ATEC 3320.002 and 3320.

003
Introduction to Writing & Editing
U   for the World Wide Web
Spring 2011
Course Syllabus

Instructor Information
Ms. Carie S. Lambert
Office: JO 5.109
Office hours: MW 9:30am–10:30am, 11:45am–12:30pm, and by appointment
Office phone number (For office hours only—do not leave voice mail!): 972.883.6287
Email: carie.lambert@utdallas.edu
Skype: CSLambs
Twitter: CSLambs
Class website: http://www.utdallas.edu/~carie.lambert
Class wiki: http://atec3320sp2011wiki.wikispaces.com

Course Schedule and Location

Section 002—MW 10:30am–11:45am in JO 4.504
Section 003—MW 12:30pm–1:45pm in JO 4.502

Course Prerequisites
 RHET 1302
 Proficiency in English grammar and basic writing skills
 Knowledge of how to effectively use technology

Course Description
ATEC students are required to gain competency in four areas:
 Art and design
 Computer programming
 Business/marketing
 Writing and communication
This class provides ATEC students with the opportunity to improve their writing and
communication skills and focuses on writing for the Internet.

ATEC 3320 (3 semester hours) is an introduction to web-content writing and editing and
the theory and practice of writing online, interactive, multimedia text. This course is a
reading- and writing-intensive course in which students must complete both individual
and collaborative projects to learn to produce well-written, accurate, well-organized,
easy-to-find, and audience-appropriate content. Students focus to improve their writing
and editing skills so they can apply those skills in creating effective Web content.
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Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes

To succeed in this class, students will
 Evaluate and apply the rhetorical situation to create appropriate content
 Research, analyze, and interpret complex topics
 Improve writing and editing skills as applied to hypertext
 Understand the characteristics and nature of hypertext
 Apply basic theory for design, communication, and rhetorical strategies to help
students effectively communicate online messages
 Collaborate in multidisciplinary teams

Required Textbooks and Materials

(Students will complete outside reading through the semester. Outside reading will be
noted in the class calendar, and students can access those resources through UTD’s online
library resources.)

Required Texts
Barr, C., & Senior Editors of Yahoo! (2010). The Yahoo! style guide. New York, NY: St.
Martin’s Griffin.
Redish, J. G. (2007). Letting go of the words: Writing Web content that works. Atlanta,
GA: Elsevier Science.
Porter, A. J. (2010). Wiki: Grow your own for fun and profit. Fort Collins, CO: XML
Press.

Recommended Texts
 American Psychological Association (APA) Style Guide, 6th ed.
 Dictionary (Merriam Webster)
 Grammar Guide
 Grammar Girl’s Blog and Podcasts
 Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)

Other Resources
 Internet Access
 UTD user ID and password
 Access to digital recorder, camera
 USB thumb drive
 Blog space (wordpress, blogger, blogspot, etc.)
 If necessary, time at the GEMS Writing Center to work with a writing tutor (The
tutors will not proofread documents but will work individually with you to
improve your writing. The services are free to UTD students, and you can find
more information at http://www.utdallas.edu/GEMS.)
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Assignment Values
Assignment Value for Grade
Proposal for Blog Topic 50 pts
Style and Mechanics Exam 100 pts
Class Wiki Posts 200 pts
Blog Style Guide 50 pts
Blog Posts (15 total—see calendar for deadlines) 400 pts
Web Page Analysis 100 pts
Participation in Class* 100 pts
Total 1000 pts
*You need to attend and participate in class to learn. You will receive a participation grade based on your
attendance, your work with others, and your completion of smaller exercises. In addition, you are expected
as a student to be a scholar and therefore must prepare to be able to participate in discussions and thus add
to the class’ learning experience.

