ENG 331: Communication for Engineering and Technology
Section 008, 009, 010, and 011/Fall 2010
Instructor: Christine Cranford
Online Office Hours: Tuesday 7:30pm -9pm
Email: Cranfordcl@gmail.com
IM: Cranfordcl
Skype: Spiigirl
Required Textbook
Markel, Mike. Technical Communication. 9th Ed. New York: Bedford/St.Martin, 2010.
Class Website: http://moodle.wolfware.ncsu.edu/
Course Description
ENG 331 Communication for Engineering and Technology will introduce you to the kinds
of communication tasks you can expect to perform after graduation and in the
workplace; the course emphasizes the needs of various professional audiences,
strategies of adapting organization and style to those needs, and ways of supplementing
written communication with oral reports and visual aids.
This course fulfills the "advanced writing" option under the Writing and Speaking
General Education Requirements for many programs and students. For more detailed
information, you can access Student Learning Outcomes and General Education
Requirements Objectives for this course.
Enrollment is limited to students who are juniors and seniors because students who take
the course earlier in their undergraduate programs lack two kinds of knowledge
necessary for best performance in the course:
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knowledge of the subject matter of their major field, to provide them with
material for their writing assignments; and
knowledge of their potential professional roles, to provide them with an
understanding of how and why communication occurs in industry, government,
and research.
Students other than juniors and seniors do not perform well in these courses.
Typically, students majoring in the following fields enroll in this course (not a complete
list): Aerospace Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer
Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering,
Mechanical Engineering, Textile Engineering, Textile Technology
Grading & Assignments
The following assignments will be supplemented by your textbook and online class
lectures.
Graded Assignments
Project 1: Employment Documents – 30 % (Due 9/13)
Project 2: Instructions/Team Project – 15 % (Due 10/4)
Project 3: Technical Recommendation Report- 15% (Due 10/18)
Project 4: Formal Proposal – 30 % (Due 11/8)
Project 5: Presentation – 10 % (Due 11/23)
Grade Ranges
97-100 A+ 87-89.99 B+
94-96.99 A 84-86.99 B
90-93.99 A- 80-83.99 B-
77-79.99 C+ 67-69.99 D+
74-76.99 C 64-66.99 D
70-73.99 C- 60-63.99 D-
Professional Writing Program Grading Standards
Audience
Purpose
A
Writing
demonstrates
an obvious
awareness and
adaptation to
specific
workplace
audiences.
Writing
demonstrates
an obvious
awareness of
how to
accomplish the
B
C
D
Writing
demonstrates a
general awareness
and adaptation to
specific workplace
audiences.
Writing
demonstrates a
limited awareness
and partial
adaptation to
specific workplace
audiences.
Writing
demonstrates a
general awareness
of how to
accomplish the
intended outcome.
Writing
demonstrates a
limited awareness
of how to
accomplish the
intended outcome.
Writing
demonstrates
minimal
awareness and
insignificant
adaptation to
specific workplace
audiences.
Writing
demonstrates an
insignificant
awareness of how
to accomplish the
intended outcome.
F
Writing fails to
demonstrate
awareness of
audience.
Writing fails to
achieve intended
outcome.
Document
Design
Organization
Support/
Development
Grammar/
Mechanics
Overall
intended
outcome.
Document
demonstrates
an obvious
understanding
and application
of document
design
elements.
Document is
visually
appealing,
consistent, and
adheres to all
standards.
Writing
incorporates
appropriate
rhetorical
strategies for
sequencing
information in a
clear and logical
manner.
Writing provides
detailed support
for arguments
and persuades
readers.
Writing has no
problems with
grammar and
mechanics.
Writing
accomplishes all
aspects of the
assignment,
demonstrates
clear application
and obvious
mastery of
concepts.
Document
demonstrates a
general
understanding and
application of
document design
elements.
Document is
visually appealing,
mostly consistent,
and adheres to
most standards.
Writing
incorporates
generally
appropriate
rhetorical strategies
for sequencing
information in a
reasonably clear
and logical
manner.
Writing provides
most necessary
details for
arguments and
persuades readers.
Writing has some
minor problems
with grammar and
mechanics.
Writing
accomplishes most
aspects of the
assignment, shows
some application
and general
mastery of
concepts.
Document
demonstrates a
limited
understanding and
application of
document design
elements.
Document lacks
visual appeal.
Document is
partially consistent
and does not
adhere to all
standards.
Writing
incorporates limited
rhetorical strategies
for sequencing
information.
Document
demonstrates a
minimal
understanding and
application of
document design
elements.
Document is
unappealing.
Document is
inconsistent and
does not adhere to
standards.
Design fails to
follow document
design standards
and format.
Writing
incorporates
minimal rhetorical
strategies for
sequencing
information.
Writing fails to
incorporate
rhetorical
strategies.
Writing provides
limited details for
arguments and
does not fully
persuade readers.
Writing has
significant errors
with grammar and
mechanics.
Writing
accomplishes
limited aspects of
the assignment,
shows partial
application and
some mastery of
concepts.
