Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Process Processes for communicationfor example, creating, planning, drafting, designing, rehearsing, revising, presenting, publishingare recursive, not linear.
Learning productive processes is as important as creating products. Modes and Media Activities and assignments should use a variety of modes and mediawritten, oral, visual, electronic, and nonverbalsingly and in combination. The context and culture of multimodality and multimedia are critical. Design Documents and other artifacts should arrange visual elements according to consistent, efficient, and effective principles.
needs of the specific audiences. Create WOVEN (Written, Oral, Visual, Electronic, and Nonverbal) artifacts such as memos, emails, proposals, reports, instructions, manuals, websites, and short and long presentations that display strategic uses of generic and stylistic conventions. Use theories and principles of document design to create and present accessible, comprehensible, and usable artifacts. Integrate graphics to achieve maximum clarity in print documents, presentation slides, websites, and other artifacts.
Everything we will do in the class will revolve around these outcomes; your grades on individual assignments and for the course will reflect how well you perform according to these objectives, as well as to more specific objectives derived from these.
Reading and viewing assignments must be completed on the date due. Youll have assigned reading/viewing to complete outside of class, so you need to schedule time to do it carefully, often taking notes of your observations, questions, and reflections. Dont fall behind. Class discussions and activities will be based on or extended from the assigned reading/viewing and related activities, so always come to class with questions and comments. The success and value of the discussions depend on your preparation and engagement. Beyond the expenses for required books, you can anticipate modest printing, photocopying, or fabrication expenses related to a number of class projects.
during the WPFE. The portfolio will be a website that includes revised examples of your best professional work products and your reflections about the processes to create and revise them. Participation: 15% (150 points) of course grade You must be present, prepared, on-time, and engaged in seminar discussions both in class an online. All course readings must be completed before class, and you will be attentive while in class if you want to earn an A or B. Substantive contribution to discussions, active listening, and thought-provoking questions are all considered participation. The course expects substantive peer interaction in a number of ways: collaborative planning, small group and whole class discussion, peer review of projects, and feedback on oral presentations. Being present but playing games on your laptop is not participation, and will result in a C or lower. Class blog: In our class blog, you will comment on your readings and connect them with your projects. There will be no separate grade for the blog; your postings will be evaluated as your participation. Please refer to the list below for more information. Here is a rough breakdown of what you can expect for each grade for your participation: A: Lively engagement in discussions; applies and/or challenges readings; engages with and/or motivates peers; all blog postings follow the guidelines and are submitted before the due date B: Actively listens in class and occasionally comments; good collaboration with classmates; all but one or two blog postings follow the guidelines and/or are submitted before the due date C: Tends to look disengaged; might use phone or laptop for purposes not related to class; occasionally tardy; some blog postings follow the guidelines and/or are submitted before the due date D: Sleeps in class; rarely pays attention and/or is disruptive; frequently tardy; unprepared for peer review or group meetings; few blog postings follow the guidelines and/or are submitted before the due date F: Sleeps through class or disengaged; disruptive; does not contribute to the blog
I will provide the links to most of these tools on T-Square. If you do not already have free user accounts for each of these services, you will need to create them. You may create pseudonymous user accounts solely for use in this class, or you can use existing accounts associated with your actual name. We will go over the basics of sharing content via these tools in class as it becomes relevant. Ultimately, however, learning how to use these tools is your responsibility. If you have questions, then you will need to meet with me or a peer outside of class to discuss them. You can also consult any of the other IT resources available on campus. The tools described above are those that you will definitely be required to use. In addition to these tools, you will almost certainly need to make use of others, as appropriate, to complete assigned work. For example, you will build an online portfolio of your work for this class using whatever web design tools are at your disposal. In the event I don't specify a particular tool for a particular project, deciding which tool or tools to use, and acquiring proficiency with it/them will be your responsibility. If you ever have questions about what tools you should use for a particular project or how to use them, you can make an appointment to discuss them with me, and you can also get help from a number of IT resources on campus. Technology use in-class should be related to what we are doing in class. Set your mobile phone to vibrate. Do not answer your mobile phone unless it appears to be an emergency, e.g., the call is from a child or elder care provider or a parent who would not call during class except in case of emergency. Do not engage with social media or email unless I specifically request that you do so as part of our in-class work.
COURSE SCHEDULE
What are we doing?
Both reading and writing/presentations assignments are listed on the date due. Additional readings will be added as the semester evolves. You will receive an updated schedule on a regular basis, posted on T-Square. Date 08/20 08/22 08/24 Day Mon Wed Fri Topic and Activities Course overview and introductions Social nature of technical communication Social nature of technical communication, cont. Reading Due Science as Social Enterprise Miller Writing Due
08/27
Mon
Print a copy of syllabus, highlight critical points, place post-it notes next to areas with questions Blog post; 2 statements from the last page of the syllabus
08/29
Wed
Rhetorical strategies, audience analysis, and planning techniques Group Presentation Audience analysis, workshop Labor Day Research methods Group Presentation Research methods, workshop Memos Group Presentation Memos, cont. Peer review of Memo
Ch 3
Ch 6
Ch 22
Ch 23
Rough draft of Memo (Google Docs) Memo; Blog post Rough draft of Proposal (Google Docs) Proposal; Blog post 6
09/24
Mon
Ch 27
Group work on Instructions Group work on Instructions Usability testing Group Presentation Usability testing and editing Instructions Usability testing and editing Instructions Progress reports Group Presentation Progress reports, cont. Peer review of Progress Report
Ch 16
Ch 26
10/15 10/17 10/19 10/22 10/24 10/26 10/29 10/31 11/02 11/05 11/07 11/09 11/12 11/14 11/16 11/19 11/21 11/23 11/26 11/28 11/30 12/03 12/05
Mon Wed Fri Mon Wed Fri Mon Wed Fri Mon Wed Fri Mon Wed Fri Mon Wed Fri Mon Wed Fri Mon Wed
Student Recess Feasibility reports Group Presentation Feasibility reports, cont. Document design Group Presentation Document design, workshop Presentations: PowerPoint discussion Ethical and liability issues Group Presentation Final Report, work in class Final Report, work in class Websites Group Presentation Website, work in class Website, work in class Presentations Group Presentation Peer review of Presentation Presentations Presentations Presentations Thanksgiving Break Presentations Presentations Presentations Portfolio, work in class Portfolio, work in class
Ch 25
Ch 14
Blog post
Ch 20
Blog post
Ch 19
12/07 12/10
Portfolio
Academic Honesty
Websters dictionary defines plagiarism as to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own. To avoid any confusion that might arise when stealing isnt involved, say when a student purchases a paper from an essay mill or borrows previous work from a fellow sorority or fraternity member, I define plagiarism simply as passing off the ideas, work or words of another as ones own. If you engage in plagiarism or any other form of academic misconduct, you will fail the assignment in which you have engaged in academic misconduct and may be referred to the Office of Student Integrity, as specified by Georgia Tech policy. I strongly urge you to be familiar with Georgia Techs Honor Challenge http://www.honor.gatech.edu/ as well as the Office of Student Integrityhttp://www.deanofstudents.gatech.edu/integrity/ You should be familiar with the process for academic misconduct http://www.deanofstudents.gatech.edu/integrity/academic_misconduct.php Your projects should be appropriately documented as well as mechanically and grammatically correct. If you quote or paraphrase, please use internal, parenthetical citations (author, date, page for direct quotations) as well as an end-of-document works cited list. Visuals as well as text must be properly cited. Not providing appropriate citations is a kind of plagiarism. Professionals should be scrupulously careful about their citations. Students who plagiarize will be dealt with according to the GT Academic Honor Code.
Except for group projects, students should complete all work for this class on their own, with collaboration limited to peer review feedback as specified in the project description. You should always provide attribution whenever you incorporate the ideas, words, or images of another in your own work. All work turned in for credit in this class should be work that you have done specifically for this class. Do not recycle old work or even new work completed for another class. If you would like to build upon previous work or work that you are doing in another class in an assignment for this one, please clear it with me first. You should adhere to Georgia Techs honor code for all work related to this class.
