Days/Time
Place
Course Web

Instructor
Office
E-mail
Phone
Office Hours

T 4:00-6:30
CBC C309
http://www.unlv.edu/faculty2/jablonski/413/index.html

Dr. Jeff Jablonski
FDH 624
jablonsk@unlv.nevada.edu
895-0947
T 1:00-4:00 or by appointment

This course emphasizes learning how to produce electronic documents from a rhetorical perspective, which means understanding how purpose, audience, and context affect the development of Web pages and other electronic documents. This is not a course in using HTML code or a specific HTML editor. Nor is it a class in creating flashy high-end multimedia graphics or becoming an e-commerce Webmaster (i.e., administering a for-profit business using web databases). Though these elements are important and will be reviewed in this class, these skills are reserved for other courses (e.g., the Division of Educational Outreach’s Internet Design and Technology Certificate Program, or there’s good Web graphic design courses in Fine Arts).

Since this is an English class, this course will focus on writing electronic documents, broadly defined to include such topics as visual design, user testing, and information architecture. Some of the skills Web writers, as opposed to Web graphic designers, must posses include:

• Planning, researching, and writing fresh, compelling, concise content from teasers to full-length feature articles
• Strong understanding of principles of information architecture and user-centered information design
• Brainstorm, evaluate, produce, test, launch, and promote new site ideas
• Experience with HTML and HTML editors
• Experience with content management systems
• Ability to work on web design team and interact with management, sales and marketing, and subject-area experts
• Solid understanding of grammar, punctuation, and style rules

One advantage of knowing how to write effectively for the World Wide Web is that Web writing skills, broadly defined, translate very well into any form of writing, including print documents written in any profession.

English 413 is among the new core courses for the English Dept.’s Professional Writing Certificate Program. This program, open to all majors, is designed to strengthen your workplace written communication skills or prepare you for a career as a professional writer. For managerial and other business and technical jobs, strong writing skills translate into increased career advancement and income.

A Professional Writing Certificate makes you more marketable and enhances your career options. You can also pursue a career as a professional writer, specializing in communicating information to diverse audiences.

Goals of English 413 include:

• Learn to design professional quality online documents, including Web pages, Adobe PDF documents, and online help
• Learn and apply principles of rhetoric, visual design, usability, and information architecture in designing electronic documents
• Create professional quality personal and professional Web sites, including external client sites and personal e-portfolios
  

• Completion of first-year composition requirement
• No prior Web design experience required
• Admission to the Professional Writing Certificate program is not a prerequisite
  

Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug. Indianapolis, IN: New Riders, 2000. $24.50 at Amazon.com. Krug has a companion Web site with some additional information at http://www.sensible.com/. You’ll have to purchase this book.

Hot Text: Web Writing that Works by Jonathan Price and Lisa Price. Indianapolis, IN: New Riders, 2002. $28.00 at Amazon.com. There’s a companion site with free PDF versions of the text at http://www.webwritingthatworks.com/.

• Table of Contents pdf
• ch. 1 pdf
• ch. 2 pdf
• ch. 3 pdf
• ch. 4 pdf
• ch. 4 pdf
• ch. 6 pdf
• ch. 7 pdf
• ch. 8 pdf
• ch. 9 pdf
• ch. 10 pdf
• ch. 11 pdf
• ch. 12 pdf (p. 282-292 + 293-304 + 305-322 + 332-339)
• ch. 13 pdf
• ch. 14 pdf
• ch. 15 pdf
• ch. 16 pdf
• ch. 17 pdf
• ch. 18 pdf
• ch. 19 pdf

Web Style Guide ( 2nd ed) by Patrick J. Lynch and Sarah Horton available at http://www.webstyleguide.com/index.html?/. It’s free online but you can purchase a print copy at Amazon for $13.97.

• NOTE: I didn’t order any copies of these texts at the bookstore
  

• A UNLV Student Computing Resources (SCR) user account, to access UNLV public and teaching computer labs and host Web sites you create in this class.



• An e-mail account, preferably a unlv.nevada.edu pioneer account.
  (You can also access your pioneer account from the “Directories” tab of the UNLV.EDU Web site, by clicking on “Access Pioneer Webmail.”)



• Some disks to store files on. You can also store files on your Home directory of your SCR account. These files can be accessed from home using NetStorage or FTP.

