ENGL 420Y Business Writing Online

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1 ENGL 420Y Business Writing Online CRN: Contents Course Infomation 1 Required Textbook 1 Course Oveview 1 Course Projects 1 Participation 2 Grades 4 Other Requirements 5 Calendar 7 Don Unger fall 2014 Office: HEAV 210 Face-to-face Office Hours: Tues 8-9:00 am & Wed. 10:30-11:30 am Course Information ungerd@purdue.edu Blackboard Learn Office Hours: Sundays 6-7:00 pm Required Textbook Kolin, Philip C. Successful Writng at Work, 4th edition. Course Overview In English 420, students learn the rhetorical principles and composing practices necessary for executing ethical, collaborative projects in professional contexts using contemporary technologies, including design software and social-media applications. Current research in rhetoric and professional writing influence this curriculum, and composing practices used by businesses, community organizations, and academic disciplines inform the assignments. All sections of English 420 are offered in networked computer classrooms or exclusively online to ensure that students taking the course are prepared for the writing environments of the 21st-century workplace. Course Projects Project 1: Designing Professional Identities For this project you develop professional portfolios. These portfolios include cover letters and resumes, as well as background materials that will help you demonstrate your qualifications to a particular employer. While you may have discussed and developed similar materials in other classes, this project addresses how to approach the job market systematically and rhetorically. Furthermore, we will move beyond the documents that comprise a professional portfolio and include discussions of and practice with interviews. If you have any questions or concerns about the syllabus, please contact me immediately: ungerd@purdue.edu I ve broken the project down into 5 steps. In step 1, you learn about and use various web-based resources for job seekers and select one job or internship to pursue in this project. At the end of step 1, you will create an employer backgrounder aimed at guiding the construction of your documents. For steps 2-4, you prepare a self-assessment memo, the all-important cover letter, and a resume specifically designed for the job or internship you selected. For step 5, you conduct mock interviews via Skype or Google Hangouts. In the process of completing each step, you will work closely with your peers and me to shape your writing so that it represents your experience effectively. 1

2 Project 2: Changes in Business Practices & Communication Project 2 introduces you to business communication practices in various workplaces and addresses ongoing debates about the role that technology plays in shaping professional contexts. Course eadings draw from two main sources, our textbook and a sample of readings taken from popular books and magazines, academic journals, and websites. These supplemental readings will be posted to the course site. For Project 2, each of you will conduct field, library, and web research in order to create a white paper. The white paper is a common report genre in the professional world. White papers are used in business, industrial, and governmental contexts to sum up the gist of what s known about a subject. Hence, the white paper is commonly referred to as a backgrounder. Your white paper will examine how technological innovations impact professional communication practices in your field of study. Your research will begin with a face-to-face or online interview with a professional in your field regarding recent technological changes that shape his or her day-to-day work. You might also choose a topic based on personal experiences and observations made during an internship. Have you observed how the implementation of a new technology changes communication practices at your job or in an internship? Project 3: Marketing & Advertising Project For Project 3, you will work in production teams to develop a marketing plan for a fictional business. (Details regarding this business will be provided at the outset of the project.) Your marketing plan will include an overall advertising strategy, as well as examples of various forms advertising that reflect your strategy (e.g., a print ad, examples of online advertising, etc.). At the end of the project, your marketing plans are judged by a panel of professors and instructors from the Professional Writing program. This panel represents the client. The production team with the most comprehensive and well-developed plan wins the contract from the client, and that team will receive an A for the project. Readings for this project help you develop effective advertising, but they also explore the ways that technological innovations have changed advertising strategies and methods. Participation This portion of your grade will be based on: weekly quizzes. weekly reading responses and comments. the degree to which your comments offer insightful feedback. the degree to which your comments engage with the course content. completing quizzes and comments on time. Quizzes Each week I will post a short quiz pertaining to the readings. Coupled with your reading responses and comments described below, these quizzes ask you to demonstrate that you ve done the readings and considered how the information presented relates to the the course theme and/or our ongoing projects. 2

