PCJ 215: BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

Transcription

1 University of Maine Presque Isle (UMPI) PCJ 215: BUSINESS COMMUNICATION SPRING 2013 January 22 to May September 4 to May 16, 2013, Online Delivery Instructor Contact Information & Office Hours: tracy.rockwell@maine.edu; (207) ; Fridays, 9-Noon, by appointment only in Houlton. I am available by at any time, by phone Monday-Friday between the hours of 9am and 2pm; and can also be available via Skype or Google Chat. Finally, I will be available on the Blackboard course site for Virtual Office Hours (VOH) on Monday and Thursday evenings from 9-10pm Eastern Standard Time (EST). Instructor Education: I have worked in education for over 20 years. I earned my Bachelor of Arts in Communication degree from the University of Southern Maine in I also completed the Master of Public Administration and the Master of Science in Human Resource Management programs with Troy University in 1995 and 1999, respectively. I am originally from Maine but spent 8 years in Virginia and the 2 1/2 years prior to that in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. I moved to the Tampa, Florida area in May of 2004 with my husband who retired from the US Navy after 20 years of service. Due to the birth of our daughter, we decided to return to Maine in My family and teaching keeps me busy, but I also enjoy cooking, reading, and outdoor activities. Course Description: Students will master the necessary communication skills to thrive in any business or professional area. They will become proficient in everything from phone etiquette, and memos to proposals and presentations. Then they will get out of the classroom, partnering with an organization to apply what they have learned. (Description from UMPI Course Catalog) Prerequisites: ENG 101: English Composition Objective: The objective of this course is to provide the knowledge of the principles to communicate effectively. It will assist you with reaching your abilities to express yourself in writing. Students will master basics as phone etiquette (leaving a message, assessing your voic message, answering the phone), s, memos, letters, various reports, and presentations. Required Texts: Reep, Diana C. (2011). Technical Writing: Principles, Strategies, and Readings, (8th ed.). Boston: Pearson, ISBN# Optional Text: Kessler, Lauren & McDonald, Duncan. (2012). When Words Collide: A Media Writer s Guide to Grammar and Style, (8 th ed.). Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, ISBN# X. Bookstore Contact Info: Greg Doak, Manager; greg.doak@umpi.edu;

2 Student Expectation Statement: A student for this course is required to participate via , Virtual Office Hours (VOH), Discussion Boards, Skype or Google+, and/or phone with the instructor; by reading the assigned readings; completing and submitting assignments; submitting comments to the discussion forums; and a final term project and presentation, all in accordance with specified deadlines. A student is required to check their UMPI and the Announcement page within the Blackboard course site every hours. He/She is also required to read the syllabus, handouts, and all information posted to the Blackboard course site. Self-study of the textbook material is essential for successful completion of Business Communication. This is a writing intensive class. Practice makes perfect, or in this case, makes your writing abilities stronger. Students will work individually and as a group, which simulates what you can expect in the business world and one s life. Course Expectation Statement: With various majors, some students may have the option to do an internship. The expectations and outcomes from an internship vary immensely in regard to quality, relevance and guidance. On rare occasions, the outcome from an internship does not often provide a learning experience that will offer an advantage after graduation. This class is meant to provide valuable relevance for life after college. Students who truly put the time and effort in to learning and developing a significant product will be able to utilize this piece as part of a portfolio. Blackboard Log In Information: All students are required to log on to the course s Blackboard page, found at See for current login info if students have not already done so, they must activate their UMaine System account before they can enter Blackboard. For further information, see the Quick Guide at Course Requirements: Each student will be required to complete weekly class readings. Each student will be required to complete a minimum 1-page written assignment over the weekly chapter reading. Additionally, each student will complete weekly chapter exercises. (No Late Assignments will be accepted.) Both of the above mentioned weekly writing assignments will be submitted via Google Docs. Each student will be required to complete weekly journal entries / progress reports over the status of the non-profit project. (No Late Assignments will be accepted.) This weekly assignment will be submitted via the Discussion Board under the designated area. Each student will be required to complete a brief chapter quiz to ensure that the weekly reading was completed and understood. There are 13 chapters assigned but only 10 chapter quizzes. Please consult the syllabus to see which weeks have the quiz requirement. (No Late Assignments will be accepted.) The quizzes will be administered via Blackboard and can be found under the Assessment button.

