Office
CCIT 236, Pod W
Office Hours: M-W 2:00PM-3:00PMTEXTS
- Online texts: These, of
course, are just a mouse click away!
- Tufte, Edward R. Visual and
Statistical Thinking: Displays of
Evidence for Making Decisions. Cheshire, CT: Graphics Press, 1997.
ISBN: 0-9613921-3-4. Available at Amazon.com for about
$5.00.
- Electronic reserve texts
There is no problem gaining access to the electronic reserve texts.
You will get the password and login on the first day of class.
Email me at glomc@DakotaCom.net anytime for
the password.
This course has as
its objective to aid you in adapting your learning
to your own specific field. You may customize this class to suit
your professional needs. Technical communication falls into a
wide array of fields, from teaching to engineering. While I will
need to see certain stylistic criteria in your essays, the choice
of
content should be yours.
Your first assignment: "Defining Key Words in Technical
Communication,"
is a 4-6 page definition essay that then applies these definitions to
argue for a certain way of thinking about technical communication.
Your "Grant Proposal" is a formally researched and completed grant
proposal. I hope that you take the option of actually submitting
this
proposal, once you have created it.
Your "Product-oriented Materials Project" is an opportunity to
create
a technical document of your choice and to test its effectiveness by
constructing a supporting Usability Report.
Your final "Technical Report" is a chance to show your
understanding
of the genre of technical communication and of the course
material in
general.
Grading Criteria:
Each project
is one fourth of the total semester grade. Class participation
will be factored into the grade for each unit. That is, peer
reviews,
class presentations, and project assessment memos ALL contribute to the
final grade on each unit.
90%-100%
= A
80%-89% = B
70%-79% = C
60%-69% = D
0 - 59% = E
Project Assessment Memos (or PAMS) usually deal with:
-> Audience/Purpose and the relationship of writer
and reader.
-> Assumptions about rhetorical situation
-> The writing process you used on each unit
-> Strategies used for creating approriate
text/material
-> Document design and organization
-> Reasons for including or omitting information
-> Problems encountered on the Unit
-> Strengths and weaknesses of the final product
I will NOT accept any assignment without the PAMS due along with
it. Specific criteria for each major assignment will be negotiated and
determined by the class before the texts are due. The three criteria
below, as outlined by Ryan Moeller, however, are significant:
* PURPOSE: How effectively does the document
accomplish the task it sets out to do?
1) meet its goals and the demands of its context?
2) solve a problem or address a significant
organizational need? help people?
3) provide a sound argument in support of its
Grading Criteria claims?
4) meet readers’ needs?
5) provide relevant, useful, and accurate
information?
* PRODUCT: How well constructed is the document?
1) orderly and coherent presentation of material?
2) effective design and formatting?
3) effective use of visuals?
4) professional tone and style?
5) conventional correctness?
* PRODUCTION: How effectively was the document
produced?
1) quality of planning, collaboration, research,
invention, drafting, editing?
You are expected to do your own original work in English
308. Whenever you borrow graphics, quote passages, or
use ideas from others, you are legally and ethically
obliged to acknowledge that use, following appropriate
conventions for documenting sources. To borrow someone
else’s writing without acknowledging that use is an act
of academic as well as professional dishonesty, whether
you borrow an entire report or a single sentence. An act
of plagiarism will usually result in an E for the course.
PAGIARISM & ETHICS:
All UA students are responsible for upholding the Code of
Academic Integrity, available through the office of the
Dean of Students and online at:
http://w3.arizona.edu/~studpubs/policies/cacaint.htm
In addition to following the basic principles of fair use
of others’ work and honesty and forthrightness in
crediting the contribution of others to your work, you
are expected to adhere to this basic professional
principle: treat others with the respect that you would
wish them to grant you. "Others" includes the people you
work for and with (classmates, instructors, corporation,
clients); the people you write to (audiences); and the
people you write about. All UA students are responsible
for upholding the Student Code of Conduct, which can be
read online at:
http://w3.arizona.edu/~studpubs/policies/studcofc.htm.
You are also to respect and care for the computer lab
resources we have access to. Please follow lab policies.
