Required Texts

Markel, Michael. Technical Communications 6^th Edition (Bedford/St. Martin’s Press, 2000)

Hacker, Diana. A Pocket Style Manual 3^rd Edition (Bedford/St. Martin's Press, 2000)

Webbed and photocopied handouts, as noted in the schedule

Description

Overview, theory, and practice of planning, writing, and revising technical documents commonly used in government, business, and industry. Topics include analyzing audience and purpose, simplifying complex information, designing paper and online documents, and project management.

Course Objectives

During this semester you will:

1. Develop and implement technical writing which is appropriate for your particular purpose and audience;
2. Enhance critical thinking abilities as you confront and solve information, persuasion, and ethical problems in the writing process;
3. Sharpen interpersonal skills by working on various projects in groups;
4. Improve library research skills, methods of documentation, and knowledge about appropriate and effective visual aids; and
5. Revise and edit documents in order to improve clarity, precision, coherence, grammar, and other basic writing mechanics.

Class attendance

If you have two unexcused absences, you will lose points for class participation. With three or more unexcused absences your grade will drop one full letter grade.

Writing

1. Two technical documents
2. A set of instructions or description
3. A brochure or web page
4. Collaborative project for an outside client (for example, web site, report, or proposal)
5. Individual project of your choosing
6. Frequent informal writings (for example, progress reports) on paper and on the class WebBoard

Teach the class about your individual project toward the end of the semester in a short oral report.

Technology

We will use the writing lab for some classes, and you will have access to a university lab for additional work if you do not have a personal computer. You must have a working login to the campus system and a working e-mail account. If you don’t know how to use the campus system or e-mail, please call or go to Academic Computing Services for help. In the computer lab, please sit near a more computer-literate class member if you feel that you may need help. For those of you who already know computers and the Internet fairly well, I expect you to help out other class members with computer and Internet-related tasks.

WebBoard Postings

Reflecting the migration of much technical communication to the Internet and networked environments, we will be using WebBoard for some class discussion and for exercises in the computer lab. Class members will be expected to observe the rules of netiquette and strive to communicate professionally and correctly in their postings. Superior performance on WebBoard postings will result in a check plus grade and increased class participation credit, while inferior performance will result in a check minus grade and decreased class participation credit.

Paper and disk management

Never give me your only copy of anything. Always keep a disk copy of your work, preferably both on a hard drive and on a removable disk such as a floppy, a zip disk, or writeable CD ROM. Throughout the semester, keep a folder or portfolio of your work, and include all notes, rough, and intermediate drafts, along with my comments, your peers’ comments, and your final documents. I reserve the right to ask to see this portfolio when determining your final grade.

Daily Preparation

You will come to all class meetings prepared to participate to the best of your ability. On days that the assigned readings on the schedule are marked with boldfaced letter Q, you must come to class with three discussion questions about the reading, which I will collect at the end of class. Please make sure your name and the date are on your question sheet. Thoughtful, innovative, and appropriate discussion questions will give you increased participation credit, while hastily scrawled questions which require short answers and little thought will give you only minimal credit.

Individual conference

Later in the semester (see the schedule) you will schedule an individual conference with me to discuss your individual project and your progress in the course. I encourage you to come to office hours throughout the semester to discuss your projects and class matters.

Disabilities

If you have a disability or any other special circumstance that may have some impact on your work in this class, and for which you may require some type of accommodation, please contact me early in the semester so that appropriate arrangements can be made. The NIU Center for Access-Ability Resources (CAAR), located on the 4th floor of the University Health Service (753-1303), is the designated office on campus to provide services and accommodations to students with diagnosed disabilities. You need to provide documentation of your disability to that office.

Derivation of Final Grade

• instructions or description ----------------------------------------------------------------15%

• brochure or Web page ---------------------------------------------------------------------15%

• client project --------------------------------------------------------------------------------20%

• individual project ---------------------------------------------------------------------------25%

• project presentation -------------------------------------------------------------------------10%

• class participation, including reading questions, short memos, and WebBoard ----15%