Course Description

Instructor and Course Information

English 505, "Professional Writing Practicum"
Instructor Name: Dr. David Blakesley
Section: 50500-008-002
Office Hrs: M, 10-11:20 a.m., T 10:30-11:45 a.m., and by appt.
Office: Heavilon 302
Ph: 765.494.3772
Fax: 206.600.5072
E-Mail: blakesle@purdue.edu

Overview

ENGL 505M is designed for new instructors of ENGL 420 and 421. Its aim is to prepare instructors to teach online versions of English 420, Business Writing, and English 421, Technical Writing, at Purdue University by introducing relevant theories and teaching strategies through readings, class discussion, and hands-on workshops. The main objective of this practicum is to encourage your pedagogical, technical, and professional development.

Course Text

Professional Writing Online

Additional readings will be made available on the course website.

Web Resources

As part of your participation in the mentoring, you will develop and maintain Web resources for your 420 courses. In many cases, templates and handouts for your course syllabus, schedule, projects, and other activities will be provided. You will be responsible for contextualizing these templates in relationship to your individual teaching. You will also be encouraged to share drafts of this material on the 505 course website for discussion and review.

Course Work

Participation and Teaching Portfolio Development
Your participation in the mentoring will include reading assigned materials, developing and sharing teaching materials, presenting resources to the group in class and on the course and PW website, presenting at the Professional Writing Pedagogy and Technology Showcase, and discussing issues on the PW Mentor mailing list or course website. You'll be asked to collect this material in a teaching portfolio by the end of the semester. Another requirement of the mentoring is your participation in peer and mentor teaching observations. (20% of course grade)

PW Pedogogy and Technology Showcase
Each instructor should develop, propose, and present at the Professional Writing Pedagogy and Technology Showcase, scheduled for November, 2008, in Stewart Center. Your presentation may be a poster exhibit or other form of interactive multimedia, or you may choose to propose a panel or individual presentation. These projects should focus on some aspect of teaching professional writing in technology-rich contexts. (30% of course grade)

Group Project
Each person will collaborate with three colleagues to on a group project, involving many of the same deliverables and activities that we have our students complete in ENGL 420. Topics have yet to be decided but will likely involve the development of a white paper and a brochure on a topic of interest to PW instructors. (30% of course grade)

Peer Observations
About halfway through the semester, you will be paired with a colleague to arrange peer visits of each other's class, with guidelines and suggestions for these visits provided at that time. The purpose of these observations is to provide you with constructive feedback on your teaching. (20% of course grade)

Grading

Participation: 30%
Pedagogy and Technology Showcase: 20%
Group Project: 30%
Peer Observations: 20%

All major assignments will be graded on the standard plus-minus letter-grade scale: A=100-94, A-=93-90, B+==89-87, B=86-84, B-=83-80, C+=79-77, C=76-74, C-=73-70, D+=69-67, D=66-64, D-=63-60, F=59 or below.

Students must participate in all of the major projects and complete a majority of the required peer review in order to pass this class.

Attendance

Attendance is required at all scheduled electronic and face-to-face (F2F) meetings. Three absences may result in your final grade being lowered by as much as a letter grade. More than three absences can result in a failing grade for the course. Excused absences may be granted for religious holidays or university-sponsored events, provided you make a written request to me no less than two weeks in advance and that you complete any required work before the due date. Being excessively or regularly late for class or team meetings, both electronic and F2F, can also be counted as an absence.

Academic Integrity

Purdue students and their instructors are expected to adhere to guidelines set forth by the Dean of Students in "Academic Integrity: A Guide for Students," which students are encouraged to read here:

http://www.purdue.edu/ODOS/services/gradeappeals.htm

The preamble of this guide states the following: "Purdue University values intellectual integrity and the highest standards of academic conduct. To be prepared to meet societal needs as leaders and role models, students must be educated in an ethical learning environment that promotes a high standard of honor in scholastic work. Academic dishonesty undermines institutional integrity and threatens the academic fabric of Purdue University. Dishonesty is not an acceptable avenue to success. It diminishes the quality of a Purdue education, which is valued because of Purdue's high academic standards."

Academic dishonesty is defined as follows: "Purdue prohibits "dishonesty in connection with any University activity. Cheating, plagiarism, or knowingly furnishing false information to the University are examples of dishonesty." [University Regulations, Part V, Section III, B, 2, a] Furthermore, the University Senate has stipulated that "the commitment of acts of cheating, lying, and deceit in any of their diverse forms (such as the use of substitutes for taking examinations, the use of illegal cribs, plagiarism, and copying during examinations) is dishonest and must not be tolerated. Moreover, knowingly to aid and abet, directly or indirectly, other parties in committing dishonest acts is in itself dishonest." [University Senate Document 72-18, December 15, 1972]"

If you have any questions about this policy, please ask.

In Case of a Campus Emergency

In the event of a major campus emergency, course requirements, deadlines and grading percentages are subject to changes that may be necessitated by a revised semester calendar or other circumstances. You can acquire updated information from the course website, by emailing me, or by contacting me through the English Department at 765-494-3740.

Late Work

The majority of missed class assignments cannot be made up.If a serious and unavoidable problem arises, however, you should contact me in writing prior to the deadline to determine whether or not an extension for the work will or will not be granted.