Technical and Business Writing Syllabus for 2023-2024
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Instructor Information

Course Information

COVID-19 Protocols

Recording Policy

Disability Statement

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As a student you may experience a range of issues that can cause barriers to learning, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety, alcohol/drug problems, feeling down, difficulty concentrating and/or lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may lead to diminished academic performance or reduce a student's ability to participate in daily activities. Amarillo College offers services to assist you with addressing these and other concerns you may be experiencing. If you or someone you know are suffering from any of the aforementioned conditions, you can learn more about the broad range of confidential mental health services available on campus by calling the AC Counseling Center at 806-371-5900. The AC Counseling Center website is https://www.actx.edu/counseling/ . Also, if you are in need of social services (affordable housing, utilities, transportation, food, clothing, childcare, medical/dental/vision, legal), please call the AC Advocacy & Resource Center at 806-371-5439. The AC Advocacy & Resource Center website is https://www.actx.edu/arc

Amarillo College Tutoring for Success Policy:

Tutoring for Success applies to any student whose overall performance in the course falls below 75%. The instructor will create the task in the Student Engagement Portal (Watermark) to direct the student to the appropriate tutoring service, which may be faculty- or SI-led, discipline-specific, and/or general. The tutoring service assigned, the due date for when the tutoring must be completed, and the amount of tutoring required are at the discretion of the instructor. Additionally, the task will alert the student’s success team. Students who do not fulfill the assigned tutoring task may be subject to program- and course-specific penalties that could result in a grade reduction and/or in not being allowed to progress in the course until the tutoring requirement has been satisfied.

Administrative Drop Policy

Students who do not attend class on or prior to the census date will be administratively dropped. Effective Fall, 2016

Student Withdrawal Procedures

Students who wish to withdraw from a course must complete all steps indicated on the Academic Withdrawal Request form by the course withdrawal deadline.

NOTE: Students who are attending Texas institutions of higher education, for the first time fall 2007 and later, may not withdraw from more than six courses during their academic career. This withdrawal limitation does not include dual credit or developmental classes (Senate Bill 1231 Rule 4.10.) For more information on Drop and Withdrawal Policies, please visit the Registrar's Office Web site.

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The Amarillo College Privacy Policy is found at https://www.actx.edu/-amarillo-college-privacy-notice , and applies to all Amarillo College students.  If you have questions about this privacy statement or you believe that your personal information has been released without your consent, send email to humanresources@actx.edu .

Course

ENGL-2311-MCC1 Technical and Business Writing

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: ENGL 1301

Course Description

Intensive study of and practice in professional settings. 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. Practice individual and collaborative processes involved in the creation of ethical and efficient documents.

Student ResourcesStudent Resources Website

Department Expectations

Occupational License Disclaimer

Notice to Students enrolled in an educational program for preparation of issuance of certain occupational licenses:

Students enrolled in an educational program in preparation for obtaining certain occupational licenses are potentially ineligible for such license if the student has been convicted of an offense. For further information, please contact:

Melodie Graves
Justice Involved Advocate
Student Service Center 117
mgraves24@actx.edu
806-371-5995
Make appointment at https://melodiegraves.youcanbook.me

You can also contact the Legal Clinic, or the faculty member in charge of the educational program that you seek to enroll in. The further information you will receive will include notification to you of your right to request a criminal history evaluation letter from the licensing authority in order to clarify your particular situation.

Hours

(3 sem hrs; 3 lec)

Class Type

Tech Supported

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

 

Required Textbooks

1. A Rhetoric Handbook, 5th edition 2. The Technical Writing textbook is entirely online through your Blackboard course--free of charge.

Supplies

Student Performance

Course Objectives

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will:

1. Recognize, analyze, and accommodate diverse audiences.
2. Produce documents appropriate to audience, purpose, and genre.
3. Analyze the ethical responsibilities involved in technical communication.
4. Locate, evaluate, and incorporate pertinent information.
5. Develop verbal, visual, and multimedia materials as necessary, in individual and/or collaborative projects, as appropriate.
6. Edit for appropriate style, including attention to word choice, sentence structure, punctuation, and spelling.
7. Design and test documents for easy reading and navigation.

Students Rights and Responsibilities

Student 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

Expected Student Behavior

 

The English and Cultural Studies Department takes academic integrity seriously.  Scholastic dishonesty, punishable as prescribed by Board policies, shall include, but not be limited to plagiarism, collusion, and cheating on a test or written assignment.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is defined as “using exact words from any outside source without using quotation marks or properly citing them; paraphrasing words from any outside source without citing them; or using research from any outside source without citing it.” 

Self-Plagiarism

Self-plagiarism is defined as turning in your own previous work to meet a current assignment.  This policy will be amended at the discretion of each individual instructor.  

Collusion

Collusion is defined as “the unauthorized collaboration with another person or by any other means, including artificial intelligence (AI) and computer translators, in preparing  work for fulfillment of course requirements.” Using AI like (ChatGPT or Google Bard) to create a document is considered colluding. The use of Artificial Intelligence on specific assignments is at the discretion of the instructor. 

Cheating

“Cheating on a test” shall include:

1. Copying from another student’s test paper.

2. Using test materials not authorized by the person administering the test.

3. Collaborating with or seeking aid from another student during a test without permission from the test administrator.

4. Knowingly using, buying, selling, stealing, or soliciting, in whole or in part, the contents of a pending test.

5. The unauthorized transporting or removal, in whole or in part, of the contents of the pending test.

6. Substituting for another student, or permitting another student to substitute for one’s self, to take a test.

7. Bribing another person to obtain a pending test or information about a pending test.

Statement of Consequences

If you plagiarize, cheat, or collude, you will face consequences. Ignorance of the policy is not an excuse. Any work produced in part or in whole through plagiarism, collusion, or cheating may receive a penalty up to and including a zero for the assignment.  After assigning a zero, a subsequent infraction will result in a meeting the head of the Department and possible expulsion from the class. Another incident will result in a referral to the Vice President of Enrollment Management. 

