HUS 614: Communication Skills for Human Service Practitioners (3 cr.) Start/End Dates: Instructor: Dr. Linda J. Stine Professor, Lincoln University Master of Human Services Program Office Phone: 215-590-8213 (If I m not in, I check my calls once a day, so leave a number and a message and I will get back to you no later than the following day.) Home Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX (Feel free to call between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. EST; I am happy to talk with you if I am around; leave a message if I am not.) *Email: stine@lincoln.edu *Please note: Once class has begun, I will use the message feature for general communication. That feature is set by default to send all messages to the email account you registered with and to show up as a pop-up the next time you log into the course. You can change message options in the Message block section of your course. Online Office Hours Time: Monday evenings,7 8 p.m. EST, and by request. Location: Office chatroom. During office hours (which are voluntary drop by as needed) you can get immediate answers to specific questions you might have. If immediate answers are not needed, just send me an email; my goal is to respond within 24 hours. Course Description and Rationale HUS 614: Communication Skills for Human Service Practitioners: This course will help students improve their academic and professional writing skills. By creating and refining a variety of professional documents (proposals, reports, web-based prose, PowerPoint presentations, and academic research), students will learn to write with clarity, conciseness, correctness and conviction. Prerequisites: None Textbook Information The following two textbooks are required. You will find them useful references not just for this course, but throughout your graduate studies: American Psychological Association. (2010). APA publication manual (6 th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. ISBN# 1433805618 syllabus HUS 614 for curriculum committee, page 1 of 8
Kolin, Philip C. (2013). Successful Writing at Work (10 th ed.) Boston, MA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning. ISBN# 1111834792 Additional Requirements: Computer equipped with Word and PowerPoint or compatible software; reliable Internet access; latest version of Adobe Reader. Note: Firefox, Chrome, or Safari browsers work better than Internet Explorer for most class functions. General MA/HSA Program Goals Students who successfully complete this graduate program will 1. Demonstrate professional values/ethics in the workplace. 2. Apply psychological theory effectively to produce individual, group, organizational and/or community change. 3. Use the principles of systems theory and a variety of social science models to bring about meaningful system change. 4. Demonstrate graduate-level skills in professional communication and research. Student Learning Outcomes for HUS 641 Students who successfully complete this course will be able to Use their understanding of audience, purpose, message and style to produce a variety of professional documents; Apply the characteristics of good print-based and web-based writing to reviews of own and sample documents; Evaluate and produce effective PowerPoint presentations; Edit own and others writing effectively for clarity, conciseness and correctness; Use the basic principles of APA citation and reference guidelines correctly in written assignments; Know the most common grammar/usage problems and how to locate and correct them. Participation and Attendance Lincoln University uses the class method of teaching, which assumes that each student has something to contribute and something to gain by attending class. It further assumes that there is much more instruction absorbed in the classroom than can be tested on examinations. Therefore, students are expected to attend all regularly scheduled class meetings and should exhibit good faith in this regard. In an online class setting, regular weekly attendance/participation is essential to your success. For purposes of this class, attendance/participation means logging in to the syllabus HUS 614 for curriculum committee, page 2 of 8
class at least three times in every 7-day period, reading all of the material posted for the week, completing all written assignments due, and participating thoughtfully in discussion forums as assigned. Time management is an important key to online learning success. Please pay careful attention to due dates. Discussion forums will be locked at the end of the assignment date; no late postings will be possible. Individual papers or projects will be accepted up to one week after the due date with a half-grade penalty (that is, a B paper will receive a B- grade). Individual assignments will not be accepted more than one week past the due date; at that point, the grade will become an F. I am aware, of course, that many unexpected events can arise in the lives of busy adults. Please notify me promptly