TW: Project Management1August 21, 2013

801-134Technical Writing: Project Management

Fall 2013

Course Information

Instructor: Rick Barribeau Office Hours: M______

T______

Office: Racine R222DW______

TH______

Phone:262.619. 6822 (School Phone)F______

262.619.6227 (FAX)

E-Mail:

Web Page:

Address:Gateway Technical College, 1001 S. Main Street, Racine, WI 53403

Text: None

Materials:Access to a PC or Mac computer system

Access to Microsoft Office, Adobe InDesign (optional), and Adobe Acrobat

Description:Students are provided skills and practice in developing and revising technical manuals to complex industrial or commercial specifications. Emphasis will be on the production of technical manuals from conception through research, writing, illustrating, layout, approval, and production.

Credits: 1-credit program requirement

Prerequisites: None

Competencies:Students need to master specific competencies in project management. The following competencies are promoted and assessed in this course:

Recognize the impact that a defined, managed, and dynamic process has on product quality and company/user satisfaction.

Recognize the relationship between an information product development cycle and a product development life cycle.

Create a process model that demonstrates project research, planning, development, production, and evaluation, as well as project risks, costs, and change management.

Apply the principles of unbiased, non-sexist, multicultural, and global communication.

Core Abilities:Gateway believes students need both technical knowledge and skills and core abilities in order to succeed in a career and in life. The following nine core abilities are the general attitudes and skills promoted and assessed in all Gateway programs; those followed by an asterisk are promoted and assessed in this course.

Act responsibly*

Communicate clearly and effectively*

Demonstrate essential computer skills

Demonstrate essential mathematical skills

Develop job-seeking skills

Respect self and others as members of a diverse society*

Think critically and creatively*

Work cooperatively*

Value learning*

Key Dates:Start/End Date: Wednesdays, 8:00-4:00 on 09.21.2013

Financial Aid Census Date: N/A

Student Drop Date:N/A

Instructor Drop Period: N/A

Last Student Withdrawal Date: N/A

Check In:To check in prior to the Financial Aid Census Date and to acknowledge your understanding of the syllabus, campus students must be present in class, and Internet students must post their Assignment i-d Introduction to the Discussion Board on Blackboard.

To maintain enrollment in the course during the Instructor Drop Period, students must have submitted required course assignments.

See the Gateway Student Handbook for details about how student drops, instructor drops, and student withdraws affect financial aid and potential refunds.

Information and Policies

The following policies will be followed in class. Additional college policies can be found in the Gateway Student Handbook. Copies of the handbook can be found on Gateway’s website ( or at Student Services.

DSS:If you have any special educational needs or concerns, please contact your instructor and the Disability Support Services (DSS)instructor on your campus. DSS instructors are as follows:

  • On the Burlington and Elkhorn campuses, contact Patty Nesheim at 262.767.5342 and Sue Stokes-Nelson at 262.741.8420.
  • On the Kenosha campus, contact Dawn Kaiser at 262.564.2570 or Barbara Yousefian at 262.564.2448.
  • On the Racine campus, contact Pam Herr at 262.619.6520 or Elizabeth Mulhollon at 262.619.6478.
  • For the Deaf/Hard of Hearing specialist, contact Lisa Sadowski at 262.564.2564. These instructors can also be contacted at 262.741.8492 (TTY).

Due Process:Should you have a problem with the class, instructor, or your grades, please follow the Student Due Process Rights outlined in the Gateway Student Handbook.

Internet Use: The Internet and social networking sites, including but not limited to Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, or Second Life, are not controlled by Gateway Technical College. While there can be educational value to these sites, there is potential for offensive language, adult content and situations. If you have concerns, please talk with your instructor.

Netiquette:All students are expected to maintain a professional tone in all messages or discussions posted to the Discussion Board or to email. It is imperative that the rights of all users of the Discussion Board and email are respected, and no one should be degraded, insulted, or discriminated against as a result of their comments or beliefs expressed as part of this course. All Discussion Board or email messages must contain the name of message originator. If you are using someone else's email account, your name must be included in the body of the message since it will not be part of the automated "From" line of the email. Failure to respect the rights of other students or the instructor will be dealt with following the policies presented in the Gateway Student Handbook.

