English 3764 covers the principles and procedures of technical communication. This writing-intensive online course focuses attention on analyzing audience and purpose, organizing information, designing graphics, and writing such specialized forms as correspondence, instructions, and proposals. Junior standing is required.
Objectives
By completing English 3764, you will
- gain knowledge of technical communication’s rhetorical dimensions.
- learn to distinguish between effective and ineffective technical documents.
- write in several technical genres that use analysis, narrative, critique, persuasion, and argument.
- practice using the conventions of written, spoken, and visual composition.
- gain an understanding of the role of social media and visual rhetoric in technical communications.
- write and create texts in digital environments.
Required Resources
- Course Website: http://3764su16.tracigardner.com/
- Course Canvas Site: https://vt.instructure.com/courses/25863
- Markel, Mike. Practical Strategies for Technical Communication. 2nd ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2015.
- Virginia Tech Career Planning Guide (available online or in print from Career Services on the Blacksburg Campus).
- Additional required and recommended readings and resources available from the course websites.
- A reliable computer with working, dependable Internet access.
- A word processor or Google Drive.
Course Requirements
You must complete all major assignments and requirements in order to pass this course. All work must be submitted online, via Canvas. Your final grade is calculated on this distribution:
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80% |
Four major projects, along with related drafts and other artifacts. These projects (listed below) will focus on different kinds of technical communication. For each major assignment unit, you will be asked to submit preliminary drafts to be discussed online by the class. You should plan to revise these assignments extensively before the due date. There are no rewrites or revisions after work is graded.
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20% |
Participation (reading quizzes, daily course work, and discussion posts in Canvas). You will write each week, primarily in the Canvas Discussion forum. These forum activities include class discussion of readings and related issues, correspondence, peer feedback, and reflections. There is a quiz for each reading. |
Policies
Equal Access and Opportunity: If you need special accommodations in this course, please contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) in 310 Lavery Hall (above the Turner Place Dining Center) during the first week of the term to ensure that you have the resources you need. The procedures and forms you need are also available on the SSD website. I am happy to work with the SSD staff to make sure that you have the support you need. Documentation from the SSD office should be sent to me by the end of the first week of class.
Communication Guidelines: Email is the best way to contact me. You can email me at tengrrl@vt.edu. I do not respond to students at any other address. I try to answer student email within 24 hours on weekdays and within 48 hours on weekends and holidays. See Communication Guidelines for more details.
Participation: Class participation in online discussions and in all assignments is required. If you miss a deadline because of an illness, death in the family, or family emergency, see the Student Advocacy page from the Dean of Students Office for details on how to document the situation. You must provide documentation within one week of any situation.
If you have an issue that affects your ability to complete the course, you may qualify for Academic Relief. For personal medical issues, contact the Schiffert Health Center, and for psychiatric or psychological issues, contact the Cook Counseling Center.
Work Guidelines: All work and participation in this course is governed by the Undergraduate Honor System and the Virginia Tech Principles of Community.
Late Policy: My late policy includes a grace period that should cover most problems that come up, whether academic conflicts, illness, or a personal issue. You do not need to ask in advance or explain why your work is late. Just take advantage of the grace period, as explained below:
Discussion forum activities, quizzes, proposals, progress reports, and other writing: Every week, you will complete writing activities and/or quizzes that you will submit online. This work is due by 11:59 PM in Canvas on the day indicated on the course website. You may submit any of this work up to 24 hours late, but realize that you will lose the benefit of getting replies from your peers if your work is not submitted on time. You will receive a zero for any work that is submitted more than 24 hours late.
Projects 1, 2, and 3 as well Project 4 Proposal and Progress Report: Each of these projects will have a due date, a grace period, and a deadline:
- The due date is the day that your project is due. Projects are due on Mondays, by 11:59 PM in this course. Every student has a 48-hour grace period after the due date during which the project can still be submitted.
- The grace period occurs between the due date and the deadline. Work submitted during the grace period will be marked as late in Canvas; however, there is no grade penalty for work submitted during the grace period. Note that we will not work on the projects after the due date.
- The deadline comes 48 hours after the due date and is the final moment that Canvas will accept a project. You will receive a zero for any project that is not submitted by the deadline. There are no extensions on deadlines.
Project 4 (Final Exam): Your major report will count as the final exam for the course. There is no grace period or make-up option for Project 4. Your final exam must be submitted by the due date (11:59 PM on Saturday, August 13) so that I can turn course grades in on time. You will receive a zero if Project 4 is not submitted on time.
Religious Holidays: Please take advantage of the grace period explained in the Late Policy section above if the due date for any work in this class coincides with a religious holiday that you celebrate. Please let me know before the event if the grace period will not be adequate.
Backups: Save backups of all your work for this class. Maintain these backups in multiple places (your laptop, a flash drive, Google Docs, Dropbox). Printed backups can also be useful. Do not discard any files, notes, or other work until the term is over and you have received your final grade. Be sure that you maintain backups so that you can continue your work when you encounter computer problems. If you need assistance with your computer, check with InnovationSpace or Customer Support Center (4Help).
Program Assessment: Please note that the Department of English may use your written work in its assessment of its teaching and learning goals. In such cases, your name will be removed and your work assessed anonymously. Your work will not be shared with any individual outside of the department. It will be used strictly to help the department offer students the best possible academic experience.
Grading: I use the default Virginia Tech grade scale for Letter Grades with +/-. The Canvas gradebook manages all the mathematics. I do not round grades. I do not provide extra credit for people who have not met satisfactory performance goals.
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A 93–100 A- 90–92.99 |
B+ 87–89.99 |
C+ 77–79.99 |
D+ 67–69.99 |
F 59.99 & below |
Specific grading expectations will be posted with each major project. Generally, project expectations fall into these descriptions:
| Grade Scale | Your manager might say… | Project Description |
| A A- |
This is exemplary work. It will have a solid impact and will be remembered as a model for future tasks. | This project…
Any work that is incomplete or that contains multiple errors will not earn an A or an A-. |
| B+ B B- |
This is very good. The details and approach are impressive, and the document stands out visually. I’m happy to send this out/use this. | This project…
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| C+ C C- |
This is acceptable. It accomplishes the task completely. We can send it out, but some aspects of it are average. We can do better next time. | This project…
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| D+ D D- |
This is flawed. It will have to be revised before we can send it to a client or coworkers. | This project…
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| F | This is unacceptable and unusable. Someone else will have to do this work, starting over from the beginning. | This project…
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