This site is the official home for our Spring 2015 course (CRNs #17054). Information on all assignments, daily activities, and related resources will be posted here. Check this site regularly for the details on what to do for the course.

Readings for the Week of January 20

For today’s session, please read the following:

• The pages for the Syllabus, Assignments and Forum Posts & Participation.
• Information on course logistics.
• Details on the characteristics of technical writing and chapter 1 of Markel.
• Suggestions for writing collaboratively and chapter 3 of Markel.
• The assignment for Project 1: Professional Biographies.

Work for the Week of January 20

This week is about making sure you understand the course policies, getting set up, and generally touching base with one another. If you have technical difficulty with today’s class work, don’t panic! Send me an email to tengrrl at vt.edu and let me know what you need help with.

Please complete these tasks:

• Complete the following on the forums:
  1. Register on the forums. Be sure to choose the discussion area for Technical Writing for Spring 2015.
  2. Please choose a professional, classroom-appropriate username. This is a public site, so realize that the name you choose will be publicly available. If you do not want to use your real name on a public forum (for instance, because you are in the witness protection program), use a pseudonym, and email me to tell me that pseudonym and your real name.
  3. Go to the Syllabus board and add a reply to the “Syllabus Verification Thread” that confirms you have read the syllabus. Your post will serve as confirmation that you are enrolled in the course.
  4. If you have any questions about the syllabus, course policies, or anything related to the class, create a new topic and ask your question.

• Get familiar with your Google Drive account, which is connected to your vt.edu email address. (If you have forgotten your password for your VT Google Apps account, follow these instructions.) If you have never used Google Drive before, you can learn more by watching relevant portions of Google Drive Essential Training with Jess Stratton. (Login required; lynda.com resources are free to VT students.)

• Go to Tests & Quizzes in Scholar, and complete the reading quizzes on Chapter 1 and Chapter 3 of Markel by 11:55 PM on Monday, January 26. See the policies for quizzes on the course logistics page.

• Get started on Project 1 by reviewing advice on writing bio statements and discussing what you found in the forums. If you have any questions (today or in the future) about the first assignment, go to the Questions about Project 1 topic in the forum and add them. You can skim through this topic for answers as well.