Technical Communications for International Students NYIT-593-YOUR SECTIONCatalog Description This course offers international students with a practical introduction to essential skills and strategies which are needed to communicate effectively in students’ chosen professional fields. This course will focus on oral and written communication skills that are required in service, technical, and business environments. With an emphasis on audience-centred communication, students develop researching, planning, designing, and writing skills to prepare work place and technical documents. In addition to implementing appropriate citation and format style in their research, students will prepare and deliver effective oral presentations with appropriate visuals based on their resulting work. Instructor Information Instructor: Office Location: Telephone: E-mail: Website: Blackboard Office hours: Course Information Course number and section: Credits: 1.5 Meeting times: Building and room number: Required texts Successful Writing at Work ISBN-10: 1111834792 | ISBN-13: 9781111834791 by Philip C. Kolin; 10th Edition. Suggested Texts Longman English/English Dictionary and Thesaurus (print)
Other required items Internet access NYIT email Grammarly.com account Revised 8/20
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Course Introduction Student Learning Outcomes and Methods of Assessment Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: 1. Analyze communication contexts rhetorically by understanding audiences, purposes, and situations ● You will write technical documents that will be assessed for appropriate rhetorical responses to particular audiences, purposes, and situations. ● You will complete various presentations to help you analyze rhetorical situations and design presentations accordingly. 2. Create technical documents that solve problems and improve situations through communication ● You will write technical documents that will be assessed for their effectiveness in solving problems and improving situations through communication. ● You may complete peer-review and usability testing activities to help you create successful documents. 3. Write effective technical prose ● You will write technical documents that will be assessed for correctness and appropriate technical style. ● You may complete style, editing, and grammar exercises. 4. Design convincing and usable documents ● You will design technical documents that will be assessed for successful visual communication, including usability, typographic clarity, and effective graphics. ● You may complete exercises and analyses of technical graphics and typography. 5. Analyze and apply the ethical responsibilities involved in technical communication ● You will create technical documents that successfully negotiate the needs and rights of users and the corporations, governments, and agencies for which you might someday work. ● You may complete exercises and hold discussions about ethical dilemmas in workplace writing. 6. Communicative effectively with diverse audiences ● You will create at least one technical documents focusing on communicating with an audience from a different culture. ● You may complete exercises and hold discussions about different approaches to communication between cultures, such as localization and globalization.
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7. Collaborate on communication projects ● You will complete at least two collaborative assignments, requiring you to manage a documentation project with a team of other students. ● You may also complete exercises and activities that involve group or pair activities. 8. Comprehend, analyze, and respond to technical presentations in the content areas using a battery of listening strategies o You will complete at least two peer-assessment assignments, requiring you to listen for critical information and document it using a variety of rubrics and graphic organizers appropriate for the rhetorical mode. o You will also complete exercises and activities that involve listening in various contexts for critical information. Methods of Assessment Most assessments involve a combination of self-assessment, peer-assessment, and traditional assessment conducted by the instructor. Description of Assignments • APA Assignment : Is a written assignment where students review end-note citation and in-text citation • Email Assignment: A standard business email where students are presented with a business scenario, analyze the scenario, and write to a group of employees based on that scenario; format, grammatical correctness, tone, completeness and conciseness are evaluated in addition to content. • Business Letter Assignment: A standard business letter where students are presented with a business scenario, analyzing the scenario, and writing to a group of employees based on that scenario. Format, grammatical correctness, tone, completeness and conciseness are evaluated in addition to content. • Critique Assignment: An academic critique based on a business-related article where students are expected to read, summarize and analyze the article based on a standard criteria. Format, grammatical correctness, completeness and content are evaluated. • Persuasive Writing Assignment: A copywriting assignment where students are to conceive a product and create an advertising document • Persuasive Presentation: Using a persuasive presentation format students present their persuasive writing assignment topic. Presentations are assessed on format, style, use of persuasive appeals and logical argumentation. • Instructional Writing Assignment: Students create a user manual using design techniques and process writing discussed in class. Format, grammatical correctness, tone, completeness and conciseness are evaluated in addition to content. Assessment will include peer assessment and self-assessment. • Process Presentation: Students present their user manual in the form of a demonstration speech. Presentations are assessed on format, style, logical progression and content. Assessment will include peer assessment and selfassessment. Revised 8/20
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Grading Formula Evaluative Tool
Description
Percentage
Chapter Review Quizzes
8 Weekly chapter quizzes
10%
Writing Assignments
*APA Assignment *Writing assignments based on course topics (email writing, letter writing, critique writing, advertising copy, instructional writing)
40%
Presentations
2 presentation formats: persuasive and process
20%
Midterm
Formative assessment based on all information from week 1 – week 6
15%
Final
Summative assessment based all course work.