Our class environment is based upon a simple principle: I commit to treat you with respect, and you commit to treat each other and me with respect. We are all equally responsible for maintaining a respectful dialogue and attitude. Disrespectful behavior towards anyone will not be tolerated in this class.

Expected Teacher Behavior:

• At anytime, you may contact me to see about your grades.

• The best way to get ahold of me is to text me through my Remind app.  I will get try to back with you within 2 hours between the hours of 7am-9 pm on weekdays and 10am-7pm on weekends. 

• If you email me, I will get back to you within 24 hours, unless I otherwise note.

• I will grade everything generally within 7 days of the due date, though I usually get to them before that. (Unless I am out which may take longer)

• If you disagree with an evaluation or would like to have it explained to you, please contact me so we can discuss during my office hours or some other time that is convenient for us both.

Expected Student Behavior:

• Communicate, Communicate, Communicate.  I cannot help you if I don’t know what is going on.  I can’t allow you grace on something if I do not know what is happening.  I really can’t help you if I do not know what the problem is.  PLEASE, please communicate with me…email me…text me…give me a call, come see me during my office hours: those don’t work for you?  Make an appointment and we can have a zoom meeting at a suitable time for you.

• Due to the short, intense nature of this course, students are expected to keep up with assignments in Blackboard and attend ALL Zoom meetings or watch the recordings if you have to miss.

• Plagiarism will most likely result in a zero on an assignment, which may fail the student for the course

Behavior

CODE OF STUDENT CONDUCT: All rules and regulations set forth in the “Student Code of Conduct” section in the current edition of the Students’ Rights and Responsibilities publication will be followed in this course (see link above).

Be respectful and courteous.  While students are expected to express their own ideas and opinions in the discussion section of this course, students are also expected to use words that are appropriate for a classroom situation. No cursing, personal insults, or disrespectful language will be tolerated. Violation of this rule will result in the loss of points for discussion contributions

The discussion forums in this class provide a great opportunity for you to practice your technical writing style.  Proofread and spell-check your discussion posts, and check your posts and replies for clarity and accuracy. As with emails, avoid using text-message style abbreviations. In addition, proofread your posts for tone. A successful writer is ever-mindful of his/her audience, and your posts should be courteous and professional—even if you are disagreeing with a classmate. Discussion posts with numerous spelling and grammar errors an inappropriate tone will not receive credit.

For full discussion credit, your initial thread must be the minimum word count specified on the discussion, and you must respond to at least two classmates.

Grading Criteria

Grade Determination

Grades will be based on the following system:               

                A             89.5-100=high achievement
                B             79.5-89= above average achievement
                C             69.5-79= satisfactory achievement
                D             59.5-69= unsatisfactory achievement
                F              0-59= unacceptable 

Assignment Categories	Percentage of Overall Grade
Quizzes	10%
Discussions and Miscellaneous Discussions in Blackboard Journal activities Outline(s) Job Ad Analysis In class Assignments	10%
Major Writing Assignments Introduction Email 5% Proposal: A persuasive document written to your instructor requesting permission to research your careers for the employment outlook report and detailing your plans for the scope, methods, and audience of your report.  10% Employment Outlook Report Final Draft: Multi-page formal researched report that includes front and end matter. Report details the findings of your research about a career in a way that is clear, organized, and purposeful. 25% Peer Review Report: One-page report in memo format the responds to one classmate's EOR rough draft. Report makes suggestions for improvement as well as points out things the classmate has done well in his/her rough draft. 5% Letter: Application letter to a potential employer that describes your interest in the position and your primary qualifications OR claim letter to an organization requesting recompense for a purchase or service. 5% Resume: Document detailing your education, work history, and other qualifications for a potential employer.10%	60%
Final Exam Midterm Reflection (10%) and Final Exam (10%)	20%
TOTAL	100%

 

Assignment Criteria and Feedback Policy

A rubric is provided for each writing assignment that will set forth the criteria for grading.

Timely instructor feedback is important for student success. However, writing assignments often take time to grade, and I strive to give helpful comments on each assignment. To that end, I will make every effort to grade your written work quickly.  Major writing assignments will be graded within 5 days from the due date.

 

TUTORING:  You can use Thinking Storm, online tutoring available through the AC Connect.  Be advised that this 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.

At the AC MCC campus, you are welcome to visit the Writer's Corner (click) to get help with your assignments.

 

Assignment Submission and Late Work:

• Please submit each assignment in its designated place in Blackboard.
• Please do not send assignments through email unless I have specifically told you to email an assignment to me.
• Assignments must be submitted in .doc or PDF format.
• Save your work carefully and diligently. If you do not have a thumb drive, you may want to create your documents in Google Docs so you don’t have to worry about saving. If you work in Google Docs, you can save your work as a PDF or .doc file before you submit it in Blackboard.
• NO LATE WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED

Because this is a fast-paced 8-week course, you must complete assignments by the due date.  Please check the course calendar for specific due dates.  When you can, work on assignments ahead of their due dates. If a situation arises that interferes with your turning in work in a timely manner, please email or call me.

 

 

Attendance

Attendance

Because this is an 8 week course, it is important for you to attend every virtual class.  If you cannot attend, each class session will be recorded.  You will be expected to watch the recording to keep up with class assignments and due dates.

In-class assignments may NOT be made up if you are absent.

Last day to withdraw from the course: April 30

Calendar

Additional Information

 

TUTORING POLICY:

 

Office Hours:

Monday-Thursday: 9:00-11:00 AM

Other times available by appointment.