POFT 2312 330 - BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE/COMMUNICATI

Introduction

Syllabus

NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE

COURSE SYLLABUS

Course Title:	Business Correspondence and Communication
Course Prefix & Number:		POFT2312	Section Number:	330	Semester/Year:	SU19
Semester Credit Hours:		3	Lecture Hours:	48	Lab Hours:	0
Course Description (NCTC Catalog): Development of writing and presentation skills to produce effective business communications.
Course Prerequisite(s): None
Required Course Materials: MindTap 1 term (6months) Instant Access Code: Includes: Essentials of Business Communication text book, 11^th Edition by Mary Ellen Guffey, MindTap Course Resources, and Aplia Learning Program. ISBN-13: 9781305699199 *All POFT2312 Course materials/books can purchased at the NCTC* *Bookstore or directly online through CengageBrain.com*

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Name of Instructor:	Teresa Laman
Campus/Office Location:	Corinth Campus, Room 313
Telephone Number:	940-498-6263
E-mail Address:	tlaman@nctc.edu

OFFICE HOURS

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
6-8 am Online	6-8 am Online	6-8 am Online	6-8 am Online

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

At the successful completion of this course the student will be able to:
LO1	Create effective business documents
LO2	Evaluate business documents
LO3	Apply ethical communication practices

GRADING CRITERIA

# of Graded Course Elements	Graded Course Elements	Percentage or Point Values
18	Written Assignments	30%
12	Chapter Quizzes	20%
9	Discussion Forum	20%
3	Exams ( 3 Unit Exams)	30%

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

Communicating in the Digital-Age Workplace	Understand how communication and critical thinking skills fuel career success and understand significant workplace changes including rapidly changing communication technology, anytime-anywhere availability, global competition, flattened management layers, and an increased use of teams.
Planning Business Messages	Understand that business message should be purposeful, persuasive, economical, and audience oriented.
Organizing and Drafting Business Messages	Organize information into strategic relationships. Improve writing by emphasizing important ideas, employing the active and passive voice effectively, using parallelism, and preventing dangling and misplaced modifiers.
Revising Business Messages	Understand the review phase of the writing process
Short Workplace Messages and Digital Media	Understand the professional standards for the usage, structure, and format of e-mails and interoffice memos in the digital-era workplace.
Positive messages	Understand the channels through which typical positive messages travel in the digital era—e-mails, memos, and business letters, and explain how business letters should be formatted.
2Negative Message	Describe the strategies and goals of business communicators in delivering bad news, including knowing when to use the direct and indirect patterns
Persuasive Messages	Understand interpersonal persuasion at work, and compose persuasive messages within organizations.
Informal Reports	Identify and Explain informational and analytical report functions, organizational strategies, and writing styles.
Proposals and Formal Reports	Understand the importance, purpose, and components of informal and formal proposals. Describe the steps in writing and editing formal business reports.
Professionalism Business Etiquette, Ethics, Teamwork, and Meetings.	Understand professionalism, start developing business etiquette skills, and build an ethical mind-set—important qualities digital-age employers seek.
Business Presentations	Explain how to organize the introduction, body, and conclusion as well as how to build audience rapport in a presentation.
The Job Search and Resumes in the Digital Age.	Prepare to search for a job in the digital age by understanding the changing job market, identifying your interests, assessing your qualifications, and exploring career opportunities.
Interviewing and Following Up	Explain the purposes and types of job interviews, including screening, one-onone, panel, group, sequential, stress, and online interviews.

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.c o m . Please go to https://nctc.instructure.c o m 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)

Critical Thinking o
Communication o
Empirical and Quantitative o

COURSE TYPE

Teamwork

Personal Responsibility

Social Responsibility

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 Poli c y ”.

Consequences for academic dishonesty may include:

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

QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, or COMPLAINTS

Name of Chair/Coordinator:	Dr. Cherly Furdge, Division Chair
Office Location:	Corinth Campus, Room 239
Telephone Number:	940-498-6238
E-mail Address:	cfurdge@nctc.edu
Name of Instructional Dean:	Debbie Huffman
Office Location:	Gainesville, CTC2106
Telephone Number:	940-668-3357
E-mail Address:	dhuffman@nctc.edu