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ENGLISH 235
Engl&235—Technical Writing
Instructor: Christy Scheuer
Course Time and Location: Online
Office: IB 2306 D
Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday, 1:00 3:30 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.
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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
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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 major assignments—the
Technical Instructions, Letter of Complaint, Resume and Cover Letter, and the
Technical Report. However, for each day that the major assignment 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
75 points
Letter of Complaint
25 points
Resume and Cover Letter
50 points
Technical Report
Proposal
50 points
Rough Draft and Peer Review
30 points
Final Report
150 points
Final Presentation
75 points
Quizzes (Best 6 out of 7 x 20 points)
120 points
Discussion Posts (6 x 20 points)
120 points
Homework (6 x 15 points)
90 points
Final Response and Assessment
10 points
_________________________________________________________________________________
Total:
815 points
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:
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ENGLISH 235
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)
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.
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/
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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.
In this class, we will focus on developing effective technical writing skills; therefore, I
expect your e-mails to be written in clear and communicative prose and proofread for
mistakes.
Please take the time to email me if you feel like you’re falling behind in the course or if
you feel confused about something that we’re doing. I’ve seen many people struggle in
online courses because they fall behind and feel overwhelmed, but they feel anxious
about checking in with me; in these cases, people often find it difficult to catch up
because they don’t know how to get back on track. As your instructor, I’m happy to talk
to you about how to schedule your time and how to approach challenging assignments.
However, I can only help you if you check in with me!
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.