EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER ISSUE NO11 - SECTIONS 02 AND 03 (HYBRID)

FALL 2016

W riting f o r the W o rkplace

What you will learn.

Course Description & Learning Objectives:

2.1
YOUR PROFESSOR
Has taught for over twenty years
in higher education at, at least,
five Universities. He is an Ithaca
College graduate (Class of H&S,
1990) and grew up on the New
Jersey Shore (Wall, NJ).
2.2
ASSIGNMENTS
You will submit all assignments
via Sakai this semester.You should
know how to save files as PDF
files in your word processing
software as well how to write an
assignment reflection.
2.3
PREREQUISITES
Sophomore standing; any level-1
composition course from WRTG
10600 through WRTG 16500. 3
credits.
2.4
OUR TEXTBOOK
We will be creating our own
documentation and guide to
Workplace Writing issues.You
will be responsible for
researching and completing a
portion of this online document.
No required textbook.

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provide needed overviews and

acceptable information sequences; use
and organize titles, headings, and
subheadings as needed; indicate
document organization through use of
hierarchical ordering, section
sequencing with headings and
subheadings, typographical markers,
numbering systems, indentation, and
enumeration; and emphasize
information by using fonts, type styles,
boxes, and lists.
Visual Design: Integrate
graphics into the text while ensuring
consistency between text and graphics,
designing usable, readable visuals,
using white space effectively, and

70

# Learners

HIGHLIGHTS

Basic on-the-job writing is necessary

to join, manage, and promote any
organization, whether profit or nonprofit.
Our focus is primarily on short forms:
rsums, memos, business letters,
summaries, brochures, newsletters, press
releases, informal proposals, and reports.
The course also explores how various
social, economic, and ethical issues affect
workplace writing.
Through this course, you will learn
to ...
Write for Audience: Plan
professional reports while recognizing
the contexts for writing within specific
communities, determining how to
make decisions concerning content,
acknowledging how users and writers
purposes affect textual decisions, and
researching, summarizing, and
documenting information sources.
Write for Persuade: Apply
strategies for presenting written
information by engaging in the
strategies and processes for gathering
and organizing information useful to
the documents user, purpose, and
situation; persuading users to accept
document messages; defending
persuasive values used in documents;
using definition, description, summary,
and analysis to achieve document
purposes; using clear, concise, and
accurate language, evaluating
document drafts to determine
communication effectiveness, and
offering and accepting and using peer
review responses to improve
documents.
Document Design: Design
usable/readable documents that

53
35
18
0

Grade Earned

providing effective captions and labels.

Presentation Skills: Apply
strategies for oral presentation of
information by using extemporaneous
or impromptu methods; using a keyword outline; adapting content to meet
listeners needs and backgrounds;
using overview, summary, and review
techniques; and speaking clearly and
directly, emphasizing important
information.

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EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER ISSUE NO11 - SECTIONS 02 AND 03 (HYBRID)

FALL 2016

Every great dream begins

with a dreamer. Always
remember, you have within
you the strength, the
patience, and the passion
to reach for the stars to
change the world.
Harriet Tubman

Collaboration Skills: Produce a document within the

framework of cooperative discourse by working as a member
of a documentation team; participating in small-group work;
negotiating team members documentation responsibilities; and
analyzing, planning, and achieving cooperative document
goals.

Your most unhappy customers are

your greatest source of learning. Bill Gates
Meeting Style

Methods of Learning
We will be learning via these methods:
Researching, writing and revising instructional material in the
online textbook. Our textbook will be created as we progress
through the course. You will need to research and compose a
portion of this online text during the semester, in addition to
providing edits on content and design. You will be assessed on the
section that you are responsible for updating.
Study of a variety of examples of business writing.
Involvement in group discussion, team assignments, in-class
writing and demonstrations.
Multimedia presentations and online content in Slack for
review and discussion.
Creating a final portfolio of your work.
In-class pitch activities and discussions.
Your active research and application of the concepts we have
learned in class toward your final project and presentation.

