191 F21 Irwin

 ENGL 191: Communication in Engineering

Fall 2021

Instructor: Ashley Irwin

Email: a3irwin@uwaterloo.ca

Office Hours: Please email to make an appointment

Territorial Acknowledgment

I would like to acknowledge that we are on the traditional territory of the Attawandaron (Neutral), Anishnaabeg, and Haudenosaunee peoples. The University of Waterloo is situated on the Haldimand Tract, land promised and given to Six Nations, which includes six miles on each side of the Grand River.

Black Body Acknowledgment

I would like to acknowledge that Canada has a 200 year-long history of enslaving Black people and that this past has reverberations in the present.  I recognize that my Black students are discriminated against in terms of access to housing, education, employment, and justice under the law.  I commit myself, as an educator, to fighting systemic racism within and beyond the walls of our educational institution.

Course Description

This course will teach written and oral communication in civil, environmental, and geological engineering.  Students will practice different forms of internal and external communication for various audiences including clients, peers, technical staff, stakeholders, and the general public.  Students will hone critical thinking, analytic, practical, and creative skills necessary for careers in engineering.  Through discipline specific writing exercises, students will gain competence and confidence in communication.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course students should be able to do the following:

1. Explain the role of reports and other communications media in engineering,

2. Demonstrate command of appropriate writing skills and style,

3. Demonstrate good literature research skills (gathering data or relevant information, analyzing the results of research efforts in terms of data and argument, and assessing the credibility and applicability of information),

4. Construct a persuasive technical argument,

5. Write an effective engineering report by attending to context, audience, and genre,

Course Format

Your course will be held remotely and asynchronously.  This means that you can study from anywhere, as long as you have stable internet connection, and that you do not need to log into Learn at any particular time to attend lessons.  Your lessons will be recorded and uploaded to weekly folders on Learn.  Please note that you will be required to abide by assignment deadlines and that your assignments are always due by 11:59pm EST on the date specified.

Required Materials

Graves, Heather & Roger Graves. A Strategic Guide to Technical Communication. 2^nd edition (Canadian).

• This text is available as an E-Book for rent or purchase on Google Play ($38.53/$40.29) and VitalSource ($42.80/$50.36), and for purchase only on RedShelf ($45.32)
• A physical copy of the text is available from Broadview Press ($55.95)

Course Assignments and Requirements

Participation including weekly activities 25%

Participation is one key to success in this course.  Students will participate in weekly activities such as quizzes and discussions.  You will receive marks for your course engagement as well as your professional and courteous communication. It is very important that you treat classmates with respect, reading carefully, and responding in a generous manner.  Sexist, ablest, homophobic, transphobic, and racist comments of any kind will not be tolerated. 

Engineering Pitch and RADAR analysis 15%

For this assignment, you will be submitting a professional workplace email using the conventions outlines in class and in your textbook. The purpose of this email will be to communicate an idea for an engineering project that you will work towards throughout the duration of the semester.  It will be your job to outline the need for and benefits of your project while persuading readers that it is a worthwhile investment. You will also locate one research source and provide a critical evaluation

Engineering Progress Report 20%

You will submit an engineering progress report updating your team lead on your project that you pitched in assignment one.  You will include an overview of your progress, disclose any setbacks and/or challenges, and propose a plan and timeline for completing your project.

Annotated Bibliography 20%

You will gather and critically evaluate 5 scholarly sources regarding the topic you are pursuing for your engineering project.  You will arrange your sources according to APA guidelines and will provide a one paragraph summary and a one paragraph RADAR analysis for each source. 

Engineering Project Proposal 25%

You will be creating a technical proposal for the engineering project you’ve been working on all semester.  Your report will present previous research conducted on the problem and communicate how and why this problem needs to be addressed.  You will propose a potential and practical solution to the problem, outline a thorough work schedule, and include a realistic budget.

Grading

Resources for Students

Accommodations

We will all need some accommodations in this class because we all learn differently. If you need specific accommodations, let me know. Your success in this course is important to me, and I will work with you to ensure that you have the means of accessing class information, ways to take part in class activities, and avenues for fair assessment of your coursework.  The University of Waterloo has a long-standing commitment to support the participation and access to university programs, services, and facilities by persons with all types of disabilities.  AccessAbility Services collaborates with all academic departments to arrange appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities without compromising the academic integrity of the curriculum. If you require academic accommodations to lessen the impact of your disability, please register with AccessAbility Services at the beginning of each academic term.

Mental Health

Your mental health is extremely important, and we all experience varying degrees of mental health concerns at some point in our lives.  University is a very stressful environment, and if you are feeling unwell, please know that you are not alone. I am not, by any means, an expert, but if you approach me with a mental health concern, you can be sure that I will take your issue very seriously and will point you in the direction of help.  The following is a list of resources available for students experiencing mental health difficulties:

On Campus

Due to COVID-19 and campus closures, services are available only online or by phone.

