Outcome Summary Written Communication
Title
Written Communication
Course Number
10801195
Credits
3
Organization
Western Technical College
Developers
WTCS General Studies Instructors
Development Date
6/3/1996
Revised by
Communication Skills Department
Revised date
2/24/2011
Instructional Level
Associate Degree Courses
Instructional Area
Communication Skills - 801
Division
General Education
Department
Communication Skills
| Instructional Type | Contact Hours | Outside Hours | Credits |
| Lecture | 54 | 0 | 3 |
Description
Students use the writing process and the computer to complete written projects. In the process of doing so, students analyze audience and purpose; generate ideas for writing; employ appropriate rhetorical strategies; research, synthesize, and organize information; use an approved documentation system for research writing; format word-processed documents appropriately; and follow grammar and punctuation rules. (Students repeating Written Communication for the third time must have approval from the Dean.)
Prerequisites
- Prerequisite(s): 10801120 Beginning Composition with a C or better or Placement Test Scores ACT 19+ (English), COMPASS 75+(Writing), ASSET 45+ (Writing)
Supplies
- None
Core Abilities
- Use effective communication skills
- Demonstrate ability to think critically
- Demonstrate ability to value self and work ethically with others in a diverse population
- Use technology effectively
Competency
1. Establish document purpose
Criteria - Performance will be satisfactory when:
- learner articulates a specific purpose that logically and clearly corresponds to the given task.
- learner remains focused on the specific purpose.
Learning Objectives
- Identify the need for informative or persuasive writing
- Express thesis
- Determine specific subject
- Determine scope
- Describe the relationship between elements in a unified document
2. Apply audience analysis techniques
Criteria - Performance will be satisfactory when:
- learner recognizes the need to focus on narrowing the desired audience.
- learner utilizes demographic and situational analysis in analyzing the audience.
- learner focuses on the content that is appropriate for the desired audience.
Learning Objectives
- Identify relevant audience traits (i.e., needs, values, ages, education/technical expertise)
- Represent different audience attitudes (i.e., objections, common ground) toward subject and purpose
3. Employ rhetorical strategies
Criteria - Performance will be satisfactory when:
- learner identifies rhetorical strategies in the work of others.
- learner selects the appropriate rhetorical strategies to enhance the text's effectiveness.
Learning Objectives
- Recognize narrative pattern of development
- Recognize descriptive techniques
- Recognize exemplification as a major form of support
- Recognize comparison/contrast patterns of development
- Recognize the strategies of formal and extended definition
- Recognize the strategies of classification and division in a written document
4. Generate ideas for writing
Criteria - Performance will be satisfactory when:
- learner generates ideas using accepted invention techniques, (e.g. outline, mapping, brainstorming)
- learner generates ideas from a variety of media.
- learner generates sufficient ideas to effectively complete the task.
- learner records his/her ideas.
Learning Objectives
- Conduct brainstorming by various techniques (e.g., mapping, listing, freewriting)
- Conduct surveys, interviews
- Determine relevance of ideas to audience and purpose
- Develop a record of ideas
5. Research outside sources
Criteria - Performance will be satisfactory when:
- learner locates a variety of appropriate sources
- learner the document follows an accepted standard for documentation (e.g. MLA, APA, Chicago)
- learner uses varied sources of information
- learner differentiates between primary and secondary sources
- learner extracts information using a variety of methods, i.e., quotes, paraphrases, summaries
- learner uses accepted documentation standards
Learning Objectives
6. Synthesize information from sources
Criteria - Performance will be satisfactory when:
- learner relies on multiple sources
- learner presents relevant evidence from sources that is sufficient to the purpose, scope, and audience
- learner integrates quoted, paraphrased, and summarized information
- learner quotas, paraphrases, and summaries retain the intent of the original research
- learner presents concrete and accurate evidence from sources
- learner forms valid conclusions based on diverse viewpoints
Learning Objectives
- Integrate materials from a number of different sources
- Integrate summary, paraphrase, and quotation in a single document
- Connect diverse source material to a single purpose and audience
- Form conclusions from evidence
- Relate diverse source material to an original purpose
7. Organize document content
Criteria - Performance will be satisfactory when:
- learner uses organizational schemes suited to purpose and audience
- learner composes distinct introductions, bodies, and conclusions
- learner utilizes appropriate transitions
- learner employs effective paragraph structure
Learning Objectives
- Develop all aspects of introduction, body, and conclusion
- Adapt organizational scheme to purpose and audience
8. Write final text from drafts
Criteria - Performance will be satisfactory when:
- learner incorporates ideas generated in earlier steps
- learner relies on concrete support
- learner includes necessary documentation
- learner tone matches document's purpose
- learner selects language for the specific audience (e.g. concrete, abstract, etc.)
- learner uses ideas that are clearly related to thesis
- learner emphasizes ideas of greatest importance
- learner is free of confusion and contradiction
- learner states or clearly implies a thesis
- learner is concise
Learning Objectives
- Distinguish between concrete and abstract language
- Distinguish between general and specific diction
- Recognize the functions of denotation and connotation in diction
- Distinguish between figures of speech: simile, metaphor, personification
- Recognize a variety of strategies for sentence style and variety (e.g., periodic, cumulative, inverted)
- Describe the relationship between elements in a unified document
- Distinguish between active and passive voice
- Recognize how audience effects language
- Recognize main ideas
- Recognize supporting detail
- Recognize a variety of strategies for arranging main ideas and supporting detail
- Determine accuracy and concreteness of evidence/support
- Determine sufficiency of evidence/support
- Determine relevance of evidence/support
9. Design document format
Criteria - Performance will be satisfactory when:
- learner produces document format appropriate to audience, purpose, content, and situation
- learner document design contributes to readability
- learner recognizes and applies styles for formatting documents (e.g. MLA, APA, Chicago)
- learner word processes documents
- learner adheres to instructor requirements for margins, headings, titles, etc
Learning Objectives
- Recognize standards for formatting documents (e.g., MLA, APA, Chicago)
- Adapt arrangement of ideas to audience and purpose
- Recognize requirements of format established by instructor (e.g., heading, title, margins, ink)
10. Critique one's own writing and others' writing
Criteria - Performance will be satisfactory when:
- learner evaluates credibility of sources of feedback
- learner responds to/gives feedback
- learner discriminates between valid and invalid criticism
- learner identifies specific aspects of current draft influenced by reader- and/or self-assessment
- learner document incorporates valid criticism in revision
Learning Objectives
- Record critical feedback of peer readers
- Identify textbook material relevant to critical feedback from students/instructor
- Maintain emotional control in processing feedback from students/instructor
11. Edit document based on conventions of standard English
Criteria - Performance will be satisfactory when:
- learner text is basically free from errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and mechanics
Learning Objectives
- Recognize accepted standards for English usage
- Reference material in a handbook of English usage