Attendance
The Writing and Communication Program has a Program-wide attendance policy, which is allows twice the number of weekly class meetings for absences without penalty, regardless of reason. After that, penalties accrue. Exceptions are allowed for Institute-approved absences and individually negotiated situations such as documented hospitalization or documented family emergencies. Attendance and active participation and engagement in class are required. Students who have not done the reading and/or who do not actively participate during the class period may be counted absent. Students may miss a total of six (6) classes over the course of the semester without penalty. The attendance policy does not make any distinction about the reason for your absences. Only absences officially excused by the Institute (i.e., due to participation in official GATech athletics, to religious observance, to personal or family crisis and excused by a note from the Dean of Students) or those negotiated in advance will not be counted among your allotted absences. Students are responsible for finding out what they may have missed while absent. Except for absences officially excused by the Institute or individually negotiated in advance, I do not allow students to make up quizzes or in-class assignments. I build in a limited amount of extra credit related to in-class work so that missing one or two such in-class assignments will not negatively impact a students grade, however. Each additional absence after the allotted number will result in a deduction of one-third of a letter grade from a students final grade. Students are expected to maintain their own attendance record; see me if you have a question about how many classes you have missed according to my records. I urge you not to take self-indulgent absences (e.g., not bothering to come to class, wanting to sleep in). I encourage you to plan your time so that you dont disadvantage this class for other parts of your life (e.g., studying for an exam, participating in a sports event, going away for a long weekend). Academic work is important, so you dont want to miss this class. Schedule jobs, study groups, team meetings, and other important commitments at some time this class doesnt meet. Schedule job interviews so they do not conflict with this class. If you miss a scheduled oral presentation, you will receive a grade of 0 (thats zero) for that presentation. In fact, if you miss any assignment, large or small, you receive a 0 for the grade. If you miss any exam, you will receive a grade of 0 (thats zero) for that exam.
As a professional courtesy, please send an email message if illness, an unexpected personal emergency, or business obligations prevent you from attending class or a team meeting (just as you would if you were going to miss work). Providing a reason is a profession courtesy, not an excuse. Regardless of the reason for your absence, you are responsible for information presented in classes you miss. Please check GA Techs position about class attendance: http://www.catalog.gatech.edu/rules/4b.php
Grading
All grading is holistic. To achieve a satisfactory grade on a project, you must complete the project. Incomplete projects will receive an unsatisfactory grade. This means students must complete every stage of a project in order to receive a satisfactory (C or better) grade on that project. Failure to complete any stage (draft, peer review, post-write reflection, etc.) of a project will result in an incomplete project and an unsatisfactory grade (D or F) on that assignment. Similarly, since the projects are intended to build upon one another as students work toward the final portfolio, failure to complete any of the individual projects may result in an unsatisfactory grade for the course. Use the feedback that I provide to improve the drafts of the assignments I commented on and keep it in mind when working on other assignments.
NUMERIC EQUIVALENT TECH GA IN THIS CLASS 4-POINT EQUIVALENT 98-99 4.00 94-97
EVALUATION LETTER GRADE A+ A Superior workrhetorically, aesthetically, and technicallydemonstrating advanced understanding and use of the media in particular contexts. An inventive spark and exceptional execution. AB+ B Above-average, high-quality performancerhetorically, aesthetically, and technically. BC+ C Average (not interior) work. Competent and acceptable rhetorically, aesthetically, and technically. CD+ D Below-average work. Less
3.00
2.00
1.00
10
than competent rhetorically, aesthetically, and/or technically. D60-63 F Failure to meet even 1-59 minimum criteria rhetorically, aesthetically, and/or technically. 0 (zero) Work not submitted 0 Source: http://www.catalog.gatech.edu/rules/5a.php 0.00
0.00
Grading rubric: I will use a version of the rubric found on the next page to grade the assignments in our course. This is a generic rubric that will be adapted to each individual assignment.
deadline breaks the contract, and I won't accept your assignment unless you can document extraordinary circumstances (e.g., youre hospitalized). Use this option no more than twice in a semester. Oral presentations are excluded from this option; they are always due on the assigned date. Emergencies will be dealt with on an individual basis. Absent exceptional circumstances, failure to complete daily work or a project stage by the date it is due will result in the student losing the full point value assigned to such work. Late is still better than never when it comes to project stages and the like, however, because failure to complete the work associated with a particular stage or draft altogether would result in an unsatisfactory grade on the overall project. Similarly, since each project builds from previous projects and failure to complete any one project may lead to an unsatisfactory grade for the course, turning a final draft in late is better than not turning it in at all. Any assignment that is not submitted will be recorded as a 0 (zero) and averaged with the rest of your grades. This can damage your course average severely: For example, if you have completed five assignments with a 92 average but dont submit a sixth assignment (which is counted as a zero), your overall average will be a 77.
This syllabus is a general plan for the course. This syllabusespecially the required reading and assignment schedulemay be modified as the semester progresses to meet course outcomes and address the needs of members of the class. In the event changes are necessary, I will make them in consultation with the rest of the class and at least two weeks in advance of any affected due date.
