BCM 247.503 Fall 2012 Page 1

Professor: Gail Weatherly, Ph.D. Course Title: Business Communication (fully online in Desire2Learn) Professor: Dr. Gail Weatherly Primary Email: Email within the course in Desire2Learn (d2l.sfasu.edu) Secondary Email: Email if D2L is NOT operational: gweatherly@sfasu.edu Phone: 936-468-1630 Office: Suite 229H of the McGee Business Building

Monday 10-11am 1 hr. OFFICE

2:15-3:15pm 1 hr. OFFICE 6-7pm 1 hr. ONLINE Tuesday 9-9:30am 30 min. OFFICE 1:30-2:30pm 1 hr. OFFICE Wednesday 10-11am 1 hr. OFFICE 2:15-3:15pm 1 hr. OFFICE Thursday 9-9:30am 30 min. OFFICE 1:30-2:30pm 1 hr. OFFICE Friday 12:45-2:45 2 hrs. OFFICE Please note office hours listed above. You are welcomed to visit my office during on-campus office hours. For online office hours you will find me online in Desire2Learn. I also take telephone calls during my on-campus office hours. Please, do not call and leave a message for me to return your call. If you cannot reach me on my phone during office hours, please email me.

Business Communication and Legal Studies

Online Class – This is not a self-paced course. There are definite deadlines for each assignment.

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Business Communication 247 (BUSI 2304) – Application of business communication principles through creation of effective business documents and oral presentations. Includes study and application of team communication and use of technology to facilitate the communication process.

Six (6) hours from English 131, 132, 133 or 235 and basic keyboarding skills.

Program learning outcomes define the knowledge, skills, and abilities students are expected to demonstrate upon completion of an academic program. These learning outcomes are regularly assessed to determine student learning and to evaluate overall program effectiveness. You may access the program learning outcomes for your major and particular courses at http://cobweb.sfasu.edu/plo.html.

Objective 1: To understand and demonstrate writing and speaking processes through invention, organization, drafting, revision, editing, and presentation.

Objective 2: To understand the importance of specifying audience and purpose and to select appropriate communication choices. Objective 3: To understand and appropriately apply modes of expression, i.e., descriptive, expositive, narrative, scientific, and self-

expressive, in written, visual, and oral communication. Objective 4: To participate effectively in groups with emphasis on listening, critical and reflective thinking, and responding. Objective 5: To understand and apply basic principles of critical thinking, problem solving, and technical proficiency in the development of

exposition and argument. Objective 6: To develop the ability to research and write a documented paper and/or to give an oral presentation.

Upon successful completion of this course, the student should be able to: 1. Apply business communication strategies and principles to prepare effective communication for domestic and international business situations. 2. Identify ethical, legal, cultural, and global issues affecting business communication. 3. Utilize analytical and problem solving skills appropriate to business communication. 4. Participate in team activities that lead to the development of collaborative work skills. 5. Select appropriate organizational formats and channels used in developing and presenting business messages. 6. Compose and revise accurate business documents using computer technology. 7. Communicate via electronic mail, Internet, and other technologies. 8. Deliver an effective oral business presentation.

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INTERNET ACCESS, SOFTWARE, AND COMPUTER REQUIREMENTS Students enrolling in an online section of BCM247 must have high-speed Internet Access, a personal computer, and Office 2007 or newer. You must also have Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Adobe Reader version 2003 or newer. All written assignments will be submitted as .doc or .docx files for grading. PowerPoint will be uploaded to the video site where your presentation will be posted. PRESENTATION You will be required to make video presentations so you must have access to a video recorder capable of recording at least four minutes of video. Many telephones now will record video and many computers have built in webcams for recording. You can sign up for your login at http://www.youseeu.com. The class code is 774kn8 REQUIRED TEXTBOOK

BCOM4, by Lehman & DuFrene with CourseMate code South-Western, Cengage Learning - Publication Date 2013 ISBN-13: 978-1-133-37247-9; ISBN-10:1-133-37247-3

In order for you to enroll at the Cengage Brain site for this course, you will need the following Course Key.

