English 3764 covers the principles and procedures of technical communication. This writing-intensive online course focuses attention on analyzing audience and purpose, organizing information, designing graphics, and writing such specialized forms as correspondence, instructions, and proposals. Junior standing is required.

Objectives

By completing English 3764, you will

• gain knowledge of technical communication’s rhetorical dimensions.
• learn to distinguish between effective and ineffective technical documents.
• write in several technical genres that use analysis, narrative, critique, persuasion, and argument.
• practice using the conventions of written, spoken, and visual composition.
• gain an understanding of the role of social media and visual rhetoric in technical communications.
• write and create texts in digital environments.

Required Resources

• Course Website: http://3764s16.tracigardner.com/
• Markel, Mike. Practical Strategies for Technical Communication. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2013.
• Bedford e-Book to Go for Practical Strategies for Technical Communication.
• Amazon paperback to buy or rent.
• Barnes and Noble paperback to buy or rent.
• Virginia Tech Career Planning Guide (available online or in print from Career Services on the Blacksburg Campus).
• Additional required and recommended readings and resources available from the course websites.
• A reliable computer with working, dependable Internet access.
• A word processor or Google Drive.

Course Requirements

You must complete all major assignments and requirements in order to pass this course. All work must be submitted online, via Canvas. Your final grade is calculated on this distribution:

Policies

Equal Access and Opportunity: If you need special accommodations in this course, please contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) in 310 Lavery Hall (above the Turner Place Dining Center) during the first week of the term to ensure that you have the resources you need. The procedures and forms you need are also available on the SSD website. I am happy to work with the SSD staff to make sure that you have the support you need. Documentation from the SSD office should be sent to me by the end of the first week of class.

Communication Guidelines: Email is the best way to contact me. You can email me at tengrrl@vt.edu. I do not respond to students at any other address. I try to answer student email within 24 hours on weekdays and within 48 hours on weekends and holidays. See Communication Guidelines for more details.

Participation: Class participation in online discussions and in all assignments is required. If you miss a deadline because of an illness, death in the family, or family emergency, see the Student Advocacy page from the Dean of Students Office for details on how to document the situation. You must provide documentation within one week of any situation.
If you have an issue that affects your ability to complete the course, you may qualify for Academic Relief. For personal medical issues, contact the Schiffert Health Center, and for psychiatric or psychological issues, contact the Cook Counseling Center.

Work Guidelines: All work and participation in this course is governed by the Undergraduate Honor System and the Virginia Tech Principles of Community.

Late Policy: My late policy includes a grace period that should cover most problems that come up, whether academic conflicts, illness, or a personal issue. You do not need to ask in advance or explain why your work is late. Just take advantage of the grace period, as explained below:

Discussion forum activities, quizzes, proposals, progress reports, and other writing: Every week, you will complete writing activities and/or quizzes that you will submit online. This work is due by 11:59 PM in Canvas on the day indicated on the course website. You may submit any of this work up to 48 hours late, but realize that you will lose the benefit of getting replies from your peers if your work is not submitted on time. You will receive a zero for any work that is submitted more than 48 hours late.

Projects 1, 2, and 3: You will compose three projects, which you will submit online. Each major project will have a due date, a grace period, and a deadline:

• The due date is the day that your project is due. Projects are due on Mondays, by 11:59 PM in this course. Every student has a one-week grace period after the due date during which the project can still be submitted.
• The grace period occurs between the due date and the deadline. Work submitted during the grace period will be marked as late in Canvas; however, there is no grade penalty for work submitted during the grace period. Note that we will not work on the projects after the due date.
• The deadline comes one-week  days after the due date and is the final moment that Canvas will accept a project. You will receive a zero for any project that is not submitted by the deadline. There are no extensions on deadlines.

Project 4 (Final Exam): Your major reporpt will count as the final exam for the course. There is no grace period or make-up option for Project 4. Your final exam must be submitted by the due date (11:59 PM on Monday, May 9) so that I can turn course grades in on time. You will receive a zero if Project 4 is not submitted on time. If you have extenuating circumstances (like multiple exams on the same day), email me before the last day of classes to make alternate arrangements.

Religious Holidays: Please take advantage of the grace period explained in the Late Policy section above if the due date for any work in this class coincides with a religious holiday that you celebrate. Please let me know before the event if the grace period will not be adequate.

Backups: Save backups of all your work for this class. Maintain these backups in multiple places (your laptop, a flash drive, Google Docs, Dropbox). Printed backups can also be useful. Do not discard any files, notes, or other work until the term is over and you have received your final grade. Be sure that you maintain backups so that you can continue your work when you encounter computer problems. If you need assistance with your computer, check with InnovationSpace or Customer Support Center (4Help).

Program Assessment: Please note that the Department of English may use your written work in its assessment of its teaching and learning goals.  In such cases, your name will be removed and your work assessed anonymously.  Your work will not be shared with any individual outside of the department.  It will be used strictly to help the department offer students the best possible academic experience.

Grading: I use the default Virginia Tech grade scale for Letter Grades with +/-. The Canvas gradebook manages all the mathematics. I do not round grades. I do not provide extra credit for people who have not met satisfactory performance goals.

Specific grading expectations will be posted with each major project. Generally, project expectations fall into these descriptions: