Course Syllabus

Summer 2023 | ENG-2135-VO01 - Technical Writing & Research

Online Class

Online courses take place 100% online via Canvas, without required in-person or Zoom meetings.

Faculty

Karen Tokat
View Faculty Credentials
View Faculty Statement
Hiring Coordinator for this course: Cindy Swanson

Course Description

This course examines the principles and methods of technical writing. Students explore a variety of methods and approaches for creating technical texts, including documents that demonstrate proficiency in the writing of reports, correspondence, manuals, proposals, articles, and specifications. Students must complete a final research paper achieving a grade of C- or better in order to pass this course. This course fulfills the research and writing intensive requirement. Prerequisite: English Composition.

Essential Objectives

1. Explore a broad range of texts and published articles from a variety of sources modeling technical writing through reading, writing, and critical discussion.
2. Generate, draft, and revise a variety of technical reports, proposals, graphic aids, manuals, and correspondence, including memos, emails, resumes, and manuals.
3. Critically examine, analyze, and evaluate underlying strategies related to technical writing and communication across different professions and applications, such as instruction and manual writing in manufacturing, or procedural documentation in nursing.
4. Develop strategies and implement skills for addressing the needs of both specific and multiple audiences across different technical rhetorical situations.
5. Apply the principles of technical writing to the student’s chosen field of study, including preparations for workplace interviews, presentations, and reports.
6. Incorporate layout integration and document design into technical documents, including page-design elements suitable for both electronic and print materials.
7. Work collaboratively to produce a group conceived, drafted, and edited technical document.
8. Evaluate completed documents in real-world settings and reflect on their practical application.
9. Demonstrate information literacy skills: distinguish between and utilize both primary and secondary sources; perform library and web-based literature searches; and evaluate data and resources for credibility, reliability, and validity.
10. Demonstrate the ability to apply either APA or MLA citation styles in academic writing by parenthetically citing sources in the text and correctly compiling them in the relevant end sources page.
11. Design, create, and revise a final technical document project, such as—but not limited to—a technical manual, report, or analysis that integrates five or more scholarly and professional sources, including primary and secondary evidence as needed, to address an academic research question or professional issue and demonstrate writing proficiency by achieving a grade of C- or better.

Required Technology

More information on general computer and internet recommendations is available on the CCV IT Support page. https://support.ccv.edu/general/computer-recommendations/

Please see CCV's Digital Equity Statement (pg. 45) to learn more about CCV's commitment to supporting all students access the technology they need to successfully finish their courses.

Required Textbooks and Resources

*** This is a no cost textbook or resource class ***

This course only uses free Open Educational Resources (OER) and/or library materials. For details, see the Canvas Site for this class.

Methods

Lots of writing Lots of reading Lots of research Lots of class discussions

Evaluation Criteria

Overall, you will have approximately 12 grades. There are 3 types.

1. WEEKLY GRADES: Each week you will have between 3 and 5 skills assignments which are averaged for a weekly grade. I believe you will find that the work is easy, but that there is a lot of it. Staying organized and getting your work done on time are to your great advantage (OK - I know you already know that). There will be 10 or 11 weekly grades.

2. STAND-ALONE GRADES: You will have 2 stand-alone grades that count the same as a weekly grade. They are the final draft of a cover letter and a final group project.

3. FINAL EXAM: You will have a final exam which I use to evaluate your skills around the work we have done.

Grading Criteria

CCV Letter Grades as outlined in the Evaluation System Policy are assigned according to the following chart:

	High	Low
A+	100	98
A	Less than 98	93
A-	Less than 93	90
B+	Less than 90	88
B	Less than 88	83
B-	Less than 83	80
C+	Less than 80	78
C	Less than 78	73
C-	Less than 73	70
D+	Less than 70	68
D	Less than 68	63
D-	Less than 63	60
F	Less than 60
P	100	60
NP	Less than 60	0

Weekly Schedule

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance and participation in classes are essential for success in and are completion requirements for courses at CCV. A student's failure to meet attendance requirements as specified in course descriptions will normally result in a non-satisfactory grade.

• In general, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences, lateness or early departures may jeopardize a student's ability to earn a satisfactory final grade.
• Attending an on-ground or synchronous course means a student appeared in the live classroom for at least a meaningful portion of a given class meeting. Attending an online course means a student posted a discussion forum response, completed a quiz or attempted some other academically required activity. Simply viewing a course item or module does not count as attendance.
• Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student's final grade.

Participation Expectations

While I, more than most people, prefer to work alone, Technical Writing really requires the ability to collaborate and communicate with others. This semester we will work on a group project. Your grade on the final product, will also reflect your participation and cooperative involvement in the activity. This is a good way to learn about and practice your group skills in a safe environment. Group work is very important, increases your employability and actually is an interesting aspect of our lives. Try it with us.

Missing & Late Work Policy

PLEASE NOTE that I am somewhat flexible about deadlines. This is because: 1. I know you have complicated and busy lives and sometimes may miss assignments or get behind. 2. If you do poorly on or miss an assignment, it is beneficial for you to redo or finish the assignment. However, this flexibility is limited and after 3 or 4 weeks the work can no longer be submitted.

Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:

1. Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/discover-resources/students-with-disabilities/
2. Request an appointment to meet with accessibility coordinator to discuss your request and create an accommodation plan.
3. Once created, students will share the accommodation plan with faculty. Please note, faculty cannot make disability accommodations outside of this process.

Academic Integrity