COURSE GUIDELINES

Technical Writing

English 317-04/05

 Phil Druker, University of Idaho.

Text: 317 Course Pamphlet. (Required) Available at the UI bookstore.

Course Goals: English 317 gives students experience with the process of completing research and writing reports about that research. The student will become thoroughly familiar with standard formats and conventions for different types of formal and informal reports, proposals, business correspondence, and public speaking. Through the course, students will develop their own voice in writing while becoming aware of the importance of analyzing their audience and learning to write for various audiences with different levels of technical expertise.

Course Grade: The initial determination of the student's grade will be based on the following:

A. Out of class work:

To pass the course, a student must submit an acceptable final project. Students who expect to receive a grade of B or better will need to complete all the assignments. The final project must be based on the ideas presented in the proposal. NOTE: The credit you receive for presenting rough drafts on the assigned due dates affects your final grade. See the syllabus for due dates.

B. In class work (5%): This work will include a description of a mechanism, progress reports and other short memos or letters, editing and proofreading. This will also include credit for completing a home page project.

C. Further, the student's improvement and degree of involvement with and effort in the class will be considered in determining the final grade.

D. Criteria for grading written assignments:

I will use three main criteria for grading work submitted: 1) content, which should be useful to the intended audience, clear, accurate, and complete; 2) organization, which should be logical, orderly, and accessible; and 3) sentence style, including diction (word choices), grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization, all of which should be correct. The main point is to produce clear, effective, efficient and concise documents.

Excellent: An excellent document accomplishes the writer's and reader's purposes effectively and efficiently. The document provides useful, understandable, information. The author's main point is immediately clear to the reader. The text answers the reader's questions by providing all the necessary information through clear and specific details. The information is accurate and consistent. The text is organized clearly and logically. Details are presented in a logical sequence. The organization of the text emphasizes the main points, which are supported by easily accessible details. Transitions give the paragraphs a logical flow. The text adheres to the conventions of format, and any deviations are necessary and logical. The sentence style of the text conforms to accepted standards of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization. Diction and syntax are correct and mature. The text contains virtually no errors. Sentences are concise.

Adequate: An adequate document accomplishes the reader's and writer's purposes but not as effectively or efficiently as an excellent document. The document has one central idea, but that idea might not be completely clear or might be rather difficult to understand. The text leaves the reader with questions about some of the information. Some information is missing or appears inconsistent. The organization of the text is generally clear, but some main points are not clearly emphasized, and the necessary details are not completely accessible. Jumps in thought cause the reader some difficulty. Ideas are grouped in paragraphs, but the transitions are not always smooth. The document's format is acceptable. The sentence style is usually correct, but the text contains some awkward sentences. While the grammar is usually correct, there are some errors in complicated sentences. The text contains some errors in punctuation, capitalization, and spelling. Diction is generally effective, but some wording is imprecise or inflated. The document could be more concise.

Inadequate: This "effort" lacks a clear purpose and is difficult to read and understand. The author does not consider who his or her readers are and what they know. The organization is ineffective. The paragraphs do not develop one main point. Details do not support main points, or the main points are not supported by details. The text contains unacceptable deviations from conventional format. The sentences are not clear because of errors in diction, syntax, or grammar. Word choices do not conform to standard usage. Some sentences are awkward causing the reader to misunderstand the text, and some sentences are not concise.

GENERAL GUIDELINES

A. All papers must be turned in on the scheduled date. If you cannot complete a paper on time, you must submit (in advance of the due date) a short memorandum to the instructor explaining the situation and indicating when you will submit the assignment. That memo, with the instructor's written endorsement, must be attached to the writing assignment when you submit it. The final assignment will not receive full credit if it is late.

B. Revision is an important part of producing good writing and an important part of this course. You will get credit for having rough drafts on the assigned dates. You may submit rough drafts to me by email:  if you do this, you must 1) send an attachment in Word, and 2) ask one or two specific questions about the draft. I will respond as time permits. (Note: you need to do this before the final draft is due and consider that I don’t look at email in the evenings.)  Also, I am glad to look at drafts during office hours. With rough drafts, I will serve as a coach (rather than a judge/grader).

C. Assignments must be typed and double spaced (unless specified otherwise). Be sure to leave sufficient margins (1 inch) on each side of the page. Your name, English 317, section number and date should appear on the cover page or in the upper left- or right-hand corner of the first page.

D. When you turn in an assignment, please place it in a folder that has your name, course number, and section number on it.

E. Save all your class work so you can turn it in at the end of the semester. This will ensure that your instructor has entered all your grades correctly, and it will enable him to evaluate the progress you made during the semester.

F. All papers must be written solely by the person submitting the paper and sources must be cited correctly and thoroughly. Papers must be written during this semester. Papers should not have been previously submitted to or edited by other instructors or advisors.

G. The grade of incomplete will be given only following university guidelines.

H. You need to look regularly at your university email (the address you have given to the Registrar’s Office) to check on notes about the course.

I. This is a workshop course; therefore:

1. Attendance is required. More than four absences will adversely affect your grade. During oral reports at the end of the semester, attendance is absolutely required.

2. Class participation constitutes part of your grade.

3. Come to class prepared to write.

4. Bring rough drafts to class when they are due. You will receive credit for having the rough drafts on the assigned date. See the syllabus for due dates.

OFFICE HOURS: See course home page

  Please feel free to see me at any time to discuss any problems you may be in encountering the course.

Office: Brink 204
Email: phild@uidaho.edu