Written CommunicationMid-State Technical College

Spring 2014

Course Description & Objectives

This course will focus on developing writing skills, which include prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing. After completing this course, students should be able to:

Establish document purpose Apply audience analysis techniques Employ rhetorical strategies Generate ideas for writing Research outside sources Synthesize information from sources Organize document content Write final texts from drafts Design document format Assess document for revision Edit document based on conventions of

standard English

As an instructor in higher education, I also believe that classroom experiences should strengthen employability skills. The following is a list of skills that students will work on mastering throughout the semester:

Personal Responsibility Self-Motivation, Self-Management, & Self-

Awareness Interdependence Life-long Learning Skills Emotional Intelligence Confidence

Classroom Conduct

You will be exposed to new and divergent views in this class. Every student has a right to freely express his or her opinions, ideas, and questions throughout the semester. Please respect everyone’s point of view, even if it is contrary to your own. You do not have to agree with everyone (including me!!), but I do ask that you listen with an open mind. This is what education is all about – opening oneself up to new philosophies, realities, and possibilities!

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Instructor: Kelly Soczka KaiserOffice: Room 156Phone: 715-342-3125E-mail: Kelly.kaiser@mstc.edu

Office Hours:Monday: 10-11 a.m., 1-3 p.m. & 4-5 p.m.Tuesday: 10 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.Wednesday: 10-11 a.m., 1-3 p.m. & 4-6 p.m.Thursday: 10-11 a.m., 1-3 p.m.Friday: By appointment only

Required Materials: 1. Textbook (rent from bookstore or purchase

online).

Bovee, C. & Thill, J. (2012). Business

communication today. (11th ed.). New York:

Pearson Education, Inc.

ISBN 13: 978-0-13-253955-5

2. Binder/Course Packet (You will need to download and print this packet from Blackboard. It is 27 pages, double-sided. Please plan accordingly before hitting print).

Email Courtesy Instructions: First, write what the email pertains to in the subject line of the email. Secondly, open with an appropriate greeting or salutation. Next, make sure to sign the email with your full name and section number. Finally, remember, a thank you is always appreciated by the receiver.

My goal is to respond to your email within 24 hours, but realize, I may or may not check email on the weekends. Do not expect an immediate response over the weekend or other holidays. MSTC e-mail is the college's primary method for communicating important information to students and staff. You are required to use your MSTC e-mail account in this course and are encouraged to check your email regularly to keep current.

Electronic Technology (Cell phones, Laptops, etc.): Please try to remember to turn off your cell phones, blackberries or pagers during class. Since laptops are a distraction for students in the classroom, both for the user and other students, I do not allow their use

unless they are incorporated into a classroom activity. If you do require a laptop for taking notes due to a disability, please see me after class and obtain a note to this affect from disability services.

Students may NOT create audio/video recordings of classes, with the exception of those students requiring an accommodation. (An approved accommodation plan is required BEFORE audiotaping is allowed). Students creating unauthorized audio recording of lectures violates an instructor’s intellectual property rights and are subject to disciplinary action under the Student Code of Conduct.

Course Policies

Attendance: Attendance is mandatory due to the nature of the course. Your involvement and participation are required – whether it be as a presenter, critic, respondent, or listener.

(Sick/Personal days/Freebies) For classes that meet 3 times per week for 50 minutes, you may miss FOUR class periods without penalty. After four absences, 20 points will be subtracted from your final grade for each

additional absence. For a class that meets 2 times per week for 2 hours, you may miss THREE class periods without penalty. After three absences, 20 points will be subtracted from your final grade for each additional absence. If you have a prolonged absence due to illness, you should inform me and contact Mary Marks in Disability Services so that you can be excused from my course and your other courses. If you partner is supposed to speak on a date in which you will be absent for such an event, we will make arrangements for you to evaluate another class member.

If you no longer wish to attend this class, you must officially withdraw from this course. I am not allowed to drop students from courses. Students who do not withdraw officially remain responsible for class costs and will be issued a failing grade. Plus, not officially withdrawing from a course may negatively impact your ability to receive financial aid in the future.

Late Assignments: All work is due by the end of the class period listed in the syllabus. Any written work that is that turned in late will receive an automatic 25% reduction regardless of the excuse presented by the student. If you do not turn in your paper by the next class period, you will receive a zero. You may turn assignments early if you would like. You will not be able to make up any in-class peer review assignments or quizzes.

Extra Credit: There will be no extra credit opportunities this semester.

MSTC Academic Integrity Policy: The Mid-State Technical College Board, administration, faculty, and staff believe that academic honesty and integrity are fundamental to the mission of higher education. All students are expected to maintain and promote the highest standards of personal honesty and professional integrity. These standards apply to all examinations, assigned work, and projects. Therefore, a student who is found to have been dishonest, fraudulent, or deceptive in the completion of work or is willing to help others to be so, or who plagiarizes; presents the work of others as his or her own, is subject to disciplinary action up to and including suspension.

Disabilities Services: If you know you have a recognized disability or suspect that you might have one it is your responsibility to identify yourself as soon as possible to the Disability Services staff in

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the Student Support Service’s office. On the Stevens Point Campus, you can contact Mary Marks. Course standards will not be lowered, but various kinds of accommodations are available to you. Adequate and reasonable time will be required to develop and provide appropriate accommodations, so contact Disability Services as soon as possible.

Academic Success Center & Writing Center: Struggling in class? The first step is to talk to your instructor for clarification. Still confused? If you need some additional assistance with understanding course concepts, finding research or are struggling to organize your ideas, stop by Academic Success Center or the Writing Center for additional support. The hours for the Writing Center will be posted in the “Resources” area of Blackboard.

Coursework

Written Assignments: All written assignment descriptions and grading rubrics are posted on Blackboard. Please print off these sheets and bring them to class.

Writing Considerations: All work turned in for a grade must be typed and cited according to the APA style manual (see Easy Writer, page 253). All papers and outlines must be in Times New Roman Font, Size 12. Deductions will be taken for not following these instructions. Further instructions will be outlined in your assignment descriptions.

Course Grading Outline

Grade Calculation: This course runs a standard grading scale.

Assignments PointsEmail Assignment 75Recommendation Letter 100Analytical Report Proposal 25Annotated Reference Page 25Analytical Report 150Persuasive Web Site Project 100Self-Evaluation 15Group Evaluation 25In-Class Peer Review of Rough Drafts (3 x 20 pts.)Letter, Report, Web Site Project

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Quizzes (10 x 10 pts.) 100Binder/Course Packet 25Total Points 700

The grading scale for this course is as follows:

A 95-100% B+ 89-86% C+ 79-76% D+ 69-66%A- 94-90% B 85-82% C 75-73% D 65-63%

B- 82-80% C- 72-70% D- 62-60%

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Final Grade Points BreakdownA 700-665 C 559-511A- 664-630 C- 510-490B+ 629-602 D+ 489-462B 601-574 D 461-441B- 573-560 D- 440-420C+ 569-560

Blackboard

What is Blackboard? Blackboard is an online electronic instructional course management system that aids both the student and the instructor. You will need to log onto Blackboard to obtain the important course information.

How can I access Blackboard? Additional student log-in procedures and directions can be found at this link.

What information will I find on Blackboard for this course?

This syllabus All written assignment packets (includes

assignment descriptions & grading rubrics) and course handouts

Links to helpful web sites & videos Assignment due date reminders Your grades

Saving work to the “Cloud”Sick of losing your work due to computer malfunctions? Have you ever accidently saved your work to an MSTC computer only to find out the computer was whipped clean at the end of the day? To avoid losing your electronic documents, I would highly suggest saving your documents to a “cloud” service.

What is the Cloud? Cloud computing is when you can access software or save documents via the internet (typically for free!).

Why save to the Cloud? Access your documents 24 hrs. a day, 7 days a week, via the internet. Many services allow you to access your documents via computer, smartphone or i-pad.

Documents will sync with all of your devices. If your device crashes, your documents are safe & secure on a cloud server. WHEW! You can share documents (and folders) with others and create hyperlinks to your documents. You can upload photos and videos to many services as well!

