English 421: Technical Writing @ Purdue

Instructor and Course Information

English 421, "Technical Writing"
Catherine A Shuler
Section: 001 & 002
Office Hrs: 9:30 am-10:30 am MWF
Office: Heavilon 220
Ph: 765.494.9681
Fax: 765.494.3780
E-Mail: cshuler@purdue.edu

Overview

English 421 helps students become better technical communicators, whose work is characterized by the presentation of technical material in written and visual formats that are user centered and aware of audience and context. The course and its principles are grounded in rhetorical theory and informed by current research in technical communication.

Communication across multiple audiences and for multiple purposes continues to be a desired skill set in technical and professional fields. Beyond field-specific knowledge and experience, successful and ethical communication drives the professional world. This class, in content and form, models these successful communication practices. Working individually and in groups, students learn effective strategies for communicating about and with technology, particularly in networked workplaces and through usability testing. To achieve success in this course, students must display the ability to succeed in their future workplaces by developing a variety of informative and visually effective print and electronic documents.

Required Texts

You will have one required text for this class: Technical Communication Handbook, by Laura J. Gurak and Mary E. Hocks; Instead of additional textbooks, the other readings for English 421 will be drawn from a variety of sources, including academic journals, popular-press magazines and books, blogs and websites, and narratives from technical writing. Course readings cover rhetorical principles, technical writing, ethics, and usability. Furthermore, students are encouraged and sometimes required to find additional readings to supplement their learning.  This includes your weekly article assignment for the Documentation Project.

Course Goals

These are general course goals outlined by the Professional Writing Program. Instructors will articulate how each specific project incorporates the course goals.

Writing in Context

• Analyze the invention, manufacture, and distribution of technologies in context and use writing to communicate these attributes in a variety of media and genres.
• Write to the different levels of technical expertise of a range of audiences and stakeholders to foster technical understanding.
• Understand the ethical implications of working within the nexus of technology and culture.

Project Management

• Understand, develop and deploy various strategies for planning, researching, drafting, revising, and editing documents both individually and collaboratively.
• Select and use appropriate technologies that effectively and ethically address professional situations and audiences.
• Build professional ethos through documentation and accountability.

Document Design
Make rhetorical design decisions about technical documents including

• understanding and adapting to genre conventions and expectations of a range of audiences including both technical and non-technical audiences
• understanding and implementing design principles of format and layout
• interpreting and arguing with design
• drafting, researching, testing, revising visual design and information architecture
• ensuring the technical accuracy of visual content

Teamwork
Learn and apply strategies for successful teamwork, such as

• working online with colleagues to determine roles and responsibilities
• managing team conflicts constructively
• responding constructively to peers' work
• soliciting and using peer feedback effectively
• achieving team goals

Research
Understand and use the research methods and strategies necessary to the production of professional documents, including

• working ethically with research participants, subject matter experts, and technical experts
• locating, evaluating, and using print and online information selectively for particular audiences and purposes
• triangulating sources of evidence
• selecting appropriate primary research methods such as interviews, observations, focus groups, and surveys to collect data
• applying concepts of usability research, such as user-centered design

Technology
Use and evaluate the writing technologies frequently used in the workplace, such as emailing, instant messaging, image editing, video editing, presentation design and delivery, HTML editing, Web browsing, content management, and desktop publishing technologies.

Course Projects and Activities

1.Rhetorical Analysis Project

The focus of Project One is a rhetorical analysis of online discussion sites. This project will prepare you for the other two major projects: the white paper and user documentation in multimedia. Your assignment is to locate a discussion site that discusses an open source software that can be used as a writing tool. You will analyze aspects of the rhetorical situation that have been discussed in class. Particular attention should focus on an analysis of the audience, contributors to the discussion site. Your analysis will be used to create a report on both the function of the software and its effectiveness as a writing tool. At the end of this project, your reports will be used to select the software that will be the subject of your collaborative projects. During this project you will learn about

• the use of online discussion sites as learning tools
• the use of online discussion sites in selecting appropriate software based on user needs
• online sources of user provided research
• new writing and communication technologies that support technical writing in college and industry, with attention to open source and other freely available software or writing spaces (online networks, blogging, etc.)
• research reports that analyze the rhetoric of online resources

(Individual; 20% of course grade.) 

2. White Paper Project

The focus of Project 2 is the white paper, a common report genre in the professional world. White papers are used in business, industrial, and governmental contexts to sum up the gist of what’s known about a subject. During this project you will learn about

• the white paper genre through collaborative creation of a white paper.
• new writing and communication technologies that support technical writing in college and industry, with attention to open source and other freely available software or writing spaces (online networks, blogging, etc.)
• collaboration, project management, and strategies for writing and revising.
• producing a text for the web in HTML that integrates visual content, such as screenshots, tables, and flowcharts

All group members will keep a project log and submit Collaborative Project Evaluation forms.

(Collaborative: 25% of course grade.)

3. Usability Study and User Documentation in Multimedia (Client-Based Service Learning Project)

For Project 3, you will work collaboratively in project teams on a client-based service-learning project that teaches you to manage complex writing challenges in real contexts that matter. You will learnn principles of project management, collaboration, document cycling, usability testing and study, and client-based research. Because you will work with real clients--either in the community or online, you will also learn important principles of professional and ethical communication. The goal will be to start with the White Paper Projects produced already this semester and then, after user-testing and usability study, produce a user-guide that teaches a critical and (perhaps) complex application of the technology to an interested client. You will begin the project by thinking of and contacting clients who may benefit from having such your report, which will consist of several components, including a short multmedia, web-based presentation. (Collaborative; 25% of course grade.)

Weblogs

Much of your writing for this class will be posted publicly on the Internet to your individual weblog or our community weblog home page. Weblog posting assignments will include drafts, project logs, and research notes, among other types of content. The calendar specifies what you should post to your weblog and by when, so let that be your guide.

Reading Responses

Although we will have many readings each week, you are responsible for writing one, 300-word blog post as a reading response. The reading responses will synthesize the readings and your reactions to them, much like class discussion.

Comments and Replies

All comments and replies to another's blog post should follow effective rhetorical strategies for networking with others on the Web. (Readings from the course text provide guidelines to follow.)

• Keep threads alive and relevant.
• Follow-up comments with further discussion.
• Think of your comments and replies as part of a lively class discussion in which everyone participates.

Grading

Class Participation, Reading Responses, Peer Reviews

This portion of your grade will be based on

• How well you implement the guidelines and best practices for posting comments and creating reading responses, as presented on our course site and discussed in the textbook.
• The degree to which your your peer reviews and responses offer insightful feedback and suggestions on your classmates' drafts.
• The degree to which your reading responses and comment posts demonstrate learning of the course content.
• The degree to which your reading responses and comment posts engage with and contribute to the learning of others in the course.

Technology Requirements

In order to participate fully in the course, you should already be able to use the technology platform and applications listed below.

• Mac OS X or Windows XP or Vista
• Microsoft Office for the PC or Mac (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) or Apple counterparts (Pages, Keynote, Numbers)
• Web Browser (e.g., Firefox, Safari, or Internet Explorer)
• Email Program (e.g., Purdue Webmail, Outlook, Thunderbird, Gmail, etc.)
• Adobe Acrobat and Reader (for PDF documents, collaborative review)

Technology Responsibilities

Familiarity with certain technologies is crucial for participation and success in the course. If you need any assistance now or at any point during the semester, please do not hesitate to ask.

During the semester, you'll need regular access to the Internet and email. Because the course home page is the main locus of the class community, you are responsible for reading and keeping current with all content posted there, including what has been submitted by both the instructor and your fellow students. You'll be responsible for configuring your system to access course materials, to read course email and participate in online discussions, and to submit your work. Very early in the semester, you will be asked to demonstrate that you can meet these responsibilities:

• Register for the course website and complete your profile information.
• Post a message about yourself and your interests
• Read the course description and calendar, then ask questions when you are uncertain about requirements or activities.
• Set up your @purdue.edu email or an alternative that you can access regularly and reliably
• Become proficient sending and receiving email attachments, resolving file compatibility issues, and following email decorum.
• Check the course calendar before each class meeting.
• Become proficient participating in the class Drupal space.
• Become more proficient with unfamiliar computer technologies and applications, including Web editing software, document cycling systems, desktop publishing applications, and graphics programs.
• Maintain back-up copies of all assignments via your home directory, disks, USB drives, or CDs.

If at any time you have problems accessing the Internet from home, you'll need to find a public lab or connection point. Problems with computers will not be an excuse for falling behind or failing to complete required assignments. If your Internet service goes down, find another connection point. If your computer breaks, use another one. In other words, find a way to complete the assignments on time. Because computer problems are a fact of life, always work to complete your assignments early and make frequent backups to multiple media.

Collaborative Work

Teamwork is a required component of the course. You and your project team members are responsible for updating one another and me about assignment development and progress. In addition, you also are responsible for negotiating together all aspects of your work, including planning, drafting, revising, file managing, and scheduling of assignments. When a collaborative project is assigned, you will receive explicit guidelines for successful collaboration. Individual group members will complete Collaborative Evaluation Forms. For more information about good principles of collaboration, see the brochure, Group Work and Collaborative Writing <http://dhc.ucdavis.edu/vohs/>. 

Attendance

Attendance is required at all scheduled electronic and face-to-face (F2F) meetings. Since you will be working in project teams much of the semester, you also will be required to attend any scheduled out-of-class meetings with your team to complete course assignments. Three absences may result in your final grade being lowered by as much as a letter grade. More than three absences can result in a failing grade for the course. Excused absences may be granted for religious holidays or university-sponsored events, provided you make a written request to me no less than two weeks in advance and that you complete any required work before the due date. Being excessively or regularly late for class or team meetings, both electronic and F2F, can also be counted as an absence.

Disruptive Technologies and Behaviors

Cell phones, iPods, iPhones, Blackberrys, and any other personal technologies should not be used inside a college classroom. Thus, in English 421, they are not allowed. Turn them off upon entering the classroom. If you are found to be using any such devices, you will immediately be asked to leave the class and will receive no credit for the day, as per the policies and consequences explicated herein.

Further, any non-class-related use of the computers is considered disruptive to the classroom environment (e.g. checking or using e-mail, Facebook, IM, Sports Illustrated.com, etc.). Because all classes are held in internet-capable computer labs, the temptation to use the machines in such a way is great. Doing so is not only disruptive, it is rude. Thus, if you are found to be using them in such a manner, you will be asked to leave class and receive no credit for the day, as per the policies and consequences explicated herein.

Late Work

Late work, for the most part (see the ‘Extension Procedure’ below), will receive no credit in this class. That is to say that, when it comes to late work, there is no such thing; the vast majority of missed class assignments cannot be made up and will result in a zero if not completed on time. If you miss a quiz, test, in-class writing, blog-posting, or other assignment or activity for any reason (including absence), you cannot make them up, and will receive a zero on those course components. Also, you must be IN CLASS to hand in any work that is due, unless directed otherwise: If you are absent on the day an assignment or project is to be turned in, you will receive no credit, regardless of your reasons for not turning in the work.

Extension Policy

Should a serious and unavoidable problem arise, you will need to obtain an extension from me, your instructor, in order to receive any credit for your work PRIOR to not turning it in on time. The policy for extension is as follows and requires that you:

• contact me in writing prior to the deadline (the same day will not be sufficient lead time), asking for an extension on your assignment/project;
• provide a detailed explanation of the status of the assignment and reasons you feel you deserve an extension.
• This is where you pose an argument and provide supporting and convincing evidence to justify its granting (think carefully about the rhetorical sophistication it might take to convince your professor that YOU deserve to break a course policy—while the others in the class don’t)
• propose an extension timeline, which includes the new deadline (i.e. when you will turn it in)
• wait to hear from me whether or not the extension has been granted before determining you will not turn it in on time.

Academic Integrity

Purdue students and their instructors are expected to adhere to guidelines set forth by the Dean of Students in "Academic Integrity: A Guide for Students," which students are encouraged to read here:

http://www.purdue.edu/ODOS/osrr/integrity.htm

The preamble of this guide states the following: "Purdue University values intellectual integrity and the highest standards of academic conduct. To be prepared to meet societal needs as leaders and role models, students must be educated in an ethical learning environment that promotes a high standard of honor in scholastic work. Academic dishonesty undermines institutional integrity and threatens the academic fabric of Purdue University. Dishonesty is not an acceptable avenue to success. It diminishes the quality of a Purdue education, which is valued because of Purdue's high academic standards."

Academic dishonesty is defined as follows: "Purdue prohibits "dishonesty in connection with any University activity. Cheating, plagiarism, or knowingly furnishing false information to the University are examples of dishonesty." [University Regulations, Part V, Section III, B, 2, a] Furthermore, the University Senate has stipulated that "the commitment of acts of cheating, lying, and deceit in any of their diverse forms (such as the use of substitutes for taking examinations, the use of illegal cribs, plagiarism, and copying during examinations) is dishonest and must not be tolerated. Moreover, knowingly to aid and abet, directly or indirectly, other parties in committing dishonest acts is in itself dishonest." [University Senate Document 72-18, December 15, 1972]"

If you have any questions about this policy, please ask.

In Case of a Campus Emergency

In the event of a major campus emergency, course requirements, deadlines and grading percentages are subject to changes that may be necessitated by a revised semester calendar or other circumstances. You can acquire updated information from the course website, by emailing me, or by contacting me through the English Department at 765-494-3740.