ENG 4023: Technical Writing
Fall 2015 |MW 11:00am-12:15pm| CRN 18646
Classroom Location: UCO Carnegie Centre (Downtown); Classroom 5
Instructor: Shay Rahm
Department: English; College of Liberal Arts
Office: 103E LAR
Office Hours: MW 1:00-3:00pm and TR 12:00-12:30pm
Additional Online & F2F Office Hours Available by Request/Appointment
Office Phone: 974-5554
E-mail: srahm@uco.edu
WELCOME
Welcome to English 4023. I am excited to be teaching this class and am looking
forward to meeting and working with each of you. Technical Writing is a crucial
class, as students learn to improve the readability and usefulness of their writing
in a variety of professional styles and formats. This is a hands-on workshop in
preparing, reviewing, revising, and finalizing documents typical of the
workplace, including letters and resumes, memos, proposals, and written
reports. I hope the class will be fun and engaging to you. Please feel free to
contact me if you have questions or concerns.
CATALOG DESCRIPTION
This course will provide comprehensive guidance to skills in clear, direct and effective writing in
each specific professional area. Students will become familiar with reports, proposals, partition
or mechanism descriptions, process descriptions, instructions, specifications, résumés, letters,
memorandums, and other technical communication formats.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
English 4023 will help you develop the communication skills needed to produce effective written
and online documents in the workplace. In addition, I hope that you will enhance your ability to
solve workplace problems by interpreting and documenting information logically, efficiently,
and ethically. This course provides a study of basic composition principles and will equip
students in various disciplines to write clear technical expository prose, including reports,
memorandums, proposals, brochures, and other technical communication formats, designed for
specific audiences in each specific professional area.
Prerequisite(s) ENG 1113 & ENG 1213
REQUIRED TEXT
No required textbook. Readings and assignments may be accessed through our class site at:
https://learn.uco.edu.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
This course is designed to help you achieve the following goals:
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Understand the audience in the “real” situation for your communication concerns, such as
human resources staff, business owners, engineers, accounting departments, etc.
Analyze the needs of an audience based on information and research
Research a topic thoroughly and present the information accurately and effectively
Develop documents with pertinent and complete information
Determine the proper structure and appearance for a document in a particular rhetorical
situation
Create final documents that meet the needs of the audience(s) in question, both in content
and in format
Use computers as effective, time-saving tools in creating documents
Learn the skills for the types of things that you might do once in the workplace. This does
not mean that you will learn the exact types of documents that you will be using; it means
that you will learn concepts that can be adapted to your workplace situation.
TRANSFORMATIONAL LEARNING OUTCOMES
The University of Central Oklahoma is a
learning-centered organization committed to
transformative education through active
engagement in the teaching-learning
interchange, scholarly and creative pursuits,
leadership, global competency, healthy
lifestyles, and service to others.
This course specifically addresses four of the university’s transformative learning goals.
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Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activities as a means to improve basic
communication, organization and other skills germane to one’s discipline. Students will
participate in authentic research, scholarly and creative experiences that enhance
opportunities for further education or employment.
Leadership through critical and creative thinking activities, building and
participating in teams, working with diverse people, issues, beliefs, and perspectives, and
collaborating on negotiation and conflict resolution projects as they directly relate to
rhetoric.
Global and Cultural Competencies by acknowledging differing cultural values and
attitudes through a combination of classroom discussions and writing assignments which
will encourage topics of global importance. Students will be encouraged to look at aspects
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beyond those of their own cultural perspective as this is a critical component of successful
academic writing.
Service Learning and Civic Engagement by applying and demonstrating critical
thinking skills and an understanding of the principles of democracy, ethical deliberations,
and civic skills while composing solid rhetorical analysis and argumentative writing.
COURSE OUTLINE
A complete course schedule (Course Outline) can be found at the end of this syllabus. The Final
Exam is scheduled for Monday, Dec 7, 2015.
