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TECM 2700
Technical Writing
Spring 2014

Instructor Kara Dorris

Office Hours Tuesdays/Thursdays 1-2 pm, Wednesday 1:30-3 (& by appointment)

Office Location GAB 543

Classroom AUD 308 (T/R mornings)

E-Mail kara.dorris@unt.edu

Textbook Sims, Brenda R. Technical Communication. Second Edition. Kendall Hunt, 2012

Course
Objectives The objectives of TECM 2700 include the following:
learn to write clearly, concisely, and correctly
learn the value of good writing skills in business and industry
learn and practice writing various technical documents common in
business and industry
use word processing and graphics software to create effective technical
documents
learn to write as a member of a team


Evaluation Style Exam 10%
Design Case Study 10%
Correspondence Case Study 5%
Proposal 15%
Job Materials (resume and cover letter) 10%
Team Instructions 10%
Team Feasibility Report 15%
Formal Project 20%
E-Portfolio 5%


Policies You must attend class regularly. You cannot perform well in this course
unless you attend class. If you miss class for any reason, you are
responsible for all material covered and all assignments.


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My classroom is a cell-phone-free zone: no texting, no surfing, and no
talking on cell phones. Put your phone on silent (not vibrate).
I do not accept late assignments. If you are absent on the day an
assignment is due, you must e-mail it before class starts.
If you are more than 10 minutes late, you will be counted absent. If
you miss 5 classes, I will lower your grade one letter. If you miss 6
classes, I will lower your grade two letters and/or fail you for non-
attendance.
If you miss more than two scheduled team meetings, you may receive a
grade of zero on the team project/assignment.
If you do not prepare an assignment according to instructions in
format, organization, and style, that assignment may receive a
grade of F.
E-mails to the professor should be regarded as chances to practice good
rhetoric. The professor will not reply to any e-mail that does not
contain a subject, greeting, signature, and correct grammar within
its contents. I will not respond to emails during weekends. Do not
wait until the last minute to email questions; I will respond to
emails within 48 hours.
Keep copies of all your major assignments and any other
documents that you would like to keep. I will keep your formal
project and other documents on file for one semester. You will submit all
of your work at the end of the semester via an E-Portfolio. If you fail to
complete the E-Portfolio, you will receive a 10 point deduction in your
final grade.
The Student Evaluation of Teaching Effectiveness (SETE) is required
for all organized classes at UNT. This evaluation will be available to you
at the end of the semester, providing you an opportunity to comment on
how I teach this class. I am interested in the feedback I receive from
students, as I work to continually improve my teaching.


Acceptable
Student
Behavior Student behavior that interferes with an instructors ability to conduct a class
or other students' opportunity to learn is unacceptable and disruptive and will
not be tolerated in any instructional forum at UNT. Students engaging in
unacceptable behavior will be directed to leave the classroom and the
instructor may refer the student to the Center for Student Rights and
Responsibilities to consider whether the student's conduct violated the Code
of Student Conduct. The university's expectations for student conduct apply
to all instructional forums, including university and electronic classroom,


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labs, discussion groups, field trips, etc. The Code of Student Conduct can be
found at www.unt.edu/csrr

Academic
Integrity I follow UNTs policy for academic dishonesty. You can access these
guidelines and the UNT policy at
http://policy.unt.edu/sites/default/files/untpolicy/pdf/7-
Student_Affairs-Academic_Integrity.pdf. You are responsible for
knowing and following the student standards for academic integrity.
Essential
Competencies In accordance with the terms and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities
Act and Section 504, Rehabilitation Act, I will cooperate with the office of
Disability Accommodation to make reasonable accommodations for
qualified students with disabilities. If you have a disability for which you will
require accommodation, please advise me of your needs in writing no later
than the end of the second week of class.

