Faculty

ENGL-2311 Technical and Business Writing

Dylan Walsh

Credit Spring 2023

Section(s)

ENGL-2311-008 (55900)
LEC EVC ONL DIL

LEC Th 5:00pm - 6:30pm EVC EVC9 9317

Course Requirements

Grades

Assignment	Percentage of Course Grade
Exercises and other minor assignments	10
Discussion Boards	20
Complaint Letter	10
Job Application (resume)	10
Job Application (cover letter)	10
Instructions	10
Recommendation Report	10
PowerPoint Presentation	10
Professionalism / participation	10

Attendance

Our class meets from 5-6:30 on Thursday evenings in Building 9, Room 9317 of ACC’s Eastview Campus. Attendance at these in-person class meetings is a requirement of the course. If you can’t make it to a meeting, please email me to let me know. My email address is dylan.walsh@austincc.edu.

Below is a table summarizing how unexcused absences will affect your course grade. Of course, absences for medical reasons, religious holidays, and other college-approved events and circumstances may be excused. In such cases, please email me before the absence or as soon as possible after it.

Number of unexcused absences	Effect on course grade
2	No effect on grade
3-4	3 points deducted from final course grade for absences 3-4
5	Final grade reduced by one letter grade (in addition to deductions from absences 3 and 4)
6 or more	Final grade = F

As the table above shows, you can miss two class meetings with no penalty. For absences three and four, your final course grade will be reduced by three points each (for example, a course grade of 81 would become a 78 and then a 75). At your fifth unexcused absence, your course grade will be reduced by one letter grade—the equivalent of 10 points—in addition to the deductions from absences 3 and 4. If you miss more than five class meetings, you will fail the course.

Late Work

Late work will be penalized. Please contact me if you would like to discuss extenuating circumstances.

Readings

Selections from Online Technical Writing by David McMurrey

Assorted readings from Purdue OWL

Course Subjects

Course Rationale

This course is an introduction to technical writing intended primarily for people entering the Technical Communications Program at Austin Community College and for people in other majors in which writing- and oral-presentation skills are essential. The course challenges students to demonstrate writing processes through invention, organization, drafting, revision, editing, and presentation; to define audience and purpose; to employ descriptive, expository, narrative, scientific modes of expression in technical communications (written, visual, and oral); to participate effectively in groups with emphasis on listening and responding as well as critical thinking; to apply principles of critical thinking, problem solving, and technical proficiency in the development of technical documents; to research and write technical documents; and to design PowerPoint presentations on technical subject matters. ENGL 2311 covers the basics of analyzing and writing for audiences; writing technical reports, instructions, business letters, résumés, proposals; preparing for presentations; using headings, lists, and notices; creating tables, charts, graphs, illustrations; finding and documenting information; technical-writing-specific mechanics and style; and a review of grammar, usage, and punctuation.

Course Objectives

Be able to analyze an audience, both domestic and international, and write effective technical and business documents for that audience.
Employ the appropriate aims of discourse in technical and business contexts: primarily, expository and persuasive. Use the appropriate modes of discourse accordingly the situation, audience, and document genre.
Write a complaint letter that calmly and professionally requests compensation for a bad product or service and that is well-designed as a business letter.
Design a PowerPoint presentation summarizing the researched technical report
Research and critically evaluate external-information resources for technical documents.
Write a satisfactory application letter and résumé and critically evaluate others.
Write a satisfactory set of instructions that employs headings, lists, illustrations, and notices competently. Review for terminology, color, and graphics issues that would cause comprehension problems for international users. Critically evaluate a selection of instructions.
Write a formal technical report that focuses on a specific real or real-life situation requiring a report, that addresses a real or realistic audience’s needs and background, that is properly structured with the standard front and back matter, that uses page format as covered in this course, that uses borrowed information that is properly documented, and that displays effective technical writing.

Student Learning Outcomes/Learning Objectives

SCANS Competencies

Resources 1.1 Manages Time	Interpersonal 2.3 Serves Clients/Customers 2.5 Negotiates to Arrive at a Decision	Information 3.1 Acquires and Evaluates Information 3.2 Organizes and Maintains Information 3.3 Uses Computers to Process Information	Systems 4.1 Understands Systems
Technology 5.1 Selects Technology 5.2 Applies Technology to Task	Basic Skills 6.1 Reading 6.2 Writing 6.5 Listening 6.6 Speaking	Thinking Skills 7.1 Creative Thinking 7.2 Decision Making 7.3 Problem Solving 7.4 Mental Visualization 7.5 Knowing How to Learn 7.6 Reasoning	Personal Qualities 8.1 Responsibility 8.2 Self-Esteem 8.3 Sociability 8.4 Self-Management 8.5 Integrity/Honesty

Office Hours

T Th 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM Online