English 2311

Technical and Professional Communication

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Intensive study of an practice in professional settings. Focus on the types of documents necessary to make decisions and take action on the job, such as proposals, reports, instructions, policies and procedures, e-mail messages, letters, and descriptions of products and services. Practice individual and collaborative processes involved in the creation of ethical and efficient documents.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Upon successful completion of this course, students will:

1. Recognize, analyze, and accommodate diverse audiences.
2. Produce documents appropriate to audience, purpose, and genre.
3. Analyze the ethical responsibilities involved in technical communication.
4. Locate, evaluate, and incorporate pertinent information.
5. Develop verbal, visual, and multimedia materials as necessary, in individual and/or collaborative projects, as appropriate.
6. Edit for appropriate style, including attention to word choice, sentence structure, punctuation, and spelling.
7. Design and test documents for easy reading and navigation.

(see http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/AAR/UndergraduateEd/WorkforceEd/acgm.htm.)

TEXTBOOK INFORMATION:

Technical Communication by John M. Lannon and Laura J. Gurak, Pearson, copyright 2017, 14th edition, ISBN-13: 978-0-13-411849-9.

Students have asked if they can purchase another edition. While much of the informational content in the 14th edition is very similar to that of the 13th edition (I wouldn’t recommend going any older than that), I cannot be responsible for translating page and chapter numbers in my course materials and grading comments to accommodate any editions other than the present edition.  If you decide to use an older edition, you do so completely at your own risk.

You will need the textbook right at the start of the semester; you need to purchase it well in advance. It can be ordered via efollett.com (or your favorite online textbook merchant), as an electronic textbook, or can be purchased at the Lone Star College – Tomball bookstore accessed www.lonestar.edu/bookstore.htm.  Other campuses may have the book in stock at their bookstores, but you should confirm that the textbook is the correct edition first.

Questions and answers

1. The class site will be opened at 12:00 am the morning the semester officially begins. Why not earlier?Because the class is designed to be completed within the official term dates, and because it is not fair if some students are able to start early while others are not.
2. Do we ever meet live? No.We do not.Every phase of the class is completed online.
3. Where is the class site? The Distance Learning website, LSC Online , is where the class site can be found.You will need to make sure, through Distance Learning, that you have the necessary User ID and password to access the site.That’s between you and them; as an instructor I have no control over that.
4. But what does the class consist of? There are five online discussion questions/topics. There are four short quizzes based on the textbook. There are five short writing assignments (one to three pages). There is a longer, written proposal (10 pages minimum). There is also a final exam that is a short writing assignment.
5. Do I have to read everything assigned? Yes. Everything. The number one reason for confusion is because the confused party did not read the documentation provided. Use your best judgment and make sure you have tried your best on your own to get an answer with available materials.
6. Is this the right class for me? Some students think that internet classes are easier. I can definitely say that this class will require a lot of work, especially if you are taking the class in a summer session or a three-week minimester, because a whole 16-week semester’s worth of material  is condensed into a very short time frame. Just because you have less time doesn’t mean you get to do less work, if you want the same credit for taking the course!
7. This class is designed for the highly-motivated student, one who reads carefully and follows directions, who is already computer literate, as well as proficient in e-mail, bulletin boards, and the internet. You also must have reliable computer hardware and internet availability, as well as sufficient software of your own, including a current browser and word processor. I repeat, if you do not have regular, frequent, reliable access to a computer and the internet, then this class is NOT for you.
8. N.B.: There really is no opportunity in this course for “hand-holding,”especially in a summer or minimester session.  If you suspect that you are likely to need individual assistance with course content, writing assignments, or with technology/software, you should take the course through an on-campus section.  I’m not trying to scare anyone, but just to be realistic.

Based on all these things, I hope that this is the class for you. Thanks for your interest.

Sincerely,

Penny Piercy

Adjunct Professor of English, Lone Star College – Tomball