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Introduction to Digital Writing

Dr. Daniel Richards Email: dprichar@odu.edu! ! Phone: 3-4629 Ofce: BAL 2020 Ofce Hours: M 4:30p6:30p, W 2p3p

ENGL 307

Course Catalog Description This course introduces students to issues of writing in various digital environments like web pages, email, blogs, wikis, and discussion boards. This class also introduces fundamentals of hypertext authoring, digital and visual rhetoric, and image manipulation. Course Texts

Theory Baron, D. (2009). A better pencil: Readers, writers, and the digital revolution. New York: Oxford University Press.

Practice Duckett, J. (2011). HTML and CSS: Design and build websites. New York: Wiley.

My Approach The textbooks for this class are representative of the two main goals for this semester: (1) to expand through practice students digital writing skills repertoire and (2) to situate these skills within larger theoretical frameworks. Put more simply, this course is concerned with exploring the connections between the theory and practice of digital writing. I want students to be able to add certain skills as lines on their resume while also engaging in larger ideas about what it means to write in digital environments. Becoming thoughtful writers with and procient users of emerging technologies is a key component of any program of study in English studies.
Dr. Richards | Old Dominion University | Department of English | Spring 2014

Course Objectives My goals for you in this course: EXPAND You expand your writing capabilities to digital spaces. By extending your ideas about writing to digital environments, you will expand your thinking about rhetoric and what it means to communication in English. WORK You work with un/familiar technologies. Of course, each student is coming to this course will have his or her own level of technological prociencies. Expect that your technological literacy be pushed to some limits. CONNECT You connect your writing practice with the theory that undergirds it. Because you are writing digitally in an academic context, you will inevitably be asked to consistently connect your practice to larger theoretical ideas. CREATE You create actual products that lend themselves well to a portfolio. Theory is all well and good but at the end of the day students need actual selfcreated products they can reference in job interviews. This class provides that.

Learning Outcomes Well achieve these goals by: Completing weekly reading assignments and participating in class discussion. Spending class time to work on major projects on classroom computers. Producing ve major projects, each of which deal with a different digital writing technology. Engaging in minor in-class assignments aimed at complementing the larger concepts and projects taking place throughout the course of the semester.

Dr. Richards | Old Dominion University | Department of English | Spring 2014

Overview of Deliverables Project I II III IV V Title Usability Testing Video Tutorial Composite Argument Original Design Web Presence Weight 10% 20% 20% 20% 30% Technology Various software iMovie or MovieMaker Photoshop InDesign Wordpress/Google Sites

Attendance and Participation This course is designed with the expectation that all students will participate actively in class discussion and activities. Failure to participate actively during a class will result in one point taken from your nal grade (the class is out of 100 points). When a student participates actively, he or she is: engaging in class discussion conducting assigned in-class writing tasks holding up their share of work in group settings being mentally present Essentially, while you do not get marks for participating, you get marks docked for not participating. In return, attendance will not be taken in this class. Weighting Scales and Late Work As with any undergraduate course at Old Dominion University, the letter grades are numerated as such: !

+ 97.5-100 92.5-97.4 - 90-92.4

+ 87.5-90 82.5-87.4 - 80-82.4

+ 77.5-80 72.5-77.4 - 70-72.4

+ 67.5-70 62.5-67.4 - 60-62.4

<60

Major projects will be penalized 1/3 of a letter grade for each day late. Work done in class cannot be made up unless there is documentation. Email Policy Being a student in an upper-level English course only heightens your responsibility to communicate with your peers and professor with utmost professionalism in all forms of electronic communication. All emails sent to the instructor must have the following

Dr. Richards | Old Dominion University | Department of English | Spring 2014

characteristics: pertinent title, appropriate greeting, clear sentences, concise paragraphs, and a signature indicating your full name. I reserve the right to not respond to any email that does not fulll the above characteristics or that asks questions about the timeliness of grading and/or information presented clearly presented in the syllabus or website (you can ask for further clarication). Also, a note from the university: " The Old Dominion University e-mail system is the ofcial electronic mail system for " distributing course-related communications, policies, announcements and other " information. A University e-mail user ID and password are necessary for " authentication and access to numerous electronic resources (Blackboard, faculty " websites, etc.) Classroom Conduct There will be considerable group work and discussion between and among peers in this class. It is imperative that each student maintain a level of attentiveness and respect towards each other and the instructor. Students do not have the right to engage in behavior which is disruptive or annoying in the classroom. Faculty do have the right to immediately confront any student causing disruptive or annoying behavior, and request cessation of the disturbing behavior.#Should any student choose not to respond to a request to cease disruptive or annoying behavior, the faculty member can request that the student leave the classroom to prevent further disruption to the class. Disruptive students are reported to the vice president for student services and to the university hearing ofcer for disciplinary action under the Code of Student Conduct. Cell Phones On silent and out of sight. Always. Plagiarism Policy Dont do it. I mean, how could you sleep at night if you broke this pledge: I pledge to support the honor system of Old Dominion University. I will refrain from any form of academic dishonest or deception, such as cheating or plagiarism. I am aware that as a member of the academic community, it is my responsibility to turn in all suspected violators of the honor system. I will report to Honor Council hearings if summoned. By attending Old Dominion University you have accepted the responsibility to abide by this code. This is an institutional policy approved by the Board of Visitors. Accommodations In accordance with university policy, a student who wishes to receive some instructional accommodation, because of a documented sensory and/or learning disability, should meet with the instructor to discuss this accommodation. Any student who has a concern or
Dr. Richards | Old Dominion University | Department of English | Spring 2014

needs to make special arrangements for meeting the requirements of the course is encouraged to speak with the instructor. The instructor must be notied in the rst two weeks of the course of any students with disabilities or any students with religious observances that would impact the typical delivery of the course. Withdrawal A syllabus constitutes a contract between the student and the course instructor. Participation in this course indicates your acceptance of its content, requirements and policies. Please review the syllabus and the course requirements as soon as possible. If you believe that the nature of this course does not meet your interests, needs or expectations (amount of work involved, class meetings, assignment deadlines, course policies, etc.), you should drop the class by the drop/add deadline, which is indicated in the ODU Schedule of Classes.

Dr. Richards | Old Dominion University | Department of English | Spring 2014

Syllabus Agreement Form Instructions: Please sign, detach this entire page, and return to the instructor by the end of the rst week of classes. By signing below, you are indicating that you agree to abide by the parameters outlined in the above syllabus. Course: ENGL 307T Introduction to Digital Writing Institution: Old Dominion University (Main Campus) Instructor: Dr. Daniel Richards Semester: Spring 2014

X___________________________ ! X_________________________ ! ! Print name! ! ! Signature! !

X___________ Date

Question, Comments, or Concerns:

Dr. Richards | Old Dominion University | Department of English | Spring 2014