You can purchase educational discount versions of the software at Journeyed.com. Dreamwever MX is available for $99.98. You can also purchase an educational version of Macromedia Studio MX, which includes Macromedia Flash MX, Dreamweaver MX, Fireworks MX, and FreeHand, for $199.98. Academic versions may not be used for commercial sites and are not upgradable to the retail versions. Before purchasing or downloading Dreamweaver, make sure your computer meets the software’s specifications .

A good Web design book for novices is The Non-Designer’s Web Book (2nd ed.) by Robin Williams and John Tollett (Berkeley, CA: Peachpit, 2000). $24.49 at Amazon.com.

Webzine Project (10%)
People have different online reading habits than print reading habits. As part of the “English” emphasis of this Web writing course, you should learn how to write, in the words of Jonathan and Lisa Price, “sticky,” “attention-grabbing,” “interactive,” “relevant,” “persuasive,” “informative” content. To gain experience writing for online audiences, for this assignment you’ll write a 1,000 word “Webzine” (i.e., online) article on a subject related to information technology, like those published in popular online zines like PCWorld, WebMonkey, and Wired magazine. You can pick the topic.

Document Re-Purposing Assignment (10 % of course grade)
Your second assignment is to “repurpose” or convert a print document into a Web-based document. For this project, you must select a basic to intermediate Dreamweaver MX tutorial file (in PDF form) from Macromedia’s Web site <http://www.macromedia.com/support/ dreamweaver/tutorial_index.html> and convert it from linear pages into a hypertext Web site. In addition to knowledge of basic Web design, you will be expected to apply knowledge of the differences between print and online documents. Since Macromedia is notorious for poorly written documentation, you’ll also be expected to “add value” to the tutorials by making them easier for novices to use Dreamweaver MX.

Web Site Evaluation (10%)
One of the goals in this class is to help you develop a better critical sense of what constitutes an effective Web site. Therefore, one of the assignments in this class is to choose a Web site, apply what you read about effective Web site design, and then write a detailed 1,500-2,000 word evaluation report of your chosen site. Your analysis will consider such criteria as audience/purpose, information architecture/navigation, visual design, usability, and quality/appropriateness of writing. Your review must be submitted in the form of a hyptertext Web site.

E-Portfolio (10 %)
For the final project, you’ll construct a Web-based “e-portfolio” that creates a professional identity for yourself and can be used to showcase your skills and abilities with interested readers (i.e., employers). While you have some leeway in what you can include in this site, you will be required to include a home/splash page, a Web resume, and several annotated samples of work that represents your relevant skills, including at least one PDF document you’ve written and links to Web pages you produced during this course. Anything on the site that could hurt your image with potential employers will hurt your grade (i.e., pictures of your spring break arrest would be unacceptable; pictures of your favorite cats would have to be carefully measured according to your audience and purpose).

Mid-Term and Final Exam (20% ÷ 2)
Yup, there are exams in this class. Each exam will consist of several short-answer questions and should take about one hour to complete. The exams are designed to assess your familiarity with and ability to apply assigned readings.

Participation (10%)
You’re expected to attend every class and participate actively during class. Absences, excused or unexcused, affect your participation grade accordingly: One absence = A; 2 = B; 3 = C; 4 = F for your participation grade. Five or more absences and you fail the course.

Grades will be determined on a percentage basis. Major assignments will be graded on the standard letter-grade scale with plusses and minuses. Your overall grade and project grades are based on the following percentages:

Grade to Points Conversion
Use the following table to convert your letter grade on a particular assignment to the corresponding point value out of the total 100 points for the course. For example, on an assignment worth 5 points, an “A-” earns 4.5 points (90% x 5 = 4.5).

NOTE: All projects and exams must be completed to pass the course.

Project Point Breakdown

	Overall %	Points	Your Grade
Lab #1	5%	5
Lab #2	5%	5
Lab #3	5%	5
Lab #4	5%	5
Lab #5	5%	5
Lab #6	5%	5
Webzine Project	10%	10
Re-Purposing Project	10%	10
Website Evaluation	10%	10
E-Portfolio	10%	10
Mid-Term Exam	10%	10
Final Exam	10%	10
Participation	10%	10
Total>	100%	100

I expect you to notify me by phone or e-mail prior to a planned absence and as soon as possible after an unexpected emergency.