ADMINISTRATIVE COMMUNICATION

Course Number: BCM 347.001 (Spring 2015)

Time/Room: Tuesday 2:00pm - 3:15pm/167 McGee Building
Instructor: Dr. Clive Muir, Associate Professor
Department: Business Communication & Legal Studies
Location: Suite #229, McGee Business Building
Phone/Email: 936.468.6280/[email protected]
Office Hours: Tuesday 11:00am - 2:00pm & Thursday 10:45am - 1:45pm
Online Hours: Wednesday 9:00 am - 1:00pm and by arrangement
NOTABLE QUOTE:
“If all my possessions were taken from me with one exception, I would choose to keep the power of
communication, for by it I would soon regain all the rest.” (Daniel Webster, U.S. Statesman)
COURSE CATALOG DESCRIPTION:
A study of administrative communication skills with focus on written and visual communication. Electronic
tools are used to assist in document development. Prerequisites: BCM 247, ENG 273 or equivalent; CSC 101
or 121 is recommended.
PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Program learning outcomes define the knowledge, skills, and abilities students are expected to demonstrate
upon completion of an academic program. These learning outcomes are regularly assessed to determine
student learning and to evaluate overall program effectiveness. You may access the program learning
outcomes for your major and particular courses at http://www.sfasu.edu/cob/ug-plo.asp.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
This is a writing- and design-intensive course meant to introduce you to routine and non-routine
communications in American workplaces. Topics will include writing and visual techniques applied to
biographical sheets, memos, letters, reports, newsletters, proposals, fliers, brochures, and instructional
videos. These activities will occur in workshop-style meetings and presentations. We will not cover topics
related to employment communication.
COURSE OBJECTIVES/OUTCOMES: After completing this course, you should be able to:
1. Demonstrate improved analytical writing and visual communication skills.
2. Use higher-order, critical thinking skills to read business information.
3. Assess the communication needs of business audiences.
4. Research and use primary and secondary data for business messages.
5. Define concepts and principles of document design.
6. Create effective tables and figures for business documents.
7. Refine business research and report writing techniques.
8. Participate in group brainstorming, production, and presentation.
TEXT AND TECHNOLOGY REQUIRED:
Workplace Communications (2014) by George J. Searles.
Pearson. ISBN-13: 978-0321-91678.
Personal Computer • MS Office 2010 (Word & PowerPoint)
High Speed Internet Access • PDF Software
Digital Camera for high-resolution photographs /videos
BCM 347 1
UNIVERSITY POLICIES:
Academic Integrity (A-9.1)
Academic integrity is a responsibility of all university faculty and students. Faculty members promote
academic integrity in multiple ways including instruction on the components of academic honesty, as well
as abiding by university policy on penalties for cheating and plagiarism.
Definition of Academic Dishonesty
Academic dishonesty includes both cheating and plagiarism. Cheating includes but is not limited to (1) using
or attempting to use unauthorized materials to aid in achieving a better grade on a component of a class;
(2) the falsification or invention of any information, including citations, on an assigned exercise; and/or (3)
helping or attempting to help another in an act of cheating or plagiarism. Plagiarism is presenting the words
or ideas of another person as if they were your own. Examples of plagiarism are (1) submitting an
assignment as if it were one's own work when, in fact, it is at least partly the work of another; (2)
submitting a work that has been purchased or otherwise obtained from an Internet source or another
source; and (3) incorporating the words or ideas of an author into one's paper without giving the author
due credit. Please read the complete policy at http://www.sfasu.edu/policies/academic_integrity.asp
Withheld Grades Semester Grades Policy (A-54)
Ordinarily, at the discretion of the instructor of record and with the approval of the academic
chair/director, a grade of WH will be assigned only if the student cannot complete the course work because
of unavoidable circumstances. Students must complete the work within one calendar year from the end of
the semester in which they receive a WH, or the grade automatically becomes an F. If students register for
the same course in future terms the WH will automatically become an F and will be counted as a repeated
course for the purpose of computing the grade point average.
Students with Disabilities
To obtain disability related accommodations, alternate formats and/or auxiliary aids, students with
disabilities must contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS), Human Services Building, and Room 325,
468-3004 / 468-1004 (TDD) as early as possible in the semester. Once verified, ODS will notify the course
instructor and outline the accommodation and/or auxiliary aids to be provided. Failure to request services
in a timely manner may delay your accommodations. For additional information, go to
http://www.sfasu.edu/disabilityservices/.
Student Conduct (University Policy 10.4)
Classroom (online) behavior should not interfere with the instructor’s ability to conduct the class or the
ability of other students to learn from the instructional program. Unacceptable or disruptive behavior will
not be tolerated. Students who disrupt the learning environment may be asked to leave class and may be
subject to judicial, academic, or other penalties. This prohibition applies to all instructional forums,
including electronic, classroom, labs, discussion groups, field trips, etc. The instructor shall have full
discretion over what behavior is appropriate/ inappropriate in the classroom. Students who do not attend
class regularly or who perform poorly on class projects/exams may be referred to the iCare Early Alert
Program. This program provides students with recommendations for resources or other assistance that is
available to help SFA students succeed. See the full Student Conduct Code at
http://www.sfasu.edu/policies/student-conduct-code.pdf.

