Communications Document
Communications between people can be executed in a number of ways; speaking, writing, drawing, and
emailing to name several. The following is a treatise on the communication methods that will be
employed in this class.
Writing is an important skill that will be used throughout your college and professional careers. How
you write is a reflection of you as a person and a professional. It is important to present a coherent and
well presented writing to whomever you are corresponding with because the reader will in essence be
judging you as a person and a professional. Therefore your homework and class assignments will be
carefully reviewed and graded. Corrections will be noted on each submittal and it is presumed that you
will use the corrections to improve your writing skills.
Homework writing assignments are located in Western on Line in the Homework file. Convert the
homework assignment to a Word document and complete (applicable to CSTM 232 and CSTM 334).
Each assignment is worth 15 (fifteen) points, or as noted. The assignments will be graded on content
and writing skills. The assignments are due on the date shown on the class schedule. Homework due
on an excused absence will be accepted and graded at full point allotment. The due date will be the next
attended class session. Late homework will not be accepted.
Emailed homework will not be accepted, except with the permission of the instructor. Not being able to
submit your homework on time due the unavailability of a printer is no excuse for late or emailed
assignments. The student is expected to have access to at least two printing sources. It is the student’s
responsibility to have a contingency plan to insure that the assignment is submitted on time.
The information contained in the Communication Document will apply to all communications between
the student and the instructor; especially homework and class assignments.
1. Page Set Up
a. Upper right hand corner
Class room student number
Assignment due date (below)
b. Upper left hand corner
Staple the pages together (stapler will not be provided).
c. Center the homework assignment, doubled spaced below the due date line.
d. Each homework assignment title will include the class number and the assignment number;
this includes the second and third (where appropriate) assignments for the chapter:
For example –
02-01-09
08-14-13
CSTM334
Chapter 2 – Part 2 Questions
Communication Document (continued)
Page 2
e. Enter the question with the corresponding question number from the homework
assignment. Use the same question number as indicated in the assignment.
f.
Double space the typed response.
g. If the response to the question cannot be completely typed in at the bottom of the page,
start the question and response on the following page – use “Tab Down.”
h. On the second and subsequent pages, place the page number in the upper left hand corner
and the student number in the upper right hand corner.
2. Writing
a. Use full sentences; noun, verb, adjective, etc.
b. Do not write run on sentences; one subject per sentence.
c. Use commas, colons, and semi colons appropriately.
d. Validate the tense of the sentence and the entire paragraph; the writing must be in the
same time zone.
e. Ensure that the verbs and nouns are appropriately singular and/or plural.
f.
If the question requires two or more answers use separate paragraphs; each paragraph
should contain one idea or issue.
g. Writing in the proper person
1) Unless the question requests an opinion, do not write in the first person.
2) If the question asks for directions, or you are instructing the reader what to do, it is
acceptable to write in the second person
3) All other instances, than those mentioned above, require the response to be in the third
person.
3. Responding to Assignment Questions
a. Read the question thoroughly.
b. Always ask yourself “who, what, where, when, and how” as you prepare the answer to the
question. By addressing each item, you will be in a position to provide a complete answer to
the question.
c. When the question asks for a listed response, list out the answer; i.e.
a.
b.
c. etc.
Communication Document (continued)
Page 3
d. When the question asks for a pro and con response; list out the pro response (at least three
items) and list out the con response (at least three items). The pro and con responses can
be set up in columns:
Name the issue or item
Pro
1.
2.
3.
Con
1.
2.
3.
e. When a question requires a compare and contrast response; use one paragraph to describe
the comparison and one paragraph to describe the contrast.
4. Words and Language
a. Check the spelling of all words carefully
b. Do not use contractions; i.e. don’t, they’ve, wasn’t
c. Spell out words and numbers (unless used in a formula); i.e. eco – ecology, specs –
specifications, 2 – two, 43 – forty three.
d. Abbreviations should be spelled out or use the abbreviation followed by spelling out the
abbreviation in parentheses; i.e. United States of America (USA). Once this is done the
abbreviation can be used again in the writing.
e. Do not use texting language, short cuts, or symbols.
5. Proof Reading
Proof reading is an important task when preparing a written report. Take the time after you
have completed your assignment to reread your responses to assure yourself that the content is
coherent and there are no miss spelled words. Do not rely on spell check. Use a dictionary to
validate spelling.
If possible have a friend, roommate, or fellow student read your assignment for clarity.
Minimally put your assignment aside for a time period, then go back and proof read the work. It
is likely that you will find errors during a “fresh” read of the assignment.
6. Team Projects
Team projects will be submitted with a title page indicating the following:
a. course name and number
b. title of the assignment
c. date submitted
d. team name (as required)
e. team member’s student numbers
This information will be centered in the middle of the title page. Depending on the assignment,
the team projects will be submitted in a paper type portfolio.
Communication Document (continued)
Page 4
7. Email
Emailing a message is an efficient method of communication, especially when conducting
business. When sending an email use a proper salutation, English grammar, and sentence
structure, as outlined above. An email received by the instructor that is poorly structured or
worded will be returned to the student with the appropriate corrections.
8. Sketching
You will be required to submit sketches with your homework assignments. The sketch can be
done in either portrait or landscape format. Do not include the sketch assignment in the body
of the homework assignment text.
The sketches will be prepared in:
a. pencil (not pen),
b. drawn free hand (do not use a straight edge),
c. submitted on a separate sheet of plain white paper (not graph paper).
Printer paper is acceptable.
If possible obtain a sketch pad (of similar dimensions as the printer paper) and drawing pencils
at the book store.
In the bottom right hand corner of the sketch print the following information:
Student number
Date
Title of the sketch
No Scale
All labels placed on a sketch must be hand printed.
9. Grading
Your writing will be graded not only on content but on the writing and or the presentation
instructions contained in this document. Not following the instructions outlined above will
result in a loss of one (1) point for each item that requires correction.
10. Submitting Assignments
As shown on the class schedule, there are assignments that must be submitted on Fridays.
These assignments are noted by the phrase “NLT 0945 hours”. This means that the assignment
will be delivered to the instructor’s mail box no later than 9:45am on the required date. The
student will find the mail box in the copy room of K135, the main office of the Engineering
Technology Department.