ENGLISH 318G
ADVANCED TECHNICAL
& SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION
Section M71: Online Using WebCT and other Internet Tools
NEW MEXICO STATE
UNIVERSITY
Ron McNeel
Professor of English
Syllabus for
Spring 2007
Mission Statement
New Mexico State University is the state's land-grant
university, serving the educational needs of New Mexico's diverse population
through comprehensive programs of education, research, extension education, and
public service.
Assignments & Grading
Your semester grade will be figured as
follows:
Grade Worth
Assignments
| 25 points | Individual summary and analysis of a scientific or technical report, 1-2 pages. May be revised. |
| 50 points | Descriptive report, 2-4 pages. Minimum of two meaningful graphics required. (Clip-art is not meaningful.) May be revised. |
| 50 points | Individual proposal for formal report, 2 pages. May be revised. |
| 50 points | Annotated bibliography for formal report. |
| 75 points | 12- 15 Chapter quizzes and exercises add up to this semester total of 50 points |
| 25 points |
Individual Student's Chapter Presentation: Chapter
Summary, Summary and analysis of chapter weblinks, discussion questions.
May use WebCT Discussion tool, email attachments. Students
do not need to use the Presentation Tool for this assignment, but it will be
available. |
| 75 points |
Major Collaborative Assignment: Service Learning
Project if possible. Separately graded components, adding up
to these 75 points, will likely include a project plan; a progress
report; a final product; self-evaluation; and peer evaluations. |
| 50 points | Individual Presentation, based on formal written report.
Students will be encouraged to use the Presentations Tool in WebCT, which
basically means constructing a website. Other presentation methods
may be allowed, such as PowerPoint.
Meaningful graphics are required (Clip-art is not meaningful). |
| 100 points | Individual formal written report, on an issue in your profession.
Requires10-12 pages of text, not counting
formal elements nor graphics. A minimum of four meaningful graphics is required. At least two of the graphics must be produced by you, not just reproduced from other sources. The data may come from other sources, but you need to present the data in graphic form, perhaps using Excel's Chart Wizard, for example. |
| 0 points |
Required Final Exam: 1-2 pages. Specific
Assignment, Time (2 hour block of time), and Date to be announced. Times
and dates may vary by individual students to accommodate distant learners.
Arrange in advance for a Proctor (university official, librarian, work supervisor)
who will vouch for the fact that you presented picture ID, took the exam
under supervision, and did not use aids or outside help prohibited in the
exam instructions. I may require that this voucher come to me either through
e-mail or
regular mail. Although no points are assigned to this exam, it is required; it is graded pass/fail; and you must pass the final exam to pass the course. This sounds scary, but it won't be--if you are the person who has been doing the work of the course all along. If your cousin, who completed this course a year ago, is the person who has been doing all the assignments, then I want it to be scary--even impossible. |
| 500 points |
Semester Total |
| 500-450 points = A | 449-400 points = B | 399-350 points = C | 349-300 points = D | less than 300 points = F |
Attendance
This is NOT a self-paced course. Although it isn't easy,
it is possible to create a community of learners online. One way to
do this is to work together on some common tasks, and to read the same chapters
at the same time. So, we will work together, week by week, even if
we don't always do it synchronously.
(Vocabulary note: synchronous computer mediated communication
means that participants in computer communications are all online at the
same time, as in a Chat Room, or on VOIP. Asynchronous
computer mediated communication means that participants use computers
to communicate, but may not all be online at the same time, as with Email
or with Discussion Tools, or leaving a message on an answering machine.)
Attendance will be taken weekly in the Discussions Tool.
(I also have sneaky ways to check on whether you log-on or not, but I'd
rather note your participation as a "talker"). Absences (that is,
no evidence of a student logging in and participating in a calendar
week--Sunday through Saturday--starting Sunday, January 22) will be reported
to the financial aid office, possibly resulting in loss of financial aid.
There are no make-ups for attendance. However, the way to "make-up"
for trouble with WebCT is to email me directly at
rmcneel@nmsu.edu with your
comments on the week's readings and discussion assignments.
If you miss any two weeks by not logging in and participating,
your semester grade will be lowered by one letter grade. That is, an
A grade becomes a B grade for the semester. If
you miss any three weeks by not logging in and participating, your semester
grade will be lowered by two letter grades. That is, a C
grade would become an F grade.
How to attend: Students must log in and participate in the weekly discussions, most of which will be student-led. Help your fellow students who are trying to stimulate learning through online discussions, questions, web links, and presentations (and who are trying to get good grades) by showing up online and commenting on their discussion questions or prompts.
Together we will make an effort to learn how internet connections and
the WebCT platform can create productive attendance and participation in
a community of learners.
Instructor Contact Information
Mr. Ron McNeel
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Books and Materials
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Prerequisites
English 111G, or its equivalent first year college writing course, and Junior or Senior standing, are prerequisites for ENGL 318G Computer experience is required for this internet version of the ENGL 318G course--especially email, and sending and receiving attachments. At least a rudimentary knowledge of spreadsheet software (like Excel or Quattro Pro) and presentation software (like PowerPoint) will be important. If you get discouraged with WebCT, or your own software, or your own computer skills, there are face-to-face sections of this course. |
Any changes to this schedule will
be announced in advance. Reading assignments need to be completed
in advance of their scheduled discussion dates. Please take Chapter
Quizzes within the week--Saturday, midnight, Mountain Time-- we discuss that chapter (or those chapters).
