ENGL394 Online: Business Writing Prerequisites Required Resources: ENGL394: Business Writing Learning Objectives

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1 ENGL394 Online: Business Writing (This syllabus is subject to change) Summer II: July 14- August 22 Instructor: Clare Parsons ) Office Hours: By appointment online Text number (for quick questions and/or emergencies : Prerequisites: ENGL101; students who have taken courses with comparable content may contact their respective department. Restriction: Must have earned a minimum of 60 credits. Required Resources: As an online course, you will log in to the course space (available at to complete all required readings, exercises and major assignments. No textbook is required. Please ensure you have access to a computer with video and audio, a highspeed internet connection, and word-processing software. As UMD students, you have access to a number of free software downloads: ENGL394: Business Writing Each week you will complete a number of tasks and assignments to familiarize you with many different documents and rhetorical strategies. However, since business needs are constantly changing, you will learn to be an adaptable writer and a critical reader of all kinds of documents. Ideally, by the end of this course, you will approach each writing task as an exercise in information design and presentation. Learning Objectives The Fundamental Studies Professional Writing requirement strengthens writing skills and prepares students for the range of writing expected of them after graduation. Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to: Understand the nature of each business document as the product of a creative, multi-stage rhetorical strategy (as opposed to a formulaic template) to inform and persuade your reader. Construct texts and arguments appropriate to your intended audience while accommodating the needs of secondary readers. Design an original and individualized architecture of information that will effectively lead your audience through the argument you are making Plan, draft, revise, and edit both individual and team deliverables. Demonstrate competence in Standard Written English, including grammar, sentence and paragraph structure, coherence, and textual or visual design Understand the ethics of copyright, authorship, and ownership of information in a digital world Conduct effective research of real-world information that effectively supports all claims and concepts and counter-arguments related to the project Practice critical thinking skills to choose and leverage information relevant to your 1

2 argument Function effectively as a valued collaborator in a team writing or presentation project. Asynchronous Work: All work for ENGL394 Online will be asynchronous, meaning there are no lectures or exercises for which you will need to be signed into the ELMS site at any particular time. However, there are a number of deadlines throughout each week, so it will be important that you carefully review the assignments and calendar on the ELMS site. The best strategy is to log on every day to keep up with the discussion and any changes that may have taken place. Students with Disabilities The University of Maryland is committed to providing appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities. Students with a documented disability should inform the instructors within the add/drop period if academic accommodations are needed. To obtain an Accommodation Letter prepared by Disability Support Service (DSS), a division of the University Counseling Center, please call , dissup@umd.edu, or visit the Shoemaker Building for more information. A word of encouragement: Online learning is an ideal strategy for including students with disabilities or language-level differences. I look forward to seeing participation from everyone. Grades You may not "recycle" papers written for other courses. To pass the course you must turn in all graded assignments. Please proofread your work carefully and use spellchecks whenever possible: I will deduct up to 10% of the final assignment grade for papers that contain too many grammar or mechanics errors. I will not copyedit your work. Students who receive a C or below will have the opportunity to rewrite their work to raise their assessment by one letter grade (to a B points), if substantive changes are made according to my recommendations. You will have one week to hand in the revision. I will reread the second version, assign a new grade and then average the two numbers to grant a final grade for the assignment. For example, if you receive a 75 on the first version of you assignment, I may assign an 89 to the revision. I will enter the average of these two grades (an 82) into my gradebook. I must be notified in advance about a possible late assignment. Decisions about whether to accept will be made on a case-by-case basis. I require written documentation of all medical treatments, court dates, and funerals. The grade for assignments submitted late, without 2

3 prior notification, will be deducted 1 letter grade per day. No assignment will be accepted after 4 days. Grading Standards Four broad evaluative criteria determine the grade students receive on their papers: 1. Purpose and Audience the degree to which the writer conveys the paper s purpose; the degree to which the writer uses appropriate tone, style, and content for a clearly intended audience. 2. Content the use of effective evidence to support the main points of the paper. 3. Format the overall structure of the paper, including the appropriate format for the specific assignment. 4. Mechanics/Readability skills such as style, mechanics, sentence and paragraph coherence; the degree of ease with which the reader can understand the document. Please note that I do feel that grammar is important. Errors are distracting and they reduce your credibility and the overall effectiveness of the document. However, this is not a grammar course. If you have special difficulties with grammar and mechanics I highly recommend vetting your work at the Writing Center. This may require a little advanced planning, but I think you will find it worthwhile. 3

