TWC 447 Business Reports ASU East

Overview
Business Reports (TWC 447/547) is a course focused on job-related writing of all kinds, exposing students to a wide range of business communication scenarios. The course incorporates exercises and assignments that will help students gain insight into applying rhetorical strategy when designing documents or engaging in other forms of business communication, such as e-mail, oral presentations, and group interactions. During the semester, you should expect to develop skills in audience awareness, ethical persuasion, and effective communication. You should also expect to increase your computer literacy and interpersonal skills for accomplishing work in a team. Very few, if any, business employees work in isolation. Cooperative learning and teaming is essential. Developing all these skills should increase your confidence and success on the job market and in the workplace.

Course Objectives
By the end of this course, you should be able to

Identify the three basic purposes of business communication: to inform, to request or persuade, and to build good will;
Organize information to fit your audiences, your purposes, and the situation;
Construct documents that are clear, complete, correct, visually inviting, save the reader’s time, and build good will by creating a friendly, businesslike, positive style;
Work effectively in groups by understanding strategies for responding to individual’s differing styles, overcoming barriers to success, resolving conflict, and completing individual and group assignments on time;
Understand the effect of verbal and nonverbal communication in business settings;
Make short oral presentations that are clear, well organized, stay within time limits, and demonstrate good audience awareness.

Text
Business and Administrative Communication, Sixth Edition (2003), by Kitty O. Locker http://www.mhhe.com/locker6e This is a great text book. Use it. Better yet: learn how to use it. The format is very readable. It comes with a CD Rom companion that includes sample documents, PowerPoint presentations, and review questions for each chapter.

Features to love about the book:

Sidebars are all interesting and current in their application.

Checklists throughout the book are great for quick reference.

Visual presentation of the text improves the rhetorical communication – use of white space, color, bold, bullet-points, checklists, and figures all lead to ease of reference and quick access to the information you are looking for. Initial reading of the entire book or any chapter can be a “skim,” allowing you to know what the book or any chapter/section offers. Then you can go back when you need to reinforce the detail (such as figuring out “how to” do something).

Summary of key points at the end of each chapter provides a good way to start reading. The summary presents the most important concepts and also highlights important “buzz” words in bold.

Model documents of memos, e-mails, and entire reports. Having access to such excellent examples will offer you the best way to quickly learn style and document components.

Annotations explaining the model documents (mentioned above).

Course Design and Instruction
Although you will have one instructor who is primarily responsible for evaluating your work and facilitating learning in your particular class, we are choosing to team teach the course in order to capitalize on our combined strengths as instructors. Laura has extensive background in writing instruction and in teaching and learning with technology. Sheila has extensive background in business management, writing, and editing. Together, we expect to offer you a challenging but rewarding class in constructing business reports and engaging in effective communication. Although both of us have taught TWC 447 before, this is the first time we have taught the class together or offered it as a hybrid course. Therefore, we will be asking you to take several brief, anonymous surveys throughout the semester that invite your feedback about the course design and course assignments. Along the way, we also invite you to offer verbal or written suggestions in person or online.

Face-to-Face and Online Class Meetings
This semester we will meet as a class (face-to-face) approximately 6 times. The other 9 class meetings will occur online. During the 9 online class meetings, you will be expected to take a brief, password protected quiz and then participate in well-focused online discussions for approximately one hour (6 - 7:00 p.m.). Your online participation can occur from any location in the Phoenix Valley that offers sufficient computer and Internet capabilities. At the end of this hour, you will take another brief quiz that we will call a "ticket out." After the online discussion is complete, you may choose to chat online with your instructor and peers about assignments, course material, or additional questions. This means you should hold miscellaneous comments or questions that don't pertain to the online discussion until AFTER the first hour of an online class meeting. NOTE: If you do not have a reliable, fast connection from home (DSL or Cable), then we recommend accessing the course web site, ESPECIALLY during class, from one fo the computing sites on any ASU campus.

myASU Blackboard and Online Learning
The myASU Blackboard course software will work best if you use a PC and view the course web site using Internet Explorer browser. We have designed certain assignments early on in the course for you to test out the technology you plan to use, especially if you choose to do most of your work at a home computer. You should check your e-mail and our course web site regularly throughout the week. Please do not forward any mass mailings, jokes or other e-mail that would offend or inconvience members of the class. Also, please study and following these Guidelines for Online Discussions and be familiar with standard netiquette.