Taking Meeting Minutes

Two people will take minutes for each designated f2f classes.
The following tips are from an ehow.com article. Most
articles on taking meeting minutes will advise similar actions. You
will find an example of some minutes in our course Sakai area;
take those example documents and use them to format your
meeting minutes. Here are some tips on taking minutes:
Obtain the meeting agenda, minutes from the last meeting, and
any background documents to be discussed. Consider using a
tape recorder to ensure accuracy.
Sit beside the chairperson for convenient clarification or help
as the meeting proceeds.
Write "Minutes of the meeting of (exact association name)."
Record the date, time and place of the meeting.
Circulate a sheet of paper for attendees to sign. (This sheet can
also help identify speakers by seating arrangement later in the
meeting.) If the meeting is an open one, write down only the
names of the attendees who have voting rights.
Note who arrives late or leaves early so that these people can be
briefed on what they missed.
Write down items in the order in which they are discussed. If
item 8 on the agenda is discussed before item 2, keep the old
item number but write item 8 in second place.
Record the motions made and the names of people who
originate them.
Record whether motions are adopted or rejected, how the vote
is taken (by show of hands, voice or other method) and
whether the vote is unanimous. For small meetings, write the

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EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER ISSUE NO11 - SECTIONS 02 AND 03 (HYBRID)

FALL 2016

RESOURCES:
SITES FOR RESEARCH
You may find some of the following web resources
valuable to your work in this class.
http://www.ithacalibrary.com/ - Business and
Company Resource Center database within the IC
library electronic resources. Go to Database List
under Research on the IC Library homepage. Search
for Business and Company Resource Center. This
database contains detailed company and industry
information, histories, and investment reports.
http://www.wetfeet.com - Provides access to insider
company guides.
http://www.vault.com - Houses workplace surveys.
You can search by industry.
http://www.guidestar.org - The national database of
non-profit organizations; search by area of interest.
Eric Machan Howd

names of the attendees who approve,

oppose and abstain from each motion.
Focus on recording actions taken by
the group. Avoid writing down the
details of each discussion.

Skill trumps grades in business.

Evaluation

You earn your grade in this class; I

do not give grades. I provide evaluation
and feedback, but it is your effort that
returns the grade.
That said, here are some helpful
benchmarks for your consideration:
Evaluating the Learner
An A Student hands in all
assignments on time, actively
participates in class, is always prepared
for class, is not absent more than three
times, stays in communication with the
professor, and excels in demonstrating
his or her knowledge and skill in this
course through written work,
conferences, and presentations.
A B Student is not absent more than
three times, is almost always prepared
for class, stays in communication with
the professor, hands most assignments

in on time, participates in class

activities, and successfully
demonstrates his or her knowledge
and skill in this course through written
work, conferences, and presentations.
A C Student is absent three to five
times, hands in some assignments late,
is rarely prepared for class, sometimes
keeps in communication with the
professor, participates in some class
activities, and only demonstrates the
bare minimum of his or her
knowledge and skill in this course
through written work, conferences and
presentations.
A D Student is absent three to five
times, hands in most assignments late,
is never prepared for class, barely
participates in class activities, is always
late to class, does not communicate
with the professor, and only slightly
demonstrates his or her knowledge
and skill in this course through written
work, conferences, and presentations.
An F Student is absent more than
six times, does not hand in
assignments on time, never
participates in class activities, is

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consistently late to class, never

communicates with the professor, and
fails to demonstrate his or her
knowledge and skill in this course
through written work conferences, and
presentations.
Evaluating the Assignment
An A Assignment has no
grammatical/mechanical errors, goes
beyond the assignments mission/
guidelines, is well formatted/printed,
and clearly demonstrates the authors
skill and knowledge of the
assignments topic.
A B Assignment has some
grammatical/mechanical errors, meets
the basic requirements of the
assignment, has some formatting
problems, and somewhat illustrates the
authors skill and knowledge of the
assignments topic.
A C Assignment has many
grammatical/mechanical errors, any
formatting errors, misses some of the
assignments guidelines, and only
barely illustrates the authors
knowledge of the assignment topic.

