ENGL3120: Pre-Professional Writing

Instructor: Dr. D.E. Haley Term: Summer II 2000 Time/Place: Burl. 204; M-F 11:30-12:25
Course Description: Prepare to suspend reality and enter the world of HalCorp, a fictional company that will serve as the focus for this course. We're compressing several years of employment into a single summer term. You will begin the semester as an applicant to HalCorp, progress through several company assignments, and end with a multi-media conference presentation based on your years of HalCorp experience. Working alone and in small groups, using the computer, internet, and multimedia resources available in the English Department Computer Lab, you will produce a portfolio of work that will be assessed as your final examination. Among the writing assignments and exercises that make up this class are persuasive letters, resumes, proposals and bids, project reports, and conference multimedia presentations. Along the way you'll learn about using the computer to extend the writing process and to facilitate process interruption; the importance of layout/format in technical and professional writing; research and collaboration via networks (and in the larger context of the internet); electronic writing groups; and writing for the World Wide Web. Although you will learn about computers and the internet as part of the class, the focus of the course is writing in a workshop environment.
Note: This is a UIT-intensive course.
Course Policy
Required Text
Class Assignments
Tentative Class Outline 		Course Grade and Grading Scale
About Portfolio Assessment
ETSU English Department
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REQUIRED TEXT

Lannon, John M. Technical Communication, 8th ed. New York: Longman, 2000.

Additional Materials:
(1) Internet Access: By the end of the first week in class, you must have established the ability to email me from somewhere other than the English Department Computer Lab. Generally this means you'll have to arrange for "dial-up access" to the internet (either through the University, if available, or through an Internet Service Provider).

(2) Internet Browsing: Since you'll need internet access if you are to check syllabus/course outline changes, and if you are to successfully complete all the assignments for this course, you'll need access to the internet as mentioned in (1), above. Email is the beginning; however, you'll also be "surfing the net" early in the semester.

(3) Data Storage: You'll need at least one 3.5-inch diskette for data storage; ideally, you'll have several on hand. I suggest that you keep your disks in a portable storage box (we'll discuss ways to protect your disk). Under no circumstances are you to attempt to keep all your information on the hard drives in the EDCL.

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COURSE POLICY

Basic Skills: I expect you to begin this course with rudimentary typing and internet browsing skills. Do not expect me to spend class time teaching these very basic skills.
Attendance: You MUST attend class. Exams, quizzes, and paper topics may be drawn from class discussion and other material not in your textbook. There are NO excused absences in this class. Notes from the health center, your therapist, faculty or staff in other ETSU programs, or others do not constitute an excuse absence in this course--please don't show me such notes. The ETSU English Department's policy concerning absences clearly states that three absences constitute failure in a Summer II course; due to the cumulative nature of this class, you will find it difficult to pass the course if you accumulate more than two absences. You may, occasionally, arrive late to class--by "occasionally," I mean once or twice during the semester. Repeated tardiness will be recorded as absence from class (scale: one absence for each two "tardies"). Note: If you must be absent from class in order to complete work for another class, or to attend or participate in University activities, you will still be "counted absent." NOTE WELL: You will receive an "F" for this course if you accumulate more than three absences. In addition, I will reduce your final percentage grade by five percent (5%) for each of those three allowed absences.
The Workshop Environment: Because we're meeting every day through the week, I've set up a workshop environment for this class. Keep in mind, however, that this is a class, which makes the atmosphere somewhat more formal than some other workshop forms. What this means is that you may not disrupt the class by arriving late or leaving early (without my permission), nor may you bring visitors (i.e., your spouse, therapist, or child) to class.
Email: ALWAYS begin the "subject line" of your email with the identifier, ENGL3120; I get a lot of email from list-serves and individuals, and may miss yours if you don't clearly identify yourself. The first line of the "body" of your email is for your name; although many email programs allow your full name in the "sender" area of the message, typing your name as the first line of every email to me assures that I'll know who you are, no matter what email program you use.
Electronic Communications Devices: Other than those we share in class, you will disarm any noise-making devices you carry (i.e., cellular phones, beepers, small children).
Plagiarism: At this point I expect you know that plagiarism is presenting in any way, deliberately or not, the work of another person as your own. The penalty for plagiarism is outlined in university policy, and I will strictly enforce it. All ETSU students agree to the University's Honor Code; if you're not already familiar with that code, I suggest you read it at your earliest opportunity.
Deadlines: These are NOT NEGOTIABLE. I will impose severe penalties upon work that is submitted late -- those penalties may include, but are not limited to, assigning a failing grade to the late assignment or reducing of final or late work grade.
Appointments: In most weeks you may visit me without appointment. You may also make an appointment to see me during office hours or at other times. I encourage you to meet with me as often as you need to. By the way, some professors consider failure to show up for an appointment to be evidence of a character flaw or "controlling personality."
Students With Disabilities: If you have a disability that should be brought to my attention, please have the appropriate University office send me appropriate documentation. ETSU has well-established guidelines for faculty and students to use in determining what arrangements should be make for students with disabilities.
On Professional Academic Behavior: This is an "upper-level" class. I am not your parent or guardian, nor am I a morals monitor. Now that these obvious points are stated, we can proceed to behave as adults. I don't care what internet sites you access (the EDCL does not keep track of users' internet sessions); however, when you're in my class you may not entertain yourself by using the computer for activities not directly related to this class. Neither may you change any of the desktop or system settings on the lab computers. I am not interested in discussing with you, in or out of class, issues such as restricting access to certain internet sites, private behavior on the internet (other than behavior that directly affects this class), or business opportunities involving computers, the internet, or writing. You may not use the lab for non-academic work; you may not install or use "chat" software or games in the lab, nor may you print out long, personal documents using lab equipment.

