School of Communication Arts
College of Arts /
Unit Name: / The Electronic Text
Unit Number: / 100570
Important: It is every student’s responsibility to ensure they are correctly enrolled. Please ensure the University’s record of your enrolment in this unit is correct by checking your MySR record before the relevant Census date.
Teaching Period: / Autumn
Year: / 2009
Contents:
Section A
Section B
Section C
Section D
Section E
Section F / General Information
Unit Details
Assessment Details
Assignment Cover Sheet
Important Information, Policies and Procedures for Students
Additional Information
First point of contact for this unit is: / Name:
Dr Ray Archee / Phone:
0413 149-824 (M) / Email:
It is a condition of enrolment at UWS that students must use their UWS student email account when corresponding with UWS staff by email in relation to their studies. The policy item relating to this requirement is accessible at the following address :
Section A: General Information:
Unit Weighting
(credit points) / 10
Level / Masters
Pre-requisites / Nil
Co-requisites / Nil
Students are responsible for ensuring they have met all relevant pre-requisites and/or co-requisites for any unit(s) in which they are currently enrolled.
Units not to be counted for credit with / N/A
Assumed
Knowledge / N/A
N/A
Contact
Details / Unit Co-ordinator:Dr Ray Archee
Telephone:0413 149 824
Email:
Office Location:Building: BB, Room No: 122, Campus: Werrington South
Student Consultation / Thu 1-2, 3-5 during semester.
A time for face-to-face consultations can also be arranged by email. Email enquiries will be answered at regular interval during the week.
Mode of Delivery and Teaching Schedule / This unit is taught by way 13 x 2 hr p/w tutorials which are held in computer lab using vUWS and a specially designed website.
Attendance
Requirements / Regular attendance at tutorials and lectures is encouraged as irregular attendance may mean students miss important information, explanations and discussions. This in turn may impact on their ability to complete the unit satisfactorily. Class rolls will be marked during tutorials and an attendance sheet will be taken during lectures but please note that marks are not allocated solely on the basis of attendance in tutorials or lectures.
Essential Equipment and/or Resources / Nil
Occupational Health and Safety (Special Requirements) / Nil
Students should be familiar with the University of Western Sydney’s OH,S&R Policy which can be viewed at
The University of Western Sydney Occupational Health, Safety and Risk policy states that it is the responsibility of employees, students, contractors, visitors and others to ensure this policy is carried out and to regard accident prevention and safe working as a collective and individual responsibility.
Criminal Record Checks / N/A
Immunisation Requirements / N/A
Changes and Improvements to the Unit as a Result of Student Feedback / The University values student feedback in order to improve the quality of its educational programs. As a result of student feedback, the following changes and improvements to this unit have recently been made:
Initial face-to-face lectures (first 6 weeks) have been reinstated to provide an introduction to the unit plus foundation knowledge. We will also be using a set of specially designed writing flash tutorials to assist ongoing skills development.
Section B: Unit Details:
Objectives / The Electronic Text’s main objective is to explore the practical and social aspects of the phenomenon of electronic writing and hypertext from the theoretical standpoint of rhetoric and professional communication.
Outcomes / Upon completion of this subject students will be able to:
- Better understand the issues surrounding the development and dissemination of electronic texts;
- Explore the potential opportunities and problems in the reader-writer relationship involving electronic texts and their rhetorical purpose;
- Construct electronic texts designed for readability and usability;
- Use a range of textual tools and software programs;
- Effectively resent the results of research via an oral discussion paper;
- Manage a range of e-texts such as Web e-texts, electronic discussions, chats, SMS messages, and ‘blogs.
Content /
- Definitions and history of text, hypertext, hypermedia, & electronic communication;
- Exploring genres of e-texts - e-mail, computer conferencing, chat, Web hypertext;
- E-text authoring: e-mail, chat, SMS, Web hypertext;
- E-text as rhetoric, cognition, narrative fiction, and information;
- Issues of readability and usability;
- Issues of management, design structure, and sequencing;
- Analysis and critique of hypertext and hypermedia;
- Cultural, social & organisational problems surrounding the use of electronic texts.
Student Workload / It is expected that students will attend tutorials and lectures. Participation in this unit requires that students will come to class having read the weekly tutorial reading and be prepared to discuss the themes. Assessment also requires completion of weekly exercises, some of which can be done in class. Workload hours would be approximately 8 hours per week in addition to tutorial attendance. This does not include preparation of assessments. All assessment items and tutorial exercises are available via the unit’s vUWS site. Readings are published in the unit reader which students are expected to purchase
Texts / There are no set texts for ths unit. All resources shall be available online.
