ENGLISH 235 Revised April 5, 2015 1 Engl&230—Technical Writing Instructor: Christy Scheuer Course Time and Location: Online Office: IB 2306 D Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday, 12:00 2:30 p.m. E-mail: Christina.scheuer@seattlecolleges.edu Instructor Phone: 206-934-4538 Course Website: http://canvas.northseattle.edu/ COURSE DESCRIPTION In this course, you will explore basic formats and content of technical communication. The course will cover the writing process; the analysis of purpose and audience for various reports and documents; and the research, documentation, presentation of technical material. Projects include writing and editing, digital communication, and collaboration. In this class, you will develop your ability to compose and review your writing to adhere to the “7 C’s of Technical Communication,” which stipulate that writing should be clear, correct, complete, concise, consistent, considerate, and convincing. Throughout the quarter, we will also read and discuss other people's technical writing in order to assess the effectiveness of the writing, to reflect on our own writing strategies, and to think about how the work that you do in class can be applied in other contexts and classes. REQUIRED TEXTS: Tebeaux, Elizabeth and Sam Dragga. The Essentials of Technical Communication. 3rd Ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014. Print. Course Objectives 1. To demonstrate when and how to use different technical resources. 2. To structure technical materials in a methodical and precise fashion. 3. To determine a target audience and write for that readership. 4. To write with an appropriate tone and produce communication free from biased language.. 5. To produce effective layouts and methods of presentation appropriate to the technical objective. 6. To produce effective technical communication by using clear syntax, vocabulary, grammar, punctuation and sentence structure. DEVELOPING A COMMUNITY OF READERS AND WRITERS Students come to this class with a broad range of educational, writing, and personal experiences. This diversity enhances our class by expanding the range of viewpoints expressed and providing us with new ideas to discuss in class. It is very important that you are respectful of every student’s work and opinions so that the classroom is an environment in which everyone feels welcome. ENGLISH 235 Revised April 5, 2015 2 Please communicate with me at any time regarding any concerns or questions you have about the course. I’m here to help you, and I enjoy talking to students! A SUCCESSFUL ONLINE STUDENT • Has basic proficiency with the Internet and with sending and receiving e-mail and file attachments. • Is a self-motivated learner who takes initiative and responsibility for his or her own work. • Is disciplined about time management and can prioritize his or her own workload. • Is able to allocate time his or her schedule for the workload and time commitment of an online course. • Is a responsible and accountable group member, providing timely and thoughtful feedback. • Keeps the peer group and the instructor closely informed if situations arise that prevent the student from keeping up with the course workload. USING CANVAS/TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES: We will be using Canvas as our online courseware. To access our online course, go to http://canvas.northseattle.edu/. Your username is your complete 9-digit NSCC student ID number and your password is the first six letters of your last name. For example, if your student ID number is 955-55-4411 and your last name is Petunia, then your username would be 955554411 and your password would be petuni. If you have trouble logging on, please check the Distance Learning office's troubleshooting information at http://www.virtualcollege.org/resource/technicalhelp_index.htm. If you can't solve the problem that way, contact the Distance Learning office help desk: 206 934.3738 or email them at North.eLearning@seattlecolleges.edu. COURSE POLICIES: • Log in regularly. The importance of logging in and “attending” online multiple times a week cannot be overemphasized. You will have regular online discussions of course readings that require you to post to your assigned forums and respond to your classmates. You will participate in online writing groups and have to provide comments to your peers in a fairly quick turnaround of 1-2 days. Plan to log in 4-5 days a week and to check your Canvas email each work day (Monday-Friday), and I will do the same. • Save your work. It is your responsibility to keep an extra copy of all assignments that you turn in. I would also recommend typing Discussion Posts and other homework assignments in your word processor and then cutting and pasting them into Canvas. If you do so, you won’t lose your work if the internet goes down or Canvas glitches. • Submit your work on time. Assignments are due at 11:59 p.m. PST on the day assigned, unless otherwise noted. For each