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EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER ISSUE NO11 - SECTIONS 02 AND 03 (HYBRID)

FALL 2016

SITES:
CAREER BUILDING WEBSITES
These websites are great resources for employment, career
guidance, resume building, networking, and more.
http://www.careerbuilder.com
http://www.careerpath.com
http://www.collegegrad.com
http://www.job-hunt.org
http://www.internweb.com
http://www.rsinternships.com
http://www.internships.wetfeet.com/home.asp
http://www.monster.com

Eric Machan Howd

A D Assignment is one that is hastily created, has so many
grammatical/mechanical problems that the content cannot be
read with clarity, is sloppily composed on the page, only hints
at the guidelines of the assignment, and does nothing to
demonstrate the authors knowledge of the assignments topic.
An F Assignment is one that is not handed in. You will never
receive a failing grade on an assignment that is handed in to
me on time.

Constant practice devoted to one subject often outdoes both

intelligence and skill. - Cicero
Harvard Business School Model

Your Effort

I believe in rewarding hard work and effort. If I see that you

are trying hard to succeed in this course, you will be rewarded. If
I see that you are just sitting back and not taking the course
seriously, you will not be rewarded ... simple as that. Your Effort
grade is composed of the following:
Class Minutes: Once this semester you will be required to
take minutes for the entire class period. See the meeting minute
tips included in this document (pg. 02), with an example of
what the minutes should contain, look like, etc. Class minutes
are always due at the beginning of the class immediately
following the class session in which you took the minutes.
Class Participation: Class participation will be gauged at
midterm and at semester's end, to be considered together as
part of the final grade. Good class participation means
attending class regularly and on time, taking no more than
three cuts, completing, on time, all assigned writing, keeping
up with reading assignments for discussion, engaging the

professor and peers with constructive questions and comments,

listening thoughtfully and respectfully to all others, and keeping
conference appointments scheduled with the professor oh,
and going the extra-mile on assignments, portfolio reflections,
and revisions.

Guidelines

Final Assignment

You will be submitting your best assignments in this course to

an end-of-semester portfolio. I highly encourage you to place these
same assignments to your Ithaca College ePortfolio (or your more
professional website) so that you can showcase the work for
potential employers or internship providers.
We will cover more personal marketing strategies during our
semester, such as developing an electronic portfolio for your
professional development, in addition to personal branding, social
networking, LinkedIn, general networking and business cards.
Remember: employers only care about what you can do (e.g.
what skills you bring with you); very rarely will a job interview
include discussions of your grade point average or class grades.
When you work on branding yourself through an ePortfolio or
website, the reflective process included will help prepare you for
interviews and networking.
Consider creating a personal brand for yourself now so that
you can continually develop it while you are in college.

ePortfolios are now the gold standard for assessment in higher

learning as well as for increasing your chances at getting
internships, jobs, and grants. More and more employers are
looking for ePortfolios along with resumes and curriculum vitae.

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EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER ISSUE NO11 - SECTIONS 02 AND 03 (HYBRID)

DELIVERABLES & DUE DATES

FALL 2016

GRADING
POINT RANGES

09/16/16 - Portfolio #1 Deliverables

Your Midterm grade includes all points from

assignments submitted up to the due date for
Midterm grade submissions. Participation and Class
Effort will also be calculated in to this grade based on
attendance both online and in-class.

10/21/16 - Portfolio #2 Deliverables

11/18/16 - Portfolio #3 Deliverables
12/09/16 - Portfolio #4 Deliverables
12/13/16 - Final Assignment

Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+

Portfolios will be assessed by your attention to detail,

assignment instructions/guidelines, and your ability to
adhere to standard rules of the written English language.
Fall Break:

October 13-14

Thanksgiving Break:
Final Exam:

November 19-27
December 13 (T, 7:30-10:00pm)

Point
95-100
90-94
87-89
84-86
80-83
77-79

Grade
C
CD+
D
DF

Weekly Overview - 01 day in class, 01 day online content

Our work for the semester.

