LAKE SUPERIOR STATE UNIVERSITY
School of Business, Economics, and Legal Studies
OA235 Automated Office Systems
Spring Semester 2004
Tuesday, Thursday: 9:30-10:50 a.m.
South Hall 201
Assistant Professor: Donna M. Payment
Office: South Hall 315
Office Phone: 635-2448
E-mail: dpayment@gw.lssu.edu Home Phone: 635-1471
Office Hours:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 10-11 a.m.
Monday: 5:30-6 p.m.
Tuesday, Thursday: 11-12 noon
Textbooks
1. Proofreading & Editing Precision by Pagel, Jones, & Kane (South-Western).
2. Coasters, Etc.: An Integrated Office Simulation by Margolies (South-Western).
3. Machine Transcription and Dictation, 4th Edition, by Pasewark and Ballentine (South-Western).
Course Content & Objectives
The purpose of this course is to help the office assistant develop the knowledge and skills that will be demanded on
the job and to develop communication, human relations, and time and stress management skills which will assist
him/her in a changing work environment. Employees are needed who can think critically; communicate effectively
both verbally and in writing; interact well with colleagues, the public and customers; and use available technology
resources optimally.
We will address the SKILLS that are needed in the high-performance workplace by completing the following
exercises and activities.
EXERCISES AND ACTIVITIES
4 Essays and Presentations
Coasters, Etc. (Technology Simulation)
Transcription Units
Dragon Speaking
Proofreading and Edition Precision Assignments
Attendance *
80
100
120
10
150
80
Total Possible Points
540
See pages 2 and 3 for a detailed explanation of each of the exercises/activities and deadline dates.
Grading
486-540 points
432-485 points
378-431 points
324-377 points
A
B
C
D
Disability-Related Accommodations
In compliance with Lake Superior State University policy and equal access laws, disability-related accommodations
or services are available. Students who desire such services are to meet with the professor in a timely manner,
preferably the first week of class, to discuss their disability-related needs. Students will not receive services until
they register with the Resource Center for Students with Disabilities (RCSD). Proper registration will enable the
RCSD to verify the disability and determine reasonable academic accommodations. RCSD is located in South Hall
Office 206. The telephone number is (906) 635-2454.
OA235 Syllabus Spring 2004
Page 1
ASSIGNMENTS
All assignments are given due dates. If an assignment is late, it will not be accepted unless you have received
PRIOR approval from me. If you must miss a class, it becomes your responsibility to make up work in a timely
manner (missing work in excess of one week is past the “timely manner” definition and all points will be forfeited at
that time). All assignments are graded on grammar, punctuation, spelling, accuracy, directions, etc. A document
with too many errors will be returned for correction. One full point will be taken off for each error found.
Work is reviewed and collected daily; therefore, attendance is very important.
Essays
You will be assigned four essay topics from the following list:
Listening/Nonverbal Communications
Ethics
Motivation
Telephone Techniques/Customer Service
Time Management
Stress Management
Ergonomics
Advancing or Growth in Career/Dressing for Success
The essay assignments will be worth 20 points each: 10 points for the written essay itself and 10 points for
presentation of the essay. You MUST present your essay in order to receive any possible points for either part (i.e.,
you may not elect to “pass on” the presentation part). *In addition, you will receive 10 points for attendance on the
days presentations are given.
Follow the MLA documentation style when typing your essays. The body of each essay must be a FULL two
pages long (double-spaced) plus a Works Cited page; anything less than this will receive a zero. Don’t forget: be
prepared to present each of your topics to your colleagues.
If you miss a day when other students are presenting a topic, you must turn in your own report on that topic, i.e. if
you miss the presentation on listening, you must do a paper on listening.
Coasters, Etc.
Coasters, Etc. is an integrated application simulation that integrates administrative, written communication, and
technological skills required to take you into the 21st century. You will be working with the Internet, setting up and
working with scheduling, developing presentation graphics, and other computerized activities utilizing word
processing, spreadsheet, database, and desktop publishing software. I would recommend that you make a copy of
the disk that comes with the simulation.
The simulation consists of five projects, each providing typical work performed by an entry-level administrative
assistant in a real job situation. We will complete project one as a class (no points associated with the first project);
the next four projects will be an individual effort; each of these projects is worth 25 points.
Transcription Units
This unit will provide skills needed to transcribe a variety of documents and help strengthen grammar and
punctuation skills. Realistic documents from various fields of employment are included.
You will complete three assigned chapters from Chapters 1 through 20. Each chapter unit is worth 40 points.
Please note: Do not discard your chapter documents; they will be used again with the Dragon Naturally Speaking
7 unit.
OA235 Syllabus Spring 2004
Page 2
Dragon Naturally Speaking 7
This software will enable you to create documents, spreadsheets and e-mail by speaking. You will schedule in
advance to use the equipment. This unit will be completed in the second part of the semester (after Spring break).
Computerized Proofreading Applications
Chapters 2-15
We will cover each respective chapter on each Thursday of the semester; the printouts for the
Computerized Proofreading Applications for each chapter will be due on the following Tuesday. (For example, we
will cover Chapter 2 on Thursday, January 15, and the Computerized Proofreading Applications printouts for
Chapter 2 will be due on Tuesday, January 20.)
10 points each chapter
Selected documents from mini-simulation
10 points
PRINTOUTS DUE EACH TUESDAY.
Deadlines:
Essays
Computerized Proofreading Applications Printouts
Listening/Nonverbal Commun.