This is a required hard copy text. The book includes review cards and provides you with a code for access to a CourseMate web site with electronic study materials. Without the book, you do not get access to the website. Other textbooks by these authors will not have the same page arrangement and will cause confusion. You will need this book to be successful in the course. The price is $59.95. To help you access CourseMate and enroll in this course, the publisher-provided help can be found at: http://poweron.cengage.com/magellan/TechSupport/ProductHelp.aspx?prodrowid=1-SXF0LJ. Once there, you should click the bullet beside “Student”, then the "Downloads" tab, then click the "Student Registration and Enrollment Clickpath" tab, and, finally, click the "Download File" link.

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This course will require writing assignments that will include written response to online discussions; the good news or positive message; the bad news or negative message; the persuasive message, and a research-based report. At least one oral presentation will be included in the course. At least two exams must be administered, in addition to chapter quizzes. Coverage will also include employment communication and team-building activities. Other assignments may include secondary research, primary research, and other assignments as determined by the instructor. Students are responsible for checking the Desire2Learn communications from both team members and instructor.

It is highly recommended that you print this syllabus and pay particular attention to the course schedule at the end of this document. The schedule lists topics the course will cover, and the approximate amount of time to be devoted to each topic.

What to do if My SFA or Desire2Learn is down – Continue working – don’t think of it as an excuse With technology, there is always a chance for a technology glitch. All assignments are due as stated in the syllabus schedule. Bookmark http://d2l.sfasu.edu on your computer so that even if MySFA is down, you can still access Desire2Learn.

The final exam is comprehensive. There are no makeup exams for any of the work due throughout the semester. The final exam counts as the one and only makeup grade. It may be used to replace one missed exam/test/or quiz grade. Exam opens Wednesday, December 12 at 10am and closes Friday, December 14 at 10am.

Students will be assigned to teams. The number of members will depend on class enrollment. Your involvement in your assigned team is not optional. You will work on assignments both individually and in the team. It is your responsibility to communicate with the team discussion board in Desire2Learn. The grades you receive throughout the semester will determine your final grade in the course. I will not change the grade you earn. If you keep up with the work and do your best throughout the semester, you will earn the points you need for the class.

Communication This is an online course -- therefore, the primary contact method will be electronic communication through Desire2Learn. You should check your email for this class at least once every day. I make every attempt to respond to students in a reasonable amount of time. Just as I tell you that you should check your email at least once a day -- I will do likewise. When you send an email, if you would like a reply, please ask a specific question. If you send me as message that does not ask a question, I will not be responding.

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You will be held responsible for any instructions or assignments that are transmitted via Desire2Learn email. You can set your email in Desire2Learn to forward to your normally used email account. However, you cannot send emails to me with your regular email account. You must go into Desire2Learn to send any emails to me. I will not respond to emails sent outside of Desire2Learn. The reason for this is that I receive so many emails a day that I might miss an email in my regular account. Therefore I make it my policy to only answer student emails through Desire2Learn. You can expect me to answer emails during my office hours. This does not mean I will not answer at other times. My policy is to answer emails within 48 hours. You can usually expect to receive a response within 24 hours; however, please remember that I am not on 24-hr call. I hold regular office hours (9 hours on campus and 1 hour online) and those are listed on this syllabus. You should attempt to see that your messages that concern questions pertaining to this course are available at that time for me to answer. This is not to say I will not answer at other times, but you should not expect it or count on it. If you wait until shortly before assignments are due to address questions to me on the assignment, you may or may not get an answer before the deadline arrives.

The class schedule is included as the last two pages of this document. Topics and due dates are included in this schedule. The syllabus and the schedule are tentative and subject to change at the discretion of the instructor.

All assignments are graded for spelling, punctuation, grammar, and mechanics. Grades are usually based on a grading rubric, or you will receive a returned marked paper. If you do not understand the grade you receive, please look at the rubric or the marked paper to see where you missed points. If you have a question or think I overlooked something that was actually in the assignment but no grade given, or an assignment or question on a test is mismarked, please send an email that includes the following: Subject Line of Email: Grade Question on ______ Assignment Body of Email Provide:

• Name of Assignment • Where the assignment was submitted (D2L Dropbox, D2L Quiz, D2L Discussion, Wikispaces) • The specific item you are questioning and the part of the grade with which you disagree. Explain why you think the grade is incorrect.

You are always welcomed to stop by my office for a grade question, but be prepared to provide the information shown above if there is a grade question. I want a record of the question and time for me to give sufficient consideration to your question. If you email a question abover a grade without this information, I will refer you to pages 5-6 of the syllabus. All questions about grades must be made by the Friday prio to the final exam date or within two days of the grade posting, whichever is later.

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Keep up with your work, and do your work well, and you will receive the grade you earn. It is up to you to do your best. When assignments are closed, they will not be reopened. Due dates end at 10 am – in the morning not at night. If you have technical problems uploading an assignment, contact the Office of Instructional Technology at 936-468-1919 so they can assist you. Don’t wait, however, until the last minute and then hope you have enough time to seek help. Sometime, it takes an hour or more for OIT to walk a student through various problems occurring because of a setting on the student’s personal computer. Regardless of the problem, the assignment will still be due at the scheduled time. IMPORTANT: DO NOT make the mistake of submitting a file with the file extension .lnk or a file with the document name beginning with a $ replacing the first letter of the file name. LOOK at the file name you have uploaded. If it has either of these problems you need to delete the file you have uploaded to Desire2Learn and upload again. The .lnk usually occurs when you have placed a link to a file on your desktop and uploaded from there. The $ in front of the file name usually means you have the file open and instead of choosing the file, you have chosen the temporary file. In either case, the file will not open when submitted, meaning I will have nothing to grade, and you will receive a ZERO. In the past, students have turned in these incorrect file formats to buy themselves more time by indicating it was simply a mistake. I have later found out from other students that they did it intentionally. Therefore, I now have the policy that NO EXTENSION will be given because of incorrect file formats or incorrect submission. In other words – if you turn in an incorrect file format, you will receive a zero.

Academic integrity is a responsibility of all university faculty and students. Faculty members promote academic integrity in multiple ways including instruction on the components of academic honesty, as well as abiding by university policy on penalties for cheating and plagiarism.

Academic dishonesty includes both cheating and plagiarism. Cheating includes but is not limited to (1) using or attempting to use unauthorized materials to aid in achieving a better grade on a component of a class; (2) the falsification or invention of any information, including citations, on an assigned exercise; and/or (3) helping or attempting to help another in an act of cheating or plagiarism. Plagiarism is presenting the words or ideas of another person as if they were your own. Examples of plagiarism are (1) submitting an assignment as if it were one's own work when, in fact, it is at least partly the work of another; (2) submitting a work that has been purchased or otherwise obtained from an Internet source or another source; and (3) incorporating the words or ideas of an author into one's paper without giving the author due credit. Please read the complete policy at http://www.sfasu.edu/policies/academic_integrity.asp.

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Ordinarily, at the discretion of the instructor of record and with the approval of the academic chair/director, a grade of WH will be assigned only if the student cannot complete the course work because of unavoidable circumstances. Students must complete the work within one calendar year from the end of the semester in which they receive a WH, or the grade automatically becomes an F. If students register for the same course in future terms the WH will automatically become an F and will be counted as a repeated course for the purpose of computing the grade point average.

To obtain disability related accommodations, alternate formats and/or auxiliary aids, students with disabilities must contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS), Human Services Building, and Room 325, 468-3004 / 468-1004 (TDD) as early as possible in the semester. Once verified, ODS will notify the course instructor and outline the accommodation and/or auxiliary aids to be provided. Failure to request services in a timely manner may delay your accommodations. For additional information, go to http://www.sfasu.edu/disabilityservices/. STEPHEN F. AUSTIN STATE UNIVERSITY POLICIES Online Attendance/Tardiness The following changes to Stephen F. Austin State University’s Attendance/Tardiness policy are effective March 15, 2006: Stephen F. Austin State University online courses have both synchronous and asynchronous requirements. Synchronous (or real-time) learning experiences called seminars happen at the same time for all students in a section. Asynchronous learning experiences happen throughout the course and do not require student participation at a scheduled time. The specific requirements for attendance are the following: Any first-term student, or any student seeking reentry, who does not log into classes within the first seven days of the term will be withdrawn from their classes and their enrollment will be cancelled. Students who have not participated in class by failing to log in for 21 consecutive calendar days (excluding scheduled breaks) will be administratively withdrawn from their program. Students who fail to log into any class within the first 21 days of the term will be dropped from the class or classes. Students dismissed due to nonattendance must apply for readmission by following reentry procedures. Students may appeal to their school’s Associate Dean of Students if they feel an error has been made in their attendance calculation. Attendance Policy This is an online course. There are, however, specific deadlines. Students are expected to log into the course on a regular basis.