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ABOUT YOUR PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT

Your grade for this course will be determined via a programmed portfolio assessment. Each assignment will be assessed on a five-layer scale; at the end of the term, your portfolio of assignments will be assessed using a similar rubric. The point values for each assignment, and for the final assessment, will be distributed among these five layers. Each of you will have a file, in which you'll put your assignments and other materials as instructed--this is your portfolio. Although the individual assignments are explained in detail later in the syllabus, I want to list and explain, here, the five levels of grade that each assignment may receive:
V. Superior: This is a text that exceeds the requirements for the assignment. The text (and you should know by now that a multimedia presentation--including the oral portion--is a text) meets professional requirements: worthwhile content; sensible organization; readable style; and appropriate design, visuals, and mechanics.
IV. Acceptable: A text that satisfies most of the requirements for level V, above, or one that satisfies all these requirements but contains a reasonable number of mechanical errors that can be corrected easily.
III. Marginal: A text that satisfies some of the requirements for level V work, or one that satisfies all the requirements but contains numerous errors that will require extensive correction.
II. Possible/Provisional: A text that is barely acceptable, but that contains material I feel could be developed--with a lot of work--into a level-V text.
I. Unacceptable: A text that needs extensive revision to meet all the requirements of level-V work, or that has the type or amount of mechanical, rhetorical, or design errors that would distract readers. Texts that do not show improvement from first to final draft will also be assigned a level-I grade.

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COURSE GRADE AND GRADING SCALE

Grades for this class will be computed according to the following scale:

Projects (5 @ 15 points each)
Final Project (1 @ 25 points)
 75%
25%

For your semester grade, I follow the following scale:

96 - 100 = A+
93 - 95 = A
90 - 92 = A-
 86 - 89 = B+
83 - 85 = B
80 - 82 = B-
 76 - 79 = C+
73 - 75 = C
70 - 72 = C-
 66 - 69 = D+
63 - 65 = D
60 - 62 = D-
 Below 60 = F
 

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A TENTATIVE COURSE OUTLINE

As the semester progresses, this outline may change. Check your course outline regularly. The "Final Drafts Due" dates are particularly tentative; however, unless I tell you otherwise, these dates will apply.

Week One: Introduction to the Course; Email and Electronic Communication; EDCL Tutorial; Creating Your Portfolio; The Persuasive Cover Letter
July 11 -- Introductory Lecture
July 12 -- Technology Workshop: Setting Up Your Email and Conducting Electronic Communication
July 13 -- Workshop; Lecture: Preparing Your Persuasive Resume
July 14 -- Final Drafts Due for Project I
Week Two: Letters of Transmittal; Memos; Your Resume; Advanced Microsoft Word, with templates and formatting exercises
July 17 -- Workshop
July 18 -- Last Day to Drop with a "W"; Q&A Session for Project II
July 19 -- Final Drafts Due for Project II
July 20 -- Workshop; Lecture: Electronic Research and Other Preparation for Your Bid/Proposal
July 21 -- Technology Workshop: Demonstrating Sample Projects
Week Three: Researching and Writing a Proposal/Bid; Electronic Research Options; Citing Sources in a Professional, Electronic Environment
July 24 -- Workshop; Q&A for Project III
July 25 -- Final Drafts Due for Project III
July 26 -- Workshop
July 27 -- Workshop
July 28 -- Workshop; Q&A for Project IV
Week Four: Producing Reports; Case Studies; Outcomes Assessments; PageMaker; PowerPoint and HTML; Preparing for the Final Project
July 31 -- Final Drafts Due for Project IV
Aug. 1 -- Workshop & Tutorials
Aug. 2 -- Workshop & Tutorials
Aug. 3 -- Workshop & Tutorials
Aug. 4 -- Q&A Session, Final Workshop on Multimedia Conference Presentation (Project V)
Week Five: Assessing Your Portfolio; Preparing and Presenting Multimedia Projects; PowerPoint and HTML
Aug. 7 -- Conference Presentations (Project V)
Aug. 8 -- Conference Presentations (Project V)
Aug. 9 -- Conference Presentations (Project V)
Aug. 10 -- Conference Presentations (Project V)
Aug. 11 -- Conference Presentations (Project V)
Week Six: Multimedia Presentations (cont.)
Aug. 14 -- Last Class; Conference Presentations; Assessment of Final Portfolio

