Communicators are increasingly involved in much more than writing or layout. They also create value for their organizations by helping to make decisions about the appropriate platform for documentation, by creating single-source solutions, by collecting and disseminating knowledge, and by organizing communication projects in order to complete the job on time and on budget. Value added through effective management, therefore, is the overall theme of this course. We will approach this theme through two broad topics:
At the same time, as a practical matter, we will be exploring the tools involved in those two topics. For example, single-sourcing solutions may argue for XML, Acrobat, databases, or other document-based tools. Managing and implementing documentation projects often involves tools like MS Project and source code control tools like SourceSafe.
Although I will explain backgrounds for the readings and certain concepts and ideas, the dominant mode of class sessions will be discussion. I will expect you to ask questions, connect ideas from various readings, and connect ideas from the readings to arguments as you see them practiced around you. In addition, I will ask each of you to be responsible for leading one class discussion this semester. Class participation and the reading responses are worth 25% of your grade. All class discussions will take place in Web Board (http://wb.engl.ttu.edu/~5387), where I have established several conferences in order to break up the work into smaller chunks.
Attendance is expected. If you have a good reason for missing class (I get to determine what a good reason is), we need to make arrangements ahead of time. Distance students' attendance and participation will be judged on their textual input to the class.
Office hours are times for you to get individual help. You do not need an appointment to see me during my scheduled hours. If your classes conflict with my hours, please make an appointment for another time. You are also welcome to ask questions about assignments through email. I will hold virtual office hours in our MOO and/or Yahoo Messenger, which is what I prefer to use for peer-to-peer chat.
| A |
superior. The paper meets or exceeds all the objectives of the assignment. The content is mature, thorough, and well-suited for the audience; the style is clear, accurate, and forceful; the information is well-organized and formatted so that it is accessible and attractive; the mechanics and grammar are correct. The paper has publication potential. |
| B | competent. The paper meets the objectives of the assignment, but it needs improvement in style, or it contains easily correctable errors in grammar, format, or content, or its content is superficial. |
| C | unsatisfactory for graduate courses. The paper needs significant improvement in concept, details, development, organization, grammar, or format. It may be formally correct but superficial in content, or it may not meet the terms of the assignment. |
You can figure an A as 95, A- as 90, B+ as 88 etc.
You must turn in all assigned work to pass the course. If you do not turn in an assignment, you will fail the course (because you did not complete it), even though your average may be passing. You must turn in papers when they are due. Late papers will lose a full letter grade for each class day that they are late. (A paper due Tuesday graded as a B but turned in Wednesday or Thursday will be recorded as a C.) If a paper is so late that it would receive a zero, you must still turn it in for no credit to pass the course. I have assembled a separate web page with this semester's assignments.
For a graduate course, "attendance" means a lot more than showing up to class. And since this is a distance section, attendance means posting reading responses and class discussion when they're due. It means logging in to the MOO for regularly-scheduled on-line discussions. It also means participating in workgroup activities. Your attendance, in this expanded sense of the word, is expected.
Any student who, because of a disability, may require some special arrangements in order to meet course requirements must contact me by the end of the second week of classes to make necessary accommodations.
Plagiarism means "using, stating, offering or reporting as one's own, an idea, expression, or production of another person without proper credit to its source." (Class Schedule, Code of Student Affairs.) Plagiarism means using another student's work or published work without credit. Plagiarism rules include material on the World Wide Web as well as print materials. Plagiarism will result in failure on the assignment and may result in failure in the course. If you are uncertain about what to document or when it is appropriate to request the assistance of a tutor, please ask me.