Grading Criteria
Grades will not be rounded up. Course assignments together are worth 1000 points, and
students will receive grades according to the following scale:
• 930–1000 = A
• 900–929 = A–
• 870–899 = B+
• 830–869 = B
• 800–829 = B–
• 770–799 = C+
• 730–769 = C
• 700–729 = C–
• 670–699 = D+
• 630–669 = D
• 600–629 = D–
• 0–599 = F
Grades in this class reflect whether you
• Fulfill objectives for the class and particular assignments
• Support your ideas and arguments with analysis and evidence from credible
sources, focusing on a thesis or main idea
• Create accessible sites and materials (i.e., links are active and correct)
• Format usable sites with appropriate design (which we will briefly discuss but
will not cover in depth)
• Analyze and apply the rhetorical situation for each document or presentation
• Use correct mechanics, strong style, and appropriate organization
• Edit and proofread all work before you submit assignments
• Ethically present information in assignment documents
• Present yourself professionally
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An A reflects that the student’s work shows excellence and meets all objectives with
strength, originality, and creativity. A B reflects that the student’s work is satisfactorily
but does not reflect excellence. This work is strong but contains minor issues that detract
from your message. A C reflects that the student’s work fulfills course requirements but
does not satisfy the audience’s needs and contains issues that decrease the effectiveness
of the document. A D reflects that the student’s work contains numerous issues and
therefore does not fulfill the audience’s needs or address the rhetorical situation. A F
reflects that the student’s work is unacceptable.

Course & Instructor Policies

In addition to all UTD policies that students must know and follow (available at
http://go.utdallas.edu/syllabus-policies), the following policies apply.

Preparation for Class

The UTD Office of Undergraduate Education FAQs
(www.utdallas.edu/dept/ugraddean/faqb.html) states that “Students are expected to study
2–3 hours per week outside of class for every class credit hour in which they are
enrolled.” Therefore, you should plan to study 6–9 hours a week for this class. The
writing process takes time, and you must integrate that time into your work and school
schedule.

Make-up and Late Work

In this class, you are scholars as well as professionals in training. Professionals who miss
deadlines present poor work ethics and damage their reputations as well as lose contracts,
increase costs, delay results, decrease profits, and lose their jobs. For these reasons, you
may not submit late or incomplete work or makeup exams unless you are hospitalized and
provide a valid physician excuse. Missed work results in a zero (0) on the assignment. Do
not ask for exceptions.

Extra Credit
Extra credit is not an option. Do not ask if you can earn extra credit. Instead, strive for
excellence in the assigned work.

References, Copyright, and Plagiarism

UTD has a no-tolerance policy for plagiarism. If you do not cite your sources, you will be
referred to the Office of Judicial Affairs for investigation. Use your Yahoo Style Guide
for all references and documents.

Attendance
If you attend class or meetings but conduct non-related work, you are considered absent.
If you arrive more than 10 minutes late for class, you are considered absent. You may
miss up to two classes without penalty; after two absences, you lose 10 points of your
grade for each absence. Students with more than 5 absences fail the class. Treat this class
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as you would a job: Attend class and be punctual. (Note: If you have a job other than
being a student, you may not use that job as an excuse to skip class.)

UTD does excuse absences for religious holidays; however, the student is responsible for
informing the instructor before the holiday and to submit missed work before the
absence.

Classroom Citizenship
Each student receives a grade for participation. You should prepare for class, and during
class, you should cooperate, listen, and respect others’ opinions. Turn off your cell
phones and other electronic equipment during class, and use your laptop only for class
work or you will lose professionalism points and receive an absence (see “Attendance”).
If your cell phone rings during class, I reserve the right to answer it.

Email
Each student has a UTDallas.edu email account. The university provides this for all
official communication, and students in this class will abide by that policy: to ensure
security of your and my communication. Therefore, all official email correspondence
must go to and come from official UTD emails.

Please note that I will answer emails within 24 hours Monday through Thursday and
within 48 hours on the weekends. If you need an immediate response, do not use email to
contact me.

Communication outside the Classroom

I recommend that my students communicate with me; however, I consider
communication as part of coursework and therefore expect you to
 Identify yourself in all communication (e.g., email, texting, phone calls).
 Use correct mechanics and style in all correspondence.
 Communicate clearly and professionally.
 Respect that this is my profession, but I have other commitments, as do you.
Please do not expect an immediate response to an email (see “Email” above) and
do not call me between 8pm and 8am.
If you need to make an appointment, please do so at least 48 hours before the time you
are requesting.

This syllabus is subject to change at the discretion of the professor.

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ATEC 3320.002 and 3320.003
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ATEC 3320.002 and 3320.003

Introduction to Writing & Editing
for the World Wide Web
 
Spring 2011
Course Syllabus Contract

I have read the Spring 2011 Syllabus for ATEC3320 and understand what is required of
me.

I understand that I am expected to attend class and to submit quality, unique work by all
deadlines to fulfill requirements for this class and that my grades will reflect my
submitted work.

________________________________________________ ________________
Signature Date

________________________________________________
Printed Name

________________________________________________
Student ID Number

________________________________________________
Mobile Telephone Number