Acceptable Student Behavior Classroom behavior should not interfere with the instructor’s ability to conduct the class or the ability of other students to learn from the instructional program (see the Student Conduct Code, policy D-34.1). Unacceptable or disruptive behavior will not be tolerated.

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Students who disrupt the learning environment may be asked to leave class and may be subject to judicial, academic, or other penalties. This prohibition applies to all instructional forums, including electronic, classroom, labs, discussion groups, field trips, etc. The instructor shall have full discretion over what behavior is appropriate/inappropriate in the classroom. Students who do not attend class regularly or who perform poorly on class projects/exams may be referred to the Early Alert Program. This program provides students with recommendations for resources or other assistance that is available to help SFA students succeed.

Percentage Item Range Letters, memorandums, and written messages 25 – 30% Documented report/proposal with recommendations 15—25% Examinations (at least two) 15—30% Quizzes and other assignments 10—30% Oral presentation 5—10%

Percent for this section 27.0% 17.5% 28.0% 18.0% 9.5%

To receive an A you need between 895 and 1000 points To receive a C you need between 695 and 794 points To receive a B you need between 795 and 894 points To receive a D you will need at least 595 points but less than 694 CLASS SCHEDULE The following pages contain the schedule for the fall semester. Each assignment has a due date assigned. The only assignments guaranteed to be graded are those submitted by the official deadline. The instructor reserves the right to adjust this schedule as deemed necessary to best cover material in this course in the event there are extenuating circumstances that prevent effective coverage of material. For detailed information on each assignment, see the Assignment Page Listings in Desire2Learn. Again, it is recommended that you print this syllabus and keep the course schedule in a convenient location so as not to miss any of the assignment deadlines. GETTING STARTED CHECKLIST

• Read Syllabus.

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• Purchase BCOM4 textbook WITH access code. • Log in to the CourseMate online companion and find the section that contains the tutorials. • Take the FAQ Syllabus quiz – must receive 100 percent before any other grades will be valid - this means before the first deadline or all other

grades will be zero. • Print a copy of the schedule from the syllabus. • Begin work immediately on the schedule. Don’t get behind.

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(ALL DUE BY 10AM)

GETTING STARTED and CH 1-4 (Units 1&2) Aug. 27 - Sept. 17

• Getting Started (Syllabus)

• Review the syllabus. • Purchase BCOM4 textbook WITH access code. • Log in to the CourseMate online companion and find the section that

contains the tutorials. • Take the FAQ quiz – must receive 100 percent to proceed in the

course. • Print a copy of the schedule from the syllabus. • Begin work immediately on the schedule.

• Note: Take this quiz until you get all answers correct, or you can’t continue in the course.

• FAQ Quiz due Sept. 5 – 10am 20

• Chapters 1-4 • Read Chapters 1-4 • Participate in D2L Discussion: Recession Ride Taxi • Listen to the online Audio lectures in CourseMate (Cengage Brain) • Complete Chapter 1-4 Quizzes by due dates of each • Complete Exam over Chapters 1-4 by due date • Sign up for Wikispaces; report signup in D2L Dropbox • Create an Introduction Video of yourself in YouSeeU. (Explanation for

this assignment is in D2L dropbox - Intro Video YouSeeU) • EXAM over Chapters 1-4

• Ch 1 Quiz due Sept. 7 10 • D2L Discussion due Sept. 7 5 • Ch 2 Quiz due Sept. 12 10 • Ch 3 Quiz due Sept. 12 10 • Ch 4 Quiz due Sept. 14 10 • Sign up for Wikispaces due Sept. 14 10 • YouSeeU Introduction Video due Sept. 17 20

• EXAM – CHAPTERS 1-4 – DUE SEPT. 17 80 CH 5-8 (Units 1&2 Sept. 18 – Oct. 15

• Chapters 5-8 • Read Chapters 5-8 • Listen to the online Audio lectures in CourseMate (CengageBrain) • AS A TEAM – submit draft of practice letters in Wikispaces; submit in

