Syllabus for ENG-202
TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION
Technical Communication is designed for students to develop skills that will enable them to produce clear and effective technical documents within multiple media with the consideration of ethical and legal issues. In particular, this course will teach students how to successfully articulate and communicate necessary information through explicit and concise writing. While the emphasis of this course will be on writing, oral communication will form an important component of the course as well. Additionally, Technical Communication focuses on the workplace and the needs of a professional rather than an academic setting and the needs of a student.
After completing this course, you should be able to:
CO1 Apply strategies for creating well-written, clear, and concise communications within a variety of professional contexts.
CO2 Articulate persuasive messages through multiple media.
CO3 Evaluate ethical and legal considerations within various fields of technical communication.
CO4 Demonstrate effective page layout and design.
CO5 Develop visual aids to improve audience understanding in various communication contexts.
CO6 Identify intended audiences in the creation and delivery of communication messages.
CO7 Demonstrate proficiency in oral communication.
CO8 Create and maintain a professional public online presence via social media.
You will need the following materials to complete your coursework. Some course materials may be free, open source, or available from other providers. You can access free or open-source materials by clicking the links provided below or in the module details documents. To purchase course materials, please visit the University's textbook supplier.
ISBN-13: 978-1319058616
ISBN-13: 978-1457675522
Technical Communication is a three-credit, online course consisting of eight modules. Modules include an overview, topics, learning objectives, study materials, and activities. Module titles are listed below.
For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in online discussion forums, complete written assignments, complete a template evaluation assignment, complete blog entries, take an online proctored midterm examination, and complete a final project. See below for details.
Consult the Course Calendar for due dates.
One or more of your course activities may utilize a tool designed to promote original work and evaluate your submissions for plagiarism. More information about this tool is available in this document.
In addition to an ungraded Introductions Forum, you are required to participate in six graded online class discussions.
Communication with your mentor and among fellow students is a critical component of online learning. Participation in online class discussions involves two distinct activities: an initial response to a discussion question and at least two subsequent comments on classmates' responses.
All of these responses must be substantial. Meaningful participation is relevant to the content, adds value, and advances the discussion. Comments such as "I agree" and "ditto" are not considered value-adding participation. Therefore, when you agree or disagree with a classmate or your mentor, state and support your position.
You will be evaluated on the quality and quantity of your participation, including your use of relevant course information to support your point of view, and your awareness of and responses to the postings of your classmates. Remember, these are discussions: responses and comments should be properly proofread and edited, mature, and respectful.
You are required to complete seven written assignments. The written assignments are on a variety of topics associated with the course modules. For specific details consult the individual course modules.
Consult the Course Calendar for due dates.
You are required to complete four blog entries. Blogging is a fundamental digital media practice and a significant means by which people communicate about particular issues, establish credibility, and construct online identities. These blog entries provide you the opportunity to practice and refine your blogging skills and offer another platform to engage in discussions of course topics. Everyone is encouraged to read their classmates’ blog entries and comment on them.
Note: The blog in this course is a collection of individual blog entries. As such, you will receive one grade for all required blog entries at the end of the course. Consult the Course Calendar for due dates.
You are required to complete one template evaluation assignment. For this assignment, you will compare and contrast two resume templates. After performing your evaluation of the templates, you will write an essay outlining your findings. Be sure to reference Module 2 for full requirements and instructions.
Consult the Course Calendar for due dates.
The midterm exam is a 2.5 hour, closed-book exam covering material from Modules 1 through 4. It consists of multiple-choice and essay questions. A study guide located in the Examinations section of the course website provides a list of the key concepts on the exam.
For the midterm, you are required to use the University's Online Proctor Service. Please refer to the Examinations and Proctors section of the Online Student Handbook and see the General Information area of the course website for further information about scheduling and taking online exams and for all exam policies and procedures. You are strongly advised to schedule your exam within the first week of the semester.
You are on your honor not to cheat during the exam. Cheating means:
If there is evidence that you have cheated or plagiarized in your exam, the exam will be declared invalid, and you will fail the course.
You will apply multiple skills learned in the course, demonstrating your ability to plan, design, create, execute, and revise various written and oral persuasive and informational types of communication. The final project contains three deliverables, as described below:
Choose a topic (approved by the mentor) based on a technological item, gather research about this topic, and submit a summary including a list of sources to use for the project.
Based on your summary, write a brief instruction manual and create a digital flyer that could be used to promote or sell the item.
Design a PowerPoint presentation and create a webcam video, giving an oral presentation of your project. Use Kaltura Capture to record your webcam and Powerpoint slides in a presentation video. Note: For assistance on how to create a presentation with voiceover, be sure to visit: Using Video Tools in Moodle.
Design a PowerPoint presentation and create a webcam video, giving an oral presentation of your project. Use the Timeline Kaltura module to bring these two media components together.
For further information and requirements, please consult the Final Project section of the course website. Consult the Course Calendar for due dates.
Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:
All activities will receive a numerical grade of 0–100. You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. Your final grade in the course will be a letter grade. Letter grade equivalents for numerical grades are as follows:
A | = | 93–100 | C+ | = | 78–79 | |
A– | = | 90–92 | C | = | 73–77 | |
B+ | = | 88–89 | C– | = | 70–72 | |
B | = | 83–87 | D | = | 60–69 | |
B– | = | 80–82 | F | = | Below 60 |
To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of C or better (for an area of study course) or D or better (for a course not in your area of study), based on the weighted average of all assigned coursework (exams, assignments, discussion postings, etc.).
To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:
Consider the following study tips for success:
To ensure success in all your academic endeavors and coursework at Thomas Edison State University, familiarize yourself with all administrative and academic policies including those related to academic integrity, course late submissions, course extensions, and grading policies.
For more, see:
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