Technical Report Writing
CTE 3060, Summer 2013
Online
“Do not write merely to be understood. Write so that you cannot possibly be
misunderstood.”
Robert Louis Stevenson
INSTRUCTOR
Ms. Kathy Tally
ktally@ucmo.edu
Credit Hours: 3
Course Pre-requisites: None QM Standard 1.5
Contact Information: Please email me with any questions or concerns.
I will answer email within 24-48 hours. If you need to make an appt. to see or speak to
me in person, we can set up a conference call, a web-meeting or arrange a meeting at
UCM’s Summit Center in Lee’s Summit.
PURPOSE QM Standard 1.2
The primary purpose of this course is to develop technical writing skills. Technical
writing, or technical communication, is “writing that aims to get work done, to change
people by changing the way they do things” (Killingsworth and Gilbertson, Signs 232). It
is a specialized type of writing. It involves the sharing of specialized, factual information
between individuals. It is not for entertainment or for recreational reading. The sole
purpose is to help people successfully do what they need to do. It is writing that is
concise, complete, consistent, and correct.
Technical writing requires training and practice. This course is designed to give you the
foundation you need so you can continue to grow and improve over time.
IMPORTANT: This course will be conducted completely online. All quizzes,
exams and course work will be completed based on the Course Schedule (located
in the Read Me First area of the course. QM Standard 1.2 (Structure)
Technical Writing/Online has been developed with 3 seat hours per week and 2
hours of homework per seat hour, for a total of 6-9 hours of course work to
complete each week’s assignments. If your work or school schedule will interfere with
the work required for this course, I would suggest that you take the course at another
time when your schedule will allow for the required hours to be successful in completing
technical writing.
TEXTS: (The Riordan and Sabin texts are required for the course)
QM Standard 4.3, 4.4., 4.5, 4.6
The following materials are required and are available in the Union Bookstore:
1)
Daniel G. Riordan, Technical Report Writing Today, Ninth Edition,
Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 2013.
2)
William A. Sabin, The Gregg Reference Manual, Eleventh Edition,
McGraw-Hill Irwin, New York, 2011.
OPTIONAL:
3)
William A. Sabin, Basic Worksheets for The Gregg Reference Manual,
Tenth Edition, McGraw-Hill Irwin, New York, 2005
http://www.ucmbookstore.com/CourseMaterials.aspx
Additional Resources/Articles Provided:
Rockhurst University Continuing Education Center, Inc. (2003). Writing for the 21st
Century Reader. White Paper, 3.
CTE 3060 Online Summer 2013
U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety & Health Administration. (1996).
Presenting Effective Presentations with Visual Aids. 9. Retrieved: September 10,
2003. http://www.osha.gov/doc/outreachtraining/htmlfiles/traintec.html
Longo, D. (2010). Facilitating Ignorance: The Key to 21st Century Writing. Used with
permission from CTE3060, Summer 2010 Blackboard Site.
Minimal Technical Skills Required for the Course: QM Standard 1.6
1. Successfully navigate Blackboard (Bb) by using the buttons on the left side/main
menu. For additional Bb support, click on the menu button ‘Blackboard Help’.
2. Sending emails with attachments.
3. Creating, naming and submitting files using Microsoft Word, Excel and
PowerPoint (see naming convention on the last page of the syllabus.
NOTE: this course includes a learning activity to improve your skills using Excel
to create charts & graphs for visual aids in Week 7 – Chapter 7.
4. Copying and pasting from a document to a discussion board or other
documentation.
5. Create basic presentation slides using Microsoft PowerPoint.
6. Downloading and installing basic software necessary for this course.
NOTE: These links are provided in the course in the ‘Start Here’ menu button.
TECHNICAL SUPPORT QM Standard 7.1
Information Services HELP Desk http://www.ucmo.edu/InformationServices/
(660) 543-4357 or email helpdesk@ucmo.edu
Blackboard Student Help Page
http://www.ucmo.edu/centralnet/Blackboard/student_help.html
Phone (660) 543-8484 or email bbhelp@ucmo.edu
Across COURSE OBJECTIVES – Technical Writing QM Standard 2.1 & 2.3
After completing the course the student will:
 Apply key characteristics of technical communication in the writing process
throughout the course and in a professional setting.
o NOTE: Each week's study guide is designed to guide you to find the key
characteristics and definitions in order to apply them to the specific
writing assignments that align with each chapter.
 Explain UCM’s Academic Policy including the consequences of academic
dishonesty, specifically plagiarism.
 Discuss ethics in technical writing.
 Develop technical writing skills to evaluate and critique peers technical writing
work.