Writing provides
minimal details for
arguments and
does not persuade
readers.
Writing has serious
problems with
grammar and
mechanics.
Writing
accomplishes
minimal aspects of
the assignment,
shows insignificant
application and
lacks mastery of
concepts.
Writing fails to
support
arguments and
does not
persuade readers.
Writing is
incomprehensible.
Writing fails to
accomplish any of
the requirements.
End-of-Semester Class Evaluations
Schedule: Online class evaluations will be available for students to complete during the
last week of class.
Students will receive an email message directing them to a website where they can login
using their Unity ID and complete evaluations. All evaluations are confidential;
instructors will never know how any one student responded to any question, and
students will never know the ratings for any particular instructors.
Evaluation website: https://classeval.ncsu.edu
Student help desk: classeval@ncsu.edu
More information about ClassEval: http://www2.acs.ncsu.edu/UPA/classeval/
Class Policies and Requirements
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Course prerequisites - You must be recognized by Tracs as a junior or senior.
You are not required to login to our classroom at a specific time. You may access
materials when it best fits your schedule. Keep in mind that you will have
deadlines for projects. You can assess NCSU’s attendance regulation at:
http://www.ncsu.edu/policies/academic_affairs/courses_undergrad/REG02.20.3.p
hp
Late assignments are not accepted. If you run into a technical problem on
the day an assignment is due, please send me an email or give me a call so that
I can address the issue.
Final averages will not be curved.
If an assignment requires multiple documents/parts, create all
documents in one file.
Submit your projects using the “Assignments” area through Moodle. Save
your file under YOUR last name and project number (For example:
Cranford1.doc)
Proofing a document for word choice, spelling, and punctuation errors is your
responsibility.
It is your responsibility to make sure you turn in the correct file.
Weekly class email updates (usually on Sundays) will be sent to your NCSU email
address. Please check your email account often.
If you send an email to me, you will receive a reply within 48 hours. I check
email in the evenings, after 7pm, Monday- Friday. On weekends, I usually do not
check email.
If you see me online you are more than welcome to instant message me. Please
identify yourself in your message.
You can access the University's policy on academic integrity in the Code of
Student Conduct (including the Honor Pledge) from the Provost's Academic
Policies site.
Reasonable accommodations will be made for students with verifiable disabilities.
In order to take advantage of available accommodations, students must register
with Disability Services for Students at 1900 Student Health Center, Campus Box
7509, 515-7653. http://www.ncsu.edu/provost/offices/affirm_action/dss/ For
more information on NC State's policy on working with students with disabilities,
please see the Academic Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
Regulation
Online Classroom and Course Schedule
Our Moodle classroom is divided up by units. Under each unit you will find project (assignment)
details, web lectures, and class discussions. The following schedule present the time periods you
should be working through assigned units and due dates for projects.
Our online classroom can be accessed at: http://moodle.wolfware.ncsu.edu/
Dates
Unit
8/18-8/20
Introduction to Class and
Technical Writing
8/23-9/10
Employment Documents
Document and Visual Design
Assignments
Post a response to the
“Introduction” discussion
board. This is a non-graded
discussion board.
Begin Project 1:
Employment Documents
Assignment. Review the
assignment details found
under Employment
Documents Unit on
Moodle.
As part of the
requirements for project 1,
you will participate in peer
review. You will post your
draft of project 1 to the
discussion board on 9/7
(Tuesday) by 8am, and you
will review a classmate’s
draft by 9/10 (Friday) by
5pm; you will post your
review to the discussion
board. Instructions for this
peer review will be given
on the discussion board.
9/13-10/1
Instructions
Participating in Peer
Review counts as part of
your grade for project 1.
Project 1 due by 9/13
(Monday) 8am. Turn in
your file via the submit
assignment area on
Moodle.
Begin Project 2:
Instructions/ Team
Project. Review the
assignment details found
10/4-10/15
Technical Reports
10/7-10/8- Fall Break
10/18-11/5
11/8-11/26
11/24-11/26- Thanksgiving
Break
Proposals
Presentations
under the Instructions
Unit on Moodle.
Project 2 due by 10/4
(Monday) 8am. Turn in
your file via the submit
assignment area on
Moodle.
Begin Project 3: Technical
Recommendation Report.
Review the assignment
details found under
Writing Instructions Unit
on Moodle
Project 3 is due by 10/18
(Friday) 8am. Turn in your
file via the submit
assignment area on
Moodle.
Begin Project 4: Proposal.
Review the assignment
details found under the
Proposal Unit on Moodle.
Project 4: Proposal is due
by 11/8 (Monday) 8am.
Turn in your file via the
submit assignment area on
Moodle.
Begin Project 5:
Presentation. Review the
assignment details found
in the Presentation unit on
Moodle.
11/29-12/3- Dead Week
12/3- Last Day of Class
Project 5: Presentation is
due by 11/23 (Tuesday)
8am. Turn in your file via
the submit assignment
area on Moodle.
No Assignments