Essential competencies for this course include the ability to
read and analyze technical documents
write clear, concise, and visually appropriate technical prose for the
intended readers in response to various types of assignments
work in a team to discuss, write, edit, and publish technical
documents
use a personal computer with word processing, e-mail, website
design, and graphics software applications
work effectively as part of a team
follow the rules of standard grammar, usage, spelling, and
punctuation


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Readings and Assignments


WEEK 1
January 14 What well do in class Introduction to the course
Orientation to the computer lab

David Foster Wallace This is Water

January 16 What well do in class What Makes Technical Communication
Excellent

What to read Chapter 1

Whats due Exercise 1 on page 15 (in-class exercise)


WEEK 2
January 21 What well do in class Writing for Your Readers

What to read Chapter 2

January 23 What well read Organizing Information for Your
Readers

What to read Chapter 6

Whats due Real World Experience on page
184(collaborative in-class assignment)


WEEK 3
January 28 What well do in class Organizing Information for Your Readers


January 30 What well do in class Style

What to read Chapter 7

Whats due Exercises 1-4 on pages 203-204
Exercises 5-6 on pages 204-206



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WEEK 4
February 4 What well do in class Style

What to read Chapter 8

Whats due Exercises 1-11 on pages 231-234

February 6 What well do in class Style
Practice Style Exam

What to read Review Chapters 7 and 8

Whats due Practice Exam at the end of class


WEEK 5
February 11 What well do in class Style

Introduction to Formal Project
Go over the Practice Exam

February 13 What well do in class Style

Style Exam

What to read Review Chapters 7-8 and your Practice Exam


WEEK 6
February 18 What well do in class Designing Documents and Graphics
Graphics Orientation

What to read Chapters 10 and 11

February 20 What well do in class Photoshop Orientation
Workshop: Design Case Study

Whats due Draft of Design Case Study



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WEEK 7
February 25 What well do in class Letters, Memos, and E-Mail

What to read Chapter 12

Whats due Design Case Study at the end of class
______________________________________________________________________________
February 27 What well do in class Workshop: Correspondence Case Study

Whats due Tentative formal project topic e-mailed to me by
the beginning of class

Correspondence Case Study at the end of
class


WEEK 8
March 4 What well do in class Ethics, Resumes, and Letters of Application
Manual Orientation

What to read Chapter 13

March 6 What well do in class Workshop: Resumes

Whats due Draft of Resume and letter of application



SPRING BREAK
March 11 No class
March 13 No class





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WEEK 9

March 18 What well do in class Workshop: Resumes and E-Portfolios
E-Portfolio Orientation

Whats due Resume and letter of application at the end of
class

March 20 What well do in class Building Persuasive Arguments

What to read Chapter 9

WEEK 10
March 25 What well do in class Proposals

What to read Chapter 16

March 27 What well do in class Workshop: ProposalsPeer Editing

Whats due Proposal draft


WEEK 11
April 1 What well do in class Collaboration and Instructions
Workshop: Team Instructions
Brochure Orientation

What to read Chapters 3 and 15

Whats due Proposal Final Draft

April 3 What well do in class Workshop: Team Instructions

Whats due Topic for instructions due at the end of
class


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WEEK 12
April 8 What well do in class Workshop: Team Instructions

Whats due Draft of team instructions due at the end of
class

April 10 What well do in class

Whats due Team Instructions due at the beginning of
class


WEEK 13
April 15 What well do Conferences to Review Formal
Project Rough Drafts

Whats due Formal Project Rough Draft

April 17 What well do Conferences to Review Formal
Project Rough Drafts

Whats due Formal Project Rough Draft



WEEK 14
April 22 What well do in class Formal Projects

What to read Nothing

Whats due Formal Project at the end of class

April 24 What well do in class Team Feasibility Study

What to read Chapter 18 and 19










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WEEK 15
_____________________________________________________________________________
April 29 What well do in class Workshop: Team Feasibility Study

Whats due Feasibility Study at the end of class

May 1 What well do in class Workshop: Team Feasibility Study

Whats due Feasibility Study at the end of class




WEEK 16
______________________________________________________________________________
May 5-9 Final Exam Week

Whats due E-Portfolio

*TECM 2700.015 (8-9:20) exam will be Tuesday, May 6
th
at 8-10 am.

**TECM 2700.017 (9:30-10:50) exam will be Thursday, May 8
th
at 8-10 am.