E210/Business and Professional Writing, Dr. Michael O'Conner

Online Course Considerations and Policies

Carefully consider the information on "Taking an Online Course"

Methods: This course will be conducted for the most part over the Internet, with attendance on campus required for the course introduction, the two midterm exams and final exam and the oral presentations. The oral report is an integral part of the course, and students are expected to attend to present in person on designated dates found on the syllabus, as arranged with your instructor. For the rest of the course, students are expected to read the assigned readings, answer the questions posed by the instructor in the Discussion room, work with classmates on group reports and online class discussions, and submit written reports and other assignments by email by the deadlines listed in the syllabus inside the course.

Reading and Studying Text Chapters and Related Materials: Read and study each assigned chapter of the textbook according to the course syllabus. After reading each chapter, use the chapter study materials in the EN210 Blackboard course. Each time you enter the chapter material in Blackboard, you should start with the Chapter Resources. Move on to the Lecture Notes in Powerpoint. Take the practice quizzes that are available. Make sure you fully understand the chapter. When you've finished reading the chapter and using the online lecture materials, answer the Discussion question on the Discussion Board in Blackboard. Finally, take the Chapter Quiz, which will test your understanding of the entire chapter.

Summary:

1. Read and study the assigned chapter, following the schedule on the syllabus

2. Go to the material in the Blackboard course, click on Course Information, then the Chapter Folder

3. Start with the Chapter Resources folder. Note and use the Learning Keys and Interactive Images and Assignments

4. Move on to the Lecture Notes in Powerpoint, found on the Course Documents area by chapter  

5. Take the Multiple Choice and True/False Quizzes anytime to determine how you are doing with chapter content (in the Chapter Folder)

6. Answer  the Discussion question on the Discussion Board in Blackboard  

7. Finally, take the Real Quiz on the chapter for a grade, which will test your understanding of that chapter.

All these activities should be completed by the day the next chapter is listed on the syllabus.

Preparing Assignments and Reports: All written assignments should be prepared with the Microsoft Word word processor and submitted by electronic mail. Although instruction in word processing is not part of the course, you are expected to integrate basic word processing techniques in your reports. If your computer keyboarding or Internet awareness skills need development, plan to spend time developing those skills. Collaborative work with others in this class is required, so you will also need to arrange times and a strategy with team members to work on specific assignments by email, discussions, and phone conferences.

Class cancellation and assignment deadlines: In case the College closes because of snow, ice, or other calamity, the Web course goes on. However, if the college web server crashes, contact the AT Helpdesk or wait until the network is back online. Assignments are due on the dates indicated on the syllabus at 11 AM. Send reports by GroupWise or Blackboard email as attached documents. Reports are due on the dates marked in the syllabus. Late assignments may be accepted after these dates only if arrangements have been made prior to the deadline. 

[Top]

Online Course Technical Requirements:

• A computer (a PC or Macintosh) with a modem capable of a speed of 28.8 kbps, an Internet Service Provider, and a  new version of a web browser (eg., Netscape version 4.0, or Internet Explorer, version 4.0 or better) which has both JavaScript and JAVA enabled. America Online users will need to connect to the Internet with AOL, then minimize the AOL browser and open Netscape or Microsoft's Internet Explorer as the main browser to be able to enter the Blackboard course website. You will also need access to the full suite of Microsoft Office products: especially Word and Powerpoint.
  
• Like all distance learning courses, online courses require a greater level of maturity, motivation, and self- discipline. For a self-test of whether distance learning fits your learning style, click here... [Is online learning for me?]

Catalog Course Description:
EN210, Business and Professional Writing 
Prerequisites: IN150, IN151 (3 Credits each) In this course, students develop writing skills through composing a variety of clear, effective memos, letters, and reports. Subject matter for the reports may come from the student's occupation or interests, whether business-oriented, scientific, technical, or non-technical.

Purpose & Objectives: 
The intent of this course is to help students identify and solve problems encountered when communicating technical and business information. The main reason a report writer communicates is informational, usually directing the message to someone with less knowledge about the subject than the writer. The emphasis of this course, then, is on developing the skills needed to write informative and persuasive correspondence and reports directed to specific audiences. Writers will learn how to discuss any subject in a precise, analytical, and informative way.

Course Objectives: By the end of the course, you will be able to . . .

1. Understand the purpose of and how to plan, organize, and produce several types of letters, memoranda, and reports.
2. Use an effective style of writing in the creation of each letter or report.
3. Understand and practice an accurate, ethical, and thorough method of researching and documenting sources, and practice browsing the Internet (if available) for information.
4. Use standard English grammar and usage in business and professional writing.
5. Use the Internet to find, analyze, and evaluate information.
6. Use the internet to send and receive documents that you've written.
7. Use computer graphics to enhance business and technical presentations.
8. Present an oral report.

What You May Expect from Your Professor:
As with any course you take, your instructor can be expected to manage the class in a certain way. In this class, you should expect that your instructor will do the following:

• Help you to learn by directing you to resources (primarily in your textbook, but also on the Internet) showing you how writers (including students writers) prepare their reports, letters, presentations, etc. and to discuss the effectiveness of your writing and how to improve it in an honest and frank manner.
• After the course begins, return your reports with comments and grades in a reasonable time (usually within one week) after they are submitted. A notice of receipt will be sent to you when reports are received. 
• Reply to e-mail within 48 hours, from Monday through Friday. E-mail sent after 5:30 p.m. on Fridays will usually not be answered before Monday morning.
• Be available during live chats, by e-mail, or by phone during office hours to discuss your writing.
• Provide you with updated reports of your progress in the class.

Required Text: 
The Millikin Bookstore has a supply of the required text.  

Bovee, Courtland L. and John V. Thill and Barbara E. Schatzman.. Business Communication Today. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 2003. 7th edition. 

Important: Both the text and the Blackboard access code are required for this course:
 

1. Business Communication Today text : Bovee/Package

2. Blackboard Access Code: Prentice Hall/Access Code, Note: This slim cardboard "folder" must have the title of the text that clearly states that it is for the Blackboard course access license. If the bookstore does not have this license in stock, you can buy one online with a credit card when prompted at the Pearson Educational Agreement page.
   
   

4. Lead into the borrowed information by identifying the source by name and qualifications. (eg., According to Bovee and Thill, authors of business and professional writing texts, . . . )
5. Quote, summarize, or paraphrase the information accurately (eg., John Lannon, author of a leading technical writing textbook, offered the following observation about grammatical mistakes: "The single most common error in . . . ")
6. Follow the quote with a parentheses containing the page number of the source:

According to Bovee and Thill , "Communication skills are fundamental to the human experience" (27).
(Note: Since the authors of the quote were named in the sentence, include only the page number of the source in parentheses, as shown).

7. Include the source in a "Works Cited" list. You'll notice in the example below that the page number isn't given for a book source, only for magazine, newspaper, journal articles, or any source that's contained within a longer work (such as a book)...

Consequences for Plagiarizing: Anyone or any group who submits a plagiarized report, or who commits academic dishonesty with any assignment, whether or not that assignment is graded, will receive a failing grade for the course, and the incident will be reported to the Dean of Student and your advisor.

  [Top]