D2L Dropbox as follows: Chapter 6 – Good or Neutral News Practice Letter (D2L Dropbox) Chapter 7 – Bad News Practice Letter (D2L Dropbox) Chapter 8 – Persuasive Letter (D2L Dropbox)

• Exam over Chapters 5-8 • AS INDIVIDUAL – improve and submit final letters in D2L quizzes as

follows: Chapter 6 – Good News Final Letter (D2L Quiz) Chapter 7 – Bad News Final Letter (D2L Quiz) Chapter 8 – Persuasive Letter (D2L Quiz)

• Ch 5 Quiz due Sept. 25 10 • Ch 6 Quiz due Sept. 28 10 • Ch 6 Good/News Practice letter – due Sept. 28 10 • Ch 7 Quiz due October due Oct. 5 10 • Ch 7 Bad News Practice letter – due Oct. 5 10 • Ch 8 Quiz due Oct. 12 10

• Ch 8 Persuasive Practice Letter due Oct. 12 10 • EXAM – CHAPTERS 5-8 – DUE OCT. 15 75 • Ch 6 FINAL GOOD/NEUTRAL LETTER due Oct.

17 60 • Ch 7 FINAL BAD NEWS NETTER – due Oct. 17 90 • Ch 8 FINAL PERSUASIVE LETTER – due Oct. 17 90

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CH 9-12 (Unit 3) Oct. 16 – Nov. 14

• Chapters 9-12 • Read Chapters 9-12 • Listen to the online Audio lectures in CourseMate (CengageBrain) • Ch9-As a TEAM, choose a topic for the research assignment in

Wikispaces • Ch9-Complete TEAM research assignment in the TEAM Wiki; submit

individually in D2L dropbox. (Portion of the research project grade.) • Ch10-Complete TEAM graphics assignment in the TEAM Wiki; submit

individually in D2L dropbox. • Using information created by your team in Ch 9, refine and submit

your CHAPTER 11 INDIVIDUAL FINALREPORT in D2L dropbox • Team member evaluation – D2L dropbox • EXAM over Chapters 9-12

• Ch 9 Quiz - due Oct. 24 10

• Ch 9 TEAM Research assignment – Draft as a team in Wikispaces - due Oct. 24 50

• Ch 10 Quiz - due Oct.31 10

• BONUS OPPORTUNITY: Guest Speaker: Oct 30 5PM in Room 133 of McGee Bus Bldg. 10

• Ch 10 Graphics assignment – Draft as a team in Wikispaces - due Oct. 31 15

• Ch 11 Quiz - due Nov. 7 10 • Ch 12 Quiz – due Nov. 9 10 • FINAL REPORT - submit as an INDIVIDUAL in

D2L – due Nov. 12 110 • EXAM – CHAPTERS 9-12 – DUE NOV. 14 75 • Team member evaluation – due Nov. 14 10

CH 13-14 (Unit 4) Nov. 15 – Dec 7

• Chapters 13-14 • Read Chapters 13-14 • Listen to the online Audio lectures in CourseMate (CengageBrain) • Oral Presentations in YouSeeU (D2L Dropbox) • EXAM over Ch 13-14 • Ch14 D2L Discussion: Interviewing Questions • YouSeeU Interview Question Assignment • FINAL EXAM – required only if you missed another exam

• Ch 13 Quiz – due Nov. 19 10 • Oral presentation in YouSeeU – due by Nov. 26 50 • Ch 14 Quiz – due Nov. 28 10 • D2L Discussion Interviewing Question – due

Nov. 28 5 • YouSeeU Interview Question Video

Assignment due Dec. 3 15 • EXAM – Ch 13-14 – due Dec. 7 50 • FINAL EXAM – only required if another exam

was missed – OPENS WED., DEC. 12 AT 10AM AND CLOSES FRIDAY, DEC. 14 AT 10AM.

FINAL EXAM – EXAM IS AVAILABLE DEC. 12 at 10AM to DEC. 14 at 10AM. The final exam is not required unless you missed one or more of the Exams during the session. You may use the final exam to replace one missed grade from the following: Exam #1, Exam #2, Exam #3, Exam #4, Final Letter #1, Final Letter #2, Final Letter #3, or one quiz. It cannot be used to replace any other assignment. You must tell the instructor what assignment you missed. *This is a tentative schedule that may be subject to change by the instructor.