English 365

Stevenson University

School of Graduate and Professional Studies

IS 365 - Writing for IS Applications

Summer 2020

Course Information

Course Number:	IS 365
Course Title:	Writing for IS Applications
Course Sections:	OL1
Semester/Term:	Summer 2020

Faculty and Contact Information

Name:	Morris Pondfield
Email:	[email protected]

Catalog Course Description

Focuses on effective writing of deliverables typical in the information systems profession. A major theme will be crafting messages with technical content for a non-technical audience. Students will practice developing communications products that they will encounter in their careers, such as instruction manuals, project proposals, managerial briefings, and IT policies.

Pre-requisite course(s): MGT-210 (grade of "C" or better)

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:  

1. Analyze the needs of the expected readers of a technical communication,

2. Select the appropriate format and medium for a technical communication,

3. Organize technical information and present it in a clear and persuasive fashion,

4. Write informative and persuasive documents that are often encountered in the IS profession,

5. Use tables, illustrations, and graphics effectively to enhance a technical communication,

6. Use technical writing tools appropriately and effectively, such as word processors, spreadsheets, graphics programs, and database management systems, and,

7. Incorporate professional ethical standards to write products that are complete, balanced, and protective of private or proprietary data.

Course Materials

Required:

Markel, Mike and Selber, Stuart (2018). Technical Communication, Twelfth Edition

Boston, MA. Bedford/St. Martin's

ISBN-13: 978-1-319-10788-8 (EPUB)

ISBN-13: 978-1-319-05861-6 (Paperback)

Additional Materials:

Students are responsible for any additional readings that may be required by the instructor during the course.  It is the responsibility of each student to check each module for information regarding additional required readings.

Grading Information

Assessment	Quantity	Point Value or Weight
Discussion Board	4	100 (25 points x 4)
Writing Assignments	12	600 (50 points x 12)
Executive Briefing
Article and summary	1	10
Formal draft and list of sources	1	40
Final submission	1	250
Total		1,000

University Grading Scale

A	93-100	4.0
A-	90-92	3.7
B+	87-89	3.3
B	83-86	3.0
B-	80-82	2.7
C+	77-79	2.3
C	70-76	2.0
D	60-69	1.0
F	1-59	0.0

Passing standards are dependent on the catalog year in which you entered the University. For further information, please look under “Academic Standing and Grading Information” in the “Academic Information” section of the relevant catalog at http://www.stevenson.edu/academics/catalog/ .

Course Policies

Academic Integrity Policy

Stevenson University expects all members of its community to behave with integrity. Honesty and integrity provide the clearest path to knowledge, understanding, and truth – the highest goals of an academic institution. For students, integrity is fundamental to the development of intellect, character, and the personal and professional ethics that will govern their lives and shape their careers.

Click this link to view and print a copy of the university policies on Academic Integrity and Academic Misconduct. Links to a copy of the full policy on the portal have been provided on this page.

http://bit.ly/SUIntegrity

Late Work Policy

Timely completion of all assignments is expected. At my discretion, I may grant limited extensions of time for specific assignments (except discussion board participation) for business, health or personal emergencies. Such extensions may only be granted if they are requested in advance of the assignment due date. If, in my judgment, an assignment's lateness could have been avoided with proper planning, I will assess point penalties.

The nature of discussion board participation is the interchange of ideas between students. Discussion board participation is time-sensitive; participation for a given week must be accomplished within the session. In the spirit of the interchange of ideas, late postings cannot be accepted.

Communication Policy

I expect to respond to inquiries within a day, and to grade assignments within a week.