3 Reading Responses Although we will have multiple readings each week, you are responsible for writing one 150-word discussion post to the course Blackboard Learn site. Each week I will post a response prompt to help generate discussion. Still, there are a few common tactics for composing these reading responses: (1) your post might synthesize the readings by comparing and contrasting their contents, (2) your post might address relevant personal experiences that extend or complicate concepts raised by the readings, and (3) your post might offer an example that illustrates a concept from the reading and discusses an example. Remember, you must post a reading response each week over the course of the semester (weeks 1-15). Replies to Your Peers In addition to your weekly post, you are required to write a total of three comments to colleagues posts each week. Obviously, additional discussion is encouraged and has an impact on your overall participation grade. (However, make sure that your posts are meaningful and that they extend discussion. Posts that simply reiterate a comment from another student do not count.) All comments and replies should follow effective rhetorical strategies for networking with others on the web: Keep discussion alive and relevant. Did something mentioned by the author complicate or contradict your ideas about the reading? How so? Did the author s post remind you of a personal experience on the job or in an internship? Describe that experience. No trolling or flaming. Refrain from the I agree posts. They will not count toward your participation grade. Think of your comments and replies as part of a lively class discussion in which everyone participates. Remember to keep up with your posts and comments throughout the course. You do not want to fall behind. However, you may work ahead. A Note about the Online Version of the Course: Each student should be responsible and flexible in completing each week s work since you have some, but not complete, freedom to work at your own pace. (You may work ahead; do not get behind.) The course Blackboard Learn site is broken down into four modules centered around the course introduction (Week 1) and the three major projects. Here are some guidelines to help you understand how selfpacing works in the online version of this course: You may work ahead on quizzes and reading responses within the current project. In group work, each student must maintain contact with other group members. Check your daily, and use your course group space effectively. Quizzes, reading responses, and comments must be submitted weekly. The requirement is that you submit one reading response per week and that you write only three (3) follow-up responses per week to forum posts submitted by your peers. Everything must be posted by 5 pm on Sunday the week that it s due. In Project 3, memos must be submitted weekly. We will discuss these 3 memos at the beginning of the project.

4 Grades Project 1: Professional Portfolio Project 2: White Paper Project 3: Marketing Project Participation Total 400 points The three major projects in the course will be comprised of several components, each of which will be worth a portion of your final grade. All major assignments will be graded on the standard plus-minus letter-grade scale: A=94-100, A-=93-90, B+=89-87, B=86-84, B-=83-80, C+=79-77, C=76-74, C-=73-70, D+=69-67, D=66-64, D-=63-60, F=59 or below. Students must participate in all of the three major projects and complete a majority of the required posting assignments in order to pass this class. Students with questions about final grades should review university policies regarding grade appeals, which are outlined by university regulations: Other Requirements Technology Requirements In order to participate fully in the course, you should already be able to use the applications listed below. Mac OS X or Windows Operating Systems Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) or Apple counterparts (Pages, Keynote, Numbers) Web Browser (e.g., Firefox, Safari, or Internet Explorer 8) Program (e.g., Purdue Webmail, Gmail, etc.) Adobe Acrobat Reader or Preview (for PDF documents) Skype or Google Hangouts Technology Responsibilities Familiarity with certain technologies is crucial for success in the course. If you need any assistance now or at any point during the semester, please do not hesitate to ask. During the semester, you ll need regular access to the Internet and . Because the course Blackboard Learn site is the main locus of the class community, you are responsible for reading and keeping current with all content posted there, including what your fellow students and I have submitted. You ll be responsible for configuring your system to access course materials, to read course and participate in online discussions, and to submit your work. 4