GRADING AND PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS
Class Assignments x 10 =100
Proposal =100
Draft/Sentence Outline =30
Final Exam =20
40% of final grade
40% of final grade
12% of final grade
8% of final grade
100-90% =A = 250-225 total points; 89-80% =B = 224-200 total points; 79-70% =C = 199-175
total points; 69-60% =D = 174-150 total points; 59-0% F = 149-0 total points
Grading Criteria
The letter grades you receive in this course are equivalent to evaluations received in the workplace:
An A document is excellent work. The audience analysis is insightful, the topic precise, the
organization of the argument is clear and logical. The document contains sufficient detail, the
information is accurate, timely, clear, and comprehensive. Your supervisor would be impressed
and would pass the document along to supervisors, without revision.
A B document is good work. It might have almost all the virtues of an A document, but one or
more of the elements is flawed. For instance, persistent spelling errors could reduce an A
document to a B. Your supervisor would appreciate your work but would want to have the
document revised before passing it along.
A C document indicates work that is merely adequate. It may technically satisfy the
requirements of the assignment, but is significantly flawed. Your supervisor would be somewhat
disappointed with the document and would want it revised before passing it along. In addition,
the supervisor would begin to doubt your ability to complete similar assignments successfully.
A D document is unsatisfactory. Although some aspects of the document might be well done, on
the whole there are significant problems with conception or execution. Your employer would
have another employee re-do the document, and also question your basic competence and
suitability for your position.
An F document is failing work. It is submitted after the deadline, it does not respond to the
assignment, it is extremely difficult to read, or it is unprofessional in appearance or writing
quality.
Academic Support
Tutoring Central provides free and confidential academic support for University of Central
Oklahoma students. To schedule an appointment, call (405) 974-2487.
CLASS MANAGEMENT INFORMATION
This class is a mixture of reading, lecture, discussion, writing workshop time, practical
application, assignment sheets and grading guides, and varied examples. I expect you to read all
lesson documents, assignment sheets and readings as they are assigned.
Professional Behavior and Attitude
This class is designed to prepare you for writing and communicating in academic and workplace
settings. To that end, you should approach this class with a professional attitude. You should
interact politely with your fellow students, even when you disagree. And you should stay focused
on the tasks at hand. Give your classmates the respect you would give co-workers, and view me
as your supervisor for this job. If you have questions, please ask me.
Instructor Information & Availability
Shay Rahm; Lecturer of English; Executive Editor, New Plains Review
Brief career bio:
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M.A.: Contemporary Literature & Poetry
PhD Candidate: Generation X Authors (exp graduation date: 12/2016)
eLearning Course Design Quality Winner 2014-2015
Lecturer of the Year 2013-2014
Adjunct Instructor of the Year 2005-2006
15 Years in Higher Education
I am on campus almost every day and welcome the opportunity to chat with you during my
office hours or via e-mail or in another prearranged method. Grade turn-around is usually 5-7
days for class assignments and exams. For longer writing activities, please allow approximately
10 days to two weeks. Many times the turnaround time is much quicker, but this is a general
guide.
Attendance Policy
Self-discipline and maturity are necessary for success in college courses. Regular and timely
class participation is one reflection of the discipline and maturity of potentially successful
students, and class participation is necessary for students to gain the full benefit of information
presented in this course.
Policy for Late Assignments, Make-Up Work, and Missed Exams
Class assignments CANNOT be made up. The Final Exam CANNOT be made up. The Sentence
Outline and Proposal may be submitted no later than two days after the due date. There will be a
10% deduction for each day late. Because this course is designed as a "workshop" class--where
each assignment leads to the next, submitting assignments late is simply not feasible. PLEASE
participate in all class activities and check your Course Schedule for due date reminders.
ACADMEMIC INTEGRITY
All writing that you submit must be entirely your own work or properly cited. If it is not, you are
guilty of plagiarism, which is not tolerated at UCO (or any university). Note that if you use
another’s ideas—even if they are in your own words—without giving her or him proper credit,
you are plagiarizing. The penalty for plagiarism is failure of the course, at the very least, and can
include suspension and/or expulsion from the university. It’s not worth it. If you have any
questions about how you are using a source, see me.
Turnitin.com Plagiarism Syllabus Statement: UCO subscribes to the Turnitin.com plagiarism prevention service.