• Counselling Services:  counselling.services@uwaterloo.ca / 519-888-4567 ext. 32655
• MATES:  one-to-one peer support program offered by the Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association (WUSA) and Counselling Services

Off campus, 24/7

• Good2Talk:  Free confidential help line for post-secondary students. Phone: 1-866-925-5454
• Grand River Hospital: Emergency care for mental health crisis. Phone: 519-749-4300 ext. 6880
• Here 24/7: Mental Health and Crisis Service Team. Phone: 1-844-437-3247
• OK2BME: set of support services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning teens in Waterloo.  Phone: 519-884-0000 extension 213

Full details can be found online on the Faculty of Arts website

Download UWaterloo and regional mental health resources (PDF)

Download the WatSafe app to your phone to quickly access mental health support information

Access the Mental Health widget on Learn

Chosen/Preferred First Name

Do you want professors to call you by a different first name? Take a minute now to verify or tell us your chosen/preferred first name by logging into WatIAM.

Your chosen/preferred first name listed in WatIAM will be used broadly across campus (e.g., LEARN, Quest, WaterlooWorks, WatCard, etc.). Note: Your legal first name will always be used on certain official documents. For more details, visit Updating Personal Information.

Important notes for name changes:

• If you included a preferred name on your OUAC application, it will be used as your chosen/preferred name unless you make a change now.
• If you don’t provide a chosen/preferred name, your legal first name will continue to be used.

Writing and Communication Centre

The Writing and Communication Centre (WCC) works with students as they develop their ideas, draft, and revise. Writing and Communication specialists offer one-on-one support in planning assignments, synthesizing, and citing research, organizing papers and reports, designing presentations and e-portfolios, and revising for clarity and coherence. Please note that communication specialists guide you to see your work as readers would. They can teach you revising skills and strategies but will not change or correct your work for you. To book an appointment, please visit www.uwaterloo.ca/wcc.

Student Success Office

The Student Success Office provides academic and personal development services, resources for international students, as well as study abroad and exchange support. They aim to create a vibrant student experience and help students achieve personal and professional goals. For more information, please visit https://uwaterloo.ca/student-success/student-success-office-sign, or reach them by phone at 519-888-4567 ext. 84410.

Course Policies

Contacting Me

Please do not hesitate to contact me to discuss your writing, to seek assistance or clarification, or to raise questions/concerns pertaining to coursework.  I am readily available via email.  Although I will be checking the discussion boards and my email often, I do require 24 hours to respond.  If you would like to arrange a virtual meeting, please send me an email and we’ll arrange a time and date.

General Assignment Guidelines

Your written work must follow APA guidelines. For an excellent APA style guide visit The Owl at Purdue website.  Please utilize 12-point Times New Roman font, and double space your work.  Assignments must be submitted online via Learn and inserted into their corresponding Dropboxes in PDF or DOC.  Please note: I cannot open any other file type on my computer.  Most of your assignments are due on Thursdays before midnight with the exception of your final project which is due on a Tuesday.  All assignments that I receive after these due dates will be subjected to late marks unless an extension has been granted.  Please see below for more information.

Late Work

Late work will be accepted without penalty if prior permission has been granted.  If you fear that you will not be able to submit your assignments on time, please ask me for an extension-I am very flexible with deadlines as long as you contact me in a timely manner.  If an extension is needed, please contact me, at the latest, 72 hours prior to the submission deadline.  Extensions will only be granted more than 72 hours prior to the submission deadline if proof of an extenuating circumstance is provided. Otherwise, late work will be penalized 5% per day, including weekends.

University Policies

Academic Integrity

In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility. Check the Office of Academic Integrity website for more information.

Discipline

A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity to avoid committing an academic offence, and to take responsibility for his/her actions. [Check the Office of Academic Integrity for more information.] A student who is unsure whether an action constitutes an offence, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offences (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about “rules” for group work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course instructor, academic advisor, or the undergraduate associate dean. For information on categories of offences and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71, Student Discipline. For typical penalties, check Guidelines for the Assessment of Penalties.

Grievance

A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of his/her university life has been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70, Student Petitions and Grievances, Section 4. When in doubt, please be certain to contact the department’s administrative assistant who will provide further assistance.

Appeals

A decision made or penalty imposed under Policy 70, Student Petitions and Grievances (other than a petition) or Policy 71, Student Discipline may be appealed if there is a ground. A student who believes he/she/they has/have a ground for an appeal should refer to Policy 72, Student Appeals.

Academic freedom at the University of Waterloo

Policy 33, Ethical Behaviour states, as one of its general principles (Section 1), “The University supports academic freedom for all members of the University community. Academic freedom carries with it the duty to use that freedom in a manner consistent with the scholarly obligation to base teaching and research on an honest and ethical quest for knowledge. In the context of this policy, 'academic freedom' refers to academic activities, including teaching and scholarship, as is articulated in the principles set out in the Memorandum of Agreement between the FAUW and the University of Waterloo, 1998 (Article 6). The academic environment which fosters free debate may from time to time include the presentation or discussion of unpopular opinions or controversial material. Such material shall be dealt with as openly, respectfully, and sensitively as possible. This definition is repeated in Policies 70 and 71, and in the Memorandum of Agreement, Section 6.

Course Schedule

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