ENC 4260 • Advanced Technical Writing • USF Sarasota-Manatee

University of South Florida, Sarasota-Manatee

ENC 4260.521
Advanced Technical Writing

Spring 2012 / All-Online Course
Course reference number: 19357 (Section 521)

Semester begins 9 Jan 2012, ends 27 Apr 2012

There are no on-campus meetings for this course. However, lecture audio codes must be regularly submitted as proof of “attendance.”

Instructor: T. E. Roberts
thorsdag (at) comcast dot net

Instructor’s USFSM web page: click here

Updated 5 February 2012

Please report malfunctioning links to the instructor.
Report malfunctioning instructor to the dean.

Students are responsible for reading all the material linked to this web page by the end of the semester. The final exam will cover *everything* in the course. Recently added or changed links are highighted in yellow.

Course Syllabus and Assignment Instructions

Spring 2012 ENC 4260 Syllabus (15 Dec 2011)

Revision Instructions (see syllabus for details)

Course Textbooks

REQUIRED: Online Technical Writing (free website).

OPTIONAL RESOURCES

The Language Wars: A History of Proper English (2011), by Henry Hitchings (at Amazon.com here)

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig (free PDF file, 137 pages, 3.1 MB)

Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical Publications (Third Edition). Available on Amazon.com at this link. (Especially useful for IT majors and others pursuing a career in information technology and related fields)

The Visual Display of Quantitative Information (Second Edition), by Edward Tufte. Available on Amazon.com at this link. (Useful for understanding the role of graphic images in technical communication)

“Two Centuries of Progress in Technical Communication,” by Bradford R. Connatser, Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, Vol. 37 (2), 129-149, at this link. (Useful historical survey)

Carolyn D. Rude, The Longman Guide to Technical Editing (ISBN 0321365798). Available at various vendor websites. (Required for the course ENC 4212, Business & Technical Editing)

Prof. Roger L. Cooke, Empirical Mathematics: Numerical Data and Models (free PDF download of textbook used at Univ. of Vermont, 2002) at this link. (Useful if you expect to work with mathematical data or mathematicians)

The Levels of Edit (Jet Propulsion Lab, Calif. Institute of Technology, 1980) (free PDF download)

Why Technical Writers Need to Understand the Power of Basic Arithmetic (series of YouTube videos)

Schedule of ENC 4260 Assignments, Spring 2012

DATE	EVENT OR TASK	ASSIGNMENTS
Jan 9 (Mon)	WEEK 1 LECTURE	Course objectives, assignments, lectures, workflow;
Jan 18 (Wed)	WEEK 2 LECTURE	Lecture topic relevant to current assignments
Jan 23 (Mon)	Assignment 1, 6 pm	Assignment 1; send audio codes for Weeks 1 & 2
Jan 25 (Wed)	WEEK 3 LECTURE	Lecture topic relevant to current assignments
Feb 1 (Wed)	WEEK 4 LECTURE	Lecture topic relevant to current assignments
Feb 8 (Wed)	WEEK 5 LECTURE	Lecture topic relevant to current assignments
Feb 13 (Mon)	Assignment 2, 6 pm	Assignment 2; send audio codes for Weeks 3, 4, 5
Feb 15 (Wed)	WEEK 6 LECTURE	Lecture topic relevant to current assignments
Feb 22 (Wed)	WEEK 7 LECTURE	Lecture topic relevant to current assignments
Feb 29 (Wed)	WEEK 8 LECTURE	Lecture topic relevant to current assignments
Mar 5 (Mon)	Assignment 3, 6 pm	Assignment 3; send audio codes for Weeks 6, 7, 8
Mar 7 (Wed)	WEEK 9 LECTURE	Lecture topic relevant to current assignments
Mar 14 (Wed)	WEEK 10 Spring Break	No lecture - Spring Break
Mar 21 (Wed)	WEEK 11 LECTURE	Lecture topic relevant to current assignments
Mar 24 (Sat)	WITHDRAWAL	Last day to withdraw from course without academic penalty
Mar 26 (Mon)	Assign 4 outline, 6 pm	Assign 4 outline (required); send codes for Weeks 9 & 11
Mar 28 (Wed)	WEEK 12 LECTURE	Lecture topic relevant to current assignments
Apr 4 (Wed)	WEEK 13 LECTURE	Lecture topic relevant to current assignments
Apr 11 (Wed)	WEEK 14 LECTURE	Lecture topic relevant to current assignments
Apr 18 (Wed)	WEEK 15 LECTURE	Lecture topic relevant to current assignments
Apr 23 (Mon)	Assignment 4, 6 pm	Assignment 4; send codes for Weeks 12, 13, 14, 15
Apr 25 (Wed)	WEEK 16 LECTURE	Final lecture, summary of course in preparation for final exam
TBA	Course evaluation	Students send online evaluation (required)
Apr 30 (Mon)	Final Exam	45-minute exam via Blackboard over all course content
May 8 (Tue)	Final grades	Final grades posted and sent to registrar by May 8

Grading is usually completed within one week of the submission date. See syllabus for information on optional detailed markup and revision.

