ENGL 2116

Writing for the Web
3 Credit Hours

Course Information

Course Description:

This course focuses on developing comprehensible and useful content for websites. Students critique the writing style of current web pages and then design online documentation and develop appropriate online copy.

 

Primary Case Study:

Pros & Comm Inc., Professional Communications for the Web

In the overall class conceit, students are new employees of Pros & Comm Inc., a company that specializes in writing professional communications for websites. Their diverse clientele allow them to tackle a range of web content. Student "employees" work both individually and in teams to analyze and produce professional web content.

ENGL 2116 is part of a one-year certificate in Technical Communications.

Course Objectives:

Once you successfully complete this course, you will have learned about and developed or enhanced basic skills in the following areas:

  • understanding the unique characteristics of web content

  • recognizing and writing credible content

  • understanding ethical, legal, and privacy issues

  • crafting web content for readers who scan

  • drafting and revising content to enhance readability

  • revising web content with international readers in mind

  • producing alternative text to enhance the web experience for the visually impaired

  • understanding the purpose of keywords and learning how to craft them deliberately in web content

This course focuses on writing content for the Web, not on HTML or website design.
Prerequisites and Corequisites:
 Prerequisites: ENGL 1010
Course Topics:

Week 1    Introduction to Course

 

Unit 1: What Is Web Writing?

Week 2    Unique Content Considerations 

Week 3    Credibility-What It Means and Why It Matters

 

Unit 2: Write to Be Read.

Week 4    How Web Readers Read 

Week 5    The Inverted Pyramid 

Week 6    Lean, Clean, Purposeful Text

Week 7    Demonstration A

 

Unit 3: Write Useful Content.

Week 8    Chunking It 

Week 9    Headers and Bullets-Elements That Draw the Reader's Eye

Week 10  The Power of Links 

Week 11  Demonstration B

 

Unit 4: Write for Diverse Readers.

Week 12  International Considerations

Week 13  Alt Text Concerns

Week 14  Keyword Clues

Week 15  Demonstration C
Specific Course Requirements:
See hardware/software requirements below. Keep in mind that most projects are team efforts; it is the student's responsibility to use compatible software so that team members can easily transfer files and documents.
Textbooks, Supplementary Materials, Hardware and Software Requirements
Required Textbooks:
Please visit the Virtual Bookstore to obtain textbook information for this course.  It is located at http://rodp.bkstr.com. 
Supplementary Materials:
None. Students will need access to good reference materials (dictionary, grammar, style guide, etc.), but these are available at the Tennessee Virtual Library link noted under "Library" below.
Hardware Requirements:
The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm.
Software Requirements:
The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm. Specific software requirements for this course include Microsoft Word (2000 or higher) and Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Instructor Information
Please see the separate page inside the course to find instructor contact information as well as a statement of virtual office hours and other communication information.
Assessment and Grading
Testing Procedures:
Timed quizzes and tests are provided online within the course.
Grading Procedure:
Grades are based on how well the student's work demonstrates skills presented in each lesson. Portions of a student's work are team efforts, and grades for those will also reflect how well the team worked together to accomplish its goal.
Grading Scale:
A---900-1000 points
B---800-899
C---700-799
F---699 or below
Students acquire points by successfully completing quizzes, tests, projects (both team and individual), discussions, and email assignments. Some projects and all discussions also reflect a student's interaction with colleagues. The majority of a student's work must receive an average grade (C range) at a minimum, or the student is not demonstrating the necessary skills to pass this course. Therefore, no "D" grade is assigned.
Assignments and Participation
Assignments and Projects:
See Course Topics above. Students are assigned short email projects and three major case studies, one of which is a team project.
Class Participation:
Students are required to interact with colleagues via discussion postings and, most important, as part of a team assembling a multipart project. Participation--timely and professional--is essential for success.
Punctuality:
Meeting deadlines in this course is essential for success. In addition to upholding your responsibility to yourself to complete each lesson, you have a responsibility to your colleagues, particularly in responding to discussion topics by deadline and interacting through a three-week period on the team project. 
Course Ground Rules
Though much of the required coursework is individual, the majority of the projects are team efforts. Participation is an essential element of this course. Beyond that, students are expected to learn how to navigate in WebCT, keep abreast of course announcements, interact with colleagues and the instructor using the WebCT email address, and observe standard rules of netiquette. The student is responsible for addressing all technical problems immediately so as to meet deadlines and stay on track. 
Guidelines for Communications
Email:
  • Always include a subject line.
  • Remember without facial expressions some comments may be taken the wrong way. Be careful in wording your emails. Use of emoticons might be helpful in some cases.
  • Use standard fonts.
  • Do not send large attachments without permission.
  • Special formatting such as centering, audio messages, tables, html, etc., should be avoided unless necessary to complete an assignment or other communication.
  • Respect the privacy of other class members.
Discussion Groups:
  • Review the discussion threads thoroughly before entering the discussion.
  • Maintain threads by using the "Reply" button rather than starting a new topic.
  • Do not make insulting or inflammatory statements to other members of the discussion group. Be respectful of others' ideas.
  • Be patient and read the comments of other group members thoroughly before entering your remarks.
  • Be cooperative with group leaders in completing assigned tasks.
  • Be positive and constructive in group discussions.
  • Respond in a thoughtful and timely manner.
Web Resources:

Library

The Tennessee Virtual Library is available to all students enrolled in the Regents Degree Program. Links to library materials (such as electronic journals, databases, interlibrary loans, digital reserves, dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and librarian support) and Internet resources needed by learners to complete online assignments and as background reading must be included in all courses. 

Students With Disabilities

Qualified students with disabilities will be provided reasonable and necessary academic accommodations if determined eligible by the appropriate disability services staff at their home institution. Before granting disability accommodations in this course, the instructor must receive written verification of a student's eligibility for specific accommodations from the disability services staff at the home institution. It is the student's responsibility to initiate contact with the home institution's disability services staff and to follow the established procedures for having the accommodation notice sent to the instructor.

Syllabus Changes

The instructor reserves the right to make changes as necessary to this syllabus. If changes are necessitated during the term of the course, the instructor will immediately notify students of such changes both by individual email communication and by posting the notification and the nature of the changes on Class Announcements on the Homepage.

Technical Support

Telephone Support:

If you are having problems logging into your course, timing out of your course, or using your course website tools, or other technical problems, please contact the Eduprise Help Desk by calling:

1-866-550-7637 (toll free)

or go to their website at:

http://help.rodp.org