15%
Final grades are either “P” (Pass), “PR” (Progress, Repeat), or “F”. ● “P” = sufficient progress to exit to the next level. Students must receive 70% or higher. ● “PR” = not enough progress made over the semester to pass into the next level. Students have not received the minimum score of 70%. ● “F” = excessive absences and/or consistently missed assignments
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Schedule of Dates and Topics Date Week 1
Topics Introduction
Surface, Deep, and Strategic Learning
Chapter 1 Writing and Your Career Finish introductions Business Communication Week 2
Ch 8. Documentation and Citation Ethics and Academic Honesty APA citation Editing Topic: Sentence review
Week 3
Ch 2. The Writing Process at Work Business Ethics Editing Topic: Subject-Verb Agreement
Week 4
Week 5
Ch. 3Collaborative Writing and Meetings at Work Robert’s Rules of Order Editing Topic: Phrases and Fragments Ch. 4 Memos, and Emails Editing Topic : Run-ons and Comma Splices
Week 6
Week 7
Ch 5 & 6 Letter Writing
Reading / Assignment Due Read: Successful: Chapter 1 – Writing and Your Career Review Quiz – Chapter 1 Read: Successful: Chapter 8 Doing Research Documentation on the Job Review Quiz – Chapter 8
Read: Successful: Chapter 2 - The Writing Process at Work Review Quiz – Chapter 2 Read: Successful: Chapter 3 Collaborative Writing and Meetings at Work Review Quiz – Chapter 3 Read: Successful: Chapter 4 Writing Memos, Faxes, and E-Mail APA ASSIGNMENT DUE Review Quiz – Chapter 4 Read: Successful: Chapter 5 Writing Letters: Some Basics for Audiences Worldwide Chapter 6 - Types of Business Letters Review Quiz – Chapter 5 & 6
Editing Topic: Capitalization and Punctuation
BUSINESS EMAIL ASSIGNMENT FINAL DRAFT DUE
Ch 5 & 6 Letter Writing (cont.) Review & Midterm
Read: Successful: Chapter 9 – Summarizing Information at Work
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Week 8
Week 9
Ch 9. Summarizing Information at Work Summarizing and Paraphrasing Editing Topic: Essential & Nonessential clauses Introduction to Critique writing What is a critique Format and content of a critique Document analysis Editing Topic: Pronoun-Antecedent
Week 10
Introduction to Presentations Audience Analysis Purpose analysis Introductions Basic Presentation Format
Week 11
Persuasive Presentation techniques and logical fallacies Critical Thinking Ethos, Logos, Pathos Presentation preparation Editing Topic: Modifiers Persuasive Presentation techniques and logical fallacies Critical Thinking Ethos, Logos, Pathos Presentation preparation Outlining
Week 12
Week 13
Week 14
Ch. 11 Designing Successful Documents and Websites Ch. 12. Writing Instructions and Procedures User Manual Writing Editing Topic: Parallel Structure
Review Quiz – Chapter 9
Reading Assignment given for critique assignment BUSINESS LETTER ASSIGNMENT FINAL DRAFT DUE Persuasive technical and logical fallacy reading
CRITIQUE ASSIGNMENT DUE
Read: Successful: Chapter 11 Designing Successful Documents and Websites Chapter 12 Writing Instructions and Procedures ADVERTISING COPY DUE PERSUASIVE PRESENTATION DUE
Review Quiz – Chapter 11 & 12 User manual topics – email instructor before next class
Introduction to Instructional Presentations Process vs Instruction Process Outlining Analysis and Discussion
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Week 15
Wrap up
INSTRUCTIONAL WRITING ASSIGNMENT DUE DEMONSTRATION PRESENTATION
Week 16
Final Exam
This schedule of dates may be modified slightly during the semester. Any changes will be sent as an announcement that will be posted on Blackboard and sent automatically to all students in the class via NYIT email. Exams and Quizzes • Chapter Review Quizzes : there will be 8 online quizzes which will represent 10% of the overall grade. These quizzes must be taken within the week of the chapter(s) discussed. • Midterm Exam: A formative assessment based on classwork, online work and reading from week 1 to 7. The midterm exam will be a two hour exam. • Final Exam: A summative assessment based on all classwork online work and readings from week 1 – to week 15. The exam will be a two hour exam. Policy for missed exams and missed or late assignments All assignments are due at the beginning of class. No late assignments are accepted, unless you have an excused absence. No make-up exams will be offered, unless you have an excused absence. Attendance policy Regular attendance is mandated. If you are absent for a medical reason, a note from a doctor’s note is required, for an excused absence. Two late arrivals will count as one