USF Academic Calendar, Spring 2012

Mon Jan 9: Spring, first day of classes

Mon Jan 16: Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday

Mon Mar 12 - Fri Mar 16: Spring Break

Sat Mar 24 - Last day to drop without penalty

Fri Apr 27: last day of classes

Sat Apr 28 - Thu May 4: Final Exams

May 6: Spring Commencement, Sarasota

May 8 - Deadline for posting grades to registrar

(for details, see http://www.registrar.usf.edu/enroll/regist/calendt.php)

Course Content and Lectures

INSTRUCTIONS: Each lecture consists of a spoken audio recording in MP4 format and a set of PowerPoint slides. It is important to download both files and listen to the spoken audio as you see the slides on your computer.

To hear MP4 files on a Windows computer, you may need to download free Quicktime player here. Alternatively, you may use the free VLC Media Player, to be found here: http://www.videolan.org/vlc/. Then, each week, right-click on the PowerPoint link, choose SAVE TARGET AS, and download to your computer desktop. Do the same with the MP4 link. Open the PPT file first and then the MP4 file. As you listen to the MP4 audio, you will hear cues to advance to succeeding slides. If you lack PowerPoint on your computer, you may download a free PPT viewer here.

You should save all lecture files in the same folder in which you keep your written assignments and emails related to the course. Also, back-up this folder regularly onto external media such as a CD-ROM, USB flash drive, or online archive. This folder will contain the core of what you are paying for and learning in this course. Treat it accordingly.

DO NOT TRY TO HEAR THE MP4 FILE AS A STREAMING AUDIO OVER THE INTERNET -- IT WILL PROBABLY BE INTERRUPTED.

IMPORTANT: Listen to and take notes on lectures as they are posted -- they provide essential information needed to perform assignments successfully. You must read the PowerPoint slides and hear the audio recording simultaneously. If you are unable to hear a lecture, contact the instructor immediately. Beginning with the Week 1 lecture, send me an email (by the deadline stated in the syllabus) noting the code words mentioned in the audio recording. Failure to do so will result in penalty to your final grade.

IF YOU THINK A LECTURE IS “TOO LONG” ... Remember that, if meeting on campus, this course would normally require several hours of in-person attendance plus roundtrip travel every week for 16 weeks in a semester or nine weeks in the summer session. At around 30 to 60 minutes per week, and requiring no more travel than minuscule movement of your computer mouse or fingers on the keyboard, the lecture content in this online medium is ridiculously light. If you find a lecture unsatisfying or confusing for any reason, contact me about it. Don’t wait to complain at the end of the semester. By then, it’s too late.

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR OWN EDUCATION: THINK AND ACT LIKE A PROFESSIONAL, NOT LIKE A STUDENT.

Except for the introductory lecture posted before the beginning of the term, lectures will usually be posted on Wednesdays or Thursdays. (This schedule is subject to change.) You will be notified via email when they are available. Please do not ask for a lecture to be posted in advance -- they are custom-prepared every semester. Links for PowerPoint slides and audio lectures will be added below in orange-colored text, beginning with the Week 1 lecture when the semester begins on Jan 9, 2012. Please check for lecture links only after being notified by email that they have been posted.

Week 1 (Jan. 9, 2012): Course Introduction (PPT Slides)
Week 1 Audio (MP4, 6.5MB, 00:43:07)

Week 2 (Jan. 18, 2012): Assignment 1 - Technical Prospectus (PPT Slides)
Week 2 Audio (MP4, 5.7MB, 00:37:34)

Week 3 (Jan. 25, 2012): Assignment 2 - Feasibility Study (PPT Slides)
Week 3 Audio (MP4, 5.0MB, 00:33:17)

Week 4 (Feb. 1, 2012): Mastering the Writing Process (PPT Slides)
Week 4 Audio (MP4, 6.3MB, 00:41:51)

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8

Week 9

Week 10 (no lecture - spring break)

Week 11

Week 12

Week 13

Week 14

Week 15

Students With Disabilities

ADA Statement: Students with disabilities are responsible for registering with the Office of Student Disabilities Services in order to receive special accommodations and services. Please notify the instructor during the first week of classes if a reasonable accommodation for a disability is needed for this course. A letter from the USF Disabilities Office must accompany this request.

