NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE   

COURSE SYLLABUS   

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION  

OFFICE HOURS  

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (From Academic Course Guide Manual/Workforce Education  Course Manual/NCTC Catalog   

GRADING CRITERIA  

COURSE SUBJECT OUTLINE (Major Assignments, Due Dates, and Grading Criteria)  

ATTENDANCE POLICY  

Regular and punctual attendance is expected of all students in all classes for which they have registered.  All absences are considered to be unauthorized unless the student is absent due to illness or emergencies as determined by the instructor.  It is the student responsibility to provide documentation as to the emergency for approval and judgement by the faculty member.  Approved college sponsored activities are the only absences for which a student should not be held liable and only when provided by a college official ahead of the absence.  Valid reasons for absence, however, do not relieve the student of the responsibility for making up required work.  Students will not be allowed to make up an examination missed due to absence unless they have reasons acceptable to the instructor.  A student who is compelled to be absent when a test is given should petition the instructor, in advance if possible, for permission to postpone the exam.  Student will be dropped from a class by the Registrar upon recommendation of the instructor who feels the student has been justifiably absent or tardy a sufficient number of times to preclude meeting the course’s objectives.    Persistent, unjustified absences from classes or laboratories will be considered sufficient cause for College officials to drop a student from the rolls of the College. From Board Policy FC (LOCAL)  

Last day to withdraw from a course with a “W” is July 17, 2019.  

COURSE ATTENDANCE POLICY:   

In lieu of classroom attendance, the following will constitute the course attendance policy:  Each student is expected to log in at least three times a week and complete weekly assignments to constitute regular attendance. Failure to log in for two successive weeks will be cause for concern and grounds to be dropped from the course. (Please note: A monitoring tool is available to the instructor. It monitors student log- in, providing dates, times and length of time online. This tool will be used to determine if students are logging in on a weekly basis.)

This online course requires dedication and effort on your part. You must set aside time each week to do your assignments. You should expect to spend 10 to 15 hours each week on this course. This may sound like a lot of time, but if you were taking this course in a traditional classroom, you would be in the classroom four hours a week with an additional nine to twelve hours spent on homework.  It is very easy to fall behind, once the due date has passed, you will no longer be able to submit your assignments and quizzes will not be available.   

Course Success Tip: Stay current in your work, log in often, check announcements for any special notices, and keep your personal information (email and phone number) up-to-date.   

TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE: 

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION TENTATIVE SCHEDULE OF ASSIGNMENTS  

WEEK 1 Assignments: Sunday June 16, 2019 DUE before Midnight             

• Acknowledgment of Reading Course Syllabus & Policies   
• Start Here - Module Quiz 
• Communication Workshop: Social Media                  
• Writing Activity 1.3: Social Media Inventory            
• Writing Activity 1.4 - Soft Skills Inventory
• Chapter 01 Quiz  
• Discussion Forum 1: Listening Skills & Business Communication                     

  WEEK 2 Assignments: Sunday June 23, 2019 DUE before Midnight           

• Radical Rewrite 2.1             
• Writing Activity 2.2: Selecting Channels   
• Chapter 02 Quiz  
• Radical Rewrite 3.1
• Chapter 03 Quiz  
• Discussion Forum 2: Writing In the Information Age                             

  WEEK 3 Assignments: Sunday June 30, 2019 DUE before Midnight           

• Unit 1 Test - Chapter 1-4 - Requires Respondus LockDown Browser + Webcam        
• Radical Rewrite 4.1: Information E-Mail - Negative Announcement
• Chapter 04 Quiz  
• Discussion Forum 3: Revising Business Messages                   

  WEEK 4 Assignments: Sunday July 7, 2019 DUE before Midnight 

• Communication Workshop: Doing the Right Thing Ethics p.185
• Writing   5.7: Information Message - Rescheduling Interviews         
• Chapter 05 Quiz  
• Writing Activity  6.11 Instruction Message: How to Copy Pictures and Text From PDF Documents •             Chapter 06 Quiz  
• Discussion Forum 4: Instructional Messages                            

 WEEK 5 Assignments:  Sunday July 14, 2019 DUE before Midnight             

• Writing Activity 7.5 - Request Refusal - I'm Flattered            
• Chapter 07 Quiz  
• Writing Activity 8.13: Persuasive Organizational Message - Volunteering for Urban Farming               
• Writing Activity 8.14 - AIDA Strategy in Sales Messages
• Chapter 08 Quiz  
• Discussion Forum 5: Bad News Messages                                 

  WEEK 6 Assignments: Sunday July 21, 2019 DUE before Midnight             

• EXAM II - Chapters 5-8 - Requires Respondus LockDown Browser + Webcam            
• Writing Activity 9.3 Informational Report: Investigating a Career Path
• Chapter 09 Quiz  
• Discussion Forum 6: Collaborating on Reports & Teamwork                              