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Grading Rubric
Scale Rhetorical Awareness Response to the situation, considering elements such as purpose, problem, audience, solution, genre selection Stance and Support Argument and information, including appropriate evidence as needed; developed detail and analysis; acknowledgment, explication of sources Organization Structural and procedural requirements for artifact: sequence, hierarchy, coherence of content; information chunking; introductory, concluding information as needed Conventions Expectations for genre, including language, graphics, citation, and grammar standards Design Design conventions and factors that enable accessibility, comprehensibility, engagement, and usability Unacceptable Does not display understanding of basic aspects of the situation, and thus does not fulfill the task Beginning Ignores at least one aspect of the situation, and thus compromises artifact usability Developing Attempts to respond to all aspects of the situation, but the attempt is incomplete or inappropriate Competent Addresses the situation in a satisfactory but perfunctory or predictable way; anticipates most audience needs Mature Addresses the situation completely; anticipates and responds to audience needs Exemplary Demonstrates keen insight of situation; provides creative, sophisticated, and nuanced audience focus Offers an inventive, expertlike position with precise and compelling evidence and analysis
Makes only a cursory or general argument; has weak or contradictory evidence; lacks effective detail
Lacks enough thorough problem/solution analysis or argument; does not pay enough attention to audience needs
Offers a developed argument/position with predictable evidence; provides most evidence, details, and analysis for audience
Lacks unity in constituent parts, such as paragraphs or sections; fails to create coherence among constituent parts; has inconsistent or illogical procedures or order
Uses insufficient unifying statements (e.g., solution statements, topic sentences, problem definition, headings, or forecasting statements); uses few effective connections (e.g., transitions, match cuts, and hyperlinks, graphics)
Uses some effective unifying claims, but a few are unclear; supplies irregular details; some content out of sequence
Employs hierarchical but mechanical scheme; contents sequential and logical, yet predictable; states unifying claim with supporting points that relate to the overall argument
Adapts organizational schemes for rhetorical situation; achieves substantive coherence; artifact unified by sustained and developed claim
Asserts creative and sophisticated procedures and contains structures that exceed expectations and increase impact
Contains multiple errors that show lack of attention to detail, and disregards user/reader
Involves a pattern of errors; shows lack of attention to detail, consequently affecting trust from user/reader Omits some important features; involves distracting inconsistencies in features (e.g., type and headings); uses features that dont support argument
Displays minor grammatical, mechanical, or graphical errors that do not interfere with message
Transcends all expectations of the genre, including word choice, usage, and graphics Exceeds design conventions, elevates accessibility, provides comprehensive usability
Lacks the features necessary for the genre; neglects significant conventions; uses features that conflict with or ignore the argument
Uses features that support argument, but some match imprecisely with content; involves minor omissions or inconsistencies of graphics, and/or design conventions
Supports the argument with design features suited to genre and content. Artifact accessible to its audience
Promotes engagement and supports the argument with features that efficiently use conventions and further illustrate all information or argument
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Georgia Tech does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. veteran. This class adheres to those guidelines. Alternative viewpoints are welcome in this classroom; however, statements that are deemed racist, sexist, classist, or otherwise discriminatory toward others in the class will not be tolerated. No form of harassment, bullying, or discrimination is allowed in this class. No harassment of any kind is allowed, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, color, age, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation and identity, gender, marital status, ability, and/or status as a U.S. veteran gender. In keeping with the professional nature of this course, only professional behavior is acceptable between the instructor and the students and between students.
WPFE. All projects, other than the portfolio, will be graded and returned or available for review on or before the last day of class preceding final exam week. This course has no final exam. In lieu of a final exam, this course has a required portfolio, which counts for 20% of your grade. o You will work on your portfolio periodically throughout the semester. o The portfolio will be completed during the WPFE, both in class and out of class. o The portfolio will be due during Final Exam Week.
demonstrable evidence that you are a skillful communicator, but ifagainst my adviceyou decide to delete your course files, please keep them at least until you have received your final, official grade for the course.
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I affirm that I have read the entire syllabus and policy sheet for LCC 3403 and understand the information and the responsibilities specified. ____________________________________________ print full name ____________________________________________ legible signature ____________________________________________ date
DIRECTIONS: Read carefully and check all that apply. I give my instructor, Olga Menagarishvili, permission to use copies of the work I do for this course, LCC 3403, as examples in presentations and in print and electronic publications. I do not want my work used as examples in any situations.
If you give permission for your work to be used, please indicate how you want to be acknowledged: Please acknowledge me by name. Please use my work, but do not acknowledge me by name. The following information enables me to contact you if your work is used.
_________________________________________________________________________ print full name _________________________________________________________________________ legible signature _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ print permanent address _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ print campus address _________________________________________________________________________ phone _________________________________________________________________________ email address _________________________________________________________________________ Date
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