Course Syllabus

Spring 2024 | ENG-2145-VO01 - Writing for Multimedia

Online Class

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

Faculty

Eric Althoff
View Faculty Credentials

Hiring Coordinator for this course: Cindy Swanson

General Education Requirements

CCV Writing and Research

Note

Many degree programs have specific general education recommendations. In order to avoid taking unnecessary classes, please consult with additional resources like your program evaluation, your academic program catalog year page, and your academic advisor.

Courses may only be used to meet one General Education Requirement.

Course Description

In this course, students further develop writing and information-gathering skills for professional multimedia environments. Students develop research strategies and analyze media styles through a range of projects directed at a mass audience, including writing for news, broadcast, web, and interactive media as well as advertising, critical reviews, public relations, and creative scriptwriting. Students also examine legal and ethical issues critical to multimedia communication. Students must complete a final research paper with a grade of C- or better in order to pass this course. This course fulfills the research and writing intensive requirement. Prerequisites: English Composition

Essential Objectives

1. Apply rhetorical principles (audience analysis, invention, organization, style, composition) and standard grammar, usage, and mechanics effectively to several multimedia writing projects, demonstrating the engaging, clear and concise articulation of ideas and information while framing authoritative arguments or creative works.
2. Evaluate strengths and weaknesses of examples of multimedia expression and identify and apply key elements and features that comprise excellent media writing in different genres.
3. Develop comprehensive research strategies for identifying and accessing resources, collecting and organizing information, asking effective questions, interviewing successfully, and evaluating facts, sources, and details.
4. Demonstrate appropriate and accurate use of attribution and referencing in relation to quotes, interviews, and all information contributing to written work.
5. Distinguish between AP and other journalistic styles as well as basic broadcast, web, and public relations writing styles and structures, and apply this knowledge appropriately to finished work.
6. Practice manuscript and copy editing and proofreading, working with storyboards and other documents used in planning and executing a project, identifying client or audience needs, and working within strict deadlines.
7. Investigate the legal and ethical considerations pertaining to freedom of expression, intellectual property, privacy issues, conflicts of interest, libel, and censorship.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. Compose, revise, and edit a final paper that includes a thesis, integrates five or more scholarly and professional sources, including primary and secondary evidence as needed, to address an academic research question 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

• small and large group discussions
• interactive projects and/or activities
• multimedia presentations and resources
• readings, writing, and inquiry-based research
• professional work-based learning experiences

Evaluation Criteria

• Assignments 20%
• Participation (discussions) 20%
• Research Paper 50%
• Final Project 10%

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

For online courses, your “attendance” is measured by your active participation in the Canvas discussions. Your initial posting to the Canvas forum, based on the week’s prompt, will be due by Thursday at 11:59pm EST and should be between 250 and 500 words. There is no “maximum” word ceiling, but think of this forum as a conversation rather than a monologue. I too will participate in these discussions, and may even ask questions of poster or responder that might help as a starting point for your own responses to others. (This also allows me to monitor participation throughout the week.)

Missing & Late Work Policy

Deadlines

You are to respond to three classmates by 11:59 p.m. on Monday evening. As with initial posts, responses should be “substantive”—simply saying “I agree” or “I feel you’re wrong” are not enough; you must explain your thoughts and arguments. Keep the conversation moving forward, and be mindful of “netiquette” as failing to do so will negatively affect your grade.

Written assignments are typically due by Monday at 10pm. Your grade will drop by a letter for each consecutive day a paper is late. Plan ahead. If you absolutely cannot hit a deadline due to circumstances, please come to me to discuss.

Lateness or minimal participation effects on discussion grade:

As outlined in the course documents, if you know you will not make a deadline, for the Canvas forum or turning in assignments for any reason, please message me to make alternate arrangements. “Unexcused” lateness for written assignments will result in a drop in grade for each day the assignment is not turned in.

For Canvas discussions, see the grading rubric for more information on lateness and inadequate work. The lowest “possible” score is zero, which is the same as turning in no work at all. Marks of “1” indicate minimal effort on your initial post and/or in your responses to your classmates. Remember, you must respond to at least three of your classmates in order to achieve the full 10 points. This means in theory you could write an outstanding initial post and score a 5 but still get a zero on your response grade if you do not respond to anyone else at all.

Excused absences:

Life happens, emergencies arise. Come to me directly if you know you will miss class or a deadline due to such circumstances. While I won’t require “evidence,” if the requests become excessive I may ask for supporting documentation.

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