Professional Writing Online ENC 3250.701/2 Contact Information: Prof. Daniel Richards Email: drichar3@mail.usf.edu Department of English Office: CPR 305 University of South Florida Skype: daninlakeland

Course DescriptionUSF’s Undergraduate Catalog describes this course as “an introduction to the techniques and types of professional writing, including correspondence and reports most often found in business, technical, and scientific communities.”1 To say this paints a picture with a wide brush would be an understatement, as professional writing writ large encompasses all forms of communication that exist outside of academic genres and artistic works. See the visual below that assists in conceptualizing the types of writing you will work on this semester:

Figure 1 Heuristic of communities of communication. Note that dotted lines are indicative of the overlap between communities; these are not unchangeable categories, but rather are guidelines.

1 Prerequisites for this course are ENC 1101 and ENC 1102 or ENC 1121 and ENC 1122.

CommunicationTextual and visual

ProfessionalFor peers, supervisors,

public

CreativeFor communities and public

AcademicFor instructors

Business(e.g., memos, reports)

Technical (e.g., manuals, design)

Scientific(e.g., lab reports, diagrams)

Where the work you’ll be

working on this semester resides.

The theme of this course is “technical writers.” Not technical writing, but technical writers. Your goal this semester is not to memorize a static body of knowledge about the field of writing; your goal this semester is to envision yourself as a technical communicator engaging in actual workplace practices. All modules in this course assess your ability to apply what you read in our textbook to the successful carrying out of actual technical, professional tasks. I am less concerned about testing your knowledge about document design than I am about assessing how well you design documents, for example. See page 5 of the Markel textbook for a more detailed explanation of the audience and purpose of technical communication.

All course modules are aimed at enhancing your ability to communicate effectively in workplace settings. In this way, you should see this course as an opportunity to hone and develop the skills that all employers will be looking for when you hit the job market in earnest; or, if you are already a working professional, then see this course as an opportunity to improve upon the skills you have already acquired.

Course ObjectivesOver the course of the semester, students will learn to:

-communicate technical information to diverse stakeholders, including general audiences, subject matter experts, and intercultural audiences.

-ethically and persuasively integrate the components of the writing process—planning, researching, drafting, designing, revising, and editing— to respond to technical situations and audiences.

-gather and argue with technical information, from primary and secondary sources, in both visual and linguistic formats.

Course Format

The entire course is divided up into eight modules, each with their own topic and task. Aside from the first module, all modules run the span of two weeks, are weighted equally, and consist of textbook readings, Blackboard quizzes, and student-produced compositions and documents.

Module 1: Correspondence: Emails Due: 15 January

Module 2: Document Design Due: 26 January

Module 3: Creating Graphics Due: 9 February

Module 4: Writing Effective Sentences Due 23 February

Module 5: Corporate Website Analysis Due: 9 March

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Module 6: Job-Application Materials Due: 6 April

Module 7: Persuasive Research Report Due: 27 April

Student WorkloadThe general rule of thumb for expected time allotment for a given university course is to spend twice as many hours outside of class as you do in class. Thus, 2.5 hours of class per week translates into 5 hours of time outside of class for a total of 7.5 hours per class per week. If you take 5 courses, this equals 37.5 hours per week (7.5 hrs x 5 courses), hence, “full time” status.

Since this is an online course with no exams or term papers, it is not unrealistic that I expect you to spend 7.5 hours per week on the assigned coursework if you expect to get a strong grade in the course.

Grading, Weighting Scales, and Late WorkAs with any course at USF, the letter grades are numerated as such:

A+ 97 and above B- 80-83 D 64-66

A 94-96 C+ 77-79 D- 60-63

A- 90-93 C 74-76 F below 60

B+ 87-89 C- 70-73

B 84-86 D+ 67-69

Students who tend to see this course as a “completion course” (i.e., mere timely completion of all tasks equals high grade) will encounter a rude awakening. For each module, there is a considerable amount of reading, concepts, and applications you are responsible for knowing and translating into practice. You are accountable for anything that is assigned in the textbook. When I am assessing your writing or design, I will be looking at the extent to which you are able to apply the ideas presented in the textbook to your own creations.

Each module will be assessed by the letter-grade system. For example, module 3 is out of 20 points but your grade will be a letter grade. If I deem your module 3 work to be a B-, then the number in Blackboard will read 16.4; if you receive an A, it will read 19.1; if you receive a C, it will read 15.1.

To emphasize the importance of reading the required sections of the textbook, each module has a corresponding quiz that assesses your ability to internalize the information being presented. Each quiz is worth 5 points, and with 8 modules, quizzes represent 40 points (10% of your grade).

Note that the weighting of the quizzes is not equally representative of the amount of points in the course. For example, the course is out of 190 points:

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Module 1 10

Modules 2-7, 20-30 points each 140 190

Quizzes 1-7, 5-10 points each 40

The quizzes represent 40 out of 190 points but are only worth 10% of your final grade.

Late work will be accepted at a penalty of one-third a letter grade per day. If your work is assessed as a B+, and your work is one day late, your grade will be lowered to a B; if two days late, a B-, and so on. Modules cannot be resubmitted for a higher grade. Late modules must be submitted via email. Quizzes close at the predetermined deadlines, no exceptions and no “make-ups.”

All modules will be graded within 7 days of submission; quizzes are multiple choice and are graded real-time through Blackboard.

Required TextMarkel, M. Technical communication. 10e. Boston. Bedford/St. Martin’s. 2012.

Email PoliciesBeing a student in a professional and technical writing course only heightens your responsibility to communicate with your peers and professor with utmost professionalism in all forms of electronic communication. All emails sent to me, your instructor, must have the following characteristics:

-pertinent title

-appropriate greeting

-clear sentences

-concise paragraphs

-signature indicating your full name and section number you are enrolled in

I reserve the right to not respond to any email that does not fulfill the above characteristics or that asks questions about the following areas:

-the timeliness of grading

-information presented clearly presented in the syllabus or website (you can ask for further clarification)

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Plagiarism Policy

Don’t do it. See http://www.usg.usf.edu/catalogs/0405/adap.htm for USF Undergraduate Catalog's definitions and policy. If you are unsure about the content presented and have questions or concerns, please contact the instructor.

Emergency PolicyIt is the responsibility of the student to monitor the Blackboard site for each class for course specific communication, and the main USF, College, and department Web sites, emails, and MoBull messages for important general information.

Disability ServicesStudents with a disability and thus requiring accommodations are encouraged to consult with the instructor during the first week of class to discuss accommodations. See Student Responsibilities: http://www.sds.usf.edu/Students.htm. Each student making this request must bring a current Memorandum of Accommodations from the office of student Disabilities Services.

Religious ObservancesYou can ask for extensions on module work for major observances of your religion. Inform the instructor at the beginning of the term when you anticipate the need for extensions for these events.

“Attendance” PolicyAttendance is mandatory in the sense that all work is due at the predetermined deadline. If you have a family or medical emergency that will require you to ask for an extension, then you need to contact me as early as possible so we can make adequate arrangements.

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