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Technical Writing Syllabus

Technical Writing Spring 2001

Syllabus

Instructor: Teri Maddox
22 Broadfield
Trenton, TN 38382-2902
(901) 855-0564

Office C249--Hours posted on door
(901) 424-3520 or 1-800-355-JSCC
ext. 217--voice mail for message
e-mail address: tmaddox@jscc.edu

I. Course Description

Technical writing prepares students for the writing they will do in their careers. By preparing students' writing skills and developing their insights regarding readers' needs, reactions, and reading circumstances in the business and industrial workplace, this course aims to help students become confident, flexible, and effective communicators on the job. Prerequisite: ENG 111 (Comp I)

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II. Textbook and Supplies

Technical English: Writing, Reading, and Speaking by Pickett and Laster. 8^th Edition

A good, current college dictionary
A good, current writing handbook such as Harbrace or The Scott, Foresman Handbook
A large, three-ring binder in which you can keep all assignments and handouts
Loose-leaf, college ruled paper
At least three 3.5" HD Disks (a ZIP Drive Disk may be required near the end of the course)

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III. Course Objectives

This course helps students:
Write effective communications
Use strategies for reader-centered writing
Address readers' expectations and concerns
Use appropriate formats for resumes, letters, memos, reports, proposals, instructions, etc.
Follow processes for developing written communication
Design effective visual aids
Use sound design principles to create effective page layouts in documents
Locate/use resources to develop research

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IV. Requirements

Daily Assignments. 40% of total grade.
Quizzes, reading assignments, homework, classwork, class participation, attendance, professionalism.

Projects. (60% of Total Grade)

1--Definition. Due Jan 30. 5%

Give a 5-minute oral presentation to the class defining technical writing or communication.
Groups assigned by teacher.
Visual required. May be a handout, a drawing, a Powerpoint presentation, a chart, etc.

2--Instructions. Due Feb 20. 10 %

Learn a specific skill that would be useful to members of this class. How to make a chart in Powerpoint, how to set up a table in Excel, how to use a scanner, how to manipulate a picture in Photoshop, how to set up a brochure.
Try to pick a technology that you are unfamiliar with for two reasons. First, if you already know the skill, you will not be able to give instructions to beginners as well as if you had to learn the information yourself first. Second, you want to use this project to be able to learn something NEW, so stretch yourself.
Groups assigned by the teacher. Visuals are required.
Oral presentation.

3--Scientific Report. Due April 17. 25%

Working in teams assigned by the teacher, research scientific controversies and pick a topic to present to the class.
Prepare a report using visuals and good design principles.
Must turn in sources. Make a photocopy or print internet source pages and turn in with report.
Must have Reference List. Use APA style.
Peer review required

Individual Projects
Evaluation of Three Web Pages Dates TBA 5% each
Select three different web links to evaluated from my web page. Write an evaluation of each one.
Write a one-two page memo format. Single-space, block style. double space between paragraphs.

Final Exam--Portfolio Due Tues May 1 at 8:am for 8:00 class, and noon for 11:15 class. 10%
Present a portfolio of your work in an appealing and professional format to the class.

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IV. Grading Scale:

95-100 A
85-94 B
75-84 C
65-74 D
below 65 F

The A paper contains excellent technical writing, producing a highly efficient document.

The content and organization are appropriate for the intended purpose and audience
The design makes the writing attractive and easily accessible
The writing is clear and concise, using appropriate diction and standard American English
If the writing contains minor errors (an occasional spelling error or an error in grammar), the errors do not detract from the purpose of the assignment
The writer carefully documents the ideas and writing of others in an acceptable format

The B paper contains better than average technical writing, producing a usually efficient document.

The content and organization are usually appropriate for the intended purpose and audience
The design is good, creating a readable document
The writing is clear and uses standard American English
The paper may contain some errors in grammar and usage, but the errors do not interfere with the purpose of the assignment
The writer usually documents ideas and writing of others writers in an acceptable format

The C paper contains average technical writing, producing a document that somewhat achieves its purpose.

The content and organization are somewhat appropriate for the audience and purpose
The design does not greatly interfere with reading, but the document could be made more attractive and readable
The writing is fairly clear, but it contains problems with word choice and errors in the use of grammar that may require re-reading to get meaning
The writer makes some effort to document the ideas and writing of others in an acceptable format

The D paper contains unsatisfactory technical writing, producing a document that frequently fails to achieve its purpose.

The content and organization are not appropriate to the purpose and audience
Poor design makes the document confusing and difficult to read
The writing is vague, and errors in word choice and grammatical usage prevent the reader form understanding and using the document
The writer frequently fails to document the ideas and writing of others in an acceptable format

The F paper completely fails to achieve its purpose.

