Course Description

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• Intensive study of and practice in professional settings.
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• Focus on the types of documents necessary to make decisions and take action on the job, such as proposals, reports, instructions, policies and procedures, e-mail messages, letters, and descriptions of products and services.
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• Practice individual and collaborative processes involved in the creation of ethical and efficient documents.
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Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will:

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1. Recognize, analyze, and accommodate diverse audiences.
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2. Produce documents appropriate to audience, purpose, and genre.
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3. Analyze the ethical responsibilities involved in technical communication.
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4. Locate, evaluate, and incorporate pertinent information.
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5. Develop verbal, visual, and multimedia materials as necessary, in individual and/or collaborative projects, as appropriate.
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6. Edit for appropriate style, including attention to word choice, sentence structure, punctuation, and spelling.
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7. Design and test documents for easy reading and navigation.
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In addition to the learning outcomes, students will work in small teams to produce a researched analytical report that uses both text and visuals.

Students Rights and Responsibilities

Log in using the AC Connect Portal

In order to receive your AC Connect Email, you must log in through AC Connect at https://acconnect.actx.edu .

If you are an active staff or faculty member according to Human Resources, use "Exchange". All other students, use "AC Connect (Google) Email".

Expected Student Behavior

All rules and regulations set forth in the "Student Code of Conduct" section in the current edition of the Student's Rights and Responsibilities publication will be followed in this course.  The handbook is available to students online through Amarillo College’s website (Search keywords “student rights and responsibilities).

Respect others: As the instructor, I am committed to treating students with respect and dignity and maintaining a classroom atmosphere that is conducive to higher learning, including the exchange of ideas from all students.  I expect to be treated with respect and dignity, and I expect you as students to treat each other with respect and dignity.  Any behavior that is disrespectful, obnoxious, or disrupts the class by any means will not be tolerated and will be dealt with immediately.  Methods for dealing with disrespectful/disruptive students meet the level of the disrespectful/disruptive behavior and include, but are not limited to, filling an official campus report, removing the student from the class for a day or permanently, and/or contacting the campus police to come to the classroom, which includes the filing of an official police report. 

Be courteous to students and instructor:

• Please turn off all electronic devices before class. NO PERSONAL CELL PHONE USAGE IS PERMITTED IN CLASS.  PERIOD.  USE OF A CELL PHONE WILL HAVE A NEGATIVE EFFECT ON YOUR COURSE PROFESSIONALISM GRADE.  If you have a legitimate reason for needing access to your cell phone, please notify me before class, put your cell phone on vibrate (no sound), and step into the hall to conduct your business should the need arise.  
• Please do not talk to classmates when the instructor is speaking or fellow classmates are speaking during a class discussion.  
• Please do not interrupt/talk over the instructor when she is speaking. 

Be prompt and attentive: Arrive before class begins, and stay until your instructor dismisses you.

Grading Criteria

Grading Criteria

Students are responsible to keep copies of all their work. When you turn in an assignment, be sure you have saved a copy and/or kept a hard copy. Save your work diligently and carefully.

Tutoring

TUTORING:  You can use SMARTHINKING (click), online tutoring available through the AC website.  Be advised that the Smartthinking tutoring service has a 2-3 day turnaround, so you need to submit work well before the due date to be sure to receive timely feedback from a tutor.

You are also welcome to visit the Writer's Corner (click) located in Ordway Hall to get help with your assignments. 

Also, feel free to call me or make an appointment to stop by my office.

Late Work Policy

Late assignments will receive a 10% penalty per day they are late (including weekends). Assignments are due at the beginning of class. I will not accept late work more than three days after the due date. If you turn in an assignment after class on the day it's due, it is late.I understand that technical problems occur and life issues sometimes interfere with assignments, but I am counting on your commitment to this class despite life's setbacks. Work on assignments ahead of their due dates. Save work diligently and carefully. If a situation arises that interferes with your turning in work in a timely manner, please email or call me before the assignment due date.

Attendance

Attendance Policy

Student responsiblities:

1. Attend all classes.  Since meet only twice a week, your attendance is important to your success in this class.  We will do a number of in-class writing assignments, and longer essay assignments will be explained and clarified in class. Absences adversely affect grades. 
2. Inform your instructor of an anticipated absence before the date.
3. If you do miss class, get make-up work from a trusted classmate. It is your responsibility to get make-up work and notes if you miss class. Please do not ask me after your absence what you missed. Instead, ask a trusted classmate, and I will provide further clarification if needed. Do not refer to the syllabus course outline for due dates; instead, refer to the calendar available through AC Online.

