APSC 201: Technical Communication

Instructor: Dr. Jannik H. Eikenaar Telephone: 250.807.8049

Office: EME 3229 Office Hours: 9:30-10:30 Tues / Thurs, or by
Email: jannik.eikenaar@ubc.ca appointment (via email)

Academic Calendar Entry

Written and oral communication in engineering. Report preparation, business correspondence,
and oral presentation of technical material.
Prerequisite: APSC 176.

Course Format
APSC 201 is a lecture-based course, with an emphasis on in-class and out-of-class writing. In
addition, much of the course material will be available via Canvas. Some assignments will be
submitted via turnitin.com.

Attendance is essential, as much of the course content is taught through in-class participation.
Students are expected to share their written work for instructor and peer review. At least one piece
of writing will be completed as part of a team.

Course Overview
The objective of APSC 201 is to introduce students in the applied sciences to key aspects of
technical communication, including report preparation, business correspondence, and oral
presentation. Students in engineering will take the communication skills from APSC 176 and
practice implementing them in technical and professional and technical formats.

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Learning Outcomes
Students completing APSC 201 should be able to:

• Analyze the rhetorical situation (audience, purpose, and context) of professional and technical
communication in engineering
o Formal assessments: Students will write professional and technical communication
documents that will be assessed for appropriate rhetorical responses to particular
audiences, purposes, and situations.
o Informal assessments: Various in-class exercises.
• Create technical documents to solve problems in the engineering workplace
o Formal assessments: Students will write technical communication documents that will be
assessed for their effectiveness in using communication to solve problems and improve
situations.
o Informal assessments: Peer-review and usability testing activities.
• Write effective technical prose
o Formal assessments: Students will write technical communication documents that will be
assessed for correctness and appropriate technical style.
o Informal assessments: Individual and peer-review activities.
• Design convincing, effective, and usable technical documents
o Formal assessments: Students will design technical communication documents that will
be assessed for successful visual communication, including usability, document design,
and effective graphics.
o Informal assessments: Exercises focused on graphics, document design, and usability.
• Create ethical technical documents
o Formal assessments: Students will create technical communication documents that work
within the guidelines of the Engineers and Geoscientists BC Code of Ethics and
successfully negotiate the potentially conflicting needs and rights of both users and the
corporations, governments, and agencies for which they might someday work.
o Informal assessments: Exercises and discussions about ethical dilemmas in workplace
writing.
• Collaborate on oral and written communication projects
o Formal assessments: The student will complete at least two collaborative assignments
(including an oral presentation) that require her/him to manage an evidence-based project
with a team of other students.
o Informal assessments: Group and pair exercises.

Note: This course emphasizes audience-based communication. As such, work is shared with peers and
the instructor.

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Engineering Accreditation
The Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board requires students to have achieved competency in twelve main
areas by graduation. To ensure that our program provides sufficient instruction in these 12 graduate attributes,
course learning outcomes have been mapped to the graduate attributes for each course. The relevant graduate
attributes for this course are identified below (note: I = Introduced, D = Developed).

Graduate Attributes
Course Learning Outcomes (as defined below)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Analyze the rhetorical situation D
Create, design and write effective, ethical documents D I I D
Collaborate on oral and written communication projects D D D

CEAB Graduate Attributes

6. Individual and team work: An ability to work effectively as a member and leader in teams, preferably in a
multi-disciplinary setting.
7. Communication skills: An ability to communicate complex engineering concepts within the profession and
with society at large. Such ability includes reading, writing, speaking and listening, and the ability to
comprehend and write effective reports and design documentation, and to give and effectively respond to
clear instructions.
8. Professionalism: An understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the professional engineer in society,
especially the primary role of protection of the public and the public interest.
10. Ethics and equity: An ability to apply professional ethics, accountability, and equity.
12. Life-long learning: An ability to identify and to address their own educational needs in a changing world in
ways sufficient to maintain their competence and to allow them to contribute to the advancement of
knowledge.

Evaluation and Grading

APSC 201 is graded using letter grade values as per the University of British Columbia Academic Calendar
(see Grading Practices). Grades are calculated using the midpoint of the range†.

Letter Range Midpoint Letter Range Midpoint

A+ 90–100 95% C 60–63 61.5%
A 85–89 87% C- 55–59 57%
A- 80–84 82% D 50–54 52%
B+ 76–79 77.5% F+ 45-49 47%
B 72–75 73.5% F 25-44 34.5%
B- 68–71 69.5% F- 1-24 12.5%
C+ 64–67 65.5% 0 0 0%
†
A document that exhibits excellence in all relevant categories may receive a grade of 100%.

