• Cisco College
English 2311 Technical Writing
Fall 2012
TSTC Sections
Instructor
Mike Winter
Please remember one thing: this course is accessible to you at your disposal, your
instructor may not be.
Please pay attention to annoucements as they appear on the the course. I will use
these to communicate to you necessary information.
Michael.Winter@cisco.edu
Please be advised that this is the only email address that I will use for this course.
2311 Technical Writing Course Description
This course will be concerned with the principles of exposition as applied to the
problems of students in various fields in which technical communication skills are
employed. Included in this course is a brief review of rhetoric and practice in
writing several types of technical reports and business instruments.
Course Structure
Online, weekly assignments. Successful completion of the course will result in the
student being awarded three college credits.
The thing that is unique about my course is that I do not count work late. This course is
entirely self paced. You can work on assignments weekly, or you can work on them at
your own pace. As long as all work is submitted by April 26, midnight, it will be
accepted. I will not accept work after the April 26 deadline.
The key to this course is structure. Unlike Composition classes, you are not necessarily
given credit or praise for your creativity. Most of the assignments are required to be in
memo format. To see examples and the structure of how these memo assignments
should be submitted, please refer to p.377-379 in your textbook.
Required Textbook and/or Materials
Bedford/St. Martin's Press
Technical Communication
Mike Markel
9 th edition
ISBN # 978-0-312-55532-0
Purpose and Goal of the Course
The purpose of this course is to make students better writers. Students learn to be better
writers through participating fully in the writing process as well as reviewing the writers
other. By the end of the course, students should be able to develop a topic, express
themselves through writing in an effective, structured way, and offer constructive
criticism to peers.
Learning Objectives and Methods of Assessment
Students will learn various aspects of writing through the weekly assignments.
Assignments will be assessed on clarity and effectiveness of product.
Grading Policy
Weekly assignments will count as 2/3 of the semester grade. The midterm and final will
count as 1/3.
You can keep track of your grades by accessing the Tools icon on the left menu. When
you do that, click on the My Grades link to access your graded assignments and
comments.
I try to keep up with grading, but sometimes I get behind. I aplogize in advance for the
inconvenience, but sometime life gets in the way. I generally try to grade and answer
emails each weekday morning consistently between 5 and 6 AM. If you need anything
pressing, that is most likely when you will find me actually "in" the course on a regular
basis.
Course announcements will be made on the Blackboard course site. You should notice
new announcements in the announcement box when you first log in to Blackboard. I will
make announcements as needed throughout the semester.
Student Conduct and College Policies
Students are expected to follow all classroom policies listed in the course syllabus.
College wide policies can be found in the Cisco Catalog, the Student Handbook, and on
the college website.
Notices
Course Content
College-level course may include controversial, sensitive, and/or adult material. Students
are expected to have the readiness for college-level courses and content.
Academic Integrity
It is the intent of Cisco College to foster a spirit of complete honesty and a high standard
of integrity. The attempt of students to present as their own any work they have not
honestly performed is regarded by the faculty and administration as a serious offense and
renders the offender liable to serious consequences, possibly suspension.
Changes to the Syllabus
The schedule and procedures in this syllabus are subject to change if deemed appropriate
by the instructor.
Students with Special Needs
Students who qualify for specific accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities
Act (ADA) should notify the instructor the first week of class. It is the student's
responsibility to provide the necessary documentation to the Special Populations
Coordinator.