Course Information	Fall 2004
Number	ENGL 119
Title	Business and Technical Writing
Description	A study of technical/business communication with emphasis on writing in the workplace. Course materials include written and oral communication to a variety of audiences in different situations. The course will have a special focus on individual career goals.
Objectives	By the end of this course, students will: · Adapt communication for a variety of audiences and purposes · Employ the writing process as it relates to business and technical writing · Construct clear, concise language using applicable revision strategies · Demonstrate knowledge of job-related writing characteristics · Demonstrate knowledge of typical business/technical writing forms · Demonstrate writing appropriate to message, purpose, and audience · Demonstrate knowledge of current documentation standards · Demonstrate knowledge of how to construct Power Point presentations
Instructor Office Email	Jeni DiSalvo By Appointment (Adjunct Office across from Bookstore) jtdisalvo@dmacc.cc.ia.us AND jeni@disalvosdeli.net Be sure to send all correspondence to BOTH email addresses. I will reply upon receiving all email, so keep my confirmations for your records.
Texts	Technical Writing, 9^th Edition by Lannon Web Material, Handouts
Activities	Students will plan, draft, and revise several types of business and technical writing including correspondence, reports, and instructions; respond to various examples of business and technical writing which are presented for analysis, and prepare a Power- Point presentation. Students will also participate in giving and receiving feedback from other students.
Procedures	Procedure for Online Work: This is a text-based course. Students will do reading and writing assignments found in Technical Writing (9^th edition). Reading and writing assignments will be listed by Session Number in the WebCT Program. Students need to open the file, see what needs to be read, do the reading, see what tasks need to be done, do ALL of the tasks in Microsoft Word outside of the WebCT program, and upload the ALL of the exercises to the WebCT Program by the due date. Because WebCT only supports graphics in MS Word-compatible formats, students all graphic submissions must be compatible with MS Word. (See note on email submissions under “Submissions.”) In addition, students may be directed to examine resources on the Internet. These directions will be found in the assignment files. Procedure for On-Site Midterm and Final: Students in this course are required to take the midterm and final on a DMACC Campus in an Academic Achievement Center. (A photo ID is required for students to take tests in Academic Achievement Centers.) Students will be given a range of days in which to take the midterm and the final and a choice of campuses (Ankeny, Boone, Urban, or Carroll) on which they would like to take these two tests. If students take the midterm and final on the Ankeny, Urban Campus, or Carroll Campus, they will not be able to type their tests as there are no computers available in the testing center. If students take the midterm and final on the Boone Campus, they have the option of typing or handwriting their tests. See WebCT files for date ranges of the midterm and final. Students will also be required to attend class meetings for presentations. These meetings will be held at the DMACC Boone Campus and the DMACC Ankeny Campus—dates to be announced.
Grading	Your course grade will be based on total points accumulated during the semester. Each session file has point values indicated in the top left corner. Keep a running total of your points so that you know your own grade at any point in the course. No late work will be accepted. Many points are possible in this course, so if you run into a bind and do not get two or three of the shorter exercises that have low point value done, your grade will not suffer in this class. I understand that, sometimes, technical difficulties arise with both hard drives and software. However, I expect you to find an alternative way to post your assignments so that they come in on time. Think about a contingency plan now such as using a computer in a DMACC lab, a computer at work (if allowed), or a family member or friend’s computer. Working ahead of schedule rather than doing things at the last minute might help prevent the stress of getting an assignment in on time, particularly when there is a computer problem.
	98-100% 93-97 90-92 87-89 83-86 80-82 77-79 73-76 70-72 67-69 63-66 60-62 <60	A+ A A B+ B B- C+ C C- D+ D D- F
Evaluation	Assignments and papers will be evaluate based on the following criteria: 50% Following the directions on the assignment sheet, 20% Mechanics (spelling grammar, punctuation, and organization, 20% Application of course material, and 10% Creativity and preparation. I will occasionally offer extra credit assignments. Points from extra credit assignments will be added to your cumulative score.
Submission	WebCT For WebCT Courses, all assignments must be loaded onto WebCT under the appropriate assignment heading. Session exercises will be posted by the student on the Assignment Board under the appropriate heading. Discussions will be posted on the Discussion Board under the appropriate heading. As both Boards display the date and time these assignments and discussions are posted, I will have no problem seeing exactly when assignments and discussions are submitted. Email messages to the instructor must be acknowledged with a “Reply” from the instructor and verification of the receipt date. Email problems and/or faulty disks are the responsibility of the student, and late and/or defective files are not considered submitted. The student is responsible for ensuring that all files are received, acknowledged, and in working order prior to the due dates. Hardcopy (printed) versions of some projects can be submitted through U.S. Mail (send to: Jeni DiSalvo, c/o DMACC-Boone, 1125 Hancock Drive, Boone, Iowa 50036) or FAXed to (515) 433-5033. Checking to ensure that your assignment has been received is YOUR responsibility. Be sure to check before the due date. KEEP COPIES OF ALL YOUR WORK! Do not delete or throw away anything until after semester grades are posted.
Ethics and Plagarism	One of the issues in technical and business writing is ethical conduct on the part of the writer. You will demonstrate ethical conduct by doing your OWN work in this course. Academic dishonesty will be handled according to the procedures spelled out in DMACC’s Student Handbook. When you do research for this course, copies of all sources need to be photocopied and FAXed or mailed so that the copies of sources arrive before or on the due date of the assignment.
Withdrawl/Incomplete Policies	Withdrawal Policy: Please talk to me if you are considering dropping this course. The drop date is July 9, 2003. If you don’t officially withdraw from the course, you will receive a grade for the course that averages in the zeros for work that has not been completed. Incompletes: Incompletes are given only at the discretion of the instructor and will be considered only if the student who has been consistently turning in work has an emergency at the end of the semester after the drop date.
Library Hours	Boone Campus Library and Computer Lab Hours: Mondays through Thursdays 7:30 AM to 9:00 PM Fridays 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM Boone Campus Academic Achievement Center Hours: Mondays through Thursdays 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM Fridays 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM Please check with other campuses near you for their hours.
Accommodation	Please let me know if you are entitled to accommodation in this course.