ITEC 3290 Syllabus Fall 2021 PDF

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Summary

Syllabus for ITEC 3290 Fall 2021 semester...

Description

East Carolina University College of Engineering & Technology Department of Technology Systems ITEC 3290: Technical Writing (Section 601) Catalog Description:

Practice in writing about technical problems of significance to student.

Diversity Statement:

The College of Engineering and Technology supports both domestic and global diversity education. ITEC 3290/Technical Writing carries the global diversity credit designation and addresses global diversity issues that impact writing in the technical field and in the workplace. The goals of courses that carry global diversity credit are:

Writing Intensive Course:



Students understand how cultural beliefs and values shape people’s perceptions and impact global decisions and actions.



Students apply critical thinking skills to evaluate global issues and events from multiple perspectives.

ITEC 3290 is a writing intensive course in the Writing Across the Curriculum program at East Carolina University. This course will focus on the development of writing skills. Upon completion of the course students will: 1. 2.

3. 4. 5.

Use writing to investigate complex, relevant topics and address significant questions through engagement with and effective use of credible sources. Produce writing that reflects an awareness of context, purpose, and audience, particularly within the written genres (including genres that integrate writing with visuals, audio, or other multimodal components) of their major disciplines and/or career fields. Demonstrate that they understand writing as a process that can be made more effective though drafting revision. Proofread and edit their own writing, avoiding grammatical and mechanical errors. Assess and explain the major choices that they make in their writing.

This course contributes to the four-course WI requirement for students at ECU. Additional information is available at the following site: http://writing.ecu.edu/. University Writing Portfolio Students in all writing intensive courses are required to submit at least one completed written project to their University Writing Portfolio. In this course, students will submit assignments using the Portfolium tool. The university uses these writing samples to assess the writing program and to make improvements where necessary. To report problems with Portfolium, contact ITCS: https://go.ecu.edu/Portfolium. By default, assignments that you submit to your University Writing Portfolio become part of your personal Portfolium website (https://ecu.portfolium.com), which you may use or not as you please. Be aware that you are in control of the privacy settings of your Portfolium site and should review the settings to ensure your privacy settings are set to your preference. Making items on your personal Portfolium site public or private does not impact your grade in your writing intensive courses. Your Portfolium account remains yours after you leave ECU.

Credit Hours:

3 Semester Hours

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Prerequisites:

ENGL 1200

Means of Delivery:

Online

Course Coordinator/Instructor: Carolyn Dunn, PhD, e-mail address: [email protected] Computer Requirements:

Students need to have reliable access to a computer and the internet. This course requires students to access course materials via Canvas. Details on computer requirements for Departmental programs and concentrations can be obtained from PirateTechs at http://www.ecu.edu/piratetechs.

Computer Applications:

Internet browser and reliable internet access are a must. Students will primarily use Word for assignments, although knowledge of Excel, PowerPoint and Publisher would also be helpful.

Course Competencies:

Academic Integrity:

The course is designed to prepare students in the skills and techniques necessary to prepare effective, efficient written material for the workplace. Upon successful completion of the course the student will:  Understand the differences between technical writing and lyrical writing.  Be acquainted with important culture-specific ethical and legal issues pertaining to technical writing and think critically about how these are shaped by various global and cultural factors, including: o Communicating with cultures with different ethical beliefs o Communicating with cultures with different laws  Utilize critical thinking skills to analyze and write for a particular audience and consider characteristics that impact audiences, including culture, age, background, professional responsibility and education. Specific global considerations include: o Understanding Surface Cultural Variables o Understanding Embedded Cultural Variables o Considering Cultural Variables as You Write o Using Graphics and Design for Multicultural Readers o Writing for Readers of Other Cultures  Utilize critical thinking skills to create effective charts, tables, and graphs and understand the important considerations for creating effective graphics in a global, multicultural environment.  Recognize the importance of completeness and attention to detail in technical writing and the importance of writing effectively for global and multicultural audiences.  Be adept at drafting various types of effective culture-specific workplace communication, including business letters, memos, resumes, instructions and technical reports that adhere to best practices for communicating with global and multicultural audiences.

Academic honor is a fundamental value of higher education and East Carolina University. Acts of cheating, plagiarism, falsification or attempts to cheat, plagiarize or falsify will be grounds for either a grade penalty or referral of the case to the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities for an Academic Integrity Board Hearing. Should the Academic Integrity Board determine that the student committed an academic integrity violation, they may assign a grade penalty and/or any other sanction allowed in the student Code of Conduct, up to and including suspension from the University. At a minimum, a “0” will be given for any assignment found in violation of the following Student Code of Conduct and a final grade of an “F” may be assigned. The ECU Student Code of Conduct may be found at http://www.ecu.edu/cs-studentlife/policyhub/conduct_code.cfm . ECU's writing Center, section on Plagiarism and the current ECU Student Handbook should be consulted for more information.

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ECU's Writing Center, section on Plagiarism: http://www.ecu.edu/csacad/writing/writingcenter/guides.cfm. Disabilities:

East Carolina University seeks to comply fully with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Students requesting accommodations based on a disability must be registered with the Department for Disability Support Services located in Slay 138. Contact number for Disability Services is 252.737.1016 (Voice/TTY).