Ethics
Motivation
Telephone Tech/Customer Serv
Time Management
Stress Management
Ergonomics
Professional aptitutes
January 20
January 27
February 3
February 10
February 17
February 24
March 9
March 16
Transcription Units
Unit #1
Unit #2
Unit #3
February 5
March 18
April 15
Coasters
Project 2
Project 3
Project 4
Project 5
February 12
March 11
April 1
Exam Time
Chapter
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Mini-simulation
January 20
January 27
February 3
February 10
February 17
February 24
March 9
March 16
March 30
March 30
April 6
April 13
April 20
Exam Time
Exam Time
Dragon Naturally Speaking 7
Assigned Dates of March 18, April 8, or April 22
If you have problems or concerns during the semester and cannot reach me at the office, please feel free to contact
me at home.
Honesty Policy
Work submitted by a student with his/her name is work completed by that student. Misrepresentation of work is
dealt with severely in accordance with the University catalog (page 15) and the instructor’s discretion.
For this class, it is permissible to assist colleagues in general discussions of techniques. General advice and
interaction are encouraged. Each person, however, must develop his or her own solutions to the assigned projects,
assignments, and tasks. In other words, students may not “work together” on graded assignments. Such
collaboration constitutes cheating. A student may not use or copy (by any means) another’s work (or portions of it)
and represent it as his/her own. If you need help on an assignment, contact me; not other classmates.
OA235 Syllabus Spring 2004
Page 3
TENTATIVE CLASS SCHEDULE
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
OA235 Syllabus Spring 2004
Tuesday, January 13
Course Introduction
Thursday, January 15
Proofreading Chapters 1 & 2
Tuesday, January 20
Essay 1 Due & Topic Lecture
Proofreading Chapter 2 Printout Due
Begin Coasters Project 1
Thursday, January 22
Proofreading Chapter 3
Coasters Project 1
Tuesday, January 27
Essay 2 Due & Topic Lecture
Proofreading Chapter 3 Printout Due
Check Coasters Project 1
Begin Transcription Unit – Getting Started Unit
Thursday, January 29
Proofreading Chapter 4
Begin Coasters Project 2
Tuesday, February 3
Essay 3 Due & Topic Lecture
Proofreading Chapter 4 Printout Due
Coasters Project 2
Thursday, February 5
Transcription Unit 1 Due
Proofreading Chapter 5
Coasters Project 2 and/or Transcription Unit 2
Tuesday, February 10
Essay 4 Due & Topic Lecture
Proofreading Chapter 5 Printout Due
Coasters Project 2 and/or Transcription Unit 2
Thursday, February 12
Proofreading Chapter 6
Coasters Project 2 Due
Transcription Unit 2
Tuesday, February 17
Essay 5 Due & Topic Lecture
Proofreading Chapter 6 Printout Due
Coasters Project 3 and/or Transcription Unit 2
Thursday, February 19
Proofreading Chapter 7
Coasters Project 3 and/or Transcription Unit 2
Tuesday, February 24
Essay 6 Due & Topic Lecture
Proofreading Chapter 7 Printout Due
Coasters Project 3 and/or Transcription Unit 2
Thursday, February 26
Proofreading Chapter 8
Coasters Project 3 and/or Transcription Unit 2
Tuesday, March 9
Essay 7 Due & Topic Lecture
Proofreading Chapter 8 Printout Due
Coasters Project 3 and/or Transcription Unit 2
Thursday, March 11
Proofreading Chapter 9
Coasters Project 3 Due
Transcription Unit 2
Page 4
Week 9
Tuesday, March 16
Essay 8 Due & Topic Lecture
Proofreading Chapter 9 Printout Due
Coasters Project 4 and/or Transcription Unit 2
Thursday, March 18
Proofreading Chapter 10
Transcription Unit 2 Due
Coasters Project 4
Dragon Naturally Speaking Due (for those assigned)
Week 10
Tuesday, March 23
Thursday, March 25
No Class
No Class
Week 11
Tuesday, March 30
Proofreading Chapters 10 & 11 Printouts Due
Coasters Project 4 and/or Transcription Unit 3
Thursday, April 1
Coasters Project 4 Due
Proofreading Chapter 12
Transcription Unit 3
Tuesday, April 6
Proofreading Chapter 12 Printout Due
Coasters Project 5 and/or Transcription Unit 3
Thursday, April 8
Proofreading Chapter 13
Coasters Project 5
Dragon Naturally Speaking Due (for those assigned)
Transcription Unit 3
Tuesday, April 13
Proofreading Chapter 13 Printout Due
Coasters Project 5 and/or Transcription Unit 3
Thursday, April 15
Proofreading Chapter 14
Coasters Project 5
Transcription Unit 3 Due
Tuesday, April 20
Proofreading Chapter 14 Printout Due
Coasters Project 5
Thursday, April 22
Proofreading Chapter 15
Dragon Naturally Speaking Due (for those assigned)
Week 12
Week 13
Week 14
Proofreading Chapter 15 Printout and Coasters Project 5 due at exam time.
The final exam time is tentatively scheduled for Monday, April 26, from 7:30-9:30 a.m.
State Standards met by this course
4.3 formulate solutions to information technology problems using critical thinking skills (analyze, synthesize, and
evaluate) independently and in teams
4.4 demonstrate the use of specific information technology tools to access, manage, integrate, and create information
4.8 demonstrate an understanding of professional ethics and legal responsibilities
OA235 Syllabus Spring 2004
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