5 Over the course of the semester, you will be asked to demonstrate that you can meet these responsibilities: Becoming proficient sending and receiving attachments, resolving file compatibility issues, and following professional decorum. Becoming proficient participating in the class Blackboard Learn space. Becoming more proficient with unfamiliar composing technologies and applications, including various web-based, desktop publishing, and graphic design applications. Maintaining back-up copies of all assignments via your home directory, portable storage devices (e.g., USB drives), or various cloud storage spaces (e.g., DropBox). IMPORTANT: If at any time you have problems accessing the Internet from home, you ll need to find a public lab or connection point. Problems with computers will not be an excuse for falling behind or failing to complete required assignments. If your Internet service goes down, find another connection point. If your computer breaks, use another one. In other words, find a way to complete the assignments on time. Because computer problems are a fact of life, always work to complete your assignments early and make frequent backups to multiple storage devices. Collaborative Work Teamwork is a required component of the course. You and your production team members are responsible for updating one another and me about assignment development and progress. In addition, you also are responsible for negotiating all aspects of your work together, including planning, drafting, revising, file managing, and delegating assignments. When a collaborative project is assigned, you will receive explicit guidelines for successful collaboration, and you will complete Team Evaluation Forms to address one another s progress. Attendance Since this is an online course, your attendance at a physical location is not required. However, you will need to demonstrate active involvement in the course activities by keeping up with reading responses and other coursework. You will also need to respond to course promptly to ensure that good communication flows in all directions. More than three continuous days absent from course activities (not counting weekends) is grounds for failure of the class. Also, if you disappear for a day or two here, another day or two there, and some more later, then your final grade may be lowered, and you will likely see your class participation suffer and your collaboration fail. In addition, if you are frequently absent from the online discussions, your final grade will be lowered. IMPORTANT: Lack of access to a computer with a working Internet connection is not an acceptable excuse for not participating in class activities and completing major projects. If your computer and/or Internet connection doesn t work, find a different computer to use. If your plans for this semester involve being away from a computer with an Internet connection for more than a few days, I would strongly recommend dropping the course. 5

6 Academic Integrity Purdue students and their instructors are expected to adhere to guidelines set forth by the Dean of Students in Academic Integrity: A Guide for Students, which students are encouraged to read here: The preamble of this guide states the following: Purdue University values intellectual integrity and the highest standards of academic conduct. To be prepared to meet societal needs as leaders and role models, students must be educated in an ethical learning environment that promotes a high standard of honor in scholastic work. Academic dishonesty undermines institutional integrity and threatens the academic fabric of Purdue University. Dishonesty is not an acceptable avenue to success. It diminishes the quality of a Purdue education, which is valued because of Purdue s high academic standards. Academic dishonesty is defined as follows: Purdue prohibits dishonesty in connection with any University activity. Cheating, plagiarism, or knowingly furnishing false information to the University are examples of dishonesty. [University Regulations, Part V, Section III, B, 2, a] Furthermore, the University Senate has stipulated that the commitment of acts of cheating, lying, and deceit in any of their diverse forms (such as the use of substitutes for taking examinations, the use of illegal cribs, plagiarism, and copying during examinations) is dishonest and must not be tolerated. Moreover, knowingly to aid and abet, directly or indirectly, other parties in committing dishonest acts is in itself dishonest. [University Senate Document 72-18, December 15, 1972] If you have any questions about this policy, please ask. IMPORTANT: I will assign a grade of F (zero) to written work that violates this policy, and reserve the right to fail policy violators for the course. I also reserve the right to initiate proceedings with the Dean of Students, for particularly egregious cases of academic dishonesty. If you have any questions about this policy, please ask! In Case of a Campus Emergency In the event of a major campus emergency, course requirements, deadlines and grading percentages are subject to changes that may be necessitated by a revised semester calendar or other circumstances. You can acquire updated information from the course website, by ing me, or by contacting me through the English Department at Late Work I will stick closely to the course calendar. It is important that you keep up. When possible, you may certainly complete assignments early, but you must complete them on time. Much of what you do for this class quickly leads to another assignment. And, often, your postings and comments are part of a larger discussion that will not 6

7 wait for you. It will also be difficult for you to do your part in group projects if you miss assigned deadlines. Thus, the majority of missed class assignments cannot be made up. If a serious and unavoidable problem arises, however, you should contact me by prior to the deadline to determine whether or not an extension for the work will or will not be granted. Late work will rarely, if ever, be accepted without prior approval. Calendar Intro Week 1: Week 2: Week of Labor Day Week 3: Project 1 Week 4: Week 5: Week 6: Project 1 due by 5 pm on Sunday, Oct. 5 Week 7: Week 8: Week of October Break Project 2 Week 9: Week 10: Week 11: Project 2 due by 5 pm on Sunday, Nov. 9 Week 12: Week 13: Week 14: Week of Thanksgiving Break Project 3 Week 15: Week 16: Finals Week: Project 3 Due by 5 pm on Sunday, Dec. 21 7