(representative syllabus; not current)
Business and Technical Communication (BTCM)
ENGL 2311: Spring 2006
Syllabus
Beth Eakman Strout
Email address: eeakmans@austincc.edu
Voicemail: 223-1795 box 25992
Office: NRG 4209
Textbook: Technical Communication by Rebecca E. Burnett
This course introduces students to the kinds of communication most often required in the workplace. Coursework is designed to train students to write clear, orderly, readable documents and implement professional oral presentations.
BTCM requires completion of ENGL 1302 (College Composition I) or its equivalent with a passing grade for entrance in ENG 2311. Students must demonstrate a good command of standard written English.
Portfolio Grading: Final grades for this course will be determined by the evaluation of each student's final portfolio. Students will periodically submit assignments for feedback* (corrections, comments, suggestions, etc.), but the assignments will not be graded until they are submitted with final portfolios. This allows students to revise assignments throughout the semester as they increase their skills. See Evaluative Criteria for specific descriptions of requirements for letter grades.
Note: I only provide feedback when assignments are submitted on the due date. I do not accept late assignments for feedback.
I do not take roll. You are adults and you are responsible for getting the information that you need to complete the assignments for this course.
Unless otherwise specified, all assignments submitted for feedback or grading must be typewritten on a word processor in a readable font. Please make every effort to use a 12-point or larger font size.
| January 18 | Introduction |
| January 23 | Grammar and style concerns |
| January 25 | Grammar and style concerns continued |
| January 30 | Memos: Introduce your classmates |
| February 1 | Memos due: Memos will be read aloud to class |
| February 6 | Letters: Information request
Your chosen profession most likely has organizations or societies for its members. For example, Technical Writers typically are members of their local branch of the Society for Technical Communicators. These organizations help members network, get information about their fields, and stay current in the evolving marketplace. Find the appropriate professional organization for your field and locate a contact person and contact information. Write a letter requesting more information about the organization and how a student might join. |
| February 8 | Bring first draft of letters to class for peer editing |
| February 13 | Resumes Letters due |
| February 15 | Resumes |
| February 20 | Bring first drafts of resumes to class for peer editing |
| February 22 | Cover letters Resumes due |
| February 27 | Promotional materials Cover letters due |
| March 1 | Bring first drafts of promotional materials to class for peer editing |
| March 6 | Summaries Promotional materials due |
| March 8 | Bring summaries to class for collaborative work/editing |
| March 13 | Spring Break: Class does not meet |
| March 15 | Spring Break: Class does not meet |
| March 20 | Summaries due: Group presentations in class (see Oral Communication page) |
| March 22 | Instructions |
| March 27 | Bring first drafts of instructions to class for peer editing |
| March 29 | Proposals Instructions due |
| April 3 | Proposals |
| April 5 | Proposals |
| April 10 | Bring proposals to class for peer editing |
| April 12 | Reports Proposals due |
| April 17 | Reports |
| April 19 | Bring first drafts of reports to class for peer editing |
| April 24 | Reports due |
| April 26 | Portfolio assembly |
| May 1 | Portfolio assembly |
| May 3 | Portfolio assembly |
| May 8 | Portfolio assembly: Evaluative criteria |
| May 10 | Final Portfolios due |
While this course primarily focuses on written technical communication, in professional situations technical communicators are frequently required to present their information orally. Workplace communication typically includes both individual and collaborative projects.
In order to gain classroom experience in oral communication, students will be required to present specified documents orally. These assignments are noted in the syllabus.
Summaries: Students will read and summarize the article “The Science of Scientific Writing.” This article is included in your syllabus. Because the article is long and somewhat complex, students will be assigned to peer-editing groups to discuss the article and outline its main points as a group. This will help students to more fully understand and summarize the article.
Proposals and Reports: Students should plan to present their Proposal and Progress Report assignments orally to the class as though they were presenting them to co-workers in a professional situation. Students acting as audience members will write brief evaluations of the oral presentations to give as feedback to presenters.
Background Information: A portfolio is a formal, hard copy presentation of the collected assignments that you have completed in this course.
Why Portfolio Grading Works: Unlike traditional methods of evaluating students' writing, the portfolio allows the student to continue revising his or her work throughout the semester as his or her skill level increases. Thus, the student's final grade is representative of the student's overall mastery of the subject rather than an incremental progress.
Benefits to Students: