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Eng. 213 Technical Writing |
Dr. Klein |
Today's technical writers generate a wide variety of products for businesses and industries worldwide. No longer restricted to paper-based products, or to word-based communications, technical writers are called on to produce such things as technical manuals, online documentation, graphical user interfaces, multimedia training modules, and multimedia/Web-based business and marketing communications. No single college course can prepare students to meet all the communication demands of their jobs, but English 213 can help them learn to deal with technical information in a variety of useful ways.
English 213 is designed to work toward two purposes: 1) to help junior and senior level students learn to communicate technical information rapidly and accurately, and 2) to help students learn to understand and to negotiate the complex rhetorical situations in which they find themselves.
During the semester, students will learn about different communication theories, as well as various rhetorical and production strategies; they will strengthen basic writing skills (diction, grammar, punctuation, and compositional structure); and learn about the computer-based tools technical writers use, and how to use them effectively to improve technical communication. In the process, students will be encouraged to learn how to learn.
Students will also develop hands-on knowledge of Internet communication and research tools via the World Wide Web. Students will use email to ³talk² to each other regularly about their assignments, the contexts in which they write, and the strategies and tools they use to negotiate those assignments and contexts. They will, in other words, learn to use the technology to help them construct knowledge within a dynamic social context. A series of e-assignments has been integrated into the curriculum to encourage students to learn and explore. A special Internet listserv has been set up for this purpose. Students will be added to the listserv and be able to begin work on the Internet within the first week or two of class.
English 213 is a project-driven course. Each student will collaborate in a group on a major paper- and/or electronic-based communication project that will require in-depth library (and Internet) research and at least 5 pages of text (or the equivalent) per student. Students can work on traditional technical writing projects, such as analytical reports, instruction manuals, and science reports. Or, students can learn to write and publish a web site on the World Wide Web using simple programs. Students can choose to work directly with UMSL faculty and staff in actual client/provider relationships to develop a site that eventually can be posted to the official UMSL Web site.
Students will write a variety of memos and reports, send and respond to email, and complete a semester-long group project, which will have both written and oral components. Working on these assignments will help students learn how to communicate to different audiences for different purposes. Students will be encouraged to keep up with assignments and to make revisions as soon as possible of everything they submit them for evaluation. This strategy will help students avoid unreasonable demands on their time at the end of the semester.
Attendance: Students who wish to learn (and receive good grades) will make a regular habit of coming to class. If you choose not attend regularly, you will not learn as much as those who do, and will not score as well on your assignments. You must make a decision about the grade you want from this class and how much you want to learn.
The English Department's Attendance Policy states:
"Attendance in a writing course is essential, due to the type and frequency of inclass work. Although faculty members in the English Department's Writing Program recognize that unexpected occasions may arise when a student must be absent from class, such absences are not encouraged."
Therefore, the following policy will prevail:
You are allowed four absences this semester without penalty. Each additional absence will lower your final course grade by one third (A- to B+, B+ to B, B to B-, etc.). You will remain responsible for all material covered in missed classes. If you exceed the number of unpenalized absences, you should contact me as soon as possible to discuss your next course of action.Classroom Participation: Students must come to class prepared to think and speak.
Email Participation: All students must contribute regularly and at length to the EN213 listserv. Although this technology may be new and awkward to some students, participation in EN213 can help you deepen your knowledge about communication and improve your writing skills. Participation on the listserv constitutes 20% of your final grade, and so failure to participate may result in a lower final grade. I recommend that students commit themselves to getting the most out of this opportunity. You will be asked to include in your portfolios at the end of the semester a paper archive of the mail you send to the listserv. You will be responsible for keeping this archive.
Late Papers: No late papers will be accepted.
Professional Integrity: Students will be responsible for doing their own work. Any instance of plagiarism, cheating, or misrepresentation may result in automatic failure of the course.
Professional Quality: All assignments must be typed, and free of misspellings, typographical, and grammatical errors. In other words, all assignments for this class should demonstrate professional quality.
Final grades will be based largely on a portfolio of written work, which each student will turn in at the end of the semester. During the semester, I will review and comment on most papers, but I will not assign grades. These comments will provide a perspective from which you can revise for improvement. Please seek out my help with revisions, and not wait until the end of the semester to do them. Revisions are an important part of the portfolio. See ³Portfolio Assignment² below for more details. Final grades will be determined on the following point system:
Final Points
1. Portfolio: 40 pts
2. Group Project: 30 pts
3. Oral Presentation: 10 pts
4. Participation: 20 pts
5. Extra Credit Exercises: 5 pts
Final Letter Grade
105-95 A
94-90 A
89-87 B+
86-84 B
83-80 B
79-77 C+
76-74 C
73-70 C
69-67 D+
66-64 D
63-below F