Course Schedule

Assessed Deliverables

Unit One - Orientations & Business Communication

Portfolio #1 Deliverables
Craft Team Charter
Craft Team Project Proposal
Craft Project Audience Profile
Portfolio #2 Deliverables
Revise a Document for Wordiness
Design a Flyer
Craft a Resume & Cover Letter
Portfolio #3 Deliverables
Craft a Persuasive Letter
Craft a Bad-News Letter
Craft a Project Status Report

Week 01 (08/25-09/02) - Orientations & Beginnings

In Class and Slack Content
Week 02 (09/05-09/09) - Team Building & Main Project
In Class and Slack Content
Unit Two - Writing, Design & Representing Yourself
Week 03 (09/12-09/16) - Resumes & Job Searching
In Class (minutes) and Slack Content
Week 04 (09/19-09/23) - Writing Process & Revising
In Class (minutes) and Slack Content
Week 05 (09/26-09/30) - Document Design
In Class (minutes) and Slack Content
Week 06 (10/03-10/07) - Conferences
In Class and Slack Content
Week 07 (10/10-10/14) - MidTerm & Fall Break
Online MidTerm and Slack Content
Unit Three - Communication Methods
Week 08 (10/17-10/21) - Interpersonal Communication
In Class (minutes) and Slack Content
Week 09 (10/24-10/28) - Persuasive/Negative Messages
In Class (minutes) and Slack Content
Week 10 (10/31-11/04) - Neutral Messages
In Class (minutes) and Slack Content
Week 11 (11/07-11/11) - Positive Messages
In Class (minutes) and Slack Content
Unit Four - Business Documents & Final Project
Week 12 (11/14-11/18) - Planning Reports
In Class (minutes) and Slack Content
Thanksgiving Break (11/19-11/27)
No Classes or Online Content
Week 13 (11/28-12/02) - Writing Reports, Presenting Data
In Class (minutes) and Slack Content
Week 14 (12/05-12/09) - Final Pitch Presentations
In Class Only

10 points

10 points

10 points

Portfolio #4 Deliverables

Craft an Informal Proposal
Craft a Pitch Presentation for Proposal
Craft Critique of Past Proposal
Other Assessments
Final Portfolio
Midterm Exam
Guide Contribution
Class Minutes

Point
74-76
70-73
67-69
64-66
63-60
59-0

10 points

08 points
05 points
08 points
03 points

Class Participation


36 points
28 points attendance (Slack and f2f), 08 points
assigned work (you gain points in this course for
attending class and completing assignments on time).
Total Points Possible =

100 points

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The instructor reserves the right to change this syllabus at any time.

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EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER ISSUE NO11 - SECTIONS 02 AND 03 (HYBRID)

Q&A

FALL 2016

Frequently Asked Questions

What are your office hours? How can we

communicate with one another?

Tuesdays, 3-4:30pm; Wednesdays. 10-noon; Fridays, 1-2:30pm; or you can book

me by visiting https://emhowd.youcanbook.me. I will be available before and after
each class for consultations. You may also call/text me (607/592-9794). We should also
have plenty of in-class time for brief check-ins. Remember, learning is a two-way street;
Ill help you in any way that I can, but you must take the first step and communicate
with me. Im here for you!

What is the attendance policy?

Attendance: STEADY attendance is EXPECTED. A writing class is not a lecture

class with set notes, but one of process and flux, needing involvement from all students
in it. Be there! We need your mind and voice. Three absences are allowed without
penalty; they include time taken by brief illnesses, familys/friends needs, other shortterm priorities. Each absence beyond three will lower the final grade a notch (a Bwould become a C+, for example). The Writing Department mandates a final grade of
F for a student absent six times from a MW/TR class or nine times from a MWF class.
Any sustained illness or condition which will necessitate a number of absences must be
reported officially in writing.