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Assessment schedule
The following tasks will be assessed in the course. Note: There is no midterm or final exam in this course.

Task Value Date

Job Application Package: Teamwork Philosophy 5% Jan. 13th
Job Application Package: Cover Letter and Résumé 15% Jan. 27th
Indigenous Consultation Project: Reflective Blog Post 5% Feb. 6th
Indigenous Consultation Project: Team Presentation 10% Feb. 7th-14th
Indigenous Consultation Project: Team Report 20% Feb. 20th
Public Communication Project: Research Proposal 10% Mar. 6th
Public Communication Project: Individual Report 35% Apr. 2nd

Grading Practices
Faculties, departments, and schools reserve the right to scale grades in order to maintain equity among
sections and conformity to University, faculty, department, or school norms. Students should therefore
note that an unofficial grade given by an instructor might be changed by the faculty, department, or
school. Grades are not official until they appear on a student's academic record.
http://www.calendar.ubc.ca/okanagan/index.cfm?tree=3,41,90,1014

Course Outline and Schedule

The Course Outline and Course Schedule are available on Canvas. They may be modified at the
instructor’s discretion.

Readings

Required: Markel, M. & Selber, S. A. (2018). Technical Communication. 12th Ed. New York, NY:
Bedford/St. Martin’s. [Available at the bookstore.]

Recommended: A good writing handbook [e.g. Simon and Schuster Handbook for Writers (Pearson)].

Additional readings will be provided by the instructor.

Assignment descriptions
The descriptions below will be supplemented by instructions given in class.

Job Application Package (20% of final grade)

• Teamwork Philosophy (5%)
• Cover Letter and Résumé (15%)

The Job Application Package is designed for students to build their practical research, audience analysis,
document design, and persuasive writing skills. In addition, it will prepare students to create tailored
cover letters and résumés, and to reflect on their teamwork values.

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Assignment descriptions (Cont’d.)
Indigenous Consultation Project (35% of final grade)
• Reflective Blog Post (5%)
• Team Presentation (10%)
• Team Report (20%)
The Indigenous Consultation Case Study is designed for students to practice professional communication
skills, both oral and written, while reflecting on the ethical, practical, legal, interpersonal, and
intercultural demands of engineering communication. Specifically, the project will familiarize students
with the process of consulting with Indigenous communities in Canada around engineering projects.

Public Communication Project

• Research Proposal (10%)
• Individual Report (35%)

Each student will research an engineered product or process that has current social significance. With the
knowledge gained from that research, each student will write an evaluation report intended for
distribution to the general public.

Course Policies

A. Attendance
Regular attendance is essential for success in APSC 201. Many activities (both individual and
collaborative) take place during class time. If a student misses more than 5 class meetings without a
university-sanctioned reason for Academic Concession, the instructor may reduce the student’s final mark
in the course. Additional information on the University’s policies on attendance may be found in the
Academic Calendar at http://www.calendar.ubc.ca/okanagan/index.cfm?tree=3,293,864,0
The Academic Calendar addresses the potential for responsibilities that may conflict with course schedules:
[...] “Conflicting responsibilities include, but may not be limited to: representing the University, the
province, or the country in a competition or performance; serving in the Canadian military; observing a
religious rite; working to support oneself or one’s family; and having responsibility for the care of a family
member.” [...]
[...] “Students with conflicting responsibilities have a duty to arrange their course schedules so as to avoid
as much as possible any conflicts with course requirements. Students with such responsibilities are also
required to discuss with their course instructor(s) at the start of each term, or as soon as a conflicting
responsibility arises, any accommodation that may be requested. Instructors may not be able to comply with
all such requests especially if the academic standards and integrity of the course or program could be
compromised.”[...]
[...] “Religious observance may preclude attending classes or examinations at certain times. In accordance
with UBC Policy 65: Religious Holidays, students who wish to be accommodated for religious reasons
must notify their instructors in writing at least two weeks in advance, and preferably earlier.” [...]
For additional details on the University’s policies on academic concession, see Academic Calendar at
http://www.calendar.ubc.ca/okanagan/?tree=3,48,0,0

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 B. Assignments and Exams
APSC 201 consists of in-class exercises and out-of-class assignments. All out-of-class assignments must be
typed and they must conform to specifications outlined by the instructor. The instructor may require
additional written work in the form of drafts and practice assignments. The instructor may require a
minimum of two weeks to mark assignments. Additional important policies and procedures regarding
assignments and exams in APSC 201 are as follows:

• Students must complete all major assignments in APSC 201 to be eligible to pass the class.
• Attendance during oral presentations is mandatory. Any student who is late for or does not attend a
class in which presentations occur will receive a full grade reduction on his or her mark for the
associated assignment for each class late or missed.
• An assignment that is so weak in grammar and mechanics that it would not meet the university-
level writing standards at UBC will receive a failing mark.

