Thurs 5:30–9:10PM

PKM 291 and via Zoom

Instructor: Carrie Gilbert | [email protected]
Office hours: Thurs 4–5:00PM in FMZ 318
and via Zoom (or by appointment)

WR 426/526: DOCUMENT DESIGN

Fall 2022

1. Course Description

From simple brochures to formally bound manuals, corporate slide decks to database-driven
websites, documents are pervasive in our lives. As technical and professional communicators, it
is critical that we not only understand our relationships with documents (both as consumers
and creators), but reflect upon how these relationships continue to evolve and recognize how
they shape our work and our users' perceptions of the documents we create.

Over the course of the term, we will take a balanced approach to documents and their design,
exploring theoretical frameworks that inform our understanding of documents, as well as
applying practical concepts to develop students' professional portfolios. Although all students
will be expected to use digital tools in their day-to-day coursework, no software purchase will
be required for this course.

2. Learning Outcomes

Upon completing this course, participants will be able to demonstrate their ability to:

● Use appropriate vocabulary and concepts to effectively discuss a document’s design

● Think critically about how all the elements of a document’s design affect how it is
perceived by its audience

● Understand how an audience’s expectations and context inform the design process

● Intentionally apply design principles to enhance a document’s communicative qualities

 ● Justify specific design decisions based on objective, well-reasoned rationales

In addition, students enrolled at the 500-level will be able to demonstrate how their work fits
within the broader context of relevant professional and academic discourse communities.

3. Materials

Required

● Course textbook
White Space Is Not Your Enemy: A Beginner's Guide to Communicating Visually Through
Graphic, Web & Multimedia Design
by Kim Golombisky and Rebecca Hagen (ISBN 1138804649)

● Your standard PSU online tools, including your pdx.edu email, Canvas, Google Drive, and
Google Photos

● A camera or scanner for digitally sharing examples of design “in the wild”

● A device (laptop, tablet, phone, etc.) and network connection suitable to accessing our
class Zoom sessions (required for Zoom attendees, strongly recommended for
on-campus attendees)

Recommended

● Designing Visual Language: Strategies for Professional Communicators (1st Edition)

by Charles Kostelnick and David D. Roberts (ISBN 0205200222)

○ Tipp: Search your preferred bookseller’s website by ISBN to ensure you are
getting the FIRST edition, which you can find used for under $10.

○ Access the book on openlibrary.org

● Grid-ruled paper (loose-leaf is fine, or an inexpensive notebook like the ones you can get
at Target or Amazon)

● Headphones or earbuds for on-campus attendees

You will also need access to appropriate software to complete class assignments in a
professional manner. This is not a “tools class,” so stick with something that you are already
familiar with (or are prepared to learn outside of class). Potential options are discussed below in
the context of each assignment.
If you have any concerns about securing reliable access to a network connection and/or
computer, the PSU IT Service Desk has compiled a list of resources in their Student Guide to
Learning Remotely.

4. Major Assignments

Over the course of the quarter, you will have the opportunity to earn 100 points toward your
final grade. Four projects will account for the majority of your grade, while your ongoing
contributions to the class scrapbook and discussions (both live and online) will account for the
remainder. In the event that course conditions require me to modify these assignments and/or
point distributions, I will clearly communicate any changes in class and via Canvas.

Brief overviews of each assignment follow; additional details including scoring rubrics will be
provided over the course of the term.

● Project 1: Syllabus Redesign 15 points

You are no stranger to syllabi, particularly at this time of year. This one’s design may
have room for improvement. We will reflect on our expectations of the syllabus genre,
and then use that understanding to inform the redesign of the syllabus for this course.
Recommended tools: Google Docs or Microsoft Word

● Project 2: Microsite Architecture 15 points

Although we often equate “design” with a document’s visual elements, its success often
hinges on the overall structure underlying those elements. Using a set of client
requirements as our starting point, we’ll develop a basic sitemap, wireframes, and
interaction flows for a small website.
Recommended tools: Google Slides, Microsoft PowerPoint, Visio, Adobe InDesign, or
various others

● Project 3: Flier 15 points

Another document genre commonly encountered in college and professional life, the
humble flier provides plenty of opportunity to put many basic design concepts into
practice. Taking a step-by-step approach, our fliers will serve as a sandbox for
experimenting with layout, typography, and imagery.
Recommended tools: Google Slides, Microsoft PowerPoint, Adobe InDesign, or Canva

● Project 4: Presentation Template 15 points

For better or worse, day-to-day life in many organizations is fueled by slide

presentations. These documents need not be weighed down by horrible clip art and
 unusable corporate standards, however. We’ll identify the layouts most relevant to
various rhetorical situations and then unite them in a cohesive, thoughtfully designed
template.
Recommended tools: Google Slides or Microsoft PowerPoint

● Final Class Portfolio 20 points

At the end of the term, you will select two of the above projects to revise and resubmit.
Each final project will include an illustrated narrative of your overall design process,
including notes, sketches, and other artifacts. Students enrolled at the 500-level will also
be expected to position their selected projects within the context of their program
portfolio goals.

● Weekly Prompts and Discussions 20 points

Each week’s coursework will include a collection of prompts designed to encourage you
to apply course concepts in various ways, such as by drawing connections between
readings and designs you encounter in your day-to-day life and engaging with your
peers in relevant conversations. These activities will be worth a cumulative 20 points
(approximately 2 points per week) and will be based largely on your contributions to
class meetings and Canvas discussions (including thoughtful responses to peers’ posts).