assignment you need to turn in there is a ENGLISH 235 Revised April 5, 2015 3 specific due date/time. • You need to be on top of things and give yourself time in case there is a problem. If you do not turn your assignment in on time, you will receive 0 points on that assignment. If the server is ever down, the IT people contact me. If this happens, I will understand; however, other than a server crash, no other computer excuses will be accepted. Since technology glitches can occur, you will complete an “Emergency Plan” at the beginning of the quarter in which you will discuss how you will handle technological problems such as a computer or internet failure. • The only assignments that will be accepted late are the final drafts of the major assignments—the Technical Instructions and the Technical Report. However, for each day that the essay is late, you will lose 10% of your points. (This is equivalent to losing one letter grade per day.) • Drafts, revisions, and peer review are required for the major assignments. GRADES Your grade will be based on a variety of assignments, including discussion posts, quizzes, a formal paper, and a final exam. Technical Instructions Rough Draft and Peer Review 20 points Final Technical Instructions 50 points Technical Report Proposal 30 points Rough Draft and Peer Review 30 points Final Report 120 points Final Presentation 50 points Quizzes (Best 8 out of 9 x 10 points) 80 points Discussion Posts (4 x 20 points) 80 points Homework (2 x 15 points) 30 points Final Response and Assessment 10 points _________________________________________________________________________________ Total: 500 points ATTENDANCE AND CLASS PARTICIPATION Since this is a small, discussion-based course, your regular online attendance (logging on, posting to discussion posts, and responding to your classmates) is imperative. Please let me know as soon as possible if chronic health problems, a personal emergency, or extraordinary circumstances threaten to interfere with your attendance so that we can discuss the best course of action. ENGLISH 235 Revised April 5, 2015 4 Grade Availability: After your assignment submissions have been graded, your scores will automatically appear in the Grades Tab on the Canvas home page. Grading criteria are as follows: 94-100: A (3.9 -4.0) 74-76: C (1.9-2.1) 90-93: A- (3.5-3.8) 70-73: C- (1.5-1.8) 87-89: B+ (3.2-3.4) 67-69: D+ (1.2-1.4) 84-86: B (1.0-1.1) (2.9-3.1) 65-66: D 80-83: B- (2.5-2.8) 64 or below: F (0.0) 77-79: C+ (2.2-2.4) RESOURCES Accessibility and Disability Services: My goal is to make the online classroom as accessible as possible to all students. If you require any disability-related accommodations, please contact me by e-mail, phone, or in person. I would also recommend contacting disability services. There website can be found here: https://northseattle.edu/disability-services. To make an appointment, contact the Disability Services office by phone at (206) 527-3697, TTY at (206) 526-0079 modem, or e-mail at ds@sccd.ctc.edu. The Page One Writing Center: Need feedback on your writing? Visit the Page One Writing Center bottom floor of the new blue building to get help during every stage of the writing process from brainstorming and outlining through the final polishing phase. You'll find more information at https://northseattle.edu/tutoring/page-one-writingcenter. The Women’s Center: Located in College Center Room 2345C (2nd floor, north end of the College Center), 934-3696. https://northseattle.edu/womens-center The Women’s Center provides confidential, safe, and inclusive services, including referral for housing, health care, child care, domestic violence, family planning, counseling, and LGBTQ support, among other resources. The center also sponsors programs and events to raise awareness about gender-based issues. Library: The library is a phenomenal resource to use if you have questions about research or sources—or really questions about anything. You can find useful information at https://library.northseattle.edu/ ENGLISH 235 Revised April 5, 2015 5 E-MAIL E-mail is usually the most effective way to get a hold of me. Please e-mail me at any time with any questions that you may have about the course. I expect both your e-mails and your discussion posts to be written in clear and communicative prose and proofread for mistakes. A NOTE ON (AND AGAINST) PLAGIARISM Plagiarism is the intentional use of someone else’s words or ideas without giving that person credit. This includes submitting someone else’s essay in its entirety or in parts as your own, using any words, phrasing, and/or ideas from a source (this includes the Internet) without proper citation, having someone else write your paper or assisting so much that the phrasing and ideas are no longer your own, and re-submitting an essay previously written for another class. Plagiarism is absolutely prohibited and may result in receiving a “0” on the paper and/or discipline on the part of the college administration.