Late Policy
• Each assignment must be submitted on or before the due date specified by the instructor.
• Late assignments may receive a reduction of one increment per day late (for example, if an assignment
that would have earned a B was handed in one day late, it would then earn a B-).

C. Classroom Conduct
Students are expected to assist in maintaining a classroom environment that is conducive to learning. In
order to ensure that all students have the opportunity to gain from time spent in class, unless otherwise
approved by the instructor, students are prohibited from engaging in any form of distraction. Inappropriate
behavior in the classroom may result in a directive to leave class.

No student is permitted to electronically record material discussed and/or shown in class without the
explicit permission of the instructor.

D. Technology
Students are expected to use Canvas to retrieve material.

The use of electronic devices during class is allowed for course-related purposes only.

Academic Integrity
The academic enterprise is founded on honesty, civility, and integrity. As members of this enterprise, all
students are expected to know, understand, and follow the codes of conduct regarding academic integrity.
At the most basic level, this means submitting only original work and acknowledging all sources of
information or ideas and attributing them to others as required. This also means not cheating, copying, or
misleading others about ownership of work. Violations of academic integrity (i.e., misconduct) lead to the
breakdown of the academic enterprise and, therefore, serious consequences arise and harsh sanctions are
imposed. For example, incidents of plagiarism or cheating may result in a mark of zero on the assignment
or exam and more serious consequences may apply if the matter is referred to the President’s Advisory
Committee on Student Discipline. Careful records are kept in order to monitor and prevent recurrences.

A more detailed description of academic integrity, including the University’s policies and procedures, may
be found in the Academic Calendar at
http://okanagan.students.ubc.ca/calendar/index.cfm?tree=3,54,111,0.

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Turnitin.com
For this course, some assignments may be submitted through Turnitin.com. This service ensures academic
integrity by scanning submitted papers for material copied from a variety of sources (including public
websites, paper mills, essays/assignments previously submitted, and published works such as journals and
books).

Disability Services
The Disability Resource Centre ensures educational equity for students with disabilities, injuries or
illnesses. If case of injury or illness and required academic accommodations to meet the course objectives,
contact Earllene Roberts, the Diversity Advisor for the Disability Resource Centre located in Commons
Corner in the University Centre building (UNC 227).

UBC Okanagan Disability Resource Centre: UNC 227A 250.807.9263

email earllene.roberts@ubc.ca Web: www.ubc.ca/okanagan/students/drc

Ombuds Office
The Ombuds Office offers independent, impartial, and confidential support to students in navigating UBC
policies, processes, and resources, as well as guidance in resolving concerns related to fairness.

UBC Okanagan Ombuds Office: UNC 227B 250.807.9818

email: ombuds.office.ok@ubc.ca Web: www.ubcsuo.ca/services-ombudsperson

Equity, Human Rights, Discrimination and Harassment

UBC Okanagan is a place where every student, staff and faculty member should be able to study and work
in an environment that is free from human rights-based discrimination and harassment. UBC prohibits
discrimination and harassment on the basis of the following grounds: age, ancestry, colour, family status,
marital status, physical or mental disability, place of origin, political belief, race, religion, sex, sexual
orientation or unrelated criminal conviction. If you require assistance related to an issue of equity,
discrimination, or harassment, please contact the Equity and Inclusion Office – Okanagan and/or your
department head.

Equity and Inclusion Office – Okanagan: 250-807-9291; Toll-free 1-866-596-0767 ext. 2-6353 email:
equity.ubco@ubc.ca Web: http://equity.ok.ubc.ca/

Health & Wellness Info

For information about resources available on campus, please see the Health and Wellness web site:
http://students.ok.ubc.ca/health-wellness/welcome.html

Safewalk
Campus Security coordinates the Safewalk program on campus. For details, please call 250-807-8076 or see the
Campus Security web site: security.ok.ubc.ca/welcome.html

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 Grading Standards

The following grading standards should help students understand the grades they receive on their APSC 201
assignments. Thoughtful writing and careful proofreading are essential to success in APSC 201, as is precise
adherence to instructions and specifications. Any assignment that does not meet the basic requirements of
university writing cannot receive a passing grade.