5. Grades, Assessment, and Feedback

Your final grade will be based on the percentage of the total points possible that you have
earned over the course of the term, translated into a letter grade:

A 93% and above C

76% ⎼ 73%

A- 92% ⎼ 90% C-
72% ⎼ 70%

B+ 89% ⎼ 87% D+ 69% ⎼ 67%

B 86% ⎼ 83% D 66% ⎼ 63%

B- 82% ⎼ 80% D- 62% ⎼ 60%

C+ 79% ⎼ 77% F 59% and below

Feedback and Self-Assessment

You will have opportunities throughout the term to get written and verbal feedback on your
work and to assess your progress. Please take advantage of all feedback opportunities provided
to you (via small-group sessions, Canvas discussion boards, and instructor-provided
assessments), and use the feedback you receive to further your learning and improve your
work. In addition, to maximize your success in this class, practice objectively self-assessing
your work prior to submitting it:

● Review the assignment and accompanying rubric. Is each requirement observable in

your work?

● Does your work demonstrate concepts from recent class readings and discussions?

● Does your work reflect attention to craftsmanship?

Revisions

You can plan to submit each of our four projects at least twice, allowing you an opportunity to
continually improve your work based on feedback you have received:

● v1 of each project will be due on a Thursday at 5PM. A portion of class time will be
dedicated to small-group peer feedback sessions.

● v2 will be due the following Monday at 11:59PM. v2 will include revisions you have made
based on feedback you have received and will be the version that counts toward your
grade.

If you are unsatisfied with v2 of any given project, additional revisions are always welcome.
Include a brief rationale of your changes if you would like me to re-assess the project for a new
grade. You can resubmit a project at any point over the course of the term, and also have the
opportunity to include it as one of the two projects in your final class portfolio.

…and of course you can (and should!) continue to hone your work when you prepare it for
inclusion in your professional portfolio to best align it with your longer term goals.

Deadlines

All assignments will have a posted deadline. For readings and other outside-of-class activities,
missing a deadline prevents you from participating fully in discussions, which of course affects
not only your in-class experience but your peers’ as well. For projects, the risks of missed
deadlines are two-fold:

● You will miss valuable opportunities to receive feedback on any works in progress, both
from your peers and from me. Please note that a portion of your grade is largely based
on your ability to incorporate and respond meaningfully to feedback.
 ● Late “v2” work will automatically be marked down 5% for each day (or fraction thereof)
that it is late. The clock starts ticking at the posted deadline.

If you have reason to believe you will not be able to submit a project by its due date, please
contact me as soon as possible. Extensions are often an option if you contact me in advance.

6. Expectations and Community-Building

What to Expect from Class

A high-level schedule of course themes and major assignments will be available in Canvas
throughout the term. I will strive to always have about three weeks’ worth of detailed content
available as well so you can see what’s coming down the pike in terms of reading assignments,
detailed project overviews, smaller exercises, etc.

● During class meetings: Thursday meetings will typically consist of lectures, whole- and
small-group discussions, feedback sessions on works in progress, and plenty of
opportunity to share examples and ask questions. Given classroom technology
constraints, small group assignments may be based on your attendance mode. Please
come to class prepared to fully engage with your peers—this means completing any
assigned readings or other activities at least thoroughly enough to participate in a
conversation about them. Any “v1” project work will be due at 5PM just before class to
ensure everyone is able to participate in peer review sessions. Coming to class with an
incomplete something will always put you in a better spot than a complete nothing.

● Outside of class: In addition to our weekly meetings, you can expect to dedicate some
time each week to this course in the form of project work, reading assignments, and
asynchronous activities or discussions via Canvas. Any “v2” project work (a.k.a the
graded version) will be due Mondays by 11:59PM.

Attendance

Much of the learning that occurs in this course will happen during our live class sessions, so
your presence is essential. If you do need to miss class for any reason, please take the following
steps to mitigate the impact on your progress:

1. Notify me in advance
2. Review any new or otherwise relevant materials in Canvas
3. Connect with a classmate to catch up on what you missed

If you have completed steps 1–3 and have additional questions, I am happy to discuss them with
you during office hours or at a mutually convenient time.
Tips for Success

To ensure you are taking full advantage of the resources available to you through this course, be
sure to:

● Regularly check your pdx.edu e-mail and Canvas for announcements, upcoming
assignments, discussions posts, and new materials

● Review your notes, the assignment instructions, and any relevant rubrics before you
begin your work and again before you submit it

● Be open to constructive input

● Voluntarily and thoughtfully contribute to class discussions and activities during live
class meetings and/or online discussions

● Actively seek out connections between the course material and life outside of the
classroom—design is everywhere if you are looking for it!

Seeking Help

Balancing school alongside everything else in our lives can be difficult at times. If you feel your
life circumstances are putting your performance in this class at risk, or if you just need some
clarification on an assignment or concept, please reach out as soon as possible so we can work
together to address your needs and enable you to meet the requirements of the course. Ways of
seeking help include:

● Stay after class

● Drop in during office hours

● Schedule a meeting with me at another time (in-person, online, or via phone)

● Email me—I will respond within one school day (typically faster)

● Connect with one of the resources provided in the Student Services section of this
syllabus
7. PSU Policies and Resources

“Attend Anywhere” Course Policy

In order to make courses in the Master’s in Technical and Professional Writing program more
accessible to students, some courses are taught in the “flex” format and appear in the PSU
registration system as “Attend Anywhere” courses. For courses with this identification, students
will be able to choose whether to attend the synchronous class sessions in-person on campus
or remotely via a Zoom link to the classroom.

While this new course format presents new opportunities for both instructors and students, it
also presents some new challenges, especially regarding expectations around consistency of
participation via a single mode. In general, students are encouraged to choose a mode of course
participation (in-person or remote) before the first day of the course and to stick with it
throughout the term. This will enable the instructor to plan course activities and to create
student teams based on consistent participation patterns that will create stability for the
course.