Aug. 17 -- Grades Available via GoldLink

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CLASS ASSIGNMENTS

Project I: Cover Letter

Project II: Resume

Project III: Proposal/Bid

Project IV: Report

Project V: Multi-Media Presentation

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Project I: The Cover Letter

For your first assignment, you'll write a cover letter to accompany your resume (Project II), in response to the following advertisement:

HalCorp, a multi-national corporation, seeks motivated individuals with technical or professional writing skills for entry level positions. Other requirements include [YOUR PERSONAL INTEREST HERE]. Job to begin immediately. Send resumes with cover letters to: D.E. Haley, World Resources Manager, HalCorp, 2000 Portfolio Drive, Suite 204, Johnson City, TN 37614.
Here are the steps in this assignment:

Step I: "Freewrite" a rough draft of your cover letter, including your qualifications for the job. You'll use Microsoft Word for this assignment.

Step II: Using your rough draft as a template, edit your cover letter and produce a second rough draft.

Step III: Here you'll meet with your small group, and will comment (in writing) on the members' drafts.

Step IV: From the comments you receive, you'll produce a third rough draft of your cover letter.

Step V: Using materials from lecture (and from your textbook), edit your third draft and produce your final draft.

Step VI: Staple together all the materials, in chronological order (with the oldest material at the back), and place the packet in your portfolio. NOTE: This will be a final step for each assignment, so I won't repeat this step in my description of the other projects.

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Project II: The Resume

We'll work on this project in class, via workshops and one-on-one work. You must use the "template" resume style (from your textbook)

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Project III: The Proposal/Bid

The Proposal Situation: O.K.—you’ve got the job at HalCorp. Now you’re a professional technical writer in the field of [INSERT YOUR FIELD HERE]. You arrive for work, first day on the job, and discover that you’re the ONLY tech writer in your department! That may be a good thing; however, your department doesn’t have the equipment you need to do your job. You have a nice, large office--with nothing in it except a telephone, a network connection, and three empty Diet Cola cans. You mention this to your new supervisor, Heesa Creape, and he tells you to write a proposal to purchase or otherwise equip your office. Since HalCorp’s stock is up 200 pts., you figure that the company can afford to spend as much money as it takes. Now you have to write the report.
     Project III and IV come together, in that you’ll write a Proposal/Bid for Proj. III and turn that into a Report for Proj. IV. For this project, you’ll develop a plan (proposal) for outfitting a tech writer’s office; that plan includes the costs (a sort of bid) for the materiel you’ll need.
The Proposal Audience:  Me. That is, Dr. D.E. Haley, who has been promoted to Vice-President for Development and Accounts Payable. You’ll bypass Mr. Creape (who is delighted). As V.P.D.A.P., I have a lot on my plate—and I’ve never heard of your department, nor have I ever authorized funds for tech writing offices or equipment. You discover this at the water cooler, where you’ve had several conversations with my secretary. This information gives you some idea as to the level of technicality, etc., that you’ll use in the Proposal/Bid.
Step I: Using your imagination and Internet resources (along with catalogs or other material you may have on hand, including material I may supply in the lab), you will create a list of the equipment (i.e., software, hardware, texts) you need.
Step II:  Draft #1 of your Proposal/Bid.
Step III: Small Group work; evaluation/review of Draft #1; Draft #2.
Step IV: Self-evaluation, using models your instructor will provide.
Step V:  Group work; production of Draft #3.Proposal/Bid.
Step VI: Q&A; print and submit FINAL DRAFT (due Tuesday, July 25)