BCM 347 2
COURSE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES:
Attendance will be taken at every class, usually at the beginning of the class. You are allowed three (3)
absences without penalty to take care of personal, unexpected situations. If you miss more than three
classes this semester, you will lose 5 points from your final grade.
If you must miss class to attend a university-sponsored event, you must provide a letter from the faculty or
staff requesting your attendance. As well, you must meet with me to arrange for timely completion and
submission of any affected assignments. Merely having a letter from the staff or faculty member regarding
the event does not diminish your responsibility to complete assignments. I do not give substitute
assignments when it is clear to me that you could have completed the original assignments.
Email related to the course will be sent via D2L. Such emails may be personal to you or general to the class,
and may concern any activities or assignments throughout the semester. It is your responsibility to check
your D2L email at least twice daily. Please note that if you forward your D2L mail to another email address
(including your SFA Titan account), you must log into D2L in order to reply to the original email. When you
send me an email, please state a specific question or request if you want a reply. Avoid giving too much
personal detail about a situation. Also, do not predict my answer when making a request, such as, “I will
understand if you say no.” Just state the issue and question in a clear, straight-forward manner.
Due dates and times will be listed on each assignment. As well, some assignments may have multiple due
dates if the assignments have several parts, or if I need to read/watch the drafts of an assignment in order
to give you feedback to improve the final version of the assignment. If you do not submit drafts when they
are required, your final assignment will not be accepted.
Submit all assignments to the D2L Dropbox well before the designated time. For any technical problems,
please contact the Office of Instructional Technology at 936.468.1919 for help, but do not wait until the last
minute. When the D2L Dropbox closes, it will not be reopened. Missed assignments earn no points.
Written assignments are graded for format (physical arrangement of information); organization (logical
arrangement of information), and content (type of information included). There may be additional criteria,
so follow the specific guidelines for each task. All assignments must be single-spaced with your name in the
appropriate place on the document (e.g. in the “From” line of a memo; in the signature box of a letter). You
will lose points for excessive punctuation, spelling, and grammar problems.
Oral assignments are video-recorded and graded for visual (appearance of your video); verbal and
nonverbal delivery (how you present the information); and content (type of information included). There
may be additional criteria, so follow the specific guidelines for each task.
Participation plays a key role in your success in this course. The workshop style of teaching and learning
tends to be excellent venue for receiving feedback on assignments, and it depends very much on the input
of every member of the class. Also, you will work in smaller groups of three on many of the assignments, so
if you are absent or do not give your full input the success of the group is threatened. Everybody has a busy
life and schedule outside of the class, so please do not use this as an excuse to avoid course responsibilities.
Note that excessive absences will cause you to lose five (5) points, and your participation grade will also be
reduced.
Grades are posted in D2L, so you can assess your performance at any time. Points earned on all exams and
assignments carry the same weight. In other words, do not expect to pass the course just by taking exams.
There will be no bonus assignments at the end of the semester.

BCM 347 3
ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADE SCALE:

ASSIGNMENTS POINTS PERCENT GRADE SCALE

Routine/Non-Routine Business Documents 100 50% A 180 -- 200 pts.
Examinations (3) 60 30% B 160 -- 179 pts.
Instructional Video Presentation 30 15% C 140 -- 159 pts.
Class Participation & Evaluation 10 05% D 120 -- 139 pts.
Total Points for Course 200 100% F Below 120 pts.

TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE:

DATES CHAPTERS TOPICS AND *ASSIGNMENTS (points) POINTS

Course Orientation Activities
01|20 - 01|22 NA NA
* D2L Tutorial, Guest Speaker, Syllabus
Purpose, Audience, Tone in Business Messages
01|27 - 02|05 Ch. 1 15
* Biographical Sheet (10), Business Cards (5)
Workplace Correspondences
02|10 - 02|17 Ch. 2 40
* Memo and Letter Exercises (20), Exam 1 (20)
Effective Business Visuals
02|19 - 02|26 Ch. 3 20
* Visuals Exercises (20)
Business Reports and Newsletters
03|03 - 03|12 Ch. 4 & 6 20
* Research Report/Newsletter (20)

03|17 - 03|19 NA Spring Break Week NA

Business Proposals
03|24 - 03|31 Ch. 10 30
* Internal Proposal (10), Exam 2 (20)

04|02 - 04|06 NA Easter Observance NA

Fliers and Brochures

04|07 - 04|14 Ch. 6 15
* Promotional Materials (15)
Instruction Sheets and Presentations
04|16 - 04|30 Ch. 7 & 9 30
* Instructional Video Presentation (30)
Course Conclusion and Consultations
04|30 - 05|07 NA 10
* Class Participation & Evaluation (10)

Exam Week TBA * Final Exam (20) 20

COURSE MODIFICATIONS:
This course outline was developed before the beginning of the semester. Every effort was made to create
an accurate schedule of activities and assignments, but adjustments may be necessary in order to correct
errors and to accommodate unexpected opportunities, weather patterns, and other circumstances. When
such modifications occur, they will be communicated immediately.

BCM 347 4