IT198W (30471) – Technical Writing
Syllabus
Spring 2010
CSU Fresno, Dept. of Industrial Technology
This is a WEB BASED course
Instructor: Matthew Yen
email: matthewy@ csufresno.edu
Office: IT 212
Phone: 278-2145
Office Hours: MW 13:00-15:00
T
13:00-14:00 or by appointment
Course description
Preparation of technical reports, research proposals, specifications, and other written
business/industrial communication using effective writing techniques, formats and styles.
Meets upper-division writing skill requirement for graduation. Prerequisites: English 1 and
completion of 56 units.
The University has specific requirements of an Upper Division Writing Skills course. These
include a minimum number of essays with a minimum number of words and pedagogical
methods. This course meets those graduation requirements should the student receive a
grade of “C” or higher.
Learning Outcome
1. Identify and develop clear purposes for writing varied kinds of documents, analyzing
purposes and audiences to make decisions about document content, structure, and
style
2. Produce clear, coherent, well-organized prose for public and disciplinary audiences
3. Develop and use relevant strategies for generating, drafting, and revising expository
writing
4. Explain, develop, analyze, and criticize ideas clearly and effectively
5. Find, evaluate, and use source material, both primary and secondary, appropriate to
specific writing tasks
6. Work collaboratively to evaluate each other’s written work, as is common in most
professional contexts, including peer critique to revise writing and thinking to
accomplish rhetorical goals
7. Demonstrate knowledge of the rhetorical conventions appropriate to the discourse
used in the discipline of study, including standards for format, citation, and style
8. Edit their own writing to reflect the conventions of standardized written English
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Required Textbook
1. Technical Communication, A Practical Approach. 7th Edition. William Pfeiffer and
Kaye Akdins. Prentice-Hall ISBN-13: 978-0-13-5000050-2
2. ETS Criterion card which is available in the Kennel Bookstore. Please refer to the
Criterion STUDENT Tips handout for the use of this card. For more information and a
video tour, go to http://www.ets.org/Media/Products/Criterion/tour2/critloader.html.
Major Reference Books
Form & Style, Thirteenth Edition, Slade, Carole and Robert Perrin, Houghton Mifflin,
ISBN-10: 0-618-55947-7
Houghton-Miffin. Horner, W. E. Harbrace College Handbook. 13th Edition. Harcourt
Brace Jovanovich.
Other Requirements
You must have the following:
Access to a computer and printer with MS Office Software
 An e-mail account and Internet access
 Basic office supplies: pens/pencils, paper, memory device (diskette, CD, memory stick)

Method of Instruction and Homework
This is an on-line class. You will be expected to spend several hours a week on your
computer and several hours a week reading, writing assignments, correcting returned
writing assignments and doing research. A typical 3 unit face-to-face course requires two
hours of homework for each hour the class meets, or about nine hours of time each week. (3
hours in class plus 6 hours on homework) This class requires regular, if not daily,
preparation and active involvement.
It is your responsibility to keep up. The only way to improve your writing skills is to write.
You can expect to write regularly. It hurts, but if you want to succeed in the professional
and business world, it will be worth it.
Grading
The grading system will be uniformly applied to all students. Grades will be based on
demonstrated proficiency in subject matter determined by multiple measurements for
evaluation: timely submissions of writing assignments, tests, involvement in class activities
and Discussion Board postings.
10%
25%
Participation – meetings with instructor, online activities, such as: discussion
board or forum, peer critiques and editing
Minor writing tasks
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35% Major writing tasks
15% Midterm
15% Final Exam
100%
A = 100-90
B = 89-80
C = 79-70
D = 69-60
F = Below 60
Late Submissions
It is expected that assignments will be turned in on time. Failure to do so will result in
lower grades. Late assignment will not be accepted and will receive a zero (0) grade.
Grade may be given for emergency situation. For any unforeseen circumstance, such as:
sickness, accident, death in the family, etc., please contact instructor prior to any known
event or immediately afterward (within 48 hours) with verifiable document or evidence.