Section C: Assessment Details:
Assessment Details / 1. Seminar paper/essay or report 40%, due Week7
There are several major issues of concern, which accompany the use of electronic texts in various contexts. The costs of electronic texts may in fact outweigh the benefits. Choose a single issue within a context (an industry or culture). What are the problems, and what solutions exist? (Outcomes 1, 5)
Seminar presentations will be judged by how well you clearly explain the issues involved in the topic, talk with no notes or with just a few prompts on cards, use visual aids such as PowerPoint and audio/visual content, encourage discussion and questions, enthuse the class about the topic and provide a useful handout, with references. Those who organise topical debate, drama, games or quizzes tend to enrich the learning experience more than those who are just talking heads. Make sure to prepare a handout for distribution during your presentation session.
The essay or report should fully explain the presentation in written format.
What marks can you expect for a presentation?
Reads from notes; makes mistakes or uses old, inappropriate research;
little eye contact; ill-prepared activity; inadequate handout, no participation Fail
Interesting content, clear presentation style, few notes, useful
handout, involves class in discussion; answers questions well Pass
Speaks to topic with few prompts; uses a mixture of techniques
to get the group involved; excellent handout Credit
Speaks from memory; uses creative techniques and new, local
research; outstanding participation; first-class handout Distinction
Work that is clearly the best, with all of the good points above, High
no obvious errors and a highly innovative/creative approach Distinction
2. Major hypertext project 30%due Week 12
STEP 1 Produce an original hypertext work of about 2,000 words. You may choose to construct either a non-fiction or a fictional work here. Write about anything that interests you. It can take the form of an article, a report, a review or a short story. Use hypertext to increase the work's scope and meaning. Use headings, menus, hyperlinks to other files, and websites, but minimal graphics.
STEP 2 Usability test the work using at least three other people. Ask them for feedback. Write a short report of 500 words, which summarises your respondents' opinions to the hypertext piece.
STEP 3 Package the assignment for distribution. Submit a URL (call it 'hypertext.htm') of the work, and hyperlink the short feedback report. You may also include a statement of intent re the hypertext work.
NOTE: Obviously some academic topics are probably going to attract more marks than "what you did on you last holiday". Be careful in your choice of topic. Some topics are going to suit the hypertext format more than others. (Outcomes 2,3,4,)
Your hypertext project will be marked on:
- Content – variety, creativity, relevance to the audience and its needs. The emphasis is on novelty, innovation and relevance.
- Audience appeal – clear purpose and appropriate style likely to meet the audience’s needs.
- Layout and design – consistent, easy to read, appropriate choice of colours, fonts and layout, appropriate use of graphics and visuals
- Editing – care with spelling, punctuation, grammar, consistency/appropriateness of headings/style, transitions, variety and structure of sentences and paragraphs
Create a set of exercises from the weekly tasks. Hand in a hard copy of these exercises in a professional manner with contents page, page numbering, references, etc. You may also place these online. (Minimum of 5 exercises) (Outcomes 2,6)
Please note: All portfolio exercises must be your own work and cannot be done in conjunction with a fellow student unless indicated by the question. It is your responsibility to ensure that others do not copy your work. Any student presenting exercises found to be identical to that of another student will be penalised.
Your portfolio will be marked on:
- depth and level of engagement with the exercise questions
- well written, carefully thought out answers with good examples
- care taken with editing – spelling, grammar, punctuation, referencing etc
- professional presentation – assignments should be either side-stapled or bound and include a table of contents. No plastic folders.
Assessment Requirements / A pass grade is not necessary for every assignment in order to pass the unit.
Formal Examinations / N/A.
Assignment Cover Sheet / Hard copy assignments must be accompanied by a signed Assignment Cover Sheet (see Appendix D and and submitted as outlined below.
Submission of
Assessment Tasks / It is not possible to submit assessable work to School Administration.
- All assignments are due in class on the dates advised unless advised otherwise by the unit coordinator.
- Assignments will only be accepted electronically as evidence of submission but will not be marked until a hard copy of the assignment has been received.
Generally:
- Assessable work is to be handed in during class times.
- Most CommArts units have locked assignment boxes allocated for submission of assessable work.
- Assignment boxes are located in BB, BJ and BD. If you are studying at the Bankstown Campus, the Unit Coordinator will advise on submission of assignments.
- Students are required to keep a copy of all written work submitted.
Referencing / The unit’s referencing requirement is the APA format. Full details of referencing systems can be found at: A full range of resources for searching and citing references is available at: A short APA style guide is provided in both the unit reader and on the unit VUWS site.
Full details of referencing systems can be found at: A full range of resources for searching and citing references is available at:
Resubmission / In the case of the newsletter proposal, students may be asked to revise and resubmit their assignment if it does not meet the required standards. The resubmission must be received in class the week following the date on which the original assignment was returned by the tutor. Where a student has been asked to revise and resubmit their proposal, a mark less than the pass grade will be recorded. This mark may be upgraded once the assignment has been resubmitted. If the resubmitted assignment is not received by the due date, the original mark will stand.