The content and organization are not suitable for purpose and audience
The design produces an inaccessible document
The writing is incoherent and contains many serious errors in word choice and grammatical usage
The writer fails to document material taken from another source

The NC (No Credit) paper does not address the basic criteria of the assignment

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V. Late Work

Projects and homework are due at the beginning of class. Students who are working on an assignment when class begins will receive a late grade. Late work will lose one letter grade for each day it is late. In a genuine hardship case, it is possible to submit work late without penalty ONLY if students obtain clearance from me in advance or can document their hardship.

You may not make up in-class assignments.

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VI. Attendance

Attendance is required. This class is structured as a practical workshop, and the discussions, classwork, and exercises done in class cannot be made up.

This class meets twice a week. According to English Department standards, a student may miss up to one week's worth of classes, excused or nonexcused, without penalty. After the second absence, the student's final average will be lowered by 1/3 for each additional absence.

If you do not attend class, you are responsible for what we discussed and any homework assignments given. It would be a good idea to swap telephone numbers with at least two people in the class so that you can contact them or the instructor in case of an absence.

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VII. Inclement Weather

In case of inclement weather, one of the following three decisions will be made:

Open on regular schedule.
No announcement on the radio or television means the college is open. Students should use their own discretion
Open on "Snow Day" schedule
Students should use their own discretion. Radio and television will be notified. Students should listen to a Jackson station for information. This class will meet from 11:30-12:25 on snow schedule.
Classes canceled (for severe weather)

Radio and television are normally notified in the pre-dawn hours of the day involved because it is usually necessary to wait until then to determine the appropriate decision.

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VIII. Conferences

Students are encouraged to arrange an appointment if the need arises. If regular office hours posted on my office door are not convenient, other times may be arranged.

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IX. Other Classroom Policies

l. For reasons of courtesy and sanitation, neither food nor beverages should be consumed during class.
2. Your final grade will be mailed to you be the college. In order to maintain confidentiality and accuracy, it will not be posted or available by telephone. Discussion of your grade is encouraged at any point during the semester.

A. Process-Centered Approach to Writing

It is very important to learn an effective, consistent approach to any writing task, so the emphasis in this course will be on working through the stages of a process rather than on the end product--the completed essay. This means that every essay you turn in must show evidence of a process: notes, worksheets, outlines, drafts, peer-critiques, revisions and the final draft. Those who compose mostly on the computer, and I am one of them, should print out all the starts, drafts, and revisions of major changes. No document will be accepted without evidence of process.

B. Computer Responsibilities

Bring your disks to class.

You are responsible for making and keeping a back-up copy of all assignments you submit.

The work we do in this class MUST be produced on a word processor using software that will enable professional-looking documentation. I recommend that any project work you do outside of our computer lab be done with the same software as is on our lab computers. Very often, complex documents opened in different programs, or even in different versions of the same program, lose original characteristics.

Two computers in Room 247 computer lab are loaded with the software we will be using (QuarkXpress, Photoshop, and Word).

No food or drinks are permitted in any of these computer labs. No software my be loaded on or removed from computers, and you may not reconfigure computer settings in any way without approval from me.

All who use JSCC computer facilities must abide by the college's published rules regarding computer usage. Failure to do so may limit your access to such equipment.

The instructor reserves the right to clarify of amend this syllabus as necessary.

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Some important dates

January 12         Classes Begin
January 25         Last Day to Receive a 75% Refund
February 6         Last Day to Receive a 25% Refund
February 28       Last Day to File Graduation Proposals for Summer
March 16           Last Day to Drop a Course or Withdraw from College
March 19-24     Spring Break
March 26-April 6     Early Registration
April 13-14       Good Friday Holiday
Tues May 1       Final Exam for 8:00 class 8-10 am
                         Final Exam for 11:15 class 12:00 noon-2:00 pm
May 4               Graduation

Students with documented disabilities should meet with the instructor as soon as possible to discuss alternatives to normal policies.

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Research Links

About Technical Writing
http://technology.monster.com/articles/writing/
http://techwriting.about.com
http://www.hu.mtu.edu/hu_dept/tc@mtu/
http://www.io.com/~hcexres/tcm1603/acchtml/intro.html#about
http://www.tomshardware.com/
http://www.zdnet.com/
http://www.techweb.com/encyclopedia/
http://www.glencoe.com/norton/online/updates/2000/102000-5.html
http://www.synergistech.com/catch22.htm
http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/employmentarticles/stresspart1.html