Excellent (A+ / A / A-)

An excellent document shows an exceptional ability to communicate clearly and effectively to a specific
audience. It follows the guidelines given for that particular assignment, including mechanical requirements such
as margins, font, headers, word count, etc. The document has a professional appearance. The purpose is clearly
established early in the document. The content of the document is exceptionally thoughtful and complete. The
ideas are well developed and supported by excellent examples. The structure of the argument is unobtrusive and
guides the reader logically from premise to conclusion. The claims are solid and backed with careful reasoning
and sound logic. Paragraphs are well organized and fully developed. The sentences are clear, concise, and easy to
follow. The vocabulary is professional, precise, appropriate, rich, and varied. There are no more than two or three
errors of any kind. Sources are used correctly and there are no citation errors. The document is handed in when
due. The excellent document demonstrates the writer’s ability to communicate flawlessly with the intended
audience.

Good (B+ / B / B-)

A good document shows a strong ability to communicate clearly and effectively to a specific audience. It follows
the guidelines given for that particular assignment, including mechanical requirements such as margins, font,
headers, word count, etc. The document has a professional appearance. The content of the document is thoughtful
and complete. Most or all ideas are well developed and supported by good and varied examples. The structure of
the argument guides the reader logically from premise to conclusion. The claims are all or mostly solid and
backed with sound logic. Paragraphs are, for the most part, well organized and well developed. Most of the
sentences are clear, concise, and generally easy to follow. The vocabulary is professional and appropriate, but
may be occasionally imprecise. There are no more than five errors of any kind. Sources are used correctly and
there are few or no citation errors. The document is handed in when due. The good document demonstrates the
writer’s ability to structure and communicate information clearly and effectively for the intended audience.

Adequate (C+ / C / C-)

An adequate document communicates reasonably successfully to a specific audience, although there may be some
weaknesses in adaptation. For the most part, the document follows the guidelines given for that particular
assignment, including mechanical requirements such as margins, font, headers, word count, etc. An attempt has
been made to give the document a professional appearance. The purpose can be understood from the document.
The content of the document is complete but may lack depth or be repetitive. Most of the ideas are supported by
examples, though some of these may be weak. The structure may exhibit occasional weaknesses. The claims are
present but may exhibit leaps in judgment or may be insufficiently supported. Paragraphs are unified and
coherent. The sentences may vary in quality, with some being clear, but others being wordy or hard to follow. The
vocabulary is acceptable but may be occasionally simplistic, imprecise or repetitive. There may be more than five
errors. Sources are used correctly and there are few or no citation errors. The document is handed in when due.
Though the adequate document may exhibit one or more of these weaknesses, the intended audience, with some
effort, is still able to understand the intent of the document, and the document meets the requirements of the
assignment.

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Poor (D)
A poor document communicates marginally successfully to a specific audience, although there may be several
weaknesses in adaptation. Though the weaknesses are significant, the document demonstrates enough strength
overall to receive a passing grade. A poor document exhibits one or more the following characteristics: It may be
unprofessional in appearance, incomplete or poor in content, and/or it may have significant errors in spelling or
grammar. The ideas may be weak and/or poorly supported. The document may lack a coherent structure.
Paragraphs may lack unity and/or coherence. Sentences may be hard to follow, wordy, and/or unclear. The
vocabulary may be imprecise and/or inaccurate. There may be frequent repetition of ideas. Sources may not be
used correctly and there may be citation errors. The document is handed in when due. The document shows a
marginally successful grasp of the writing process.

Failure (F+ / F / F- / 0)
A failing document exhibits one or more of the following characteristics, to the extent that it would be
unacceptable to the audience for whom it is intended: It may be profoundly unprofessional in appearance or
extensively incomplete. The content may be poor, and the document may have frequent and/or serious errors in
spelling or grammar. The ideas may be unacceptably weak and/or so poorly supported that the intended audience
would not accept them. The document may lack a sense of coherent structure. Paragraphs may repeatedly lack
unity and/or coherence. Sentences may be frequently hard to follow, wordy, and/or unclear. The vocabulary may
be consistently imprecise and/or inaccurate. There may be frequent repetition of ideas. The document may be
submitted incorrectly, or fail to follow submission requirements. The document may or may not be handed in
when due. A failing document may demonstrate a significant lack of understanding of the assignment or the
writing process and/or a failure to implement appropriate communication skills. Sources may be used incorrectly
and there may be egregious citation errors. Instances of plagiarism will be treated as Academic Misconduct (as
per pages 45-48 of the UBC Okanagan Calendar) and dealt with accordingly. Any assignment that does not meet
the basic requirements of university writing cannot receive a passing grade.