 Apply the definition and implications of technical writing for a global community in
the writing process.
 Apply key elements of audience profiling in the writing process to help the reader
accomplish specific tasks to meet desired outcomes.
 Self-evaluate technical writing work using specific guidelines and writing skills
developed throughout the course.
 Identify strengths and weaknesses in peer writing in designing pages.
 Apply developing skills in grammar, usage and style in the writing process
throughout the course and in a professional setting.
 Create different types of technical writing products that meet professional
standards.
 Apply appropriate APA or MLA guidelines in the writing process.
Across COURSE OBJECTIVES – The Gregg Reference Manual
(also listed in each week’s assignments in Blackboard)
 Self-evaluate current skill level in grammar, usage and style to determine
strengths and weaknesses.
 Apply the appropriate grammar, style and usage in the following areas:
CTE 3060 Online Summer 2013
1. Punctuation marks to include the period, question mark, exclamation point,
comma, quotation marks, colon and semi-colon.
2. Capitalization
3. Numbers
4. Abbreviations
5. Plurals
6. Possessives
7. Spelling
8. Choosing the Right Word
Meeting Times: QM Standard 1.2 - Structure
The online course, Technical Writing, will be asynchronous. There will be no required
online meeting times. Each week’s assignments will be posted at 12:00 a.m. on or before
Monday morning and close on the following Sunday evening at 11:59 p.m. You will
receive an email announcement when each Week’s Assignments have been posted in
Blackboard.
Grading Schedule and Feedback QM Standard 5.3
In general, work will be graded and extensive feedback provided within 7-10 days of the
assignment’s due date. Since this course is writing intensive, some papers will take
longer to grade. The Gregg homework is set up in quizzes and you will be provided
immediate feedback after submitting the quiz. You may take each Gregg quiz up to 3
times to increase your score by self-remediating. The last score will be the score
recorded in the grade book.
Locating grades, feedback and graded submission in Blackboard
1. Click on ‘Course Tools’ located in the left panel of Bb.
2. Click on ‘My Grades’
Note: If your grade is underlined, your graded submission is attached with
feedback and tracked changes. The comments to the right side of your grade will
direct you to view the attached file or provide general feedback.
GRADING POLICY: QM Standard 3.2
The course grade is based on two primary factors: formal written assignments and
exams. Your final grade is determined by a percentage of the total points earned:
90-100%
=
A
80-89%
=
B
70-79%
=
C
60-69%
=
D
<60%
=
F
Important Grading Note: Students receiving less than an 80% on any written work may
request to resubmit the assignment after receiving help from the Writing Center. The
assignment must be resubmitted within 14 days of the grade being posted. The student
may receive up to a 10% increase in their grade by following this process and procedure.
LATE WORK: All work is expected to be submitted by the DUE date/time listed in the each
Units’ Assignment Folder.
Late work will automatically be reduced by 10% each 24 hours thereafter for a total
of 5 days. After 5 calendar days, the assignment cannot be turned in for any points
and is subject to a zero ‘0’ unless the student contacts me with good cause for
tardiness.
CTE 3060 Online Summer 2013
ACADEMIC HONESTY: QM Standard 1.4
You should be aware of what actions violate the standards of academic honesty,
which have been established by the University. Please refer to the Student Handbook at:
http://www.ucmo.edu/nursing/documents/nursingstudenthandbook.pdf
Note: Plagiarism is a form of cheating. It is claiming a thought or idea as your
own when it was actually set forth by someone else. In a paper or presentation,
it is assumed that all information originated with you unless you state otherwise.
If ideas or thoughts originate with another person, cite that source in your papers
and presentations. Do not present another person’s work as your own.
Review the ‘Netiquette’ document by clicking on the ‘Course Document’ button
on the course home page. Netiquette refers to appropriate etiquette used in a
web environment, net + etiquette = netiquette. QM Standard 1.4 (actually
located in the course)
ADA COMPLIANCE: Special Accommodations QM Standard 7.2
Institution Disability Services
University of Central Missouri Office of Accessibility Services, ADA/504
Office: Elliot Union 222
Warrensburg, MO 64093
Contact: Barbara Mayfield
Website: www.ucmo.edu/access mayfield@ucmo.edu
Phone: (660) 543‐4421
FAX: (660) 543‐4724 voice
UCM’s Learning Management System meets ADA Compliance standards. For more
information visit their Compliance website: Blackboard’s Commitment to Accessibility
http://www.blackboard.com/Teaching-Learning/Learn-Resources/Accessibility.aspx
NOTE: Additional information regarding UCM’s Office of Accessibility Services and
Mission and Philosophy and Blackboard’s compliance information, click on the ‘Syllabus’
button on the course home page to view ‘ADA Compliance Information for Students with
Disabilities. QM Standard 8.1
WRITING CENTER ASSISTANCE: QM Standard 7.3
Important Grading Note: Students receiving less than an 80% on any written work may
request to resubmit the assignment after receiving help from the Writing Center. The
assignment must be resubmitted within 14 days of the grade being posted. The student
may receive up to a 10% increase in their grade by following this process and procedure.