Academic Honesty and Dishonesty
You are expected to do your own work. Cheating and plagiarism are very serious offenses
and will not be tolerated. Plagiarism is defined as the use of another person’s words,
thoughts or ideas without giving credit to the author. This includes cutting and pasting from
web-sites! Turning in the same paper in two or more classes without the consent of both
instructors is considered cheating. For more information, refer to the University Policy on
Cheating and Plagiarism printed in the course schedule and university catalog.
http://studentaffairs.csufresno.edu/discipline/honorcode.html
Cheating and Plagiarism
"Cheating is the actual or attempted practice of fraudulent or deceptive acts for the purpose
of improving one's grade or obtaining course credit; such acts also include assisting another
student to do so. Typically, such acts occur in relation to examinations. However, it is the
intent of this definition that the term 'cheating' not be limited to examination situations only,
but that it include any and all actions by a student that are intended to gain an unearned
academic advantage by fraudulent or deceptive means. Plagiarism is a specific form of
cheating which consists of the misuse of the published and/or unpublished works of others
by misrepresenting the material (i.e., their intellectual property) so used as one's own work."
Penalties for cheating and plagiarism range from a 0 or F on a particular assignment,
through an F for the course, to expulsion from the university. For more information on the
University's policy regarding cheating and plagiarism, refer to the Class Schedule (Legal
Notices on Cheating and Plagiarism) or the University Catalog (Policies and Regulations).
Class Participation
This is a web based class. Go to http://blackboard.csufresno.edu. Assignments will be
posted on the website. Some work will be submitted via the website or by email.
Turnitin Plagiarism Prevention Submission Required for IT198W Writing Tasks
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Fresno State has signed up to use the Turnitin.com plagiarism detection software. Using
this software, students in this course are required to submit documents for review. The
software works best as a plagiarism preventer and you can often use this service as a selfcheck before you submit the work for final grading.
IT198W students access Turnitin using IT198W Blackboard course homepage. Check the
Assignments/Tasks section for details on which writing tasks require the use of Turnitin. A
link for submitting the task to Turnitin will be found below the task description. For any
problems, read the IT198W Announcements section or call/email the Digital Campus Help
Desk.
Penalties for cheating and plagiarism range from a Zero or “F” on a particular assignment,
through an “F” for the entire course, to expulsion from the university.
Students with Disabilities
Upon identifying themselves to the instructor and the university, students with disabilities
will receive reasonable accommodation for learning and evaluation. For more information,
contact Services to Students with Disabilities in the University Center Room 5 (278-2811).
Computers
"At California State University, Fresno, computers and communications links to remote
resources are recognized as being integral to the education and research experience. Every
student is required to have his/her own computer or have other personal access to a
workstation (including a modem and a printer) with all the recommended software. The
minimum and recommended standards for the workstations and software, which may vary
by academic major, are updated periodically and are available from Information Technology
Services (http://www.csufresno.edu/ITS/) or the University Bookstore. In the curriculum
and class assignments, students are presumed to have 24-hour access to a computer
workstation and the necessary communication links to the University's information
resources."
Disruptive Classroom Behavior
The classroom, whether physical or virtual, is a special environment in which students and
faculty come together to promote learning and growth. It is essential to this learning
environment that respect for the rights of others seeking to learn, respect for the
professionalism of the instructor, and the general goals of academic freedom are maintained.
Differences of viewpoint or concerns should be expressed in terms supportive of the
learning process, creating an environment in which students and faculty may learn to reason
with clarity and compassion, to share of themselves without losing their identities, and to
develop an understanding of the community in which they live.
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Student conduct, which disrupts the learning process, shall not be tolerated and may lead to
disciplinary action and/or removal from this virtual classroom. Continued disruptive
behavior will result in removal from the course.
Copyright policy
Copyright laws and fair use policies protect the rights of those who have produced the
material. The copy in this course has been provided for private study, scholarship, or
research. Other uses may require permission from the copyright holder. The user of this
work is responsible for adhering to copyright law of the U.S. (Title 17, U.S. Code). To help
you familiarize yourself with copyright and fair use policies, the University encourages you
to visit its copyright web page:
www.csufresno.edu/library/about/policies/docs/copyrtpolicyfull.pdf.
Digital Campus course web sites contains material protected by copyrights held by the
instructor, other individuals or institutions. Such material is used for educational purposes in
accord with copyright law and/or with permission given by the owners of the original
material. You may download one copy of the materials on any single computer for noncommercial, personal, or educational purposes only, provided that you (1) do not modify it,
(2) use it only for the duration of this course, and (3) include both this notice and any
copyright notice originally included with the material. Beyond this use, no material from
the course web site may be copied, reproduced, re-published, uploaded, posted, transmitted,
or distributed in any way without the permission of the original copyright holder. The
instructor assumes no responsibility for individuals who improperly use copyrighted
material placed on the web site.
Modifications to the Syllabus
The procedures and schedule for this course are subject to change in the event of
extenuating circumstances. Notification will be made on the blackboard site. Checking your
e-mail regularly will ensure that you receive news of possible modifications in a timely
manner.
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