absence. If you miss more than six hours of class, you will be in jeopardy of losing your visa and you will fail the course. Library Resources All students can access the NYIT virtual library from both on and off campus at www.nyit.edu/library. The same login you use to access NYIT e-mail and NYITConnect will also give you access to the library’s resources from off campus. On the upper left side of the library’s home page, select links for “Find Resources”, “Research Assistance”, “Services”, “Help”, and “About”. Using “Quick Links” on the right hand side of the home page will also assist you in navigating the library’s web pages. Should you have any questions, please look under “Research Assistance” to submit a web-based “Ask-A-Librarian” form. Additional resources for further learning If you would like additional help in the course, please contact your instructor for guidance. You are also encouraged use NYIT’s academic support services: the Writing Center, and Brainfuse (online tutoring, 24/7). For more information and links to the individual centers, see www.nyit.edu/student_resources/centers/. Revised 8/20
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Withdrawal policy A student may withdraw from a course without penalty through the end of the 8th week of class during a 14- or 15-week semester and through the 8th meeting during an 8-week course cycle. After this, the student must be doing passing work in order to receive a W grade. Students who are not passing after the 8th week or equivalent will be assigned the grade of WF. It is the student’s responsibility to inform the instructor of his/her intention to withdraw from a course. If a student has stopped attending class without completing all assignments and/or examinations, failing grades for the missing work may be factored into the final grade calculation and the instructor for the course may assign the grade of WF. The grade of F is used for students who have completed the course but whose quality of work is below the standard for passing. Withdrawal forms are available in departmental offices and once completed must be filed with the registrar. Students should be reminded that a W notation could negatively impact their eligibility for financial aid and/or V.A. benefits, as it may change the student’s enrollment status (full-time, part-time, less than part-time). International students may also jeopardize their visa status if they fail to maintain full-time status. Academic integrity and plagiarism policies Each student enrolled in a course at NYIT agrees that, by taking such course, he or she consents to the submission of all required papers for textual similarity review to any commercial service engaged by NYIT to detect plagiarism. Each student also agrees that all papers submitted to any such service may be included as source documents in the service’s database, solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers. Plagiarism is the appropriation of all or part of someone else’s works (such as but not limited to writing, coding, programs, images, etc.) and offering it as one’s own. Cheating is using false pretenses, tricks, devices, artifices or deception to obtain credit on an examination or in a college course. If a faculty member determines that a student has committed academic dishonesty by plagiarism, cheating or in any other manner, the faculty has the academic right to 1) fail the student for the paper, assignment, project and/or exam, and/or 2) fail the student for the course and/or 3) bring the student up on disciplinary charges, pursuant to Article VI, Academic Conduct Proceedings, of the Student Code of Conduct. Cheating on an examination in this course will result in a zero for the examination and the matter will be reported to the appropriate college authorities as per the Student Handbook. A second incident of cheating on an examination will result in failure for the course.
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Support for students with disabilities NYIT adheres to the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504. The Office of Disability Services actively supports students in the pursuit of their academic and career goals. Identification of oneself as an individual with disability is voluntary and confidential. Students wishing to receive accommodations, referrals and other services are encouraged to contact the Office of Disability Services as early in the semester as possible although requests can be made throughout the academic year.
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