ENC 3242, Technical Communication for Majors

WEEK 1: COURSE INTRODUCTION

Presented by T. E. RobertsInstructor II, Professional & Technical Communication

University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee

Fall 2015 Semester

Length of this audio lecture (15 slides) = 00:54:10

Posted 18 Aug 2015

Course website:http://www.todroberts.com/USF/3242_welcome.htm

Instructor background:http://usfsm.edu/faculty-members/prof-thorold-tod-roberts/

Copyright © 2015 by T. E. RobertsSource: http://blog.emerson.edu/fywp/denverpost.jpg

Note: This lecture is an encore presentation from Fall 2014; thus, the dates and similar details in the PPT slides are current for 2015 (those mentioned in the audio refer to 2014).

Fall 2015 • ENC 3242: Course Introduction • Week 1 • Slide 2 of 15

Welcome to ENC 3242!

COURSE GOALS• To help you identify and comprehend professional and technical

writing career opportunities and to pursue the skills and knowledge needed to exploit those opportunities.

• To impart appreciation of the scope of this profession beyond traditional definitions of “professional and technical writing and editing” (read the articles listed here by Aug. 28, 2015: http://www.todroberts.com/USF/tech-writing-career-research.htm)

• To help a student learn how to think and act like a communications professional

• Managing stress, confusion, deadlines, and prickly personalities

• Meeting high professional and ethical standards

• Enjoying your work and expanding your skills to meet client and career needs

Fall 2015 • ENC 3242: Course Introduction • Week 1 • Slide 3 of 15

Learning Objectives

• By the end of the semester, you should be able to:• Understand how, where, and why to seek career direction

• Appreciate the attractions and challenges of a communications career

• Succeed in advanced USFSM professional and technical writing courses

• Reaching this goal will require you to ask questions, exercise curiosity, work efficiently, and challenge your own and others’ assumptions

• Seek ideas, information, and inspiration from diverse sources -- there is no single path to success

Fall 2015 • ENC 3242: Course Introduction • Week 1 • Slide 4 of 15

So You Want to Be a Pro?• Many options are available• Professionals trained in

verbal skills, analytical thinking, electronic media, and communication are and will be in high demand

• Writers, editors, and communication specialists are well positioned for the rapidly changing digital economy of the 21st century (see this link)

• Representative positions & titles are listed in the right-hand column

• Business Communications Specialist• Content Developer (for web

communications)• Data Development Engineer• Documentation Specialist• Grants Manager, Grant Writer/Editor• Health Writer, Medical Writer/Editor• Information Designer• Information Developer• Instructional Designer• Policy and Procedures Writer• Proposal Writer• Publications Specialist• Technical Communications Professional• Technical Communicator• Technical Documentation Specialist• Technical Editor• Technical Illustrator• User Documentation Writer/Editor• Web Editor

Fall 2015 • ENC 3242: Course Introduction • Week 1 • Slide 5 of 15

Recommended Textbook: Technical Communication: A Reader-Centered Approach by Paul V. Anderson

• Most recent edition (the 8th, ISBN 978-1133309819X) is available at online vendors such as Amazon.com for about $165 and is offered for rental by the publisher at around $48. Previous editions can be purchased for less. This book is useful but at current price is too expensive to meet my upper price limit for required text.

• By Sept. 1, read the first chapter of this book from the 7th edition: http://www.todroberts.com/USF/TechCommun_Chapter1.pdf

• Also read this overview about the profession:http://www.todroberts.com/USF/Poewar_TechWriting.pdf

• See course website and syllabus for listing of additional texts and other resources.

• Most background information and instructional material for this course are freely available on the internet.

Fall 2015 • ENC 3242: Course Introduction • Week 1 • Slide 6 of 15

Written Assignments + Final Exam

• Assignment 1: Teach a Technical Task - Mon, Sept 7, 2015 (20% of grade); send statement of topic by Aug. 29.

• Assignment 2: Interview a PTC Professional - Mon, Sept 28, 2015 (20% of grade)

• Assignment 3: Crisis Management - Mon, Oct 19, 2015 (20% of grade)

• Assignment 4: Three Options to Be Announced - outline due Mon, Nov 2, 2015 (required but not graded); final submission due Mon, Nov 30, 2015 (30% of grade)

• Online Course Evaluation (required): you will receive USF email reminder

• Final exam: Sun-Wed, Dec 6-9, 2015 (via Canvas, 10% of grade)• Detailed assignment instructions will be announced via email and

website.(See syllabus for general topics of assignments.)• You are encouraged to create or modify assignments to match your

career needs and interests as long as your topic fits the course learning objectives (may not submit work prepared for other current or previous courses; contact me by email for approval).

Fall 2015 • ENC 3242: Course Introduction • Week 1 • Slide 7 of 15

Workflow in the Course

• Lectures will be posted (usually by Sunday or Monday) on course website as PowerPoint slides and recorded audio (MP4).

• Final grade will be penalized by subtraction of two points (out of possible total of 100) for each missed lecture and one point for each late-submitted set of audio codes.

• Lectures contain embedded audio codes to be sent with assignments, as follows:

LECTURE CODES FOR WEEK SEND WITH ASSIGNMENT

1, 2 1 (Sept 7)

3, 4, 5 2 (Sept 28)

6, 7, 8 3 (Oct 19)

9, 10 4 Outline (Nov 2)

11, 12, 14(no lecture in Week 13 because of

Thanksgiving holiday)4 (Nov 30)

Fall 2015 • ENC 3242: Course Introduction • Week 1 • Slide 8 of 15

Workflow (continued)

• Send all assignments to me via Canvas so they can be checked by the TurnItIn plagiarism detection application.

• Contact me at any time by email (tr@sar.usf.edu), or call me at home (941-927-2898) Mon-Fri, 9 am to 5 pm. (I prefer email so I can answer you in writing.)

• Before asking a question by email or phone, first consult assignment instructions, lectures, textbooks, email messages, and syllabus (research is a basic expectation in this course).

• Efficient and timely communications are essential to your success in the course and to my ability to serve you -- my semester workload includes almost half a million words of gradable student submissions.

• Optional detailed markup of work: see details in syllabus.

Fall 2015 • ENC 3242: Course Introduction • Week 1 • Slide 9 of 15

Messages via Canvas and Email

• Your USF email is the official point of contact in this online course. If you use your mobile phone for email, remember that your device may not process attachments correctly.

• Send assignments and audio codes via Canvas, but all other messages via regular email to tr@sar.usf.edu.

• ALWAYS include your name, course number, and (if relevant) assignment number in SUBJECT line.

• Send all your messages to your secondary email address for safe backup.

• Make sure you receive my acknowledgment of all assignments and other important messages -- if you do not, send the message again ASAP or you may be penalized for late or missing work.

• In an online course, electronic communciations are essential. I receive scores of messages from students – don’t let yours go missing!

Fall 2015 • ENC 3242: Course Introduction • Week 1 • Slide 10 of 15

Grading Standards

• A = exceeds objectives of assignment; three or fewer errors.

• B = meets objectives; four or fewer errors; no major surprises.

• C = barely meets objectives; five or fewer errors; more concerned with “what the instructor wants” than with creative, original, and effective results

• D = tries but fails to meet objectives; six+ errors; confusion about assignment.

• F = complete failure to meet objectives.

• See this link for more information on grade penalties: http://www.todroberts.com/USF/grade_penalties.pdf

Fall 2015 • ENC 3242: Course Introduction • Week 1 • Slide 11 of 15

Grade Calculation

• Grades are earned, not given.• Judgment is based on performance, not personality.• Grades are weighted as follows:

• 60% = First three written assignments (20% each)• 30% = Assignment 4• 10% = Final exam

• Plagiarized submission or no assignment turned in = zero (0) points. Late submission loses 10 points for each 24-hour period beyond due date (no penalty if caused by legitimate, verifiable circumstance such as health problem -- must send valid documentation to me via email or U.S. mail). Points will be deducted for missing or late lecture codes

• Option 1, Optimal Learning: request detailed mark-up if you’re willing to revise and return your work within one week (no extra credit in your grade).

• Option 2, Basic Learning: receive only a grade on Canvas, without comment or markup (nothing returned to you).

