TECM 2700 Technical Writing Fall 2013

Instructor Office Location Office Hours Karrie Kreamer AUD Building 310 M 10:00 a.m. 11:30 a.m. W 10:00 a.m. 11:30 a.m. or by appointment 940-565-4458 (office number for the Department of Linguistics & Technical Communication. You may leave a message with the staff. ) Sims, Brenda R. Technical Communication. 2nd ed. Kendall Hunt, 2013 (Available in hard copy or eBook) You may order the eBook directly from the publisher at http://www.kendallhunt.com/store-product.aspx?id=68471. You must have the Webcom2.0 access code with the book you purchase. The objectives of TECM 2700 include the following: learn to write clearly, concisely, and correctly learn the value of good writing skills in business and industry learn and practice writing various technical documents common in business and industry use word processing and graphics software to create effective technical documents learn to write as a member of a team Style Exam Correspondence Case Study Design Case Study Job Materials (resume and cover letter) Proposal Instructions Feasibility Report Formal Project Portfolio 10% 5% 10% 10% 10% 15% 15% 20% 5%
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Phone E-Mail Textbook

Course Objectives

Evaluation

Policies

Acceptable Student Behavior

You must attend class regularly. You cannot perform well in this course unless you attend class. If you miss class for any reason, you are responsible for all material covered and all assignments made. My classroom is a cell-phone-free zone: no texting, no surfing, and no talking on cell phones. Put your phone on silent (not vibrate) during class. Please respect your classmates by following this policy. I do not accept late assignments except in cases listed below. If you do not contact me before the assignment is due, I will not accept the assignment. If you are unable to attend class or turn in an assignment because of an emergency, please call or e-mail me before class. If you miss more than 3 classes, I will lower your grade one letter. If you miss more than 5 classes, I will lower your grade two letters and may drop you for non-attendance. If you miss more than two scheduled team meetings, you may receive a grade of zero on the team project/assignment. If you do not prepare an assignment according to instructions in format, organization, and style, that assignment may receive a grade of F. Make copies of your formal report and any other documents that you would like to keep. I will keep your formal project and other documents on file for one year. You will submit all of your work at the end of the semester via an EPortfolio. If you fail to complete the E-Portfolio, you will receive a 10 point reduction in your final grade. Check your UNT email address for communication from me. I use only UNT email address to communicate with students.

Student behavior that interferes with an instructors ability to conduct a class or other students' opportunity to learn is unacceptable and disruptive and will not be tolerated in any instructional forum at UNT. Students engaging in unacceptable behavior will be directed to leave the classroom and the instructor may refer the student to the Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities to consider whether the student's conduct violated the Code of Student Conduct. The university's expectations for student conduct apply to all instructional forums, including university and electronic classroom, labs, discussion groups, field trips, etc. The Code of Student Conduct can be found at www.unt.edu/csrr I follow UNTs policy for academic dishonesty. You can access these
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Academic Integrity

guidelines and the UNT policy at http://policy.unt.edu/sites/default/files/untpolicy/pdf/7-Student_AffairsAcademic_Integrity.pdf. You are responsible for knowing and following the student standards for academic integrity. Essential Competencies In accordance with the terms and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504, Rehabilitation Act, I will cooperate with the office of Disability Accommodation to make reasonable accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. If you have a disability for which you will require accommodation, please advise me of your needs in writing no later than the end of the second week of class. Essential competencies for this course include the ability to read and analyze technical documents write clear, concise, and visually appropriate technical prose for the intended readers in response to various types of assignments work in a team to discuss, write, edit, and publish technical documents use a personal computer with word processing, e-mail, website design, and graphics software applications work effectively as part of a team follow the rules of standard grammar, usage, spelling, and punctuation

Succeed!

I want you to succeed at UNT and in this class. I encourage you to visit the Succeed at UNT website: www.succeed.unt.edu.