of emergencies that could result in missing assignment deadlines so that we can make adjustments when possible. Assignment Information This course is organized into 10 modules, one module for each of the 10 weeks. Each module contains four main parts: a brief written lecture summarizing the main points for that week with additional resources for review as applicable, a short practice quiz or exercise to provide some hands-on practice and help you assess your understanding of the week s topic, a discussion forum in which you and your classmates can learn from each other by sharing ideas about how you are applying what you are learning to your job as well as raising any questions or problems that you may encounter, and the required reading and writing assignment(s) for that week. All written assignments must be uploaded to the assignment dropbox no later than 8:00 a.m. (Eastern Standard Time) on the Monday following the module in which it was assigned. That is, if the assignment appears in the January 14 January 20 module, that assignment is due in my dropbox by 8:00 Monday morning, January 21. Course at a Glance WEEK Learning Opportunities/Tasks for the Week DATE 1 Read: Lecture 1: What Makes Writing Good? Read: Text, Chapter 1: Getting Started: Writing and Your Career Post discussion: Who We Are and How We Write Respond to two of your classmates discussion postings. syllabus HUS 614 for curriculum committee, page 3 of 8
Take quiz: Fragments and Run-ons. Review Avoiding Fragments and Avoiding Run-on Sentences as needed. Write: Professional Profile, draft 1 2 Read: Lecture: Trust the Process Read: Text, Chapter 2: The Writing Process at Work Post discussion: Peer review of three classmates drafts: Professional Profile assignment (see peer review directions) Take quiz: Verb Agreement, Verb Formation. Review Making Your Verbs Agree with Their Subjects and Choosing the Correct Verb as needed. 3 Read: Lecture: Making Memos Work at Work Read: Text, Chapter 3: Writing Routine Business Correspondence; Memos, Faxes, Emails, IMs and Blogs Post discussion: Making Memos More Memorable Take quiz: Commas and other punctuation. Review Using Punctuation Wisely as needed. Write: Professional Profile, revised draft 4 Read: Lecture: Time is Money: Summarizing Clearly and Concisely Read: Text, Chapter 9: Summarizing Information at Work Post discussion: A Problem at Work Take quiz: Pronouns. Review Making Your Pronouns Agree with the Word They Stand For as needed. Write: [same as discussion] 5 Read: Lecture: Just the Facts, Ma am: Keeping Things Short and Simple Read: Text, Chapter 14: Writing Effective Short Reports Post discussion: Incident Report Analysis Do editing exercise: Can I Say It with Fewer Words? Review Editing syllabus HUS 614 for curriculum committee, page 4 of 8
for Conciseness as needed. Write: Longer Report Analysis 6 Read: Lecture: Controlling Data: Focusing Longer Reports Read: Text, Chapter 15: Writing Careful Long Reports Post discussion: Peer review of three classmates drafts: Report Analysis (see peer review directions) Do editing exercise: Can I Say It with Smaller Words? Review Editing for Clarity as needed. Write: Revised draft: analysis of report written at work 7 Read: Lecture: APA Read: Text, Chapter 8: Doing Research and Documentation on the Job Post discussion: Literature Review: Clarifying the Problem Do editing exercise: Can I Make My References Clearer? Review Citing Sources and Varying Citation Style as necessary Write: Problem restatement with literature review support 8 Read Lecture: Avoiding Death by PowerPoint Read: Text, Chapters 10 & 11: Designing Clear Visuals, Designing Successful Documents and Websites Post discussion: Website Comparisons Do editing exercise: Can I Make My Sentences Clearer? Review Editing for Consistency and Excuse Me But I Think Your As Is Dangling as needed. Write: Preliminary problem solution, with audience and solution analyses; outline: PowerPoint presentation 9 Read: Lecture: The Art of Persuasion Read: Text, Chapter 13: Writing Winning Proposals Post discussion: Peer review of three classmates drafts: Proposal assignment (see peer review directions) syllabus HUS 614 for curriculum committee, page 5 of 8
Do editing exercise: Can I Say It with Better Words? Review Editing for Formality as needed. Write: Draft 1, completed proposal and presentation (abstract, body, reference list, PowerPoint) 10 Read: Lecture: Summing It Up: Rules for Effective Communication Read: Text, Chapter 16: Making Successful Presentations at Work Post discussion: Looking Back, Looking Ahead Do editing exercise: Can I Make My Actions Clearer? Review Active vs. Passive Voice as needed. Write: Final draft : proposal and presentation Complete: Course Evaluation Assessment/Grading You have the opportunity to earn up to 100 points during the semester. Those points are earned by completing the following five assignment categories and a final course evaluation: 1. Discussion Postings (36 points): Length: Unless