English 379.01: Technical Communication
South Dakota State University, Summer 2010
Distance Education/D2L
Jason T. McEntee, Ph.D.
012N Scobey Hall; mailbox: 016 Scobey Hall
Office Hours: M/W 2:00-4:30, and by appointment
Phone: 688-4064 (my office); 688-5191 (main office); 697-8019 (home—emergency only)
E-mail: I prefer that you use my D2L e-mail address, but I also check
Should you have questions regarding this course, please contact me immediately through e-mail.
REQUIRED TEXTS
Lannon, John M. Technical Communication, 11th Edition. ISBN: 0205559573
ABOUT THIS COURSE
From the course descriptions: Engl 379: Technical Communication, 3 credits, offered Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters. Study of and practice in writing of a technical nature; expository writing will be stressed. Prerequisite: 6 hours of composition (Except for Engineering Students).
Technical Communication will help you develop skills that are practical to most workplaces. While the field of Technical Communication involves written, oral, and computer skills, this course has a primary focus on writing. Technical writing ranges from short memos and business correspondence to analytical reports, proposals, and specialized documents such as abstracts. The techniques you will develop in this course are designed to be generic in nature; that is, they will not always coincide with the requirements of every writing situation you may encounter in both the rest of your time at SDSU and in your current (or future) place of employment. I will emphasize grammar and style throughout this course.
COURSE POLICIES
CONFIRMATION: Do not forget to confirm your enrollment in this course via WebAdvisor!
GRADING: I grade with a standard grading scale: 100-90=A; 89-80=B; 79-70=C; 69-60=D;
and 59-0=failing. I will grade each assignment and exam on a point system. Each
assignment will have its own criteria for assessment.
I do not accept late work—if you miss a deadline, then that assignment receives a score
of zero (0).
PLAGIARISM: Zero tolerance policy. Two kinds of plagiarism exist: 1) intentional
(the representation of the ideas or words of another as your own); and 2) accidental (an
error in citing a source properly). Both are inappropriate. Accidental plagiarism will
affect your grade severely; intentional plagiarism will result in grade of zero on the
assignment, and I will prosecute to the fullest extent possible as instructed by the
university (which might include failure of the course, expulsion from the university, or
both). If you have any questions about citing sources, please see me before you turn in
an assignment.
E-MAIL ETIQUETTE: E-mail is an incredibly useful and important means of
communication. However, I do have some stipulations for e-mail use in this course.
First, e-mails need to be formally composed by including: 1) A clearly-stated subject line;
2) a formal greeting (Dear Jason for me, though it’s wise to ask your professors how they
prefer to be addressed); 3) a grammatically/stylistically correct, coherent, and concise
body; and 4) a formal closing and signature (Sincerely, XXXX). Second, e-mail is for
brief questions specifically related to the class at hand. I check my e-mail a few times
a day, but it is not my priority to stay glued to it 24/7. If you need to get in touch with me
ASAP, call me, or if there is an emergency, contact the department office at 605-688-
5191, leave a message with the office staff or voicemail, and they will make sure I get the
message.
Note: In order to keep up with the course proceedings, you must check the D2L course
page as well as e-mail on a regular basis—this means at least once a day.
ASSIGNMENTS:
Each is worth 100 total points, and completion of each is required in order for you to
pass the course:
Discussion Posts (10 at 10 points each)
Career Self-Analysis
Web-Page Analysis
Letter of Application/Résumé (each 100 points)
Analytical Report
Proposal (an extension of your Analytical Report)
Students in this class can expect to receive their graded assignments in a reasonable
timeframe, which means a day or two after they are submitted (perhaps three days if the
assignments are substantial in length (the Analytical Report and Proposal).
DISABILITY NOTICE: Any student who feels s/he may need an accommodation based on
the impact of a disability should contact Nancy Hartenoff-Crooks, Coordinator of
Disability Services (605-688-4504 or Fax, 605-688-4987) to privately to discuss your
specific needs. The Office of Disability Services is located in room 125, the Wintrode
Student Success Center.
http://www3.sdstate.edu/StudentLife/DisabilityServices/Index.cfm
ONLINE COURSE ATTENDANCE POLICY: Attendance policies do apply in the
online classroom. Faculty members determine the specific attendance policy for courses
under their direct supervision and instruction. Attendance procedures must be stated in
written form and made available to students on the first day of the course. Common
strategies for demonstrating “attendance” in an online course include login requirements
per week, an identified number of discussion postings per week, consistent contact with
peers and instructor, and/or other assignments as determined by the instructor. Also,
students are expected to login to their class on the first day of the semester.
For this course, I require that you check in at least once a day, if only briefly to check for
news and/or announcements. If you accrue more than five (5) days where you fail to
check in, then I will lower your final letter grade by one letter. I do not count weekends
as “check-in” days, but you should check in on weekends, too.
FREEDOM IN LEARNING: Under Board of Regents and University policy student
academic performance may be evaluated solely on an academic basis, not on opinions or
conduct in matters unrelated to academic standards. Students should be free to take
reasoned exception to the data or views offered in any course of study and to reserve
judgment about matters of opinion, but they are responsible for learning the content of
any course of study for which they are enrolled. Students who believe that an academic
evaluation reflects prejudiced or capricious consideration of student opinions or conduct
unrelated to academic standards should first contact the instructor of the course to initiate
a review of the evaluation. If the student remains unsatisfied, the student may contact the
department head and/or dean of the college which offers the class to initiate a review of
the evaluation.
COURSE SCHEDULE
June 1st: Read/Orient yourself to the course. Read Chs. 1-5 in Lannon.
June 2nd: Read/Orient yourself to the course.
June 3rd: Discussion Post 1 (Introduction) due.
June 4th: Discussion Post 2 (Potential Careers) due. Read/Write/Research.
June 7th: Career Self-Analysis due. Read Lannon Chs. 7, 8, 9, and 10.
June 8th: Read/Research/Write.
June 9th: Discussion Post 3 (Web-Page for Analysis) due. Read Lannon Ch.19.
June 10th: Read/Research/Write. Read Lannon Chs. 17, 18, 19, and 24.
June 11th: Read/Research/Write.
June 14th: Web-Page Analysis and Discussion Post 4 (Job Description) due.
June 15th: Discussion Post 5 (Analytical Report topic) due.
June 16th: Letter of Application/Résumé due.
June 17th: Read/Research/Write. Read Lannon Ch. 23.
June 18th: Discussion Post 6 (Analytical Report progress) due.
June 21st: Discussion Post 7 (Proposal Topic) due.
June 22nd: Read/Research/Write.
June 23rd: Analytical Report due.
June 24th: Discussion Post 8 (Proposal Progress #1—Sources) due.
June 25th: Discussion Post 9 (Proposal Progress #2—Preliminary Findings) due.
June 28th: Discussion Post 10 (Proposal Progress #3—Outline of Main Points) due.
June 29th: Read/Research/Write.
June 30th: Read/Research/Write.
July 1st: Read/Research/Write.
July 2nd: Last Day of Class—Proposal due by 5:00 PM.