who qualify!

The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) provides accommodations, academic, and career counseling for students. Disclosure of a disability to college officials is not required
unless requesting accommodations.

Testing Service Center. The mission of NCTC Testing Services

Links to an external site. is to provide high-quality testing services that adhere to the professional standards and guidelines to meet the needs of students, faculty, and community members.

Timely Care. Get on-demand support from counselors, doctors, nurse practitioners, and more. For more information, refer to this handout

Download handout.

Tobacco-Free Campus. NCTC restricts the use of all tobacco products including cigarettes, cigars, pipes, electronic cigarettes, and smokeless tobacco on campus property. NCTC is aware that tobacco use influences underage students, which cumulates unsightly tobacco litter and interferes with assuring clean air for all who come to NCTC. NCTC recognizes the health hazards of tobacco use and of exposure to second-hand smoke. Information on a tobacco cessation program is available for students, faculty, and staff who wish to stop using tobacco products. We would like to "thank you" for your help in making our campuses Tobacco-Free. For questions or concerns, please contact the Office of Vice President of Student Services at 940-668-4240.

Writing Assignments: All major writing assignments are required. You cannot pass the course if you fail to turn in one of the major tasks. I reserve the right to administratively drop any student who does not submit all major assignments.