Turning in Your Work

I’ve had trouble using Canvas to take up 303 assignments, so I'll assign you  a Dropbox folder to turn in your graded assignments (except for the recipes and group projects). Sign up for Dropbox Basic--it's the free tier. You get 2 Gigs free, which is all you need in college. Be sure to save your assignments in PDF format to facilitate grading. Assignments that are not in PDF format will lose 5 points.

Late Work

Your paper is due ON or BEFORE the due date. You can turn it in any time until the due date.  After that, the grade drops 5 points per period.

Attendance

In a face-to-face class, I'll take role every period.  Your attendance grade is a straight percentage of how much you attended class.  For example, if you attend 17 times out of 20 periods, your grade will be 17÷20=85%.  An absence may be excused with proper documentation.

Graded Material

In the event of a question regarding an exam grade or final grade, it will be the responsibility of the student to retain and present graded materials which have been returned for student possession during the quarter. 

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

Students needing testing or classroom accommodations based on a disability are encouraged to discuss those needs with me as soon as possible. 

Plagiarism
Honor Code

"In accordance with the Academic Honor Code, students pledge the following: Being a student of a higher standard, I pledge to embody the principles of academic integrity."  If I determine that you have violated the Honor Code or the English Department plagiarism policy, you'll receive a '0' on the assignment, and I may refer you to the Honor Council if I think it appropriate.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use.

Submitting as your own original work writing that is generated partially or wholly using AI writing tools such as ChatGPT constitutes plagiarism in violation of Section 3.1, Cheating, of the University’s Honor Code: “Cheating is defined as the act of giving unauthorized assistance to or receiving unauthorized assistance from another individual for the purpose of completing academic requirements. This includes, but is not limited to, the completion of homework, tests, projects, or research assignments.” Notice that the University’s Honor Code specifies unauthorized assistance from “another individual,” which may seem to exclude AI since it is a tool, not an individual. However, it is crucial to understand that AI writing tools such as ChatGPT do not generate new material. Rather, such tools search through, analyze, aggregate, and replicate existing material, originally authored by an individual or individuals, to which these tools have access.

While the particular format of how this aggregated information is subsequently presented may be unique, and while whatever prompt you may have offered may be your original words, the words, ideas, and/or structures for that information have been taken in part or wholly from another source without proper documentation. This constitutes Deliberate Plagiarism. ... In short, there is no place for AI-generated or AI- assisted text in the University classroom, and attempting to present such work as one's original work will be subject to the same penalties as other forms of plagiarism.

The Emergency Notification System

All Louisiana Tech students are strongly encouraged to enroll and update their contact information in the Emergency Notification System. It takes just a few seconds to ensure you're able to receive important text and voice alerts in the event of a campus emergency.  For more information on the Emergency Notification System, please visit: http://www.latech.edu/ administration/ ens.shtml.

1. COVID-19 Information:
1. Students can access COVID-19-related information, guidelines, FAQs, and policies at Louisiana Tech’s website:  latech.edu/coronavirus
2. Students testing positive for COVID-19 report directly to the faculty in order to arrange classroom absence arrangements. Course progress/arrangements should be consistent with stated absence policy (real-time virtual participation or opportunity for make-up at a later date should be indicated). Short-term COVID-19 arrangements are not disability  accommodations.
3. All absences related to COVID-19 will be handled in accordance with the attendance policy listed herein.
4. Students can access COVID-19-related information, guidelines, FAQs, and policies at Louisiana Tech’s website:  latech.edu/coronavirus
5. Louisiana Tech’s Return to Campus Plan is located at latech.edu/return-to-campus. Masks are required to be worn indoors on campus. Masks are required to be worn outdoors if six feet of physical distance cannot be maintained. Every member of the Tech Family will need to take personal responsibility for their behavior, which includes wearing masks, maintaining physical distancing, washing hands regularly, using proper sneeze and cough practices, helping maintain clean academic and office areas, and monitoring for symptoms of COVID-19
6. The direct link to the reporting protocol for students is located at latech.edu/coronavirus/return-to-campus-plan/for-students/. Students can reach out to Stacy Gilbert, Dean of Student Services & Academic Support, at stacyc@latech.edu for help with accommodations and additional information and to report a positive test.
7. Failure to comply with the Safety Protocols listed in the Back to Campus Fall 2020  booklet: latech.edu/documents/2020/07/covid-return-book.pdf/, specifically on pages 5-7 about masks and social distancing, could result in students being in violation of the Classroom Behavior Policy listed on page 125 of the Student Handbook: latech.edu/documents/2018/09/student-handbook.pdf/.
8. Information and contact numbers and sites for Louisiana Tech Counseling Services are located at: https://www.latech.edu/current-students/student-advancement-affairs/counseling-services/
2. Online Course Syllabus (additional information required):
1. Accommodations for potential issues with technology that might arise (power outages, poor internet, internet outages, etc.).
   
   • If you can't attend our class periods via Zoom because of technology issues, I'll post materials from the period that you can access later.
   • I'll give extended times for you to take quizzes and/or turn in papers, so you will have time to resolve tech issues. Contact me if something goes wrong that you can't fix yourself. Sometimes people get locked out of quizzes halfway through, or Canvas won't accept a paper. Stuff like that.
     
2. Clear communication on how and when exams and quizzes will be administered, and the importance of adhering to the University’s honor code policy.
• Everything will be taken up via Canvas.
  
• Except for group projects, do your own work.
  
3. Methods for students to contact and interact with the professor, including posted office hours.
• Look at the top of the syllabus for this quarter's contact information. My hours change every quarter.
  
