English 379.01D: Technical Communication

South Dakota State University, Summer 2011

Distance Education/D2L

Jason T. McEntee, Ph.D.

Associate Professor and Head

SDSU Department of English

018 Scobey Hall; mailbox: 016 Scobey Hall

Office Hours: M/W 2:00-4:30, and by appointment

Phone: 688-5191; 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.

REQUIREDTEXTS

Lannon, John M. Technical Communication, 12th Edition. ISBN: 9780205779642

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/stylisticallycorrect, 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 isrequired 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.

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

May 31st: Read/Orient yourself to the course. Read Chs. 1-3 in Lannon.

June 1st: Read/Orient yourself to the course.Read Chs. 4-6 in Lannon.

June 2nd: Discussion Post 1 (Introduction) due.

June 3rd: Discussion Post 2 (Potential Careers) due. Read/Write/Research.

June 6th:Career Self-Analysis due. Read Lannon Chs. 7, 8, and 9.

June 7th: Read/Research/Write.

June 8th: Discussion Post 3 (Web-Page for Analysis) due. Read Lannon Ch. 26.

June 9th:Read/Research/Write. Read Lannon Chs. 17, 18, and 23.

June 10th:Read/Research/Write.

June 13th:Web-Page Analysis and Discussion Post 4 (Job Description) due.

June 14th: Discussion Post 5 (Analytical Report topic) due.

June 15th: Letter of Application/Résumé due.

June 16th: Read/Research/Write. Read Lannon Ch. 24.

June 17th: Discussion Post 6 (Analytical Report progress) due.

June 20th:Discussion Post 7 (Proposal Topic) due.

June 21st: Read/Research/Write.

June 22nd: Analytical Report due.

June 23rd: Discussion Post 8 (Proposal Progress #1—Sources) due.

June 24th: Discussion Post 9 (Proposal Progress #2—Preliminary Findings) due.

June 27th: Discussion Post 10 (Proposal Progress #3—Outline of Main Points) due.

June 28th: Read/Research/Write.

June 29th: Read/Research/Write.

June 30th: Read/Research/Write.

July 1st: Last Day of Class—Proposal due by 5:00 PM.