The Center is available to all Central students. It is located the Student Success Center
in the JCK Library, third floor. Email contact is: writingcenter@ucmo.edu
Phone: (660)543-4367 or see http://www.ucmo.edu/ae/writing/
OWL is the Online Writing Center offering online writing assistance for UCM students.
http://www.ucmo.edu/ae/writing/owl.cfm (available fall and spring only)
To receive online help with a paper at any stage in the writing process, send it to the
Writing Center at the address listed at the bottom of the page. Read carefully the
instructions for sending a paper via email and note what kinds of instruction Writing
Center faculty can offer.
For quick questions regarding grammar usage, or spelling, you may call the
Grammar Hotline at (660) 543-4367. Please be aware that technical writing is a specialty
within the field of writing. The “rules” of technical writing may differ from other forms of
CTE 3060 Online Summer 2013
writing.
NOTE: Correct spelling and good grammatical construction are essential to your success in all
written work. See point deduction scale on page 5.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
1. Weekly Study Guides, Questions or Quizzes over a chapter must be submitted for grading to
master the chapter material in preparation for the written work. Reading the chapter is essential to
acquiring the knowledge needed to be a successful technical writer and to complete the
accompanying assignments associated with each chapter and meet the course objectives.
 Submission of each chapter’s study guide or the associated assignment indicating
mastery is mandatory for passing the course. Some chapters do not have a study guide
but is clearly indicated in the weekly assignment folder. Mastery is measured by a
specific assignment.
2. Assignments and Examinations: There will be Gregg quizzes throughout the semester with a
final Gregg Exam worth 200 points. The content from the textbook will be covered through
multiple projects (writing assignments) where knowledge is applied and scored according to its
application and student mastery of each chapter’s topics and content.
3. Participation and Discussion: The Discussion Board and File Exchange will be used to share
information and exchange ideas on specific topics that are relevant to the content. Follow the
posting guidelines to receive full credit. Read the directions carefully so that work that will be
reviewed by your student peers is located in the appropriate location (file exchange or discussion
board) AND in the assignment located in the weekly assignment folder.

Posting to the discussion boards and replying in a timely manner is necessary to receive
full credit. This also applies to depositing peer review items in the File Exchange. No
credit will be received for peer-review items that are not posted in the File Exchange by
the due dates. Your peers cannot review what is not there.
4. Writing Assignments: Each week’s assignment folder will contain specific writing assignment(s)
that should be completed and submitted with the rest of the week’s assignments by 11:55 p.m. on
the following Sunday evening. Most, but not all chapters will contain a study guide that you will
complete along with each week’s assignments.
 Please view the Weekly Assignments’ Schedule for the semester. The link is below the
syllabus document link.
 Please continue reading. The next page contains important information about point
deductions for spelling, grammar and how to name your files before submitting them in
the assignments mode in Blackboard.
CTE 3060 Online Summer 2013
For all assignments the following requirements apply:

Correct spelling and correct grammatical construction are essential to your success in all
written work. I expect the documents you submit to be completely free of major grammatical
and mechanical errors and substantially free of minor grammatical and mechanical errors.
You should understand that grammatical and mechanical correctness are two of the major
standards by which your documents will be judged in the workplace. Because this is true, the
same standards will apply in this course. Deductions for course writing assignments will be
made according to the following scale:
Grammar, major spelling (“wrong words”
or red underlined words in Word), or
mechanics-related problems:
2 point deduction for each
occurrence
Punctuation or other minor problems:
1 point deduction for
each occurrence
NAMING ALL SUBMITTED WORK: (failure to use the correct file naming convention below will
result in 2 point deduction)
 Be sure your work is clearly identified with your last name, week and assignment type
 (eg. Tally_W1_Writing_Assignment_1 or Tally_W2_Article_Review, or
Tally_Ch1_Studyguide. You may shorten these file names if you choose to Tally_W2_AR).
W for Week, CH for Chapter, AR for Article Review, SG for Study guide, WA1 for Writing
Assignment 1
 KEY – put your last name first and use underscores to replace ANY spaces.
 All assignments must be your own work. Copying and pasting together from multiple
sources is still plagiarism. Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated.
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