4 Assignments Your final grade will be based on a vaiety of online discussions and exercises, as well as four major writing assignments, accounting for roughly 20 to 25 pages of original content. The grade distribution includes: Individual Writing Assignments: Cover Letter and Resume -100 points Hiring Memo-100 points Topic Memo -200 points Final Proposal -300 points Module Toolkit exercises (4x 50 for quality of both the toolkit and the peer response)-200 points Voicethread Participation -100 (This is a fairly subjective evaluation of your interest in the subject matter and your ability to demonstrate engagement by posting frequently and substantively) Total Points: 1000 Assignment Submission: Assignments must be submitted electronically through the course ELMS on time and according to instructions in order to receive full credit. ***All assignments must be submitted to receive a passing grade in the class A papers: exhibit excellence & correctness expected in professional environment A+ 97+ A 94 to 96.9 A- 90 to 93.9 B papers: exhibit competency in subject matter but still need revision B+ 87 to 89.9 B 84 to 86.9 B- 80 to 83.9 C papers: meet most basic requirements but require extensive revision C+ 77 to 79.9 C 74 to 76.9 C- 70 to 73.9 D/F papers: do not meet requirements/are inappropriate and unprofessional D+ 67 to 69.9 D 64 to 66.9 D- 60 to 63.9 F <60 4

5 Academic Integrity and Honor Pledge: The University has a student-administered Code of Academic Integrity and Honor Pledge, which prohibits students from cheating on exams, plagiarizing papers, submitting the same paper for credit in two courses without permission of both instructors, buying papers, handing in fraudulent documents, and forging signatures. For more information on the Code of Academic Integrity or the Student Honor Council, please visit Course Communication: As upper-level college students, you ve probably already experienced several different types of communication, from the extremely casual, to academic, to formal. In the electronic realm, for instance, the s and text messages you send to your friends or family look entirely different from the ones you ll send to potential employers, bosses, or customers. In this class, we ll practice becoming adept at communicating in a professional manner. In other words, s and discussion posts should always employ correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization, as well as proper salutations. In online discussions, peer review exercises, conferences, and all other forms of interaction with other students and the Instructor, you are expected to communicate with courtesy and respect. Course Evaluations: Your participation in CourseEvalUM is your responsibility as a member of our academic community. Your feedback is confidential and important to the improvement of University teaching and learning. CourseEvalUM will be open at for you to complete your evaluations at the end of the semester. The Professional Writing Program may distribute its own evaluation at the end of the semester. Schedule of topics and assignments (Subject to revision as needed!!!!!) Week Day Date Topic and Assignments Due 1 Monday July 14 First day of class Please read ASAP the introduction information (first module) and post any questions you may have. Check in through discussion thread posted in announcements 1 Thursday July 17th Submit first toolkit on Cover letters and resumes / 1 Saturday July 19 Submit Peer Review for partner s toolkit 2 Tuesday July 22 Submit individual assignment Cover Letter and Resume to ELMS Submit a copy of your cover letter and resume to the discussion board created for that purpose in Module 3 5

6 2 Tuesday July 22 Begin reading files and resources. Prepare your toolkit for this module on memos 2 Friday July 25 Submit Toolkit for Hiring Memo /Check for Peer Reviewer 2 Sunday July 27 Submit peer feedback 3 Tuesday July 29th Submit Hiring Memo Individual Assignment to ELMS 3 Tuesday July 29 Begin work on Topic Memo Module and Toolkit 3 Friday August 1st Submit Toolkit /Check for peer review partner 3 Sunday August 3 Submit peer review to partner 4 Tuesday August 5 Begin a close examination of the Proposal materials and ready the toolkit 4 Wednesday August 6 Submit Topic Memo as Individual Assignment to ELMS 4 Sunday August 10 Submit Toolkit for Proposal /Look for peer review partner 5 Tuesday August 12 Submit peer review of proposal toolkit to partner 5 Tuesday August 12 Review comments made by me and tookit partner. Schedule conferences 1 or more as needed Weeks 5-6 Tuesday end August 12 August 22nd Conferences. Intensive discussions on Voicethread. Discussion board for posting questions and brief drafts and sections 6 Friday August 22 Proposal is DUE!!!! Class is officially over. There is no final exam 6