Throughout the semester, we will most surely encounter
numerous examples of the types of documents we will be
producing. Learn to apply the principles, but do not
copy or closely imitate the models. Why not?
1. Because direct copying from models could be
plagiarism.
2. Because not all the models are samples of good
Use of Samples writing: you could imitate a bad sample or an
ineffective tactic.
3. Because most of the samples are good in some
respects, not so good in other respects: you need to
develop the judgment necessary to discriminate
between effective and ineffective tactics.
4. Because even the generally effective models were
written for unique contexts different from yours.
To write an effective memo, letter, or report, you should
tailor your approach for your particular context.
Because your success in this workshop-style course
depends on in-class writings, discussions, and
conferences with your classmates and me, attendance is
mandatory. If you miss more than three class sessions
befofinal drop date, I will drop you. If you miss more
than three classes after the drop date, you will receive
an "E" for your grade (I will advise you to initiate the
Attendance and paperwork for dropping the course).
If you must miss a class, you are responsible for finding out
about what we did in class from a group member or a classmate.
Since many of the in-class assignments are collaborative and
depend upon your presence, you will not be allowed to
make them up (except for the PAMs which are required for
many assignments). A missed conference equals an
absence. For the university's policy on attendance, go
to
http://catalog.arizona.edu/policies/994/classatten.htm.
You are expected to produce high-quality professional
documents. A part of that quality is the appearance of
Manuscript your work. Neatness, visual appeal, and mechanical and
Presentation grammatical correctness do matter though they do
not by themselves guarantee that a document is well
written. Your assignments should be laser printed. Your
documents should have appropriate margins, spacing,
pagination, and formatting.
Students with disabilities who require reasonable
Disabilities accommodations to fully participate in course activities
Accommodations or meet course requirements must register with the
Disability Resource Center. If you qualify for services
through the DRC, please give your letter of
accommodations to me as soon as possible.
You will be required to write a variety of memos in
English 308 as part of your ongoing activity. Many of
your memos will be informative, and so you should be
aware of general rules for constructing an effective
memo. All memos need to take a reader-based approach.
By acknowledging both primary and secondary readers, you
will better understand all the possible purposes for
writing. This will also allow you to develop the
appropriate style, tone, and language for a particular
communicative situation. To create the most effective
memos possible, you should always try your best to
anticipate and answer all possible reader questions on
the subject of the memo, and you should always consider
your audience's feelings, orientations toward the
subject, purposes for reading the memo, and professional
needs. By taking your audience into consideration, your
writing will be more focused and better suited for your
purposes.
Writing Effective Memos
Theorist Ryan Moeller states that another part of considering
your audience is understanding the ways that you might format
a memo. All memos need an introductory paragraph that performs
two primary functions:
1. Answers the basic reader questions:· "What is this
about?" (subject)· "Why should I read
this?"
(purposes)
2. Introduces the body of the memo
Possible methods for accomplishing these functions may be
using:
* A vertical list of the headings used in the memo.
* White space which separates a preview of the body of
the memo.
* Words like "the following" or "as follows".
* A heading indicating what the body of the memo is
about.
The body of the memo should be carefully selected.
Material should be developed in terms of the following
questions:
* "What does the audience really need to know?"
* "Which details are not really important and could be
left out?"
* "Which details are imperative and must be left in
and even highlighted somehow?"
Details should be formatted so readers can read quickly.
One way to achieve this is to use vertical lists and
headings throughout the memo, allowing readers to find
material quickly and easily.
The closing of the memo is an important section. You
should never assume that your memo has answered every
reader question. Possible strategies that you might use
at the end of the memo include:
* offering to help answer other questions readers
might have.
* providing a phone number or e-mail so readers can
reach you quickly with questions.
* ending courteously, with "Thank you" or a similarly
kind closing.
I will be available in class, during office hours, and by
appointment to answer any questions that you may have.
Although I welcome your visits any time, I especially
encourage every student to visit me at least once during
the first two weeks of class. Please feel free to e-mail
me or to call me to arrange an appointment. (Please see
the contact page for my office location and office phone
number.) If you need to leave a message, please call the
English Department (the receptionist will leave a note in
my box).
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