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Readings and Assignments August 28 August 30 What well do in class What well do in class Introduction to the Course Student Profiles What Makes Technical Communication Excellent Orientation to the Computer Lab Chapter 1 What Makes Technical Communication Excellent Chapter 1

What to read September 4 What well do in class What to read

Whats due Exercise 1 on page 15 _________________________________________________________________________________ September 6 What well do in class Writing for Your Readers What to read Whats due September 9 What well do in class What to read Whats due Chapter 4 Real World Experience on page 134 Organizing Information for Your Readers Chapter 6

Select two of the following exercises: 2, 4, and 5 on pages 180-181 __________________________________________________________________________________ September 11 What well do in class Organizing Information for Your Readers What to read Whats due Chapter 6 Select two of the following exercises: 6, 7, and 8 on pages 203-206

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September 13

What well do in class Whats due

Organizing Information for Your Readers Real World Experience on page 184 (collaborative assignment to be presented in class) Style Chapter 7 Exercises 1-3 on pages 203 Style

September 16

What well do in class What to read Whats due

September 18

What well do in class

Whats due Exercises 5-7, and 8 on pages 204-206 __________________________________________________________________________________ September 20 What well do in class Style What to read Whats due September 23 What well do in class Chapter 8 Exercises 1-5 on pages 231-232 Style

Whats due Exercises 6-11 on pages 232-234 __________________________________________________________________________________ September 25 What well do in class Practice Style Exam What to read Review Chapters 7-8 __________________________________________________________________________________ September 27 What well do in class Introduction to Formal Project Review of Practice Exam September 30 What well do in class Style Exam: Part 1

What to read Review Chapters 7-8 and your practice exam __________________________________________________________________________________ October 2 What well do in class Style Exam: Part 2 What to read Review Chapters 7-8 and your practice exam
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__________________________________________________________________________________ October 4 What well do in class Designing Documents What to read Chapter 10

Whats due Exercise 1 on page 292 _________________________________________________________________________________ October 7 What well do in class Designing Graphics What to read Chapter 11

Whats due Exercise 6 on page 346 __________________________________________________________________________________ October 9 What well do in class Graphics Orientation Workshop: Design Case Study Whats due October 11 What well do in class Prototype or thumbnail sketches Workshop: Design Case Study

Whats due Draft of case study __________________________________________________________________________________ October 14 What well do in class Letters, Memos, and E-Mail What to read Whats due Chapter 12

Design case study at beginning of class Exercise 1 on page 379 ______________________________________________________________________________ October 16 What well do in class Workshop: Correspondence Case Study Whats due Tentative formal project topic e-mailed to me by the beginning of class Correspondence case study at the end of class Ethics Chapter 2

October 18

What well do in class What to read

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October 21

What well do in class What to read

Resumes, and Letters of Application Chapter 13

Whats due Case Study Analysis, Assignment 1 on page 424 __________________________________________________________________________________ October 23 What well do in class Workshop: Resumes Whats due October 25 October 28 What well do in class What well do in class What to read Whats due Draft of resume at the beginning of class Workshop: Resumes Workshop: E-Portfolios E-Portfolio Orientation Chapter 19

Resume and letter of application at the beginning of class __________________________________________________________________________________ October 30 What well do in class Building Persuasive Arguments What to read Whats due November 1 What well do in class What to read November 4 What well do in class Chapter 9 Exercise 1 on page 254 Proposals Chapter 16 Proposals

Whats due Draft of problem section __________________________________________________________________________________ November 6 What well do in class Workshop: ProposalsPeer Editing Whats due November 8 What well do in class What to read Exercises 1e, 2, and 3 on page 559 Instructions Chapter 18
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Whats due November 11 What well do in class What to read

Case Study Analysis, Assignment 1 or 2 on page 558 Collaboration Workshop: Team Instructions Chapter 3

Whats due Proposal __________________________________________________________________________________ November 13 What well do in class Workshop: Team Instructions Whats due November 15 November 18 What well do in class What well do in class Topic for instructions due at the end of class Workshop: Team Instructions Workshop: Team Instructions

Whats due Draft of team instructions at the end of class __________________________________________________________________________________ November 20 What well do in class Individual Conferences to Review Formal Project Rough Drafts Workshop: Team Instructions Whats due November 22 What well do in class What to read Rough draft of formal project Feasibility Reports Chapter 15

Whats due Team instructions at the beginning of class __________________________________________________________________________________ November 25 What well do in class Workshop: Feasibility Reports Whats due Formal Project at the beginning of class __________________________________________________________________________________ December 2 What well do in class Workshop: Team Feasibility Study What to read Whats due Chapter 20 E-portfolio
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December 4

What well do in class

Workshop: Team Feasibility Study

Whats due Draft of feasibility report at the end of class __________________________________________________________________________________ December 6 Reading Day __________________________________________________________________________________ December 10 Final Exam (Presentations of Team Feasibility Studies and final draft of feasibility report)

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