When are assignments due? What is your late

policy?

The course schedule stipulates due dates for assignments. I will read and evaluate
late submissions, giving it an overall assessment, but will not provide any editing. Late
assignment submissions do not receive a participation point. A student who must be
absent the day an assignment is due must either submit it via a classmate, the
professors email, or, by contacting me on that day in order to arrange drop-off.

What if I need more time for test taking,

assignment completion, etc.?

In compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the
Americans with Disabilities Act, reasonable accommodation will be provided to
students with documented disabilities on a case-by-case basis. Students must register
with the Office of Academic Support Services and provide appropriate documentation
to the College before any academic adjustment will be provided. Students with
disabilities who wish to receive reasonable accommodations, as required by law, should
identify themselves to the professor as early in the semester as possible.

I need help with life, student life, etc.? Where

can I get it?

Diminished mental health, including significant stress, mood changes, excessive

worry, or problems with eating and/or sleeping can interfere with optimal academic
performance. The source of symptoms might be strictly related to your course work; if
so, please speak with me. However, problems with relationships, family worries, loss, or
a personal struggle or crisis can also contribute to decreased academic performance.
Ithaca College provides a Counseling Center to support the academic success of
students. The Counseling Center provides cost-free services to help you manage
personal challenges that threaten your well-being. Getting help is smart!

Inclusiveness is important to me! from Eric

Title IX is a federal act mandating that educational institutions receiving federal

funding must provide sex and gender equity. All students thus have the right to a
campus atmosphere free of sex/ual harassment, sexual violence, and gender
discrimination. To make a report of sexual assault, sexual harassment or gender
discrimination, please contact Tiffani Ziemann, Title IX Coordinator;
tziemann@ithaca.edu 607-274-7761. Please visit www.ithaca.edu/share for more
information.

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EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER ISSUE NO11 - SECTIONS 02 AND 03 (HYBRID)

A Word about Integrity

Have integrity in all that you do in your education, in your

business, in your careers. Plagiarism is stealing. If you plagiarize
you will automatically fail the course and be referred for judicial
actions. In the workplace, stealing anothers work can lead to
dismissal and/or other legal action. Give credit where credit is
due. Cite your sources.
See Ithaca Colleges updated policy below ...
7.1.4.1 Plagiarism
from Ithaca College Policy Manual, Volume VII
As amended by the Ithaca College Board of Trustees May 18, 2001.
Whether intended or not, plagiarism is a serious offense
against academic honesty. Under any circumstances, it is deceitful
to represent as one's own work, writing or ideas that belong to
another person. Students should be aware of how this offense is
defined. Plagiarism is the unacknowledged use of someone else's
published or unpublished ideas, whether this use consists of
directly quoted material or paraphrased ideas.
Although various disciplines follow styles of documentation
that differ in some details, all forms of documentation make the
following demands:
That each quotation or paraphrase be acknowledged with
a footnote or in-text citation;
That direct quotations be enclosed in quotation marks
and be absolutely faithful to the wording of the source;
That paraphrased ideas be stated in language entirely
different from the language of the source;
That a sequence of ideas identical to that of a source be
attributed to that source;
That sources of reprinted charts or graphs be cited in the
text;
That all the sources the writer has drawn from in
paraphrase or direct quotation or a combination of paraphrase
and quotation be listed at the end of the paper under
"Bibliography," "References," or "Works Cited," whichever
heading the particular style of documentation requires.
A student is guilty of plagiarism if the student fails,
intentionally or not, to follow any of these standard requirements
of documentation.
In a collaborative project, all students in a group may be held
responsible for academic misconduct if they engage in plagiarism
or are aware of plagiarism by others in their group and fail to
report it. Students who participate in a collaborative project in
which plagiarism has occurred will not be held accountable if they
were not knowledgeable of the plagiarism.
What, then, do students not have to document? They need
not cite their own ideas, or references to their own experiences, or
information that falls in the category of uncontroversial common
knowledge (what a person reasonably well-informed about a