Policy on Religious Observances

Students who anticipate the necessity of being absent from class due to the observation of a major religious observance must provide notice of the date(s) to the instructor, in writing, by the second class meeting. (In an online course which holds no class meetings, this policy may -- at the instructor’s discretion -- apply to deadlines for assigned work which fall on a religious holiday. Please consult with the instructor regarding individual circumstances.)

Emergency Operations at USF (800-992-4231)

In the event of an emergency, it may be necessary for USF to suspend normal operations. During this time, USF may opt to continue delivery of instruction through methods that include but are not limited to: Blackboard, Elluminate, Skype, and email messaging and/or an alternate schedule. It’s the responsibility of the student to monitor the Blackboard site for each class for course-specific communication, and the main USF, College, and department websites, emails, and MoBull messages for important general information. The USF hotline at 1 (800) 992-4231 is updated with pre-recorded information during an emergency.

Student Evaluations of Past Courses

Click HERE for evaluations (numeric scores and comments) by students in courses taught by Mr. Roberts from Fall 2003 through Fall 2011 (updated 23 January 2012). NOTE: For numeric scores of all USF faculty, see https://fair.usf.edu/Custom/usf/EvaluationMart/EvaluationSearch.aspx (For technical reasons, you must carefully copy and paste this exact red-text link into your web browser; it will not work as a live link on this page.)

Resume and Cover Letter

USFSM Career Center

The Informational Interview

Resume and Interviewing Advice (updated 4 Apr 2010)

Post Your Own Job-Hunting Website

Job Search Innovations (video resume + interview)

11 Ways to Hurt Your Career (Monster.com)

Meet the Microworkers (BusinessWeek, 1 Feb 2011)

Tips on Memos, Presentations, And Other Documents

Advice on Creating Good Presentations

Sales Letters: The Four-Point Action Closing

Memo Writing (from Purdue Online Writing Lab)

10 Worst Presentation Habits (BusinessWeek)

Revision in Business Writing (Purdue)

NOODLEBIB (online citation wizard)

MLA Parenthetical Documentation Rules

PowerPoint Is Evil (article)

Sarasota County Five-Year Development Plan (Apr 09)

Guidelines for Proposed Feasibility Analysis

Feasibility Study (Wikipedia)

Technical Reports (Online Technical Writing Text)

Writing for the Web (useful links on this broad subject)

Getting Started as a Feature Writer

Good and Bad Technical Writing

Florida Turnpike 2007 Annual Report (STC prize-winner)

Samples of Student Submissions

WARNING: these samples are provided merely for guidance, not for slavish imitation. Anyone duplicating the exact style or content of a sample submission will be assumed to lack orginality and imagination and will thus very likely earn a grade matching such weak performance.

Assignment 1 sample

Assignment 2 sample

Assignment 3, Option 1 sample

Assignment 3, Option 2 sample

Assignment 4 Outline sample

Assignment 4 Workshop sample

Assignment 4 Prose Report sample

Assignment 4 Portfolio sample

Ideas to Ponder

• Technical writing may literally concern life-and-death decisions, as anyone who has read emergency instructions -- in an emergency -- knows.

• Who makes a better technical communicator -- a technically trained person who must learn how to write, or a writer who must learn a technology?

• How does a writer balance the need for technical accuracy and completeness with the need for conciseness and clarity?

• Technology changes all the time, but an ability to use language clearly, concisely, accurately, and creatively (if learned and practiced correctly) stays constant.

Miscellaneous Links

GOOGLE Search Engine

Main Web Portal for USF at Sarasota/Manatee

USFSM Career Center

Professional & Technical Writing at USF Sarasota-Manatee

The Writing Internship at USF Sarasota-Manatee

USF Academic Calendars

USFSM Undergraduate Catalog (2011-2012) (see pages 48-59 for USFSM policy on Academic Dishonesty; all students are required to read and follow this policy)

USF Sarasota Campus Computing

Instructor’s professional website

ENC 3250, Professional Writing (Spring 2012)