Pandemic:Should there be a public health pandemic emergency, students are responsible for the following:

Being prepared and able to adapt if there is an unplanned absence (pandemic emergency). Students should be present when classes are in session and manage their time so that they can complete assignments and assessments on or before the date they are due.

Completing work missed due to an absence within the time frame determined by the instructor.

Participating in an alternative delivery method of instruction as determined by the instructor. The alternative delivery method that will be used for this course is Internet (Blackboard).

Responsibility:Students are responsible for their own learning and development. They have a responsibility to be active learners by attending class, participating in class activities and discussions, completing class assignments, and preparing in advance for the class session. The Gateway District believes every student has the right to pursue an education free from disruption, harassment, illegal activities, threats, or danger. Any student or group of students may be denied access to the classroom upon the instructor’s determination that the behavior impedes student learning and/or the health and safety of peers, self, or the staff. The district further believes that academic honesty and integrity are fundamental to the educational mission of this college. Thus, cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated and will result in course failure. Every student is expected to comply with the standards set and to be familiar with all the rules and regulations of Gateway Technical College (see Section V of the Gateway Student Handbook for details on Student Rights and Responsibilities).

Tech. Support:If there is a technology problem, please contact the instructor or the Gateway Technology Support Center by doing the following:

  • entering a support request on the ticketing system at
  • telephoning x3695 or 1.262.564.3695 or 1.800.353.3153.
Schedule

We will start with the following schedule. The schedule may change to promote learning.

09.21.13Introduce course. Discuss the need for a project management system. Discuss project management as it relates to writing. Discuss project management philosophies. Research project management resources.Review the project management model. Discuss the project team concept. Discuss project management articles.

Due: Assignment 1

Due: Assignment 2

Discuss the relationship between information product development cycle and product life cycle. Discuss quality. Discuss how to determine project deadlines, costs, and potential costs overruns. Discuss change control, time management, cost management, risk management, procurement management, human resource management, and communication.Discuss project verification. Discuss project validation and customer satisfaction.Discuss how to solve problems and how to manage multiple projects

Due: Assignment 3

Due: Assignment 4

Assignments

A thorough understanding of the grading guidelines is critical to the successful completion of this course. Please read carefully and contact the instructor if there are any questions.

This is an accelerated course that meets for only one weekend and that is based on working collaboratively in teams.Attendance is critical to your success and the success of your team. As a result, if you miss one(1) hour of class, you will be dropped from the class, resulting in an F final grade. Obviously, since we meet for only one weekend, if you do not attend this class, you will be dropped from this course. You are responsible for requesting any refund for the course.

In addition, poor attendance and poor participation are likely to affect your final grade indirectly since you will miss notes, directions, deadlines, and personal help on the various assignments. As a result you may complete assignments that do not meet required criteria, resulting in a lower assignment grade.

Adherence to deadlines counts about 10 percent of the final grade.Since deadlines are an integral part of a professional communicator’s occupation, deadlines have been established for all projects. In order to meet the deadline, all assignments must be in the instructor’s possession by the assigned date and time.
All projects handed in after the deadline will be marked late in day increments. The first late assignment will be assessed 1 point for each day late; the second late assignment will be assessed 2 points for each day late; the third late assignment will be assessed 3 points for each day late; and so on.
If at the end of the course any assignments have not been handed in, the final deadline grade will be a zero.

Working on classroom activities, working with other students on classroom activities, and contributing to classroom discussion counts about 50 percent of the final grade.

Assignments count about 40 percent of the final grade.

This class does not require a portfolio. One item from this class will need to be included in your portfolio the next time it is submitted.

Grading Scale (see grading matrix at the end of the syllabus):

Letter

Grade

/ Numeric Grade / Letter
Grade / Numeric Grade
A / 95 – 100 / C / 79 – 82
A- / 93 – 94 / F / 78 – 0
B+ / 91 – 92
B / 87 – 90
B- / 85 – 86
C+ / 83 – 84

Incomplete Grades. An incomplete grade is given only in extenuating circumstances. To request an incomplete grade, a student must have already completed 80% of official coursework and have a passing grade at the time of the request. The instructor and student will come up with a plan and timetable when unfinished work will be due. The incomplete grade can hold up a student’s financial aid for the next semester, resulting in financial aid probation until the course is complete and a final grade is given.

Mid-Term Grades. Mid-term grades will be available via WebAdvisor approximately seven weeks into the semester. Mid-term grades are a snapshot of your grade on the date the mid-term grade was entered. Mid-term grades do not appear on your transcript and are not calculated into your GPA. Instructor comments may also be provided.

Grading Matrix

Assessment Areas / Grade
A / B / C / F
Project Planning / Plan accounts for time, scope, and resource concerns. / Plan mostly accounts for time, scope, and resource concerns. / Plan somewhat accounts for time, scope, and resource concerns. / No plan is evident, or a plan fails to account for significant time, scope, and/or resource concerns.
Project Analysis / Writer has a clear purpose, covers the topic thoroughly, and meets the audience’s needs. / Writer has a purpose, covers the topic with good details, and meets many of the audience’s needs. / Writer has some sense of purpose, covers the topic with basic details, and meets some of the audience’s needs. / Writer does not have a purpose, does not cover the topic well, and/or does not recognize the audience.
Project Solution / Text meets all objectives. It incorporates all needed research. It is universally accessible. It ensures the safety of the audience. It is multicultural, inoffensive, and gender neutral. / Text meets all objectives. It incorporates most needed research. Most parts are universally accessible. It ensures the safety of the audience. It is multicultural, inoffensive, and gender neutral. / Text meets most objectives. It incorporates some needed research. Most parts are universally accessible. It ensures the safety of the audience. It is almost completely multicultural, inoffensive, and gender neutral. / Text misses key objectives. It incorporates minimal research. Parts are not accessible to all audiences. It might put the safety of the audience in jeopardy. Significant parts are not multicultural, inoffensive, and/or gender neutral.
Organizational Design / Organization is always logical. It allows quick access to information. It allows modifications. / Organization is usually logical. It allows access to information. It allows most modifications. / Organization is sometimes logical. It slows access to information. It allows minor modifications. / Organization is seldom logical. It is difficult to access some information. It is difficult or impossible to make modifications.
Written Communication / The diction, style, and detail are always effective for the purpose and audience. / The diction, style, and detail are usually effective for the purpose and audience. / The diction, style, and detail are sometimes effective for the purpose and audience. / The diction, style, and detail are not appropriate for the purpose and audience.
Visual Communication / Presentation shows creativity, appears professional, and uses the required visual elements. Format allows easy access to information. / Presentation is usually creative, appears professional, and uses the required elements. Format usually allows easy access to information. / Presentation is sometimes creative, appears professional, and uses the required elements. Format allows easy access to information. / Presentation lacks creativity, often appears unprofessional, and fails to use the required elements. Format disrupts access to information.
Content Development / A revision process has been used to remove all sentence skill errors, verify all content, and follow all guidelines. / A revision process has been used to remove most sentence skill errors, verify most content, and follow most guidelines. / A revision process has been used to remove some sentence skill errors, verify some content, and follow some guidelines. / An insufficient revision process was used. There are many sentence skill errors. Content is noticeably incorrect. Many guidelines are not followed.
Content Management / Writer uses tool efficiently and follows professional practices. Writer manages files effectively. Writer collaborates effectively. / Writer usually uses tool efficiently and follows professional practices. Writer manages files effectively. Writer collaborates effectively. / Writer sometimes uses tool efficiently and follows professional practices. Writer manages files. Writer collaborates to basic expectations. / Writer fails to use tool efficiently and follow professional practices. Writer loses files. Writer does not collaborate as needed.
Final Production / Student submits the required paper and/or electronic copies of the assignment. / Student submits the required paper and/or electronic copies of the assignment. / Student submits the required paper and/or electronic copies of the assignment. / Student does not submit the required paper and/or electronic copies of the assignment.