Online Portfolios

Oral Presentation Schedule

	Homework Due	Class Activity		Homework Due	Class Activity
4/21	Final draft proposal (15%)	Oral Presentations (10 minutes)	4/23	Oral Presentations (10%)	Oral Presentations (10 minutes)
4/28	Oral Presentations (10%)	Oral Presentations (10 minutes)	4/30	Online portfolios (10%)	Present online portfolios
5/5	Last Class Cancelled		Class over! Have a good summer!

English 352 - Technical Writing Syllabus

Eng 352 - Technical Writing (Prerequisite: HSS 101): An advanced writing course. Combines current theory with actual practice to prepare students as technical writers. Analyze complex communication situations and design appropriate responses through tasks that involve problem solving, rhetorical theory, document design, oral presentations, writing teams, audience awareness, ethical considerations, and gender equity issues.

Course Goals:

To learn to communicate clearly both in writing and in presentations.
To learn types of technical communication: instructions, procedures, proposals, etc.
To professional features of MS Word, Visio and screen capture tools.
To learn basic web design and create a professional web identity.

Class Rules:

Any plagiarism (presenting another's work as your own) will be referred to the Dean for further action.
Attendance is required and is graded 0-1 absences = 15 (highest score); 2 absences = 13; 3 absences = 11; 4 absences = 8; 5 absences = 5; 6-7 absences = 0. If you miss more than 8 classes you should withdraw from the course. If you are more than 15 minutes late for a class, it is counted as an absence.
All drafts of all assignments should be kept in hard copy with my comments and grades attached. Your portfolio will be the basis for an individual conference at the end of the semester and should be complete.

- There is no required textbook for the class -

Click here to download complete syllabus.

Major Assignments for Spring 2008

Grade %	Description
5%	First Draft Found-Objects Procedure for Testing – At home, using ordinary, common objects (such as paper, pencils, CD cases, paperclips, tape, etc.) make an artistic object. It can be any sort of object except paper airplanes, origami, or any other thing you can find instructions for on the internet. NO INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE INTERNET. Make your object yourself. While you are making the object, take notes on how you do it. Expand the notes into a 1 or 2 page procedure that can be understood by others. DO NOT include any images in this first draft – use words only. Take a photograph of your object and come to class with three copies of your written procedure, the photograph, and the materials necessary to make the object. We will exchange procedures and test the results in class.
5%	Final Draft Found-Objects Procedure – Use the test results and the Word template to revise the procedure into a fully-formatted document with a cover page, table of contents, reflection section on what you learned from the testing feedback, the revised procedure and an illustration of the final object.
10%	Interview Essay – Interview a classmate about the jobs they have held or hold (volunteer or paid). Start with a list of questions and write down the answers during the interview. Using the answers, write a double-spaced, two-page essay, similar to a newspaper article, about your classmate's work history. Be sure to include an introduction and a conclusion. This will be revised once after a detailed critique from me.
5%	Resume – write a grammatically perfect and visually attractive resume with as much information about your skills, abilities and job history as possible. This will be revised once after peer review.
5%	PowerPoint Presentation on Your Job Skills – imagine that you are going to the job interview for the job of your dreams. Create a 5-minute PowerPoint presentation “selling yourself” and your skills. Email me the presentation at cjohnson@njit.edu or bring on jump drive.
5%	PowerPoint Presentation on Proposal Topic – create a 5-minute PowerPoint presentation on the topic (or topics) you are considering for your Proposal assignment. Email me the presentation at cjohnson@njit.edu or bring on jump drive.
5%	Annotated Bibliography - research your topic on the internet and find sites that will support your proposal. List at least five sites (with the URLS) in a Word document and write a brief description and assessment of each. Does it have good information? Does it have suspicious information? Is it from a good source or an unknown one?
10%	Wikipedia Entry – Each student will choose a topic to write about (or an existing topic to add to or revise) in wikipedia.com. You will write (or revise) your entry, including links to reputable sources. 5% of the grade will be for your initial presentation and 5% for your final presentation.
15%	Proposal – Write a proposal for a product, idea or service directed to an organization. Its purpose will be to convince someone to use your product idea or services. The Proposal should include the following sections: cover letter, title page, executive summary, table of contents, background, supporting material (different depending on the proposal), and persuasive conclusion. It should be at least five pages and it will be reviewed by both myself and the class.
10%	Oral Presentation – choose any topic – your favorite hobby, your area of expertise, etc. Each presentation should be 10 minutes maximum and will be times. You can use PowerPoint but DO NOT READ FROM SLIDES! Your presentation will be commented on by the entire class and graded by me. Email me the presentation at cjohnson@njit.edu or bring on jump drive.
10%	Online Portfolios – Produce a portfolio website containing all of your work for English 352 with links to the major assignments you have done in class. The documents can be in Word, PDF or HTML. It should have your name, section, and a link to your Found-Objects Procedure, Proposal, and brochure (at least). You can add graphics, etc. 5% of the grade will be for your draft presentation and 5% for your final portfolio.
15%	Attendance – Participation in class is extremely important in learning how to communicate. Thus, attendance is graded. In a twice-weekly class, 0-1 absences = 15 (highest score); 2 absences = 13; 3 absences = 11; 4 absences = 8; 5 absences = 5; 6-7 absences = 0. If you miss more than 8 classes you should withdraw from the course. If you are more than 15 minutes late for a class, it is counted as an absence.