Writing 465: PREPARATION OF ORAL AND
WRITTEN REPORTS
Fall 2008
WRIT 465-002 TR 12:30 – 1:45 Kinard 204
Instructor:
Norma R. McDuffie
Office: Bancroft 214
Phone: 323-4631
Email:
mcduffien@winthrop.edu
Office Hours: TR 10:45 – 11:30, TR 1:45 – 2:30 or by
appointment
Website: http://faculty.winthrop.edu/mcduffien/
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The practical study of audience analysis, purpose, format, organization, and style in written and oral reports. Prerequisite(s): Junior status and WRIT 102.
TEXT:
Pfeiffer, William S. Pocket Guide to Technical Communication. 4th edition.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
1. To gain experience writing for different audiences such as those encountered in business and government.
2. To gain mastery of basic stylistic techniques in both written and oral presentation.
3. To gain experience developing a major written report from initial proposal through final draft.
4. To learn editing and revising skills.
5. To gain familiarity with the basic formats for reports.
6. To gain experience with the use of figures and illustrations for reports.
7. To gain experience gathering information without relying on library sources.
8. To gain experience using current technology in the most rhetorically effective manner.
RESOURCES:
Goals for courses in the Department of English can be found at: http://www.winthrop.edu/english/goals.htm.
The English Department’s home page is located at www.winthrop.edu/english. Resources for many of our courses can be found at: http://www.witnhrop.edu/english/core.htm.
ATTENDANCE:
I expect you to be present and prepared for all class meetings. In this course you will need to be awake, willing to participate, and ready to work hard! Students are expected to attend all class meetings. An absence for any reason is counted as a class missed. Three absences will reduce the final grade by five percent; four absences will reduce the final grade by ten percent. Any student who misses more than four classes will receive an F for this course.
Students who are tardy to class must see me after class or the tardy will count as an absence. Two tardies count as one absence. Students are responsible for any material discussed during their absence.
Rough draft conferences are required of all students. Students who fail to attend the scheduled meeting will receive two absences. Students will be responsible for signing up for a conference time, coming on time to the appointment, and bringing a full rough draft of Part Two of the project. Students who do not attend a rough draft conference by Tuesday, November, 25 will receive an F in the course.
This class is conducted in a problem-solving manner; that means more hands-on work and fewer lectures. The text is used as a reference book, example repository, and information source; plan on bringing it to class. I expect you to read the assigned work in advance and ask questions about the assignment. The responsibilities lie heavily on your shoulders.
WORK STANDARDS:
1. All assignments must be done on a computer and saved to a flash drive.
2. All work should be submitted on time. Any work not turned in to me at the beginning of class on the due date will NOT be accepted. Rough drafts and final documents sent by e-mail will not be accepted.
3. Work with an error of any kind (typo, punctuation, spelling, format) will not receive higher than a "C." Our goal is work that would be acceptable in business, industry and/or government.
4. Plagiarism of any kind will NOT be tolerated and may result in a grade of zero for the course, depending on the offence. We will be discussing the correct use of borrowed information, and you will be expected to cite sources correctly. Please review the English department statement regarding plagiarism: http://www.winthrop.edu/english/plagiarism.htm
5. All assignments must be completed to earn credit for this course.
ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF ASSISTANCE:
I am available to help you outside of class meetings. My office hours are TR 10:45 – 11:30, TR 1:45 – 2:30 or you may schedule an appointment. The Writing Center is located in Bancroft 242. Students are encouraged to use the Writing Center throughout the semester.
If you have a disability and need classroom accommodations, please contact Gena Smith, Coordinator, Services for Students with Disabilities, at 323-3290 as soon as possible. Once you have your ‘Professor Notification Letter,’ please notify me so that I am aware of your accommodations well before the first test, paper, or assignment.
STORAGE OF GRADED PROJECTS
At the end of the semester, students' original graded projects must be filed in the department's storage room. The department keeps all students' projects from the course.
TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS
If you do not have an e-mail account, go to 15 Tillman immediately to set it up. All class e-mail will be sent to your campus e-mail address, so make sure you set it to forward to any off-campus account you use (e.g. Comporium, AOL, Yahoo!, etc.) You must have a working Winthrop POBox e-mail address.
Students are not permitted to use laptops or cell phones during class
ASSIGNED ACTIVITIES:
1. Major project – 20%
2. Oral presentation of major project – 10%
3. Group project - 10%
4. Proposal - 10% - Revision will be accepted and averaged with the original grade
5. Audience Analysis – 10% - Revision will be accepted and averaged with the original grade
6. Progress Report – 10% - Revision will be accepted and averaged with the original grade
7. Letter of Application and Resume – 10% total - Revision will be accepted and averaged with the original grade
8. The following shorter assignments will be worth 20%:
Inquiry Letter
Survey – Must be approved before distributing
Oral How-To Presentation
Oral Midterm Report Presentation
Graphics Exercise
EVALUATION STANDARDS:
Writing 465 holds up high standards for its students to meet,
because it is designed
to help you meet the expectations for communicating on your job. Therefore, the
following standards apply to your grades in
written and
oral communication.
In written communication:
A These documents represent polished, appropriately-designed efforts that would be completely acceptable in a professional situation. They are totally error-free; moreover, they are executed with creativity and sensitivity to the nature and needs of the audience and make the best use of available communications presentation technology. The topic is substantive; the prose style is mature and tight, well-organized, and free of lard. Every part plays an important role in the document's effect and is connected by appropriate transitions. Any graphics are smoothly integrated and effectively placed for communicative success. The content shows that the writer knows how to find, select, and present information in the manner best suited to this audience.
B
These documents
are less polished and appropriate than A documents, but again would be
acceptable (if not notable) in a professional situation. They are also totally
error-free, but are weaker than A papers in one or more of the following ways:
The topic is less ambitious; the style is less tight or more lardy; transitions
may be weaker; the appeal to the audience is less certain; the presentation is
less polished; graphics may be less appropriate or less smoothly integrated; the
content may be less complete or less sophisticated; the use of technology may be
less fluent; or the writer may not demonstrate the ability to find, select, and
present the right information in a totally appropriate manner.
C These documents are virtually error-free, but they are not yet
appropriate for a professional situation for one or more of the following
reasons: the style is immature, wordy, stilted, or inappropriate for the
audience; the topic is mundane; the content is insufficiently developed or
presented in a less-than-effective organization; the presentation is uncertain
and shows amateurism; graphic information is ineffectively presented or
interpreted or inappropriately placed; technology may not be used effectively;
appropriate sources of information may not have been consulted; documentation of
secondary information may be incomplete or inaccurate. With appropriate
revisions these documents may be acceptable in a professional situation.
D These documents contain errors in any or all of the
following areas: spelling, grammar, mechanics, punctuation, or format. They may
also suffer from one or more of the following weaknesses: inappropriate or
casual style; insufficient audience analysis; poor organization or transitions;
incomplete or inappropriate content; sloppy, hasty, or amateurish presentation;
inaccuracies in data; poor choice of graphic contents, placement, or
presentation; inappropriate, incomplete, or missing research; serious faults in
documentation; or problems using available technology. These documents require
substantial revision to be acceptable in a professional situation.
F These documents do not meet basic standards for professional communication. They may exhibit one or more of the following weaknesses: inability to use standard grammar, spelling, punctuation, and mechanics; missing documentation; poor treatment of content; careless or inappropriate format and presentation; no control over technology; illogical organization; or an obviously inadequate amount of preparation. These documents must be completely rewritten before they can be used in a professional situation.