Students agree that by taking this course, all required assignments may be subject to submission for textual
similarity review to Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism. All submitted assignments will be included as
source documents in the Turnitin.com restricted access reference database for the purpose of detecting
plagiarism of such assignments. Use of the Turnitin.com service is subject to the Terms and Conditions of Use
posted on the Turnitin.com website. Turnitin.com is just one of various plagiarism prevention tools and methods
which may be utilized by your faculty instructor during the terms of the semesters. In the UCO Student
Handbook, there is a process for contesting any plagiarism allegations against you.
Academic Integrity Statement: Academic dishonesty includes, but is not confined to: plagiarizing; cheating on
tests or examinations; turning in counterfeit reports, tests, and papers; stealing tests or other academic material;
knowingly falsifying academic records or documents of the institution; accessing a student's confidential
academic information without authorization; disclosing confidential academic information without
authorization; and, turning in the same work to more than one class without informing the instructors involved.
Each student is expected to engage in all academic pursuits in a manner that is above reproach. Students are
expected to maintain complete honesty and integrity in the academic experiences both in and out of the
classroom. Any student found guilty of academic dishonesty will be subject to disciplinary action. More
information concerning this policy can be found on page three of the UCO Student Code of Conduct located at:
http://www.uco.edu/student-affairs/conduct/
The University of Central Oklahoma complies with
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the
Americans with Disabilities Act. Students with disabilities
who need special accommodations should make their requests by
contacting the Coordinator of Disability Support Services at 974-2549. It is the student's
responsibility to contact the instructor as soon as possible after the DSS has verified the need for
accommodations to ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion. If
you believe you have a disability that may affect your performance in the course, have Student
Disability Services contact me to request appropriate accommodations.
UCO POLICIES PLEASE REVIEW THE FOLLOWING UCO STUDENT INFORMATION SHEET
AS IT IS A REQUIRED PORTION OF OUR SYLLABUS:
http://www.uco.edu/academic-affairs/files/aa-forms/StudentInfoSheet.pdf
TIME REQUIREMENT
The Oklahoma Board of Regents has determined that a college student enrolled full
time will require 40 hours a week to complete coursework. For each hour in which a
student is enrolled, a student is expected to spend 2-3 hours outside of class for every
one hour spent in class.
TENTATIVE COURSE OUTLINE/SCHEDULE
This schedule is subject to change at the instructor’s discretion. All changes
will be provided in writing.
Week One:
 Overview of Course; Technical Writing Introduction
 Introductions (Class Assignment 1)
Week Two:
 Audience & Purpose
 Audience & Purpose (Class Assignment 2)
Week Three:
 Audience & Purpose
 Instructions (Class Assignment 3)
Week Four:
 Audience & Purpose; Proposal Writing
 Topic Discussion
Week Five:
 Proposal Writing: Lecture & Examples
 Research & Audience Analysis (Class Assignment 4)
Week Six:
 Proposal Writing: Lecture & Examples
 Research & Memo (Class Assignment 5)
Week Seven:
 Proposal Writing: Lecture & Examples
 Begin Research & Annotated Bibliography (Due Week Eight)
Week Eight:
 Proposal Writing: Lecture & Examples
 Research & Annotated Bibliography (Class Assignment 6)
Week Nine:
Fall Break
 Proposal Writing: Lecture & Examples
 Designing Documents
Week Ten:
 Proposal Writing: Lecture & Examples
 Creating Graphics (Class Assignment 7)
Week Eleven:
 Proposal Writing: Review
 Sentence Outline due online to Dropbox by 11:55 pm Sunday
Week Twelve:
 Proposal Writing: Review
 Completed Proposal due online to Dropbox by 11:55pm Sunday
Week Thirteen:
 21st-century Writing
 Class Assignment 8
Week Fourteen:
 21st-century Writing
 Class Assignment 9
Week Fifteen: Thanksgiving Break
 21st-century Writing
 Class Assignment 10
Week Sixteen:
 Review
Finals Week:
Final Exam Presentations due Tues