Late Submission / A student who submits a late assessment without approval for an extension will be penalised by 10% per day up to 10 days, i.e. marks equal to 10% of the assignment’s weight will be deducted as a ‘flat rate’ from the mark awarded. For example, for an assignment that has a possible highest mark of 50, the student’s awarded mark will have 5 marks deducted for each late day. Saturday and Sunday each count as one day. Assessments will not be accepted after the marked assessment task has been returned to students who submitted the task on time.
Extension of Due Date for Submission of Assessment Task /
- If students need to apply for a short extension of time to complete an assessment item, they should speak in the first instance with their tutor before the due date of the assignment. Pressure of other work is not considered grounds for an extension.
- Where special consideration is sought for circumstances involving more than three consecutive days or more than five days within a teaching period, students should complete a Special Consideration Application, available from the UWS website or a Student Centre
- Extensions will not be granted after the due date unless a Special ConsiderationApplication has been completed and received by the unit coordinator.
- An application for an extension does not automatically mean that an extension will be approved.
Where special consideration is sought for circumstances involving more than three consecutive days or more than five days within a teaching period, students should complete a Special Consideration Application, available from the UWS website or a Student Centre.
Return of Assessment Material / Your tutor will return assignments in class as soon as they are marked. If there are no classes (in the case of an end of session assignment), work may be collected from the unit coordinator at the commencement of the following semester. Any work not collected within 3 months will be forwarded to Records Management for destruction. Students are advised to submit copies of written work, and retain original files for reference. Alternatively, an appropriately sized, self-addressed, stamped envelope can be attached to your assignment and your marked assignment will be returned to you via post after the finalisation of grades for the unit.
Note 1: Marked work will not be available for collection from School Administration
Note 2: Students MUST retain an electronic copies of all work submitted and be able to produce these upon request by the tutor or unit coordinator. You are advised to keep copies of all assignments until after you have received your results for the unit..
WEEKLY LECTURE AND TUTORIAL PLAN
During weeks 1-6, lectures for this unit will be face-to-face. Thereafter they will be available as mp3 files online. Students will be placed in pairs and asked to present a brief overview of readings and lead the class discussion by answering a question related to the weekly lecture topic. The remainder of each tutorial will involve activities and exercises available online which should be done in class with assistance from the tutor.
Date / Wk / Lecture/Discussion / Tutorial
23.2.09 / Wk 1 / Introduction to subject. Electronic writing genres. Multimedia genres. / Using e-mail at UWS. Using Frontpage and other Web authoring tools. Beginning HTML
2.3.09 / Wk 2 / Using rhetorical theory to evaluate e-texts / The great media debate: Kozma vs Clarke.
Workshop: FTP’ing files
9.3.09 / Wk 3 / Electronic discussions: bulletin boards / Using the Usenet. Managing an online discussion
16.3.09 / Wk 4 / Electronic discussions: chat systems. History of chat systems. / Using ICQ, MSN Messenger, IRC, Webchat
23.3.09 / Wk 5 / Hypertext: history, development, genres, and futures. / Evaluating search engines
30.3.09 / Wk 6 / Theories of constructing websites. / Electronic CV’s. Evaluating websites
6.4.09 / Wk 7 / Research in to computer mediated communication/ electronic writing. / Seminars papers due. Essays due
13.4.09 / Wk 8 / Cultural and social issues re mediated communication/ writing: pornography / Analysis and critique of e-texts, hypertext, and other forms of electronic writing
20.4.09 / Wk 9 / Study Vacation – No Scheduled Classes
27.4.09 / Wk 10 / Mobile e-texts, new developments in broadcast messaging / Using SMS, PDA’s, mobile devices, and broadcast messaging
4.5.09 / Wk 11 / Professional communication roles and futures / Student work on major assignments
11.5.09 / Wk 12 / Video presentation, group discussion / Major hypertext e-text due
18.5.09 / Wk 13 / Culture and professional communication - guest: Conrad Ozog / Student work on major assignments
25.5.09 / Wk 14 / Analysis of e-texts – guest Monica Whitty / Exercise Portfolio due
1.6.09 / Wk 15 / Study Vacation- No Scheduled Classes
9.6.09 / Wk 16 / Examinations / Assessment Week 1 (Queen’s Birthday PH Monday 8.6.09)
16.6.09 / Wk 17 / Examinations / Assessment Week 2
23.6.09 / Wk 18# / Examinations (RESERVE) see important note below
Unit Name: The Electronic Text, Unit Number: 100570, Teaching Session: Autumn 2009 / Page 1 of 9
Assignment Cover Sheet
School of Communication Arts
College of Arts /
Session / Semester
Student Name
Student Number
Unit Name and Number
Tutorial Group
Tutorial Day and Time