In oral communication:
A This presentation is a solid, creative, well-organized communication on an engaging topic that is totally suited to the needs of the particular audience. It has a discernible and appealing structure, memorable content, and engaging presentation. Transitions are smooth and the speaker avoids verbal distractors, inappropriate language, or grammatical mistakes; is audible and clear; and makes positive eye- and rhetorical contact with all members of the audience. The speaker manages her/his time well. Visual aids, if used, are well-designed, appropriate for the audience, and thoroughly integrated into the presentation. Handouts are well-chosen, free of error, and used effectively. The speaker projects knowledge, confidence, and self-possession. The presentation prompts questions and discussion. This presentation would be totally acceptable in a professional situation.
B This presentation lacks some of the verve and imagination of the A presentation but is still well-suited to its audience. The topic is appropriate if not noteworthy; the organization is strong, although it may not be projected as smoothly or discernibly; the content is complete if less persuasively presented; and the speaker makes a degree of contact with all members of the audience. The speaker avoids verbal distractors, inappropriate language, and grammatical mistakes, and may have some trouble with time limits, but is audible and clear. The question inspires some questions. Transitions are more obvious but still present. Visual aids, if used, are well-designed but may not be integrated as smoothly or thoroughly into the presentation. Handouts may be less polished but still support the speaker. The speaker may seem slightly less sure of his/her authority. The presentation is not as memorable, but would be acceptable in a professional situation.
C This presentation is complete but hardly memorable. The speaker shows some lack of confidence or knowledge, or may not connect with parts (or all) of the audience, or may have trouble maintaining a clear and/or audible flow of words. The organization and content are pedestrian, requiring little effort on the audience's part, and the presentation inspires few if any questions. The flow may be disjointed or missing. Visual aids may belabor the obvious; handouts may merely repeat the visual aids, or contain errors or inaccuracies. The speaker avoids most verbal distractors, inappropriate language, and grammatical mistakes, but is definitely not polished and mature in presentation. The audience may concentrate at first, but then lose interest. The speaker may mismanage the allotted time. The presentation would be marginally acceptable (but not memorable or praiseworthy) in a professional situation.
D The presentation suffers from one or more of the following weaknesses: serious problems in time management; inappropriate or insufficient content; poor suitability to the audience; indications that insufficient preparation time was spent; missing or misused handouts or visual aids; grammatical mistakes; inappropriate language; frequent verbal distractors; obvious evidence of nervousness; mumbling or inaudibility; faulty or missing organization; or insufficient audience contact and engagement. Handouts or visual aids may contain errors or inaccuracies, or be poorly handled by the speaker. The presentation would not be acceptable in a professional situation.
F The presentation is totally unacceptable for one or more of the following reasons: complete inaudibility or indecipherability; poor time management; substantive problems in organization, content, audience connection, or presentation; poor or incorrect grammar or language choices. The presenter may obviously be "winging it." Handouts or visual aids may have been forgotten. It must be recast entirely for a professional situation.
By substantial revision for WRIT 465, I mean that you will do a lot more than just correct any errors in the first version (though of course those must be fixed). Re-vision means re-seeing, re-conceptualizing, re-attacking what you have done. You might change the tone, the organization, the audience appeal, the style, the visual layout--or many combinations of these factors. You should look for tendencies you can strengthen, habits or patterns you can improve, strategies that you might use as alternates, etc., as you revise.
If you confine yourself to fixing only the errors in the original, your revision grade will be no higher than D.
If you make only a few cosmetic changes beyond fixing the errors, your revision grade will be no higher than C.
When you return a revision, you must attach it to the top of the original version to make it easier for a reader to see the changes you have made.
GRADING SCALE:
A 94-100
A- 91-93
B+ 88-90
B 84-87
B- 81-83
C+ 78-80
C 74-77
C- 71-73
D+ 68-70
D 64-67
D- 61-63
F 0-60
REMINDER:
The Institutional Review Board requires that students follow specific policies when conducting research involving human subjects. Students will be notified of these and must meet all regulations before conducting interviews and surveys.
Before any work is mailed or distributed in connection with any assignment, I must check and approve it.
“Genius is seldom recognized for what it is: a great capacity for hard work.” - Henry Ford, 1863 - 1947