otherwise specified, discussion postings should be at least a substantial paragraph (= 8 10 sentences) long. Style: Your postings are public documents and, more importantly, they are an opportunity for you to practice a professional writing style. While not as formal as a report or an academic paper, postings should be composed thoughtfully and then checked carefully for grammar and spelling (it s good practice!) Postings must follow the general principles of good netiquette no spamming, no attacking, no profanity, and no text speak ( U is not the equivalent of you ). How Postings Are Graded: You are responsible for making a minimum of three postings per week one response to my initial question, and a minimum of two responses agreeing, disagreeing, questioning or adding to your classmates responses to at least 9 of the 10 discussion forums. For weeks with general discussion topics, each week s response earns up to three points (see categories below): 3 = advances the discussion with original thinking; writing has been carefully edited for grammar and style; 2 = response is on topic and factual; writing may show minor problems with grammar or style; syllabus HUS 614 for curriculum committee, page 6 of 8
1 = response is off topic, extremely brief, or incorrect; writing has not been proofread; 0 = posting not made by due date. The average of the three weekly responses makes up the Discussion grade for that week: Peer Review Group Participation: The discussion postings for three of the weeks will involve small group peer review of classmates assignment drafts. Your participation in peer review groups for these three weeks will earn a maximum of six points each. As the saying goes, There are no good writers, only good re-writers. Reviewing the writing of other people is an important way to improve your awareness of your own writing strengths and weaknesses and thus to improve your writing. Peer review evaluation forms for each assignment will be provided. Student Lounge : This discussion forum will be available throughout the course, for informal conversation, questions, comments. There is no requirement to post here, but everyone is invited to add to the conversation and get to know one another better outside the classroom. 2. Writing Assignments (50 points) Professional Profile (5 points) Report Analysis (15 points) Proposal with accompanying PowerPoint (30 points) Assignment directions and grading rubrics are attached. 3. Four Grammar Quizzes (4 points) Quizzes may be taken as many times as needed to receive a passing grade of 80%. Each quiz passed with a score of 80 or higher earns one point. 4. Six Editing Exercises (6 points) Practice may not make perfect but it will certainly make a more informed and aware writer. Throughout the semester we will practice correcting common editing and APA citation problems. Each completed exercise earns one point. 5. Final Course Evaluation (4 points) Total Course Points Available/ Final Grade Equivalency Points Letter grade 93 100 A 90 92 A- 88 89 B+ 83 87 B 80 82 B- 78 79 C+ 73 77 C syllabus HUS 614 for curriculum committee, page 7 of 8
Institutional Policies 70 72 C- 69 and lower: F Students With Disabilities Statement: Lincoln University is committed to non-discrimination of students with disabilities and therefore ensures that they have equal access to higher education, programs, activities, and services in order to achieve full participation and integration into the University. In keeping with the philosophies of the mission and vision of the University, the Office of Student Support Services, through the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) Program, provides an array of support services and reasonable accommodations for students with special needs and/or disabilities as defined by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The Services for Students with Disabilities Program seeks to promote awareness and a campus environment in which accommodating students with special needs and/or disabilities is natural extension of the University s goal. University Academic Integrity Statement: Students are responsible for proper conduct and integrity in all of their scholastic work. They must follow a professor's instructions when completing tests, homework, and laboratory reports, and they must ask for clarification if the instructions are not clear. In general, students should not give or receive aid when taking exams, or exceed the time limitations specified by the professor. In seeking the truth, in learning to think critically, and in preparing for a life of constructive service, honesty is imperative. Honesty in the classroom and in the preparation of papers is, therefore, expected of all students. Each student has the responsibility to submit work that is uniquely his or her own. All of this work must be done in accordance with established principles of academic integrity. Please review the complete statement. syllabus HUS 614 for curriculum committee, page 8 of 8