Technical or Computer Problems
If you run into technical or computer problems, please contact the Customer Assistance Center at (480) 965-5939 http://www.asu.edu/cacenter/. For questions about Blackboard, e-mail myasu-q@asu.edu. If your problem persists, you may need to contact one of your instructors by phone (Laura Bush 480-965-5620; Sheila Lacey 480-965-6697). Expect a call back within approximately 24 hours, or earlier, if possible. Also consider posting your question to the Q & A Forum of our class Discussion Board.

Active Learning
Much of what we do in class and online will be hands-on learning, allowing you to practice, reflect upon, and re-enforce what you're learning through reading, presentations, and your own observations and study. Research shows that students who DO something with the concepts, principles, and ideas they are learning, understand and retain the information better in the long run, making it their own. When we say you must "do something," that "doing" might consist of writing, explaining, discussing, questioning, role playing, interviewing, constructing, or sharing. The learning activities we plan in person and online intend to encourage frequent processing and critical reflection. We want you all to succeed and we'll do our best to facilitate your success, but you must also take responsibility for your learning.

Submitting Assignments
This semester, you will submit most materials online by posting assignments to discussion forums or by sending e-mail messages with files attached. Rather than respond to your work in pen or pencil, we will respond using the comment and highlighting features available in Microsoft Word. You and your group members will be invited to do the same as you work together on assignments. Be sure to include TWC 447 in the subject line of any e-mail messages you send so that we as instructors and your peers can easily sort messages in our inbox.

Grading
You will be able to check your grade regularly online through the Student Tools feature of myASU Blackboard. In general, assignments will be returned and the grades posted within 2 weeks of their due date. One major assignment may be submitted up to 24 hours late, but that late assignment will be graded and then docked one letter grade. No assignment may be submitted after the 24 hour grace period. Technical or computer problems are no excuse. You must learn immediately how to post assignments on a discussion forum and/or attach documents to e-mail messages. If you have trouble with your home computer system, you will need to find a computer on campus or at another location to ensure that your assignments are completed correctly and submitted on time. No quizzes or online discussions may be made up.

Absences
We expect that you will arrive on time to class and actively participate the entire time, whether that participation is in person or online. If you MUST be absent, you will need to pre-arrange to submit your work early or by the beginning of class online (6:00 p.m.). Quizzes, online discussions, tickets out, or other in-class work cannot be made up since these are meant to be reading and class preparation/participation checks. Check out this poem, if you ever feel like asking, "Did I Miss Anything?"

ASU East Learning Center
Visit the Learning Center at ASU East for writing assistance and tutoring skills. It's a great free resource that we recommend. Check out their web site for more information: http://www.east.asu.edu/learningcenter/

Student Assistance and Academic Integrity
Check out the ASU East Student Online Services for answers to many of your most frequent questions. http://www.east.asu.edu/services/

If you are having trouble with an assignment, please contact me or the Learning Center tutors. Do not represent someone else's writing as your own. Do not download papers from the Internet. Plagiarism prevents you from developing the writing skills you will need to succeed in business. Using someone else's work can also result in failing this course and possible expulsion from the university. You can find information about academic integrity, appeals and procedures, and other helpful information at the following web site: http://www.asu.edu/vpsa/studentlife/

Disability Accommodations
ASU complies with all federal and state laws and regulations regarding discrimination, including the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). Because disability accommodations often require several months lead time, we may not be able to make accomodations this semester, but please see your instructor as soon as possible to determine how DRS may be able to meet your needs. Information regarding disability is confidential. You may access information about Disability Resources at the following web site http://www.asu.edu/drs/ or contact Disability Resources for Students directly at 480-965-1234.

Assignment		Points Possible
Student Web Page	1 x 25 pts.	= 25
Quizzes / Tickets Out	10 x 10 pts.	= 100
Online Discussions	10 x 5 pts.	= 50
Memos	2 x 50 pts.	= 100
Letters	2 x 50 pts.	= 100
Presentations	1 x 25 pts.; 1 x 100 pts.	= 125
Reports	5 x 100 pts.	= 500
	Total Points Possible	= 1000