LAMAR STATE COLLEGE-ORANGE Business and Technology Division Spring Syllabus for POFT 2312 Business Correspondence and Communication

Transcription

1 Business and Technology Division Spring 2010 Syllabus for POFT 2312 Business Correspondence and Communication Instructor: Kathryn Rector Office: 111-A Academic Center Office Phone: Address: Office Hours: 3:00p.m. 4:00p.m. Tuesday Course: 4:00p.m. 5:00pm. Room 112 Academic Center Course Description: This introductory course is designed to help students develop and refine the written and oral skills necessary to produce effective business communications. Credit Transfer: Students should check in advance with the particular college to which they plan to transfer of these technical credits. Prerequisites: None Required Textbook: McGuffey, Mary Ellen. Business Communication: Process and Produce. 6 th ed. Mason, Ohio: South- Western Cengage Learning, Schachter, Norman and Karen Schneiter Williams. Basic English Review English the Easy Way. 8 th ed. Mason, Ohio: South-Western, Supplementary Materials: It will be helpful to have a good college level dictionary. Course Objectives: Upon successful completion of this course the student will be able to: Plan, Compose, Produce, and Present effective business documents appropriate to meet industry standards. o Write business documents that are grammatically correct and use appropriate business style. Apply critical evaluation techniques to business documents. Demonstrate the importance of coherent, positive, and ethical communication principles in business and industry. Analyze facts, synthesize factual information, and evaluate opinions and present those facts in effective ways to solve business problems or make successful business proposals. Critical Thinking Critical thinking is a process involving higher order thinking skills. These skills include, but are not limited to, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of factual information. Lamar State College Orange Advances Critical Thinking Skills (LSC-O ACTS) through assignments of varying

2 natures within the course that are designed to challenge and improve the student s critical thinking processes. Example: In this course, POFT Business Correspondence and Communication, students will analyze case studies containing facts regarding different types of business situations. Students will determine the appropriate message outline, compose the message, evaluate their draft, and revise/edit to produce their final copy. A well cultivated critical thinker 1 : Raises vital questions and problems, formulating them clearly and precisely; Gathers and assesses relevant information, using abstract ideas to interpret it effectively; Comes to well-reasoned conclusions and solutions, testing them against relevant criteria and standards; Thinks open-mindedly within alternative systems of thought, recognizing and assessing, as need be, their assumptions, implications, and practical consequences; and Communicates effectively with others in figuring out solutions to complex problems. 1 Paul, Richard & Elder, Linda (2005). The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking Concepts & Tools. Dillon Beach: The Foundation for Critical Thinking. SCANS Competencies: The Secretary s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) has researched and identified the skills and competencies that employees will need for workplace success. The following SCANS skills are incorporated into the course content as listed below: Reading locate, understand, and interpret written information in prose and in documents such as manuals, graphs, and schedules. Writing Communicate thoughts, ideas, information, and messages in writing, and create documents such as letters, directions, manuals, reports, graphs, and flow charts. Thinking Skills Think creatively, make decisions, solve problems, visualize, know how to learn, and reason effectively. Personal Qualities Display responsibility, self-esteem, sociability, selfmanagement, integrity, and honesty. Basic Use of Computers Acquire, organize, analyze and communicate information; enter, modify, retrieve, store, and verify data and other information; ensure accurate conversion of information into the correctly chosen format for display. Workplace Competencies o Manage resources allocate time o Work with information acquire and evaluate information, organize and maintain information, interpret and communicate information o Exhibit interpersonal skills participate as a member of a team, teach others, and/or work with cultural diversity o Utilize technology select technology and apply technology to task 2

3 Course Structure: Business writing differs in important ways from other kinds of writing. You cannot do well unless you full understand the concepts discussed in the textbook. In class the students and instructor will focus on applying the principles discussed rather than going over the book. Reading Assignments: To participate in classroom discussion and complete the homework and written assignments as efficiently as possible with the highest grade, complete the assigned reading by the due dates (see course schedule for due dates). Students should plan to devote at least three to four hours per week in addition to class meetings for completing homework assignments (including reading) and preparing for the next class session. Homework and reading assignments should be completed prior to the class meeting (due date). Course Organization: POFT 2312 is a hands-on work and discussion course. The instructor will prompt in-class discussion based on reading materials and exercises (read and/or prepared at home i.e. homework ). Students are REQUIRED to read assignments, prepare exercises, and be prepared to engage in discussion of those assignments and exercises in class. Students may be working in teams from time to time, either in class or as homework assignments. Students will also make at least one presentation to the class which will include preparation of a power point. Aside from the daily and weekly work/grades, there will be a mid-term exam and a comprehensive final exam. Parts of those exams may be prepared outside of class and handed in at the time of the exam(s). For specific assignments as well as due dates, etc. see the Course Outline on MyLSCO! LATE WORK: NO LATE WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED! Please do not wait until the last minute to prepare and print assignments. Software and printer problems are NOT acceptable excuses. Evaluation Method: The grading scale and specific requirements (with percentage of grade and point value) for this class are as follows: For example: = A = B = C = D Below 60 = F 3

