FAQ about Technical Writing class via Internet

Eric Johnson (johnsone@jupiter.dsu.edu)
Mon, 31 Jul 1995 09:40:15 -0500 (CDT)

ENGL 405: Technical Report Writing via Internet

Frequently Asked Questions

There has been a good deal of interest in the electronic
courses that Dakota State University will teach via Internet this
next year -- especially in ENGL 405: Technical Report Writing
which will be taught in the fall. The following attempts to
answer some frequently asked questions.

Q: What is the description of Technical Report Writing?

ENGL 405 provides study of and practice in the principles
and rhetorical strategies of technical writing. It is a
professionally-oriented writing course that teaches students
to compose a variety of technical communications.

Q: How will the class be conducted?

Class assignments and discussions will take the form of
asynchronous email. Although the class projects will have
assigned due dates, students can "attend" class at their
leisure, from their workplaces or their homes.

Q: For whom is the course intended?

ENGL 405 is designed for working professionals in science
and technology and those who intend to be employed in a
technical field.

Q: How much credit may be earned?

Three semester hours.

Q: What are the computing requirements?

Students must have access to a computer on which to complete
writing assignments (DOS/Windows or Macintosh or some other
system that can produce files compatible with DOS/Windows or
Macintosh) and a word processor (such as MS Word or
WordPerfect) and access to the Internet and the ability to
send and receive email messages and files. Students may
wish to use the World Wide Web to view course materials, but
Web access is not required.

Q: What is the cost?

Pending approval by the Board of Regents, the cost will be
US$282.00 total tuition and fees for the three-credit
course. The cost of the textbook is additional.

Q: Who is the teacher?

Dr. John Laflin, Professor of English at Dakota State
University. He holds a Ph.D. degree in English from Purdue
University, and he has taught technical writing courses at
Dakota State and at Purdue. He is currently the Managing
Editor of _TEXT Technology: The Journal of Computer Text
Processing_.

Q: What is the textbook?

_Reporting Technical Information_ by Houp and Pearsall, 8th
edition.

Q: How can the textbook be ordered?

Send email to the Dakota State University Bookstore at
mcdonalr@columbia.dsu.edu or contact a local bookstore or
the publisher, Prentice-Hall.

Q: Is there a pre-requisite?

Students in ENGL 405 must have completed at least one
standard university-level English composition course or have
equivalent writing ability.

Q: May students audit ENGL 405?

Yes, but currently the cost (and the nature of the
instruction) for auditing is the same as enrolling for
credit -- the only difference is that auditors automatically
receive a "grade" of AU.

Q: How can I register?

Send email to dsuinfo@columbia.dsu.edu
or send a fax to 605-256-5020
or phone 605-256-5145
or write Office of Records, Dakota State University,
Madison, SD 57042 USA.

Q: How can I get more information?

view the Web page for the course at
http://www.dsu.edu/departments/liberal/english/techwrit/
or
Send email to dsuinfo@columbia.dsu.edu
or
send email to the professor at
laflinj@columbia.dsu.edu or laflinj@sdinter.net

-- Eric Johnson
JohnsonE@columbia.dsu.edu
johnsone@dsuvax.dsu.edu