For Additional Information, see Supplement to Course Syllabus (Below)

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East Carolina University College of Engineering &Technology Department of Technology Systems

ITEC 3290: Technical Writing Supplement to Syllabus General Information: Instructor: Dr. Carolyn Dunn Campus Address: G-329 Old Cafeteria Complex Email: [email protected] Phone: 252.328.9661 Office hours: M/W 11am-1pm and by appointment using Teams/via e-mail Texts: Recommended Texts include the following: Practical Strategies for Technical Communication, by Mike Markel, Third Edition, 2019. Bedford St. Martin’s Press. NOTE: There are several versions of this text – you can buy it in a loose leaf binding or a regular binding – choose whichever you like best. Supplemental References (recommended, but not required): A language and grammar guide of your choice. COVID-19 Protections, Considerations and Policies: As stated in ECU’s Community Expectations, by working together, we can keep Pirate Nation safe for a successful Fall 2021 semester. Therefore, we will be observing the following class policies related to your health and safety:  All students are required to comply with the University Regulation on Face Coverings. No student will be allowed into the classroom without a face covering or mask worn properly over both the mouth and nose. You must wear a face covering properly the entire time you are in class.  If you do not have access to a face covering, you may obtain a mask from Dowdy Student Store, Pirate Pantry, or another provider of masks.  Maintain appropriate social distancing in hallways or common spaces prior to and after class, and stay spaced as much as possible in the classroom.  Follow all posted signage related to entry, exit and pedestrian flow within classroom buildings.  Conduct a daily health screening using the CDC’s COVID-19 symptoms list. Do NOT attend class if you answer yes to any item on the list or if you are experiencing symptoms of any illness. In the case of localized outbreaks affecting our classroom identified by health officials, we will transition to online delivery for up to two weeks for your safety. Health officials will closely monitor conditions and may need to contact you by phone to help them monitor public health conditions. Please ensure your phone number is up to date in PiratePort. After this period of up to two weeks, we will resume on campus in-class activities. The temporary move to online course delivery will not affect the due dates for exams, quizzes, assignments, or any other form of assessment. If the course schedule requires adjustment, I will always notify you. If the course moves online, I will post all course materials and class meeting recordings, if available, on Canvas. Students unable to attend should access those notes and materials and contact me if they have any questions. The Canvas course will be used for all communications, assignments, and assessments. It is recommended you save on your computer and/or print a copy of the syllabus, assignment schedule, and other important course material. In the event of a Canvas outage, I will use email to communicate with you. 4

Structure of the Course: The principle types of classroom activities that a student should be prepared for in this course include the following: 1. Lectures: These lectures will expand upon, illustrate, and supplement the material in the text. They will be provided via Canvas. 2. Homework Assignments: Problems pertaining to the subject matter will be assigned during the term. It is the responsibility of the student to keep up with homework assignments. The assignment schedule and due dates are also designated in the syllabus study schedule and on Canvas. All homework assignments are due as posted. Assignments will be submitted via Canvas. No submission of late homework assignments will be accepted unless prearranged. Students who do not submit their material on time will be given a zero for the assignment. 3. Papers: Each student will have approximately five different types of workplace documents to write. All papers are due as posted. Assignments will be submitted via Canvas. No submission of late homework assignments will be accepted unless prearranged. Students who do not submit their material on time will be given a zero for the assignment. 4. Reflections: Each student will complete three reflections on their writing throughout the semester. Each of these reflections will be worth twenty points. Instructions will be provided. 5. Portfolio: At the end of the semester the student will revise selected documents into a portfolio that may be used as a sample of that student’s written communication skills. The portfolio will include a reflective memo and stand as the final exam for the course.

Grading Policy: All grades will be posted regularly on Canvas; every effort is made to have graded work returned to students and the grades entered in blackboard within 1 ½ weeks of the due date. Grade points are accumulated from homework, papers, reflections and the portfolio. You will be completing 9 projects for a total of 505 points. After all the points are totaled grades will be determined from the following grading scale: 94-100% = A

90-93%=A-

87-89%=B+

83-86%=B

80-82%=B-

77-79%=C+

73-76%=C

70-72%=C-

67-69%=D+

63-66%=D

60-62%=D-

Less than 60%=F

Evaluation Criteria: Each assignment will be given to you in writing with specific instructions on how to complete it. It is very important that you carefully follow the instructions for each assignment – not doing so will result in lost points. General evaluation criteria are as follows:

Grade A

Meets Project Criteria outstanding

Maintains Appropriate Style & Evidence of Types of Tone Revision & Editing Errors yes Thoughtful Few & minor 5

B C

satisfactory satisfactory

yes Not maintained

D

Not met

Not maintained

F

Does not meet minimum Lacks any evidence of style or criteria tone

consideration evident Some usage Some evidence of Some serious usage Little evidence of Serious usage Or many minor errors No revision or Many serious editing And minor errors

Communication & Contingency Plan: All communications from the professor and from the university will be delivered to your ECU e-mail address – it is your responsibility to check that account regularly. I will make every attempt to answer any e-mails within 24 hours – excluding weekends. Detailed Course Outline with Assignments (SUBJECT TO CHANGE): Week of 8-23 8-30

Assignment due

Document Analysis (10 Points)

9-6 9-13 9-20 9-27 10-4 10-11 10-18 10-25

11-1 11-8

Writing a Readable Document (10 Points) Audience Analysis (10 Points) Research Topic (40 points)

Page Design & Graphics (40 points) Claim Letter (40 points) Technical Description (50 points)

Memo with Instructions (60 Points)

11-15 11-29 Finals Week

Technical Report (85 Points) Portfolios (110 points)

Topic for the week Introduction to 3290 What is Technical Writing? Ethical & Legal Issues

Chapters 1 & 3 Chapter 2

Writing for your Readers

Chapter 6

Audience Analysis

Chapter 4

Research Document Design Graphics

Chapter 5 Chapter 7 Chapter 8

Letters

Chapter 9

Definitions & Descriptions Memos Instructions

Chapter 14 Chapter 14

Instruction Work Sessions Technical Reports Technical Report Work Sessions PORTFOLIO REVIEW Portfolios serve as final exam.

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Reading

Chapters 12 and 13...