Students with Disabilities

The following link provides information for students with disabilities including services provided, how to obtain support and accessibility compliance statements for learning management and other required software. https://www.softchalkcloud.com/lesson/serve/vguaMZsw9pctRG/html

Course Schedule

(Each module runs from Monday morning through Sunday night)

Module/Topics	Activities	Assessments	Due Dates
Module 1 • Introduction to Technical Communication	· Read Chapter 1 · View Slides Ch. 1 · Read The New Roles in Technical Communication · Read Top 10 trends shaping tomorrow TCI · Complete the Assessments	· Writing Assignment	Due 5/24 at 11:59pm
Module 2 • Ethical and Legal Considerations   • Writing Collaboratively	· Read Chapter 2 & 4 · View Slides Ch. 2 & 4 · Post to Discussion Board 1 · Participate in Discussion Board 1 · Complete the Assessments	· Writing Assignment · Discussion Board 1	Due 5/31 at 11:59pm
Module 3 • Writing Technical Documents	· Read Chapter 3 · Review Slides Ch. 3 · Complete the Assessments	· Writing Assignment	Due 6/07 at 11:59pm
Module 4 • Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose	· Read Chapter 5 · View Slides Ch. 5 · Review https://www.umuc.edu/writingcenter/writingresources/writing_for_audiences.cfm · Complete the Assessments	· Writing Assignment	Due 6/14 at 11:59pm
Module 5 • Researching Your Subject •Organizing Your Information	· Read Chapter 6 & 7 · View Slides Ch. 6 & 7 · Post to Discussion Board 2 · Participate in Discussion Board 2 · Complete the Assessments	· Writing Assignment · Discussion Board 2	Due 6/21 at 11:59pm
Module 6 •Communicating Persuasively • Emphasizing Important Information	· Read Chapter 8 & 9 · View Slides Ch. 8 & 9 · Complete the Assessments	· Writing Assignment · Exec. Briefing subject article and summary	Due 6/28 at 11:59pm
Module 7 • Writing Correct and Effective Sentences • Designing Print and Online Documents	· Read Chapter 10 & 11 · View Slides Ch. 10 & 11 · Complete the Assessments	· Writing Assignment	Due 7/05 at 11:59pm
Module 8 (Spring break week) • Creating Graphics • Viewing, Evaluating, and Testing Documents and Web Sites	· Read Chapter 12 & 13 · View Slides Ch. 12 & 13 · Review http://www.jenniferslegg.com/2007/09/24/list-of-questions-to-ask-website-usability-testers/ · Post to Discussion Board 3 · Participate in Discussion Board 3 · Complete the Assessments	· Writing Assignment · Discussion Board 3	Due 7/12 at 11:59pm
Module 9 • Writing Correspondence	· Read Chapter 14 · View Slides Ch. 14 · Complete the Assessments	· Writing Assignment	Due 7/19 at 11:59pm
Module 10 • Writing Job-Application Materials	· Read Chapter 15 · View Slides Ch. 15 · Read LinkedIn Profile Checklist - College Students · Read Action Verbs for Resumes · Complete the Assessments	· Writing Assignment	Due 7/26 at 11:59pm
Module 11 Informational Reports	· Read Chapter 16 · View Slides Ch. 16	· Formal Draft of Executive Briefing	Due 8/02 at 11:59pm
Module 12 • RFPs and Proposals	· Read Chapter 16 · View Slides Ch. 16 · Post to Discussion Board 4 · Participate in Discussion Board 4 · Complete the Assessments	· Writing Assignment · Discussion Board 4	Due 8/09 at 11:59pm
Module 13 • Organizing Your Information	Work ahead on Executive Briefing and future Writing Assignments
Module 14 • Writing Recommendation Reports	· Read Chapter 18 · View Slides Ch. 18 · Complete the Assessments	· Writing Assignment	Due 8/23 at 11:59pm
Module 15 • Writing Lab Reports • Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions	· Read Chapter 19 & 20 · View Slides Ch. 19 & 20 · Complete the Assessments	· Executive Briefing	Due 8/30 at 11:59pm
Module 16 Finals Week	· No Final Exam

Concise Descriptions of Assessments

For more information on each of these, please see descriptions in each module in Blackboard.

The expected length of assignments is an indication of the depth in the assignment and the amount of work required. If you find that your write-up is shorter than the minimum expected length, there are opportunities to delve more deeply into the topic. If it’s too long, consider deleting information that doesn’t enhance the main point of the assignment, quotes that add little, or detail that is not meaningful to the anticipated audience.

Expected length is expressed typically in terms of word counts rather than page numbers. In general, a typical Microsoft Word page, double-spaced and with the default font and margins, will contain about 300 words. MS-Word displays the number of words in the document in the status bar at the bottom of the document window.

