191 F20 Lamont

191

ENGL 191 Course Syllabus            

Q. What’s the difference between ENGL and SPCom 191?

A. Nothing. Just different departments teaching the course.       

ENGL 191 Communication in Civil Engineering

Revised Sept. 3^rd, 2020

Instructor: Dr. George Lamont

Class hours and location: Section 44 

Online: See learn.waterloo.ca

Email: glamont@uwaterloo.ca.

Office hours: Online, Microsoft Teams drop-in

Tuesdays: 12:30pm-2:00pm

Fridays: 1:30pm-3:00pm

Office location: Online during COVID-19

Go to Section 3 tosee the course schedule and assignment dates.

Overwhelmed?

See Section 5 forvhelp. UW wantsto help you.

Still overwhelmed? Contact me. I’ll help you.

How will this course work during COVID-19?

The course will accomplish all the main goals in a regular class. However, here are the essentials of what you will need to do:

1. Working online: Go to learn.uwaterloo.ca, sign in, and find our course under the “Fall 2020” section.
2. Download/install Microsoft Teams: this free software is available to you through the University of Waterloo. We will use this to meet online. a.Learn about Teams here: Microsoft Teams at the University of Waterloo.                                                                               b.Download Teams here: Download link for Microsoft Teams.
3. Lessons: Lessons will be “asynchronous” (I won’t lecture live). Technical issues cause too many problems with live learning. Find new lessons online on Mondays (except the first week).
4. Activities:                                                                                                                   
   • Each week has its own folder, with everyone you need for that week.   
   • Video lesson: There will be a video or more. Watch it.                     
   • Textbook readings: read the relevant readings from the textbook. 
   • Activities: any activities and dropboxes will be in that week’s folder.                                                                                                                           
5. Assignments: Assignments or weekly learning tasks are due on Fridays, but can be handed in by Sunday evening.
6. Submitting documents: Don’t e-mail me your submissions. Upload them to the specific dropbox for that item. You’ll find the dropbox in the weekly folders.
7. Communicating with me: I will be available on Microsoft Teams during our class time. Drop in anytime during regular class time to chat. We can set up appointments for other times, and we can use the telephone, too. Just let me know if you need to communicate.

Official Course Description and Outcomes

This is the “official stuff” necessary for accreditation.

Course Description

This course will teach written and oral communication in civil, environmental, and geological engineering. Students will practice internal and external genres of communication relevant to groups that might include clients, peer groups, technical staff, public audiences, and regulatory and policy-focused stakeholders. Students will enhance their critical-thinking skills and creative competencies to better understand meaning-making, perception, and responsibility. Through iterative communication design processes that emphasize student agency and confidence, students will craft audience-specific messages through writing, presenting, and video making.

Learning Outcomes

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

1. Explain the role of reports, the press, advertising, video 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,
6. Organize and deliver a persuasive oral presentation, and
7. Produce a short video that argues a case or makes a pitch.

Textbook and Reading:

1. Graves, Heather & Roger Graves. A Strategic Guide to Technical Communication. 2nd edition (Canadian).
2. Additional readings will be provided in class or posted to the LEARN website.

Course Assignment and Requirements

Assignment and Evaluation Overview*

How and Where to Submit Written Assignments: Electronic format: Microsoft Word .docx format or PDF, online through LEARN.

Assignment #1: Engineering Pitch

You will create an e-mail message that demonstrates your specific learning of the conventions of e-mail authoring used in the engineering profession. Your objective is to communicate potential assets and ideas for an engineering project, and convince readers that your project is worth the investment of company resources.

Assignment #2: Progress/Status Report (2-4 pages)

As you are developing your project, you will complete an engineering-style progress report to update your team/project lead on your progress, any setbacks, and any changes to budgets or timelines.

Assignment #3: Project Proposal—Written Report (Maximum 10 pages)

You will draft a technical proposal for an engineering project of your own design. Your report will explain known information about a problem, support this description with research from credible sources, and articulate why and how the problem must be addressed. You will then demonstrate your knowledge of existing engineering know-how about the issue and propose future activities that could lead to a credible solution. Your concepts and report must show specific research and all original work. Your idea can change and grow over the process, but your objective is to meet the emerging needs of the fields of civil, environmental, and geological engineering.

