HILL COLLEGE                                              ENGL 2311                                         Spring 2022

Instructor Frances Burt, M.A. Phone 817-760-5894 Email fburt@hillcollege.edu Office Location JCC Admin. Bldg, #130 Office Hours Mon. & Wed. 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm   Tues. & Thurs. 11 am – noon   Other times available by appointment.   Important Dates   Sept. 27 Résumé Due   Nov. 12 Last day to Withdraw   Nov. 15 Slide Show Due   Dec. 6 Formal Proposal Due

Course Description Intensive study of and practice in professional settings. Focus on the types of documents necessary to make decisions and take action on the job, such as proposals, reports, instructions, policies and procedures, e-mail messages, letters, and descriptions of products and services. Practice individual and collaborative processes involved in the creation of ethical and efficient documents. Required Text Technical Writing,  Michelle DeSilva et al., Open Oregon Educational Resources , Free eBook: https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/technicalwriting/ Objectives/Student Learning Outcomes Upon successful completion of this course, students will:  1. Recognize, analyze, and accommodate diverse audiences. 2.  Produce documents appropriate to audience, purpose, and genre. 3.  Analyze the ethical responsibilities involved in technical communication. 4.  Locate, evaluate, and incorporate pertinent information. 5.  Develop verbal, visual, and multimedia materials as necessary, in individual and/or collaborative projects, as appropriate. 6.  Edit for appropriate style, including attention to word choice, sentence structure, punctuation, and spelling. 7.  Design and test documents for easy reading and navigation. Contact & Communication Information Email and voicemail messages will be responded to within 24-hours on weekdays. Messages sent on weekends will be returned by the end of Monday. I am also available for virtual office hours zia Zoom Meetings by appointment. Students are expected to communicate professionally, using Schoology messaging or their Hill College email addresses. I will not respond to personal email addresses with any private information such as grades.

Class Policies

 

• No make-ups for assignments, quizzes, or exams. (See exceptions for school events below.) Daily work or assignments cannot be turned in late or made up.
• Major essays will be accepted late. The late essay policy: 10 points per day, maximum of three days. After three days, the essay will not be accepted. Arriving to turn in the essay more than15 minutes after class begins will be counted as 1 day late.
• Plagiarism or Academic Dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated. The inclusion of uncited material, whether quoted or paraphrased, will result in the grade of a zero.
• We are a community of learners who will listen to one another, acknowledge each other, and respect one another. We will not all agree; we will all get along. Be polite to others on any interaction activities such as peer review of writing. Our class will be a safe space for all learners, no matter what.
• If you are having trouble with the pace, material, expectations, personal matters, or anything else relevant, please communicate with me as soon as the trouble starts. I will work with you to create a plan for success.

Grading

Participation

   (discussion board and small assignments)     20%       200 points

 

5 Written Assignments                                     45%        450 pts

1.  Ethical Qualities         
2.  Cover Letter and Resume
3.  Letter, Memo, and Email
4. Survey & Graphic                                          
5. PowerPoint                                                    

 

Team Project                                                    10%        100 pts

 

Final Project:   Formal Proposal                                   25%        250 pts

 

 

Letter grades for the course will be based on the following percentages:

 

90-100%       (900-1000 pts) A

80-89%         (800-899 pts)   B

70-79%         (700-799 pts)   C

60-69%         (600-699 pts)   D

Below 60%   (0-599 pts)       F

MLA Formatting

All your written work that includes quotes, paraphrases, summary or source information should include internal citations and a Works Cited list. You are expected to use MLA format for all citations.

All essays and longer assignments should be formatted according to MLA 8 guidelines.

Suggestions for Online Success

Students should be familiar with and check Schoology and their college email accounts several times each week.

Students have access to Microsoft Office 365 at no cost. Office 365 includes Word, PowerPoint, Excel, One Note and Microsoft Teams. To get your free access, click this link, enter your Hill College student email address, and then open the email and follow instructions to install Office 365.

Special Materials and Requirements

This is a fully online class. Students must have regular access to a computer with a stable internet connection. Students must also have access to a back-up, in case of technical issues. Students are permitted to use computers at any HC campus, or at other sites like public libraries.

Students are encouraged to save work often, especially to save and back up major writing assignments.

Student Authentication and Validation Tools

This course uses a program called Biometric Signature, or Bio-Sig, to verify student identity. Most lesson folders have a Bio-Sig validation point that must be done before the assignment will open.

Disabilities/ADA

Reports of discrimination based on disability may be directed to the ADA/Section 504 coordinator.  The College District designates the following person to coordinate its efforts to comply with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended, which incorporates and expands the requirements of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended:

 

Name:            Lizza Trenkle

Position:         Vice President Student Services

Address:        112 Lamar Drive, Hillsboro, TX  76645

Telephone:     (254) 659-7601

 

Students with qualified and documented disabilities may request accommodations which will enable them to participate in and benefit from educational programs and activities.  Students should contact the Academic Advising and Student Success Center for more details at: 254-659-7650 for Hillsboro, 817-760-5650 for Cleburne, or 817-295-7392 for Burleson.

Title IX

Reports of discrimination based on sex, including sexual harassment or gender-based harassment, may be directed to the Title IX Coordinator.  The College District designates the following person to coordinate its efforts to comply with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, as amended:

Name:          Jamie Jaska

Position:       Director of Human Resources

Address:       112 Lamar Drive, Hillsboro, TX  76645

Telephone:   (254) 659-7731

The College District prohibits discrimination, including harassment, against individuals on the basis of age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, genetic information, or veteran status in the administration of its educational programs, activities, or employment policies. Retaliation against anyone involved in the complaint process is a violation of College District policy and is prohibited.

Course Calendar

English 2311, Spring 2022

This course is divided into 16 lessons.

Notice due dates typically fall on Monday nights, with some exceptions.

1. Orientation and Introduction – Due 1/21
2. Intro to Technical Communication – Due 1/24
3. Importance of Grammar and Clear Wording – Due 1/31
4. Ethics, Laws, and Copyrights – Due 2/7
5. Job Application Materials – Due 2/14
6. Resume and Follow-up Letter – Due 2/21
7. Social Media and Business – Due 2/28
8. Correspondence (Letter, Email, Memo) – Due 3/7

Spring Break 3/14-3/20

9. Team Project – Due 3/23
10. Research for Academic and Workplace Documents –  Due 3/28
11. Graphics & Visual Aids – Due 4/4
12. Formal Reports in the Workplace – Due 4/11
13. Professional Presentation –Due 4/18
14. Organizing & Emphasizing Information– Due 4/14
15. Revising Final Proposal – Due 5/2
16. Proposal – Due 5/9