Which Cloud programs can I use to save my documents?1. MSTC Office 365 (Email)

a. Log on to your MSTC email account to access the free 25GB storage. 2. Dropbox

a. This is my FAVORITE program. Dropbox is free, easy to use, and presents documents exactly like the originals.

b. The disadvantage is you can’t create new documents, only upload and download current documents.

3. Google Drive (a.k.a. Google Docs) a. Google Drive is free, easy to use, but sometimes has issues with formatting. I have

also had problems with hyperlinks working and the organization of files appears more cumbersome.

b. Google drive does allow people to create new documents and save them as word documents.

c. Google drive does allow people to edit documents synchronously and provides a text-based chat area for collaboration while working on documents (similar to a Wiki).

MSTC Wireless Internet: After connecting to the STUDENT- GUEST wireless account, you will need to open an Internet browser to connect to the Internet. Just before the connection is made, a

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security warning could appear on the screen showing an unsecured web page but with an option to continue. The warning received is OK and you should click “to continue” at this point. Enter the following:

Login: guestPassword: guest

Public wireless access is available at the Wisconsin Rapids, Stevens Point, and Marshfield Campuses. Adams Campus does not support any wireless networks.

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Tentative Course Schedule(Monday – Wednesday – Thursday Class)

Wk Chapters Chapter Title/Discussion Topics Assignment Due Dates1

1/13-1/16Monday – Discuss Syllabus & Course OutlineWednesday – No Class – Kelly at West SummitThursday – No Class – Kelly at West Summit

21/20-1/23

1pgs. 2-7,10-11,18-21.

Achieving Success through Effective Business Communication

31/27-1/30

4 & pgs. 188-190

Planning Business MessagesAssign Email AssignmentWriting Email Discussion/Group Activity

Quiz #1

42/3-2/6

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Finish Planning Business MessagesWriting Business Messages

Quiz #2Email Assignment is due on Friday, February 7 th at NOON to Kelly’s Email in-box

52/10-2/13

5 Writing Business Messages Quiz #3

62/17-2/20

6 Completing Business MessagesAssign Recommendation Letter Assignment

Quiz #4

72/24-2/27

8 Writing Routine and Positive MessagesAppendix A: Format and Layout of Business Documents

Quiz #5

83/3-3/6

11 Finding, Evaluating, and Processing InformationAPA DocumentationPeer Review

Rough Draft ofRecommendation Letter is due on Thursday, March 6 in class. BRING TWO COPIES.

93/10-3/13

11 Finish Finding, Evaluating, and Processing InformationAssign Analytical Report

Final Draft of Letter is due on Thursday, March 13 in hard copy in class.

Quiz #6

3/17-3/21No Classes – Spring Break

103/24-3/27

13 Planning Reports and Proposals Quiz #7

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113/31-4/3

14 Writing Reports and Proposals Analytical Report Proposal is due by Thursday, April 3

Quiz #812

4/7-4/1015 Completing Reports and Proposals Annotated Reference Page is

due on Thursday, April 10

Quiz #913

4/14-4/174/14 – Computer Lab4/16 – Computer Lab4/17 – Peer Review

Rough Draft of Analytical Report is due on Thursday, April 17. BRING TWO COPIES

144/21-4/24

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Writing Persuasive MessagesVisual CommunicationAssign Persuasive Web Site ProjectAssign Groups

Final Draft of Analytical Report is due in hard copy in class on April 24 th AND to Blackboard.

154/28-5/1

2 4/28 & 4/30 Mastering Team Skills & Interpersonal Communication, Group Activities5/1 - Computer Lab – Group Work & Weebly Demo

Quiz #10

165/5-5/8

5/5 – Computer Lab5/7 – Computer Lab5/8 – Peer Review of Web Sites

Web Site Rough Drafts are due on Thursday, May 8th

175/12-5/15

5/12 – Final Day of Class Complete Group Evaluations Self-Evaluations Course Evaluation

Web Site Final Drafts, Self & Group Evaluations are due on Monday, May 12 at 1 p.m.

**This is a tentative schedule that is subject to change if there are unforeseen circumstances, which prevent us from staying on schedule**

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