Assignment #4: Weekly learning tasks, contributions

This course will require some kind of submission from you every week, so that I can check whether you are learning what you need. Weekly learning tasks will vary: little quizzes about lectures, surveys, reflections, worksheets, discussions, instruction manuals, and drafts of major assignments. Weekly learning tasks make up the largest single grade in the course, but each task will be worth less than 5% of the entire course. I built the course this way in order to give you fewer major assignments and facilitate your success in this unusual educational situation.

NOTE: Interviews with engineers, engineering-proposal teams, and engineering directors. E-mail in the engineering workplace Gantt charts and project management

Course Schedule

The following schedule is tentative and may change to suit class needs. Additional readings may be posted to LEARN, and you will be responsible for these.

General timings in this course:

1. Lesson materials released: Mondays (except first week)
2. Assignments or learning tasks due: Fridays (but can be extended to Sunday)
3. Time required for lesson: between 1-2 hours
4. Time required for textbook: about 30-60 minutes
5. Time required for major assignments: plan to spend several hours on major assignments.

Important Dates: Travel plans NOT accepted reasons for absence.

Terms:

1. “Drop, no penalty”: no record of the course appears on your transcript.
2. “WD”: this means the word “Withdrawn” will appear on your transcript. This will let readers know that you attempted the course but decided to leave the course.
3. “WF”: this means “withdrew/failure.” This will let readers know that your withdrawal constitutes a failure in the course. This course will be calculated as a grade of 32% and will be included in your overall grade average.

Course Policies

Late work, missed work, grade concerns, “incomplete” courses

Extension requests: You must request an extension 48 hours or more before a due date, and provide a reasonable justification, subject to verification by me. Last-minute extension requests will be denied unless there is medical documentation, an accommodation, or a counselling referral to support the need.

Late submissions: 5% penalty per day unless the late submission is justified by medical documentation.

Missed tests, quizzes, contributions: If your absence is supported by medical documentation, your grade will be re-weighted to your other quizzes or contributions. Otherwise, you will receive a grade of 0 for the quiz or contribution.

Medical documentation: You must submit a “University of Waterloo Verification of Illness” form, available at https://uwaterloo.ca/campus-wellness/sites/ca.campus-wellness/files/uploads/files/VIF-online.pdf.

No “incomplete courses”: I will not grant an “incomplete course”. All course work is due by the final day of lectures (December 3^rd).

Grade challenges: You may re-submit an assignment for regrading only if you provide a detailed letter explaining why the concepts and criteria of the course justify a different grade. I do not accept any requests to challenge a grade while I am returning any papers in class. Please make an appointment to visit me, and we will have a fair conversation about your concerns.

Grade concerns: If you are struggling, I want to help you. However, don’t procrastinate. The sooner you consult with me, the sooner we can address the problems.

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism—Official Policy

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. See the UWaterloo Academic Integrity webpage and the Arts Academic Integrity webpage for more information.

Discipline: A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity, to avoid committing academic offences, and to take responsibility for his/her actions. 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 professor, academic advisor, or the Undergraduate Associate Dean. When misconduct has been found to have occurred, disciplinary penalties will be imposed under Policy 71 – Student Discipline. For information on categories of offenses 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 has a ground for an appeal should refer to Policy 72 - Student Appeals.

Using Turnitin in this Course

Text matching software (Turnitin®) will be used to screen assignments in this course. This is being done to verify that use of all material and sources in assignments is documented. Students will be given an option if they do not want to have their assignment screened by Turnitin®. In the first week of the term, details will be provided about arrangements and alternatives for the use of Turnitin® in this course.

Services and Additional Support

If you are struggling, do realize that there are services here that will help you and protect your privacy.

Accommodations for Students with Learning Challenges

If you have any concern about a learning challenge or learning disability, please feel free to consult with me about how to support you. You may also wish to register with the AccessAbility Services office. This office is located on the first floor of the Needles Hall extension (1401), and 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 the AS office at the beginning of each academic term.

Counselling Services

Counselling Services provides support free-of-charge and protects your privacy. Find them at https://uwaterloo.ca/counselling-services/.

Student Success Office

The Student Success Office also provides support free-of-charge and protects your privacy. This office provides academic and personal development services, resources for international students, as well as study abroad and exchange support. They are located at South Campus Hall, second floor. Office hours: Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.; and Tuesday and Thursday, 8:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

The Writing and Communication Centre

The Writing and Communication Centre 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. You can make multiple appointments throughout the term, or drop in at the Library for quick questions or feedback. To book a 50-minute appointment and to see drop-in hours, visit www.uwaterloo.ca/writingand-communication-centre. Group appointments for team-based projects, presentations, and papers are also available.