Jackson College
Technical and Business Writing
English 232.11
Spring/Summer 2015
Instructor: Gloria M. Shirey
Contact Email: shireygloriam@jccmi.edu
Office hours: Online Please allow 24-36 hours for response time
IT Help: 1-888-522-8744
JC Website: www.jccmi.edu
Login to JC Accounts: first seven letters of last name, first seven letters of first name,
middle initial. Use no spaces, for example Jennifer Ann Smith would login as smightjennifea
Password for JC Accounts: Your password is your first and lasts initials, the two digit date
of your birth, the last two digits of your birth year and the last four digits of your student ID.
Purdue Online Writing Lab: www.owl.english.purdue.edu is an excellent resource for
grammar and structure concerns as well as for up-to-date Modern Language Association
(MLA) documentation and citation guidelines.
Course Description:
Technical communications is a course designed to provide practice in a variety of written and
oral communications to meet the requirements of the workplace. Projects may include
descriptions, instructions, resumes, proposals, reports, or online documents. It involves frequent
writing, both in and out of class as well as oral presentations, collaborative activities, and
individual conferences.
Prerequisite(s):
ENG 085 and ENG 131
Course Goals:
The course goals and objectives incorporate specific Associate Degree Outcomes (ADOs)
established by the JCC Board of Trustees, administration, and faculty. These goals are in concert
with four-year colleges, universities, and reflect input from the professional communities we
serve. ADOs guarantee students achieve goals necessary for graduation credit, transferability,
and professional skills needed in many certification programs. The ADOs addressed in this
course are;
Writing clearly, concisely, and intelligibly—ADO#1 (proficient level)
Class discussions, activities and practice will focus on:
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Refining the writing and peer responding processes
Writing with attention to purpose and audience
Composing meaningful documents
Organizing, developing and supporting ideas
Connecting prior knowledge and new information
Integrating sources with proper documentation
Employing proper grammar, mechanics and format, with attention to word choice, tone
and style
Thinking critically—ADO #7 (proficient level)
Class discussions, activities and practice will focus on:
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Proposing creative topics and posing challenging questions for writing
Employing tactful and diplomatic language
Choosing appropriate visual images and graphics
Evaluating evidence and assumptions
Understanding conclusions, implications and consequences
Solving problems
The branch of English that examines the writing processes required in the workplace is Technical
and Business Writing. You will be spending an intense 15-week semester studying your role as
one who must communicate on the job. Our communications serve a major role in the everyday
work of our place of employment, in the characterizing its external image and its internal culture.
This is your class and you are critical to its success. Please prepare for class since the format
will be basically discussion-lecture-activity.
Textbook:
Technical Communications: A Practical Approach 8th Edition, William Sanborn Pfeiffer, 2013
#ISBN: 13-978-0-13-278578-5.
Technology Requirement:
A flash (jump, thumb) drive, a wireless or USB port. Access to a computer, Internet and printer.
All students must have regular, if not daily, access to a computer. Computer problems will not
be accepted as an excuse for submitting late work. If you have computer problems, it is your
responsibility to find another alternative. JC many campuses have many computers available for
your use.
All documents must be submitted in doc.or docx.
*****Note: This is an online class which means the course work will be completed online
through JetNet. All assignments must be submitted through JetNet and not emailed to me.
This is for your protection for course accountability.
Course Format
This course is divided into 14 modules. For each module you will watch one or more brief
videos, read from your textbook or other materials, write a journal entry, participate in an
activity, take a quiz and submit assignments.
The assignments and activities are due by 11:59 pm on their due date posted in the
Schedule. You are expected to participate fully in all the activities and assignments and
complete them on time. Ask for help early if you don’t understand something. Remember, you
are responsible for completing your assignments and asking for help if you need it. And I am
here to help!
Student Responsibilities:
Your primary task is to improve your writing skills and learn how to overcome problem areas.
With practice you will become a more comfortable and competent writer. This means that you
must engage fully in the class by staying current on all assignments.
You are expected to read the text and other assigned readings, upload homework and drafts on
time, share your writing with others, respond to your classmates’ writing, actively participate in
group electronic discussions, and most importantly, write and revise.
Instructor Responsibilities:
I will do everything I can to assist you in your task. I’ll read and respond to as much of your
writing, rewriting, editing, and as many of your ideas that I possibly can in a timely manner. I
will introduce concepts that my help you become a better technical writer, lead online
discussions, help form peer groups, share readings and writings with you, meet with and help
you virtually and face to face and encourage you. You can expect me to grade your work fairly
and to include an explanation of my evaluation.
Students with disabilities who believe they may need accommodations in this class are
encouraged to contact me so we can arrange the accommodations.
Attendance:
Participating in class is the best way to ensure your success in this class. You will have to
participate in many class discussions. If you cannot participate for personal reasons, please
contact me or you will be dropped from this course.
A week without class activity will jeopardize your success in this class. If you miss an excessive
number of assignments, you will be dropped from this class. I understand that emergencies and
occasional conflicts arise. Contact me by e-mail if you anticipate late assignments. Multiple
late assignments will lower your grade.
Class Participation
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You need to keep pace with the class calendar—activities, and assignment due dates.
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Some activities require you to participate with your classmates. It is particularly important that
you complete your group work on time.
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I expect you to submit your assignments by their due dates.
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If you do not submit any assignments for two or more weeks, you will be dropped from the
course.
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If you need more time to complete assignments due to exceptional circumstances, please e-mail
me and I will do my best to accommodate your needs.
Grading:
Unless you make prior arrangements, late work will receive an automatic 20% deduction. No
assignments will be accepted beyond seven days after due date.
Grading Scale:
93-100
4.0
89-92
3.5
84-88
3.0
80-83
2.5
75-79
2.0
70-74
1.5
65-69
1.0
60-64
.5
Below 60
F
Grades will be based on the following three types of assignments:
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Journals - 5%
Major Assignments- 20%
Tests – 25%
Portfolio – 40%
Participation – 10%
Academic Honesty Policy
Honesty is expected of all students. Academic honesty is the ethical behavior that includes
producing your own work (in your own words) and not representing others’ ideas or work (or
words) as your own, either by plagiarism, by cheating or by helping others to do so. There is a
zero-tolerance policy for plagiarism. If you plagiarize material, the penalty can be a failing
grade in the course. For your review, the JC Academic Honesty Policy is posted online.
Some revisions in this syllabus or timeline may be necessary during the semester due to
school instructor illness, acts of God, or other improbable and unforeseen circumstances.