Due dates for assignments are marked in bold.
| Week # |
Assignments and Activities (student #s and corresponding assignments, listed below, will probably be assigned, but some may be traded or negotiated. If students start to drop--and some always do--then numbers may be re-assigned. It is also possible that I will lead the later discussions on Chapter 17, Proposals, and Chapter 19, Formal Reports.) | |
| Week 1+, Jan. 18-27 | Introduction to the course: "The Rules We Play By," in the syllabus. Introduction to text, websites, and handbooks. Access to WebCT and introduction of WebCT tools. First reading/writing assignment summarizing and analyzing scientific issues. Discussion of Issues: "Does PowerPoint make us stupid; "Space Shuttle Disasters." Instructor leads discussions of Chapters 1,2 & 4.Quizzes on Chapters 2 & 4 at textbook website. You can use the Quiz on Chapter 1 for practice. | |
| Week 2, Jan. 28- Feb. 3 | Exercise on ethical case studies. Student #3 leads discussion of Chapter 3,using discussion tool to provide chapter summary, comments on chapter web links, and discussion questions. Quiz on Chapter 3 at textbook website. | |
| Week 3, Feb. 4-10 | Student # 5 leads discussion of Chapter 5. Quiz on Chapter 5 at textbook website. Collaborative exercise. Collaborative groups are formed (probably by the instructor rather than by volunteers) and begin work on major collaborative assignment. Summary and Analysis of a scientific article assignment is due. | |
| Week 4, Feb. 11-17 | Student #6 leads discussion of Chapter 6. Quiz on Chapter 6 at textbook website Student # 18 leads discussion of Chapter 18. Quiz on Chapter 18 at textbook website. Collaborative group work continues. Assignment of descriptive report. | |
| Week 5, Feb. 18-24 |
Student # 7 leads discussion
of Chapter 7. Quiz on Chapter 7 at textbook
website .
Student # 8 leads discussion on Chapter 8. Quiz on Chapter 8 at textbook
website Collaborative Project Plans are due. |
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| Session # and Date | Assignments and Activities |
| Week 6, Feb.25- Mar.3 | Student # 9 leads discussion of Chapter 9. Quiz on Chapter 9 at textbook website Student # 10 leads discussion of Chapter 10. Quiz on Chapter 10 at textbook website. Online revision practice in the Chat Tool. Assignment of the formal report. Assignment of the Annotated Bibliography. Topic and Research Questions for Formal Written Report is due |
| Week 7, Mar. 4- 10 | Student # 11 leads discussion of Chapter 11 Quiz on Chapter 11 at textbook website Student # 1 leads discussion of Chapter 20, paying most attention to first part on instructions. More online revision practice in Chat Tool. Collaborative Progress Reports are due. |
| Week 8, March 11-16 | Student # 13 leads discussion of Chapter 13. Quiz on Chapter 13 at textbook website Student # 14 leads discussion of Chapter 14. Quiz on Chapter 14 at textbook website. Online workshop on graphic design. |
| March 17-25 | Spring Break: I expect to be out of touch, even by email. |
| Week 9, March 25-March 31 |
Student # 2 leads discussion of chapter 21. Quiz on Chapter 21 at textbook website . Major Collaborative Project, due from groups, displayed within the WebCT course using the Presentations Tool. |
| Week 10, April 1-7 | Descriptive Reports are due. Proposal assignment. Student # 17(or instructor) leads discussion of Chapter 17 on proposals. Quiz on Chapter 17 at textbook website Student # 4 (or instructor) leads discussion of Chapter 19 on formal reports. Quiz on Chapter 19 at textbook website More information on the assignment of the Formal Written Report. Annotated Bibliographies are due. |
| Week 11, April 8-14 |
Student # 12 leads discussion of Chapter 12 on formal elements of reports read. Proposals for formal reports are due, with graphical work schedule. |
| Session # and Date | Assignments and Activities | |
| Week 12,
April 15-21 |
Online conferences on formal written reports. Submit drafts of formal written reports. These drafts are required. Make-up of chapter presentations, if necessary, by students15 & 16 (not listed above) | |
| Week 13, April 22-28 |
Online Presentations
of Formal Reports, students 1-9. Do NOT simply post the text
of your entire report. Use the Presentations Tool to point out to
us what you are trying to prove, the main points of evidence, and the best
graphical representations of the proofs. Any revisions of revisable assignments are due by midnight, April 28. |
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| Week 14,
April 29-May 5 |
Online Presentations of Formal Reports, students 10-18. Do NOT simply post the text of your entire report. Use the Presentations Tool to point out to us what you are trying to prove, the main points of evidence, and the best graphical representations of the proofs. FORMAL WRITTEN REPORTS ARE DUE MAY 4. | |
| Week 15, May 7-11 | Final Exam: Graded Pass/Fail. Make
advanced preparations for a proctored exam if you cannot take the exam
on the NMSU-A campus. |
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If you have (or believe you have) a disability and would benefit from classroom accommodation(s), please contact the NMSU Office of Services for Students with Disabilities: 505.646.6840.
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