• File names are important (X = assignment number; include underscores, without spaces, as shown):• Lastname_3242_X_markup.doc = request for

detailed markup (must revise completely and return within one week)

• Lastname_3242_X.doc = grade only, no comment, no revision required, nothing returned to you

LETTER/NUMBER GRADE EQUIVALENTSA = 100-95A- = 94.999-90B+ = 89.999-86B = 85.999-84B- = 83.999-80C+ = 79.999-76C = 75.999-74C- = 73.999-70D+ = 69.999-66D = 65.999-64D- = 63.999-60F = 59.999-0NO SUBMISSION OR PLAGIARIZED SUBMISSION = 0 (zero)

Fall 2015 • ENC 3242: Course Introduction • Week 1 • Slide 12 of 15

Avoid Plagiarism & Cheating

• “Innocent” plagiarism is still plagiarism.

• Document all information sources, including those from web and interviews; use MLA-style parenthetical citations in text.

• Penalty may include zero (0) points on submission, “FF” on permanent transcript, and/or dismissal from USF.

• You may not rewrite plagiarized work for credit.

• Plagiarism is easy for me to detect (I’ve seen every imaginable attempt in more than four decades of college teaching!)

• When in doubt, ask before submitting your work (use TurnItIn® to check for errors in citations).

• Read this article on course website by Sept. 1:http://www.todroberts.com/USF/Plagiarism_NoBigDeal.pdf

• Golden Rule => would you accept cheating in a fellow student?

Fall 2015 • ENC 3242: Course Introduction • Week 1 • Slide 13 of 15

How To Succeed in ENC 3242• Discuss your work with me while you’re preparing it and

immediately after you receive a grade. Don’t wait until the end of the semester. By then it’s too late.

• Grades are earned, not given, based on defined standards. Don’t take the process personally. (Think and act like a professional, not like a student.)

• I am eager for you to SUCCEED, not fail. Ask me for help at any time.

• Don’t fall behind on lectures or assignments -- ENC 3242 is an intensive, demanding course. If you have problems, contact me in advance, not days or weeks after a due date.

• Every good writer/editor is an autodidact, or self-teacher -- i.e., the most valuable and effective learning occurs within a motivated individual; a teacher or course can support but not replace this process. Don’t expect me to do the learning for you.

• Be active, not passive.

Fall 2015 • ENC 3242: Course Introduction • Week 1 • Slide 14 of 15

Assignment 1:Teach a Technical Task (due September 8)

• Choose a task that you know how to do and choose as your audience one or more persons interested in learning how to perform that task but with no direct experience in doing it.

• Examples of tasks to consider:• Preparing a professional presentation using MS PowerPoint.

• Performing maintenance or repair on a device such as a vehicle, computer, sports equipment, tools, weapon, or home appliance

• Teaching trainees important job duties in a field such as employment screening, bookkeeping, equipment operation, healthcare activities, bartending, food service, or aquatic lifesaving

• Two components: (1) brief prose directions with illustrations and (2) PowerPoint or audio/video version (to be posted on YouTube) of those directions.

• Email me a brief statement of your topic by Aug. 29. I will review and respond promptly.

Fall 2015 • ENC 3242: Course Introduction • Week 1 • Slide 15 of 15

Assignment 1 (continued)

• Test your results on at least one person who fits the profile of your target audience and record careful notes on the results of that test.

• Modify the final document to reflect changes derived from the test.

• Your grade on this assignment will be based on these criteria:• Clarity of message (how many questions does the reader

or listener need to ask to understand your directions?)• Effectiveness of the message (how efficiently and

thoroughly is the listener/reader/viewer likely to reach the objective?)

• Accuracy and conciseness of notes on test results.

• See links to instructions and sample submissions here: http://www.todroberts.com/USF/technical_teaching.htm.

Fall 2015 • ENC 3242: Course Introduction • Week 1 • Slide 16 of 15

Closing Thoughts

• Email your background information as a record of first-week attendance by Aug. 29, midnight (if I don’t receive this info, you will be considered “missing” and dropped from enrollment)

• To learn more about what I expect of you, see evaluations by my past students: http://www.todroberts.com/USF/Roberts_Evaluations.htm

• Send questions about the course, the syllabus, and the first assignment to me via email

• If you’d like to meet in person or by phone or Skype, arrange an appointment via email

• Keep in mind our motto for the USFSM College of Arts & Sciences ... “Opening Minds, Opening Doors”