Regular attendance is necessary for satisfactory achievement.  Major writing assignments are explained in detail IN CLASS; you will not be able to "just read" your textbook to learn all aspects of each assignment.  Furthermore, writing issues that many students encounter are also explained in detail IN CLASS.  Therefore, it is the responsibility of the student to attend class and to complete all assignments.

It is the student’s responsibility to make arrangements for any make up work allowed (see late policy below) immediately after an absence. 

If you know in advance that you must miss a class, please notify the instructor in advance AND turn in early any work that is due on the day you must miss.

If you miss a class, YOU ARE STILL RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY WORK ASSIGNED IN CLASS OR DUE THAT DAY.  An absence does not excuse you from any due dates.  You can upload or email (check assignment sheet, assignment instructions in course content, etc. for information) your homework, papers, etc.

AND check the course content area on BlackBoard, and your email for any new assignments (please note that I do not always send out emails with assignment information).

Late Work:

All work is due on the date assigned.  Again, you can turn work in early if you know you must miss a class, or you can turn in using Blackboard if you must miss class unexpectedly.  

Homework and/or In-Class assignments:

No homework or in-class assignments will be accepted late FOR A GRADE; HOWEVER, even if you miss the due date, you are still responsible for completing the assignment and turning it in.

Major Writing Assignments:

For the assignments that require an outline, a rough draft, and a revised final draft, no outlines or rough drafts that are part of the major writing assignment are accepted late for a grade.  

Final drafts, with the exception of the last major writing assignment, are accepted up to five days late; however, the paper loses 10pts for each day.  Therefore, by the fifth day, the most the final draft is 50% of the total points possible for the final draft.  The 10pt late penalty begins immediately after the due time for the paper has passed.  For example, it a paper is due on a certain date by 10:00am, a paper turned in at 10:01am is late, and the 10pt late penalty applies.   

Withdrawal

If you consider withdrawing, please check with me first for an alternate plan that protects your investment in this course and gives you an opportunity to complete it.  Remember that the deadline for drops this semester is November 17, 2015.  Withdrawing early from a class could affect scholarship or financial aid monies.  Check with a counselor or advisor before you withdraw from any class.

Students are responsible for official withdraw from a course. Failure to withdraw may result in a grade of “F” for the course.  A grade of “W” will be given for student-initiated withdrawals that are submitted on or before the withdrawal deadline. Students may withdraw via WebAdvisor, by meeting with their academic advisor, by meeting with Advising Department staff or at any of the Assistance Center counters. Withdrawal requests will not be accepted by telephone.

Calendar

Additional Information

Instructor Feedback

I understand that my feedback on your assignments is important, so I strive to return graded assignments as quickly as possible, but you should expect two weeks before they are return.  If you have questions about the score you received on an essay or any assignment, I expect you to thoughtfully review the assignment sheet, my feedback, and wait until the next class meeting to meet with me to discuss your grade.

Feedback on your rough drafts may be given in several ways:  a final draft checklist that addresses the most common issues I see throughout the majority of the rough drafts, you and I discussing your paper in the lab while you are actually working on your paper, or individual comments made directly on your paper.  

Computers

This class utilizes Blackboard located on AcConnect.  Assignments, course announcements, emails, etc. will all be posted/sent through AcConnect; therefore, you MUST CHECK YOU COURSE EMAIL ON A REGULAR BASIS.  If I have posted or sent information on AcConnect, you are responsible for it.  No exceptions.

If you do not have access to a reliable computer with internet, please note that AC has an open access area on the fourth floor of the library.  Some computers are also available for student use on the first floor of the library.  Ordway Writings Labs #101 and #104 are available for student usage when classes are not in session in these rooms.  Please check Ordway Writing Lab #101 for the hours of operation.  Furthermore, your AC student ID gives you access to Amarillo Libraries that have computers.  

Again, YOU MUST KNOW YOUR AcConnect LOGIN AND PASSWORD BEFORE THE SECOND DAY OF CLASS, AND YOU MUST MAKE CERTAIN YOU ARE ABLE TO LOGIN.  Please have all issues with you Login name and password resolved before the second day of class.  If you are having trouble logging in, please contact ACHelp, IT or Student Services for help.

Although in class we will cover some aspects of using BlackBoard, if you are having trouble navigating BlackBoard, please refer to the BlackBoard tutorial videos located online in Student Resources. 

Tutoring

TUTORING:  You can use SMARTHINKING (click), online tutoring available through the AC website.  Be advised that the Smartthinking tutoring service has a 2-3 day turnaround, so you need to submit work well before the due date to be sure to receive timely feedback from a tutor.

You are also welcome to visit the Writer's Corner (click) located in Ordway Hall to get help with your assignments. 

Also, feel free to call me or make an appointment to stop by my office.