Writing Assignments

On most weeks you will complete a Writing Assignment. These will enable you to apply the assigned readings, personal experience, and any other resources and analysis to these situations.

There are a total of 12 Writing Assignments worth 600 points of the overall course grade. Each assignment is worth 50 points. Unless otherwise indicated, Writing Assignments should be 600 to 900 words each.

Unless otherwise indicated, the Writing Assignments will be graded according to the IS-365 Writing Rubric available in the Blackboard classroom.

Discussion Board

In the Discussion Board area, you are asked a question during 4 of the weeks. You will post a response to the question listed (a couple of paragraphs) by Wednesday midnight. Beginning on Thursday, post a response to at least two of your classmates answers.

Points can be earned for participation online, so, in all likelihood, the quality of your participation will determine your grade in this class – you must ask about, think about, and talk about the core concepts of this course. Participation points are by no means automatic – you must earn them.

There are a total of 4 Discussion Board discussions worth 100 points of the overall course grade. Each discussion board topic is worth 25 points.

One of the unique values of the Stevenson University learning environment is the real world experience shared by students and faculty. You will benefit greatly from this course if you draw on the lifetime experience of the faculty facilitator and come to class with ideas, perspectives, and questions that are based on your own experience.

Similarly, if you haven’t done the reading, researched the articles, and written good analytical papers, you probably won’t be able to earn full participation points.

Final Paper – Executive Briefing

One of the occupational hazards of being an IS professional is having to respond to a general manager's query about some breathlessly-written "airline magazine" article they read. The article goes on and on about how the way of doing business is going to be radically changed because of some new development in information technology. The general manager is excited (or scared), and thinks the organization has to immediately do something in response to the development or be left behind. They are looking to you as an IS person for answers.

Some examples of subject articles:

· Backdoor vulnerabilities discovered in Sony IP cameras

· Thanks to mobile computing and the cloud, we’re all starting to work from home more

· 13 Major Retailers and Services That Accept Bitcoin

By the end of Module 6 you should identify a subject article that you will use as the basis for your Briefing, along with a brief summary of the article. After approval, you are to prepare a paper that...

· Explains the technological development in terms that a business manager can understand.

· Discusses the implications of the development on how business is or will be conducted. Is this a tectonic shift that is going to drastically change the competitive landscape, a minor development that should be monitored but no reason to panic, or something in between?

· Suggests an action plan for the organization. (A plan to "do nothing" will probably not fly with general managers).

A Formal Draft of your Briefing is due by the end of Module 11. Ideally, it should be as complete as you can make it. The more complete it is, the more helpful my feedback will be as you finalize it.

Before the due date of the Formal Draft, feel free to consult with me with questions or preliminary drafts to make sure you’re on the right path.

The final Briefing should be 2000 to 3000 words in length. The Briefing should be authoritative, and should cite authoritative sources (at least 7) as evidence for its assertions.

Academic Support

Smarthinking, provides free online tutoring 24 hours a day in select courses. You may find the link to Smarthinking on the Tools menu in your course.

Other support services can be located at https://www.softchalkcloud.com/lesson/serve/hz1nI30ATbdmFv/html.

Online Course Netiquette

For online discussions, please use the same etiquette you would use in any professional discussion.

· Show respect for your classmates even if you need to strongly disagree with them when evaluating and critiquing their point of view.

· Argue ideas in a civil and respectful manner in order to arrive at the truth and grow intellectually.

· Critique the ideas of your classmates in a respectful and constructive manner, always respecting the person

· Be professional

· Always use standard written English and not text message or chat style abbreviations

· Respect the privacy of your classmates by not sharing their written postings outside the class

Syllabus Updates

Note that the syllabus may need to be adapted to class needs. Therefore, occasionally, changes in the schedule of the course or a specific assignment may occur and are announced by email and posted in the course Announcements. It is your responsibility to MAKE SURE YOU MONITOR YOUR STEVENSON.EDU MAIL ACCOUNT REGULARLY. You will be responsible for this information.

Last updated: May 16, 2020

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