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Project IV: The Report
 The Report Situation: Now that you've written your proposal (Project III), you discover that the "powers that be" at HalCorp aren't in any hurry. You are to write a report, including many details about the furnishings for your office that you didn't put in your proposal/bid. Here's where you get to do some research--and to furnish explanation that (1) establishes your authority as a technical writer, (2) justifies the purchase of equipment for your office, and (3) serves as your first real technical document for HalCorp. The company's V.P.D.A.P. plans to hire a number of technical writers to fill new positions in several departments; as we discovered during Project III, he knows diddly about tech writing, and he wants you to do the leg-work for him.
The Report Purpose: The V.P. wants a report that explains why specialized equipment is needed for a technical writer's office. He isn't interested in why the office should have a desk, or clock, or chair--he wants information about the considerable amount of equipment (and money) that HalCorp will have to commit to each such office. You've impressed him with your proposal; he considers you qualified to write this report, and expects you to furnish him with valuable data. You will take information from your bid, combine that information with research you conduct on the Internet, and relate your data in an efficient, usable way. Expect your group reviewers to comment on the usability and style of your document.
The Report Audience: Primarily the V.P.--and, as we've established, that's me. The level of discourse should be formal, moderately technical, and detailed.  
The Report Type: This is a solicited, internal, analytical report (see Chapter 25 in your text).

Step I: Gleaning. Here you'll "strip" the information you need from your proposal/bid, and you'll determine what additional information you'll need. Remember the M.A.P. points we've discussed. This information constitutes very Rough Draft #1.

Step II: Establishing Authority. Your report won't be believable if you don't establish yourself as qualified to give it--in other words, you must become an authority. You've already convinced the V.P. that you're qualified as a technical writer; now you'll convince him that you're an authority when it comes to purchasing equipment for a tech writer's office. Using information from your textbook (and from the Internet and lectures), you'll put together an introduction to your report. This will be Rough Draft #2.
Step III: Creating the Format.  Using material from the "General Model for Analytical Reports" (pg. 529 in your text), you'll form the sub-headings for your report. You'll also begin to distribute data among the sub-headings. You'll print out this information (with the previous stuff) as Rough Draft #3.
Step IV: Inserting Graphics. This project requires at least two graphics--you can "borrow" them from the Internet, or you can scan them from your own samples. In this step you'll determine the nature of your graphics; find and copy them; and add them to your work. This constitutes Rough Draft #4.
Step V: Polishing Your Draft. At this point you should have a draft of the entire report. You'll distribute your draft to your small group, garner and evaluate their input, and make necessary changes. It's very important, here, that you and your group examine each draft for readability, using the guidelines in your text (and the information I provide in lecture).
Step VI: Aesthetics. If Step V is analogous to washing your car, this step represents the wax job. You and your group will examine drafts for balance; grammar, usage, and mechanics; placement, size, and design of graphics; and other things that might interfere with visual coherence. You'll pretend that you're printing this draft on very nice paper--actually, you'll be using what we have on hand in the lab. The result of this effort will be your Final Draft, which is due Tuesday, August 1.
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Project V: The Multi-Media Conference Presentation
 The Report Scenario: We're entering a time warp, here: You've been with HalCorp for 10 years, and have received very high ratings on your employee evaluations. Your work has been so good that Dr. Haley, who has worked his way up to C.E.O., has decided to send you to a conference in your field.  You've got to come up with something to present; however, Dr. Haley's connections ensure that any topic you choose will be accepted for presentation.
The Report Audience: The conference will be attended by technical writers from a variety of fields; you may be the only expert in the area of your presentation.  
The Report Type: Your multi-media presentation will be of no less than 5 and no more than 7 minutes. You must use the LCD overhead display, and you must have at least one handout. 

Click this button to see the evaluation form for this project.

Step I:

Step II:
Step III:
Step IV:
Step V:
Step VI:
Step VII:
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Your Final Portfolio Assessment: Methodology

Step I:
Step II:
Step III:
Step IV:
Step V:
Step VI:
Step VII:

Tentative Evaluation Form for Multi-Media Presentation
(Scale: 1-5, ascending qualitatively)
Process:
1. Began with Clear Purpose
2. Command of Material
3. Creativity of Approach
4. Integration of Handouts/Visuals
5. Gave Sufficient Information
6. Clarity of Conclusion
7. Cited Sources
Product:
8. Quality of Handouts
9. Quality of Visuals
10. Gave Sufficient Information
11. Clarity of Instructor’s Copy
Presentation/Style:
12. Confidence/Relaxed Pose
13. Pronounced/Spoke Well
14. Good Posture/Eye Contact
15. Appropriate Gestures, etc.
The TOTAL POINTS will be divided by 3, to result in the 25-point scale for this project
 Superior (21-25 points)
Acceptable (16-20 points)
Marginal (11-15 points)
Possible/Provisional (6-10 points)
Unacceptable (0-5 points)

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