2. TEXT AND MATERIALS: The text is an extremely useful reference for technical writers: Franklin Covey Style Guide for Business and Technical Communication, 3rd ed. Class members will also need some high-density 3 1/2" disks and, depending on their skills, a word processing reference book and/or a grammar handbook. All members should have or obtain an email account, which can be used to ask questions and get help with rough drafts. Please do not send the instructor attachments, however, which can carry viruses and which often do not open. Copy and paste documents you wish to send into the regular message text area.

3. ASSIGNMENTS: In order to earn at least a C in the course, class members must complete the following assignments:

1. Letter of Professional Introduction
2. Edit of Professional Writing
3. Sales Letter
4. Fact Sheet
5. Recommendation Memo
6. Resume
7. Application letter
8. Procedure for Technical Process

These assignments will be worked on individually and collaboratively inside and outside class, the instructor and classmates guiding a member's decisions at various stages of the writing process. Members are strongly encouraged to elicit the instructor's comments on ideas, plans, and rough drafts.

4. ATTENDANCE: In accordance with University policy, class members who miss more than six periods (20% of classes) without an excuse will not pass the course. Unexcused absences during collaborative work are especially harmful. Notify your group members if you are going to be absent.

5. CIVILITY: Late arrivals, ringing cell phones, and grumpy behavior are disruptive. Arrive on time, turn off cell phone ringers, and cheer up.

6. GRADING: All final drafts of assignments will be given numerical grades that correspond roughly with letter grades. Each assignment will be scored analytically on five criteria, for which SCAMP is an acronym. In ascending order of importance, these five criteria are

• Style: clarity, correctness, appropriateness, and dignity of diction and sentence structure, including punctuation and mechanical conventions
• Chunking of information: paragraphing or segmenting of text and overall design of the document, including use of horizontal and vertical white space, heads, typographical options, font sizes and styles, margins, etc.
• Audience appeal: general effectiveness of a document for a reader, given the reader's knowledge, purposes, values, and so on ( a document's appeal is affected by its performance on other criteria)
• Message: clarity, relevance, and sufficiency of information or content
• Purpose: clarity, unity, and worthiness of a document's goal.

Points possible on each assignment (and therefore on each criterion) vary:

• assignments 1 and 7 are worth 10 points each;
• assignments 2 and 3 (combined), 4, 5, and 6 are worth 15 points each;
• assignment 8 is worth 20 points for a total of 100 possible points in the course.

The following are rough approximations of scores and letter grades:

• 20/20 or 15/15 or 10/10 = A+
• 16/20 or 12/15 or 08/10 = B
• 12/20 or 09/15 or 06/10 = C
• 08/20 or 06/15 or 04/10 = D
• 04/20 or 03/15 or 02/10 = F

What all this means is that a class member needs about 90 points--perhaps a bit less--to earn an A in the course, 70 to earn a B, 50 to earn a C, and 30 to earn a D. Assignments handed in after the instructor has graded the rest of the members' documents will be considered late. Each late assignment will cost a member five points.

7. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Class members are advised not to submit any work written by anyone other than themselves. That constitutes plagiarism. Also, during collaborative work, a class member should not allow a group to write a document without his/her contribution. That's rude.

8. SCHEDULE: The following due dates are tentative; class members are expected to keep up with changes announced in class. Readings from the text will be noted on a day-to-day basis. Assignments that are handed in after the instructor has graded the rest of the class's documents will be considered late. Each late assignment will cost a member five points.

T Aug 20 Introduction to the course
R Aug 22 Letter of introduction

T Aug 27 Letter of introduction
R Aug 29 Letter of introduction

T Sep 03 Letter of introduction due; edit of professional writing
R Sep 05 Edit

T Sep 10 Sales letter
R Sep 12 Sales letter

T Sep 17 Edit and sales letter
R Sep 19 Edit and sales letter due; fact sheet

T Sep 24 Fact sheet
R Sep 26 Fact sheet

T Oct 01 Fact sheet
R Oct 03 Fact sheet

T Oct 08 Fact sheet due; recommendation
R Oct 09 Recommendation

T Oct 15 Recommendation
R Oct 17 Recommendation

T Oct 22 Recommendation
R Oct 24 Recommendation due; resume

T Oct 29 Resume
R Oct 31 Resume

T Nov 05 Cover/application letter
R Nov 07 Cover/application letter

T Nov 12 Resume and cover letter due; technical procedure
R Nov 14 Technical procedure

T Nov 19 Technical procedure
R Nov 21 Technical procedure

T Nov 26 Thanksgiving break
R Nov 28 Thanksgiving break

T Dec 03 Technical procedure
R Dec 05 Technical procedure (last class period: no final exam)

M Dec 09 Technical procedure due

9. SPECIAL SERVICES: Class members requiring classroom accommodations or modifications because of a documented disability should discuss this need with the instructor at the beginning of the semester. Class members who require assistance but who are not registered with the Special Services Program should contact the Special Services Office in Nevins Hall (245-2498).

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