4. Policy for Zoom backgrounds for online students (prohibition of obscene or other inappropriate or offensive backgrounds on their Zoom)
• Remember other people can see your Zoom backgrounds (if you have one), or the wall behind you if you don't.
  
3. Face-to-face and hybrid/flex Syllabus (additional information required):
1. Plan for course if faculty member becomes ill or needs to self-quarantine following potential exposure.
• We'll continue to meet by Zoom if I'm in quarantine.
  
2. Policy for class behavior including wearing of masks, social distancing, possible seating assignments, cleaning of desks, etc.
• For in-person classes, be sure to weak a mask over both your mouth and your nose. We'll have cleaning wipes for you to use to clean your chair and desk when you arrive.
  
3. Policy for communication with faculty member that encourages appointments over zoom that maintain social distancing protocols.
• If you want a conference with me, contact me through my email or text me at (318) 805-2326 to set up a time.
  
4. Clear communication on how and when exams and quizzes will be administered, and the importance of adhering to the University’s honor code policy.
• The dates for major assignments are in the syllabus. For smaller quizzes, I'll let you know when they are and what they cover via Canvas.
  
5. Statement that students who are feeling ill with COVID-19 symptoms, have been exposed to or testing positive for COVID-19, should not come to class and should contact Tech Care at 318-257-4866.
6. Statement that students who miss face-to-face class for COVID-19 related reasons will have access to course materials and grad opportunities while away from face-to-face class. Participation should be emphasized over attendance.
• My understanding is that we're supposed to take attendance. I'll excuse Covid absences like other illnesses.
  
  
  

Reading Note

When the syllabus lists only the first page of a selection, read the whole selection.

Registration Week (September 5-6)

• Getting Started

• Zoom Persuasion (Group sales presentation)
• Purchasing Recommendation Guide
• Purchasing Recommendation Grade Sheet
• Sample 1: Golf Management System
• Sample 2: The Ford F-750XLT
• Sample 3: The Blackberry 8820

Week 1 (September 9-13)

• Lecture 1A. Thesis and Audience.
• Questions & Answers from our class meetup. Setting up the Gr0ups.
  
• Reading
• Chapter 1: Introduction to Technical Communication
• Chapter 5: Analyzing Your Audience 
• Packet 11: Memo from the CEO
• Packet 34: Cats & Frogs
• Veal Calf ad
• Writing
• Web site: Print out & work the thesis exercises 
• Answer the veal calf ad questions (Packet 76).

• Lecture 1B. The Proposal and Doing Research
  
• Reading
• Chapter 11: Designing Websites
  
• Chapter 6: Researching and Managing Information
• Writing
• Turn in preliminary topic.  (You should have some photocopied material from a bibliography such as Info-Trac and the Applied Science and Technology Index to accompany the topic.)

Week 2 (September 16-20)

• Lecture 2A. Arrangement and Websites
  
• Reading
• Chapter 7: Organizing Your Information
  
• Chapter 14: Writing Letters, Memos, and E-mails
• Writing
• Group progress report. Use good memo form (Markel 501). You may use e-mail, but still turn a printout. Tell:
1. Who was at the meeting.
2. What each member had done before the meeting.
3. Who contributed what in the meeting (minutes).
4. What you accomplished in the meeting.

• Reading
• Writing
• Turn in Proposal.
• The Memo
• The Bibliography
• The Audience Profile Sheet
• Turn in a memo with a list of what's available on my WWW site.

Week 3 (September 23-27)

• Lecture 3A--The Sentence Outline
  
• Reading
• Chapter 16: Proposals
• Chapter 17: Analytical Reports
• Writing
• Zoom Group sales pitches this week
• Group progress report (Use the guidelines from Week 2, Period 1).

• Reading
• Discuss long report topics; 
• Introduce Government Document
• Writing
• Turn in a memo comparing & contrasting the mad cow paper in Word in HTML & in responsive HTML (check them out in smart phones). What are the advantages & disadvantages of each medium?

Week 4 (September 30 — October 4)

• Lecture 4A--Designing Documents and Anthology Tutorial
  
• Reading
• Chapter 11: Designing Documents and Interfaces
• Writing
• Sentence Outline Due Include:
• Sentence Outline
• Report dummy
• Audience analysis
  
• Notes (15 notes) 
• Continue going over the long report sections.

• Lecture 5A--Returning the Sentence Outline
  
• Reading
• Chapter 4: Writing Collaboratively
• Writing
• Group progress report.

 Week 5 (October 7-11)

• Reading
• Chapter 12: Creating Graphics
• Chapter 20: Writing . . . Instructions
• Writing
• Begin going over the sections of the long report. 
• Group progress report.

• Reading
• Writing
• Continue going over the long report sections.
  

Week 6 (October 14-18)

• Reading
• Writing
• Group project rough draft.

• Reading
• Writing
• Long Report Due, with
1. the Long Report itself
2. audience analysis

Week 7 (October 21-25)

• Reading
• Chapter 20: Writing Definitions
• Writing
• Group progress report.

• Lecture 7B  The Resume
  
• Reading
• Chapter 15: Preparing Job-Application Materials
• Writing
• Packet 77: Go over the jargon exercise. Answer the questions.

Week 8 (October 28 — November 1)

• Reading
• Chapter 2: Ethics & Legal Considerations
  

• Writing
• Print out an internet job search. 
• Turn in an opening for an actual job with your letter, audience analysis, & resume next period.

• Reading
• Writing
• Résumé Due. Include:
1. Letter of Application
2. Resume
3. Job Description 
4. Audience Analysis

Week 9 (November 4-8)

• Reading
• Writing

• Reading
• Writing

Week 10 (November 11-14)

• Reading
• Writing
• Group project due

• Reading
• Writing