  WEEK 7 Assignments: Sunday July 28, 2019 DUE before Midnight             

• Chapter 10 Quiz  
• Discussion Forum 7: Academic Cheating & Plagiarism          

  WEEK 8 Assignments: Sunday August 4, 2019 DUE before Midnight         

• Writing Activity 10.14: Formal Report - Comparing Before Buying                  
• Writing Activity 11.10: Workplace Conflict: The Perils of Groupthink             
• Writing Activity 11.6: Constructive Criticism - It's Part of the Job
• Chapter 11 Quiz  
• Discussion Forum 8: Conflict, Criticism & Feedback                

  WEEK 9 Assignments: Sunday August 11, 2019 DUE before Midnight       

• Writing Activity: 12.14 - Oral Presentation (Narrated PowerPoint)                 
• Chapter 12 Quiz
• Discussion Forum 9: What Makes a Good Presentation                      

WEEK 10 Assignments: Wednesday August 14, 2019 DUE before Midnight            

        •    Exam 3 - Chapters 9 - 12 - Requires Respondus LockDown Browser + Webcam         

OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION  

• All course work is available via the Internet through NCTC’s CANVAS Learning Management System.  Access CANVAS at https://nctc.instructure.com.  Please go to https://nctc.instructure.com and bookmark (save to favorites) this site.  It is not necessary to access CANVAS through the NCTC Website.  
• This is an online course. Students must have access to a computer and reliable Internet. Computer issues or Internet outages are not excuses for late submission. Free WIFI is available at multiple venues.
• It is the student’s responsibility to check the Course website and his or her course mail at least three times weekly.  
• If a student should experience problems accessing the course material in CANVAS, MINDTAP OR sending/receiving course mail, it is the student’s responsibility to contact the appropriate help desk. The Instructor is NOT the technical support for this course. 
• Assignments are due on the assigned date.  All weekly assignments are due before midnight on the following Sunday and due dates are clearly identified for each chapter in CANVAS. The instructor may not be available to answer questions from Friday after 12pm to 6am Monday.  There will be no late assignments accepted period.    
• Student data files may downloaded from the textbook publisher’s Website. See instructions on the Course homepage in CANVAS.    
• Expect to spend 10 to 15 hours a week working in this course, the same amount of time it would take to attend and complete the assignments for an on-campus class.  
• Assignments are due as posted. Students are required to complete 75% of all assignments and exams to receive a passing grade in this course.  
• The instructor reserves the right to change course assignments, grading policies, and assignment schedules at any time.   
• Emails will be answered within 24 hours Monday through noon on Friday. After noon on Friday through Sunday, they will be answered after 6am on Monday.  
• Only Emails from NCTC addresses will be responded to. The instructor will not answer emails from students’ personal email accounts per NCTC policy. 
• Please use the assigned discussion forum to ask general questions about the course.  

DISABILITY SERVICES (Office for Students with Disabilities)   

The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) provides support services for students with disabilities, students enrolled in technical areas of study, and students who are classified as special populations (i.e. single parents).   

Support services for students with disabilities might include appropriate and reasonable accommodations, or they may be in the form of personal counseling, academic counseling, career counseling, etc.  Furthermore, OSD Counselors work with students to encourage selfadvocacy and promote empowerment. The Counselors also provides resource information, disability-related information, and adaptive technology for students who qualify.   

If you feel you have needs for services that the institution provides, please reach out to either Wayne Smith (940) 498-6207 or Yvonne Sandman (940) 668-4321.  Alternative students may stop by Room 170 in Corinth or Room 110 in Gainesville.  

CORE CURRICULUM FOUNDATIONAL COMPONENT AREA (For classes in the Core)________          

• Communication             
• Mathematics                          o         Government/Political Science   
• Life and Physical Science  o   Social and Behavioral Sciences   
• Language, Philosophy & Culture  o   Component Area Option   
• Creative Arts     
• American History  

REQUIRED CORE OBJECTIVES (For classes in the Core)   

• Academic General Education Course (from ACGM but not in NCTC

Core)   

• Academic NCTC Core Curriculum Course   x            WECM Course  

STUDENT HANDBOOK   

Students are expected to follow all rules and regulations found in the 2018 – 2019 student handbook and published online.  

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY   

Scholastic dishonesty shall include, but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, academic falsification, intellectual property dishonesty, academic dishonesty facilitation and collusion.  Faculty members may document and bring charges against a student who is engaged in or is suspected to be engaged in academic dishonesty.  See Student Handbook, “Student Rights & Responsibilities: Student Conduct Policy”.     

Consequences for academic dishonesty may include:  

1. Academic Reprimand – A verbal or written notice warning to the student that academic misconduct has occurred.  
2. Assigning a failing grade (no credit) on the specific assignments, projects, papers, programs, labs, or examinations.  

QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, or COMPLAINTS