3 Each student will be required to submit their non-profit project product. Two drafts will be passed in prior to the final product being submitted. (No Late Assignments will be accepted.) The drafts will be submitted as an attachment and ed to me. We will discuss how the final product will be submitted on an individual basis. Each student will be required to submit a Journey/Reflection paper. (No Late Assignments will be accepted.) This assignment will be submitted via Google Docs. Each student will be required to actively participate in all aspects of the class. It is the responsibility of the student to keep abreast of all assignment due dates and deadlines. A lack of assignment completion will be factored into the participation grade. Final Project & Journal Entries: Students will partner with a local non-profit organization. The student will work with the non-profit to help assess its present communication state, its communication needs, goals, and its visions. The student will then determine its message, its audience and what is needed to reach that audience. After this research and developments is complete, the student will create a product for the non-profit organization. He/she will be working on the projects individually but will have much guidance and feedback from the instructor, as well as the fellow classmates. Students will detail their progress each week in a journal/report entry. (A guideline sheet will be passed out to assist with the information needed.) A written copy will be provided to the instructor via the Discussion Board and the student will provide the class with an oral version. Each student will be required to stay in contact with their non-profit partner throughout each stage. The instructor will act as the editor and will be evaluating your drafts, and, of course, the finished product. Final Presentation: At the end of the class, students will present their project to the class. Details regarding the method of presenting will be discussed later in the semester. Journey/Reflection Paper: Students will be responsible for writing a Journey/Reflection Paper. The paper will be a personal reflection on the world of business communication, specifically focusing on your non-profit projects. Students will draw upon their weekly progress reports. The purpose of this assignment is to give students the opportunity to look back over the semester and evaluate: 1) what he/she has learned; 2) how far he/she has come; and 3) how one can build on this for the future. Attendance Policy & Participation: At the end of the semester, successful completion of assignments (no more than three missing entries or late entries) will count as a substantial portion of your final grade. Students will be graded on participation during the class. Students will also be graded on being actively engaged (asking questions, making appropriate comments, being an important part of the class discussions via the discussion boards, supporting your fellow students, etc.). Missing or late entries will also be taken into consideration when calculating this portion of the grade. Format for Writing Assignments: All written assignments for this course must utilize a professional format. Please do every assignment as follows: MS Word, unless otherwise stated, or some writing assignments can be created in Google Docs Font & Type: Times New Roman; 12 point

4 Double-spaced (except for boilerplate which will be single-spaced; see below) Page Numbers Boilerplate Template (Every first page should start with the following, single-spaced.) o Name o Class Number and Class Name o Date (Please update draft/revisions with updated date.) o Chapter/Assignment Grading: Personal Writing Assignment 25 points Weekly Class Readings, Chapter Write-Ups, Chapter Exercises 400 points Chapter Quizzes 250 points Weekly Progress Reports 150 points Non-Profit Project (Drafts) 75 points each Non-Profit Project (Final) 400 points Final Presentation 200 points Journey/Reflection Paper 225 points Participation 200 points 2000 points Assignment of Grades: It is important that students acknowledge that Grades are not Given, they are Earned. All points from the course requirements will be added together and grades will be assigned according to the following scale: A ( points) D ( points) B ( points) F 59 and below ( points) C ( points) Calendar: Barring any scheduling conflicts, we will stick to the following as closely as possible. Please see the corresponding weekly folder under the Assignments button in the Blackboard course site for more detailed information regarding weekly assignments. Week One (January 22-27, 2013) o Introductions; review of syllabus and class etiquette, review of technology needs; review Blackboard course site. o Provide Student Bio info; Read, sign, and submit Online Participation Contract. o Written Assignment: Personal Profile (See course site for details.)

5 Week Two (January 28-February 3, 2013) o Read Chapter 1: Technical Writing on the Job (pp.3-26). o Make individual appointments to select your project Week Three (February 4-10, 2013) o Read Chapter 2: Collaboration and Ethics (pp.27-46) o Complete Chapter 2 quiz. Week Four (February 11-17, 2013) o Read Chapter 14: Letters, Memos and (pp ) o Complete Chapter 14 quiz. Week Five (February 18-24, 2013) No Class Due to February Vacation Week Six (February 25-March 3, 2013) o Read Chapter 3: Audience (pp.47-74) o Complete Chapter 3 quiz Week Seven (March 4-10, 2013) o Read Chapter 4: Organization (pp ) o Complete Chapter 4 quiz. Week Eight (March 11-17, 2013) o Read Chapter 5: Revision & Style (pp ) o Complete Chapter 5 quiz. o Hand in 1 st draft of non-profit product by March 14 th. Week Nine (March 18-24, 2013) o Read Chapter 6: Document Design (pp ) o Complete Chapter 6 quiz.

6 Week Ten (March 25-31, 2013, 2012) o Read Chapter 7: Writing for the Web (pp ) o Complete Chapter 7 quiz. Week Eleven (April 1-7, 2013) No Class Due to Spring Vacation Week Twelve (April 8-14, 2013) o Read Chapter 11: Formal Report Elements (pp ) o Complete Chapter 11 quiz. o Hand in revised draft of non-profit project product by April 11 th. Week Thirteen (April 15-21, 2013) o Read Chapter 12: Short and Long Reports (pp ) o Complete Chapter 12 quiz. Week Fourteen (April 22-28, 2013) o Read Chapter 13: Types of Reports (pp ) o Complete Chapter 13 quiz. Week Fifteen (April 29-May 5, 2013) o Read Chapter 15: Career Communication & Workplace Strategies (pp ) o Final version of non-profit project product due by May 2 nd. Week Sixteen (May 6-12, 2013) o Read Chapter 16: Oral Presentations (pp ) o Journey Paper - Due by May 9 th o Work on Powerpoint Presentation o Meet with instructor to review PowerPoint presentation via Skype or Google+. FINALS Week (May 13-16, 2013) o Presentation Due Due by May 13 th o Comments on at least 3 of your fellow students presentations Due May 15 th Information, Policies, and Procedures: The information, policies, and procedures, found at the link below, apply to all courses offered by UMPI. Be certain to consult the individual syllabus for each of your courses to determine additional requirements that might apply to a specific course.