4 Requirement Percent of Grade Points Quizzes/in-class work/team projects 15% 150 points Exercises 20% 200 points Mid Term Exam 25% 250 points Presentation 15% 150 points Final Exam 25% 250 points TOTAL 100% 1000 points Evaluation Methods: (A) An excellent paper Supervisor would gladly send this message with no edits. This document would stand out among other documents. The employee preparing this document may receive a raise due to the quality of the work (B) A good paper Supervisor would send this message with minor edits; document has very few grammatical, mechanical, and/or format errors (C) A satisfactory paper This document contains several grammatical, mechanical, and/or format errors. It needs major editing before it could be sent (D) This document shows some understanding of the assignment, but it must be completely rewritten before the supervisor will send it. Below 60 (F) This document does not show an understanding of the assignment. It could put an employee s position in jeopardy. Attendance: Attendance is EXPECTED, but the instructor will NOT take attendance. HOWEVER --- Any work done in class cannot be made up. This includes homework that is used as the basis for discussion. While not necessarily handed in, grades for active discussion of the homework will have points attached. Thus, if a student is absent from class when these discussions, a quiz, or other in-class (team projects, etc.) work is done, the grade for that work will be a ZERO. THERE ARE NO EXCUSES! Policy on a Grade Incomplete: LSCO Policy: The grade of I may be given when any requirement of the course, including the final examination, is not completed with instructor approval. Arrangements to complete deficiencies in a course must be made with the instructor. Incomplete work must be finished during the next long semester; if not, the Admissions and Records Office must change an I grade to the grade of F. The course must then be repeated, if credit is desired. An I grade also automatically becomes an F if the student registers for the course before removing the deficiencies and receiving a grade change. The instructor may record the grade of F for a student who is absent from the final examination and/or is not passing the course. This instructor WILL NOT give an incomplete for missing the final! The final exam is mandatory. If a student has a significant problem (hospitalization or similar situation) the student should contact the instructor immediately to discuss how to accommodate the 4

5 student s completion of the final and the course. A desire to leave early for semester break IS NOT a significant problem. Make-up Policy: There are essentially NO make-ups in this course. However, realizing that there are extenuating circumstances, if a student must miss an exam or cannot hand in an assignment on the date it is due, the student should contact the instruction BEFORE the due date or date of the assignment so that arrangements can be made to accommodate the student. The circumstances must be significant so as to prevent the student from getting to campus or being otherwise prevented from turning in an assignment or taking an exam. Be frugal with excuses. As noted previously IN CLASS WORK CANNOT BE MADE UP! Procedure for Review of Grades: If the student has an issue about his/her grade, the instructor must be contacted no later than three (3) days after receiving the grade. Prior to making an appointment to see the instructor the student should carefully review any graded paper (or test) and read and consider the instructor s comments. Exam Schedule: See Separate Course Outline (MyLSCO) Classroom Policies: As a general rule, a student should refrain from eating or drinking in class. It is an ABSOLUTE rule that cell phones will be turned off prior to class and not turned on again until the student has left the classroom. Utilizing cell phones (including text messaging) during class is not allowed and can result in the student being removed from the class. Any such removal will result in a zero for any class work done that day. Attendance: Being in class and ready to participate is clearly important for this class. However, this instructor will not drop or otherwise penalize a student for non-attendance. HOWEVER, be reminded that anything (including a quiz or any in-class work) the student misses due to his/her absence will be a zero, and there will be absolutely NO makeup for this kind of work. Withdrawals and Drops: This instructor will not drop a student who stops coming to class. Students who wish to drop this class are responsible for following the appropriate steps to do so. To drop this course or any course at LSC-O, the student should obtain a drop slip and then follow the instructions provided. NOTE the deadlines for dropping a course on the Fall Schedule. Never attending or ceasing to attend classes DOES NOT constitute a withdrawal or drop. You remain registered until you file a Drop/Withdrawal Form at the Registrar's Office by the appropriate deadlines. Failure to act in a timely manner will result in an "F" grade for 5

6 the course. It is the student's responsibility to turn in all Drop/Withdrawal Forms and follow up to ensure that they were processed as desired. Instructor-Initiated Drop: As noted previously, this instructor will not drop a student who stops attending class. However, this instructor will consider dropping a student for violating accepted academic honesty policies. Academic Honesty: Neither LSC-O nor this instructor tolerate cheating or plagiarism. Plagiarism is defined as "taking and using as one's own the writings or ideas of another." Also included would be recycling previous work done for this or any other class. Any student caught cheating or plagiarizing, or aiding another student in cheating or plagiarizing on a quiz, test, individual assignment, or examination will receive a grade of F on that assignment, quiz, test, or examination. Furthermore, a student who involves him/herself in cheating or plagiarism may be dropped from the course with a grade of F. Flagrant or repeated violations of academic honesty may be referred to the Vice President of Student Services for further action. Students subject to penalty due to academic dishonesty have the right to appeal to the department chair and eventually to the dean of instruction and academic vice president before imposition of the penalty. Student with Disabilities: A request for special accommodations must be made through the ADA Counselor and the appropriate form submitted to the instructor two weeks in advance of need. Any student with a verifiable learning or physical disability who requires special accommodations is encouraged to speak to the instructor in private regarding his/her special accommodations need. Children in the Classroom: The LSCO Student Handbook specifies that no children under the age of 15 are allowed in the classroom or the hallways. Syllabus Content: The instructor reserves the right to make changes to this syllabus, if deemed necessary. All changes will be provided to the students orally or in writing before the implementation of the change. 6