FALL 2016

subject might be expected to know). They should acknowledge

anything else.
7.1.4.2 Other Forms of Academic Dishonesty
Other violations of academic honesty include, but are not limited
to, the following behaviors:
Handing in to a class a paper written by someone else;
Handing in as an original work for a class a paper one has
already submitted to another course;
Handing in the same paper simultaneously to two courses
without the full knowledge and explicit consent of all the
faculty members involved;
Having someone else rewrite or clean up a rough draft and
submitting those revisions as one's own work.
These offenses violate the atmosphere of trust and mutual respect
necessary the process of learning.

My model for business is the Beatles. They were four guys who
kept each other's kind of negative tendencies in check. They
balanced each other, and the total was greater than the sum of
the parts. That's how I see business: Great things in business are
never done by one person. They're done by a team of people. Steve Jobs, 60 minutes, 2003

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EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER ISSUE NO11 - SECTIONS 02 AND 03 (HYBRID)

Eric Machan Howd

Your Consultant

Think of me as a consultant, as well

as a professor. This semester, I will impart
certain pieces of information to you via
traditional methods, but, as you gain
experience and skill, I will act more as a
top-level consultant, so that we can
simulate, as best possible, a workplace
environment.
Consultant, Project Manager
Ive been an administrator in higher
education for sixteen years. I have
received Cornell-certified training in
Project Management Methodology and
have managed many fascinating projects
while working in higher education.
I have also contracted as a
technology consultant/advisor with other
universities, schools, libraries, and library
councils in the Northeast United States,
as well as with universities in Spain and
the Dominican Republic.
My current work is in the field of
electronic portfolios and reflective-based
learning and teaching. I believe in the
transformative power of reflective-based
learning.
Teacher
I have been teaching in higher
education for over twenty years. I started
teaching, formally, while at Ithaca
College as an undergraduate in the
Education program. Then, three years
after graduating, I obtained a graduate
teaching assistantship with Binghamton
University, where I taught large lecture

courses in Narrative Works, Shakespeare,

and Creative Writing.
I have held lecturer positions at
Tompkins-Cortland Community College,
Cortland State University, Empire State
College, Broome Community College
and Ithaca College ... all the while
developing my career as an administrator
in higher education.
Musician
My older brother was my first role
model, and I always copied him, so I
asked for piano lessons, too. Forty years
later, I am still playing piano and organ; I
dabble in harpsichord, accordion, guitar,
trumpet, French horn, ukulele,
harmonica, and autoharp.
I am the music director for the
Newark Valley United Church of Christ,
where provide music leadership and play
the piano and an 1870s Hook & Hastings
tracker pipe organ.
Poet
I first started writing poetry in high
school. Ive published my poetry worldwide and have given readings in the
United States and abroad. My poetry
tends to experiment with form and pop
culture.
Interests
I am fascinated by any product
relating to horror, science fiction, fantasy,
music, origami, manga, poetry, gadgets,
technology, and the occult. I play
collectible cards games each month with
friends, and I love balancing on the
cutting edge of technology.

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FALL 2016

FALL 2016
The fall semester will fly by and
we have a lot of work to do over
a short amount of time, with,
hopefully, no snow.
My goal for you this semester is
to understand and feel
comfortable with writing,
designing, revising, and editing the
types of workplace documents
we will study this semester.
NEWSLETTER STAFF
Eric Machan Howd
Editor in Chief
Katharyn Howd Machan
For understanding and love.
Contact
607/592-9794, text or call
please, no calls after 9pm
Office Hours in Smiddy 409
Tuesdays: 3-4:30pm
Wednesdays: 10-noon
Fridays: 1-2:30pm
Or Book Me @
https://emhowd.youcanbook.me
Ithaca College
Writing Department
Ithaca, NY 14850
http://about.me/ericmachanhowd

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