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Overview of Engl 393 Blended Course

What is ENGL393?
ENGL393 is a Technical Writing course in the Professional Writing Program Links to an external site. (PWP) at the University of Maryland, College Park. This Technical Writing course aims to harness all of the writing skills you have developed over the years and apply them to the variety of real-world technical and professional fields each of you will soon be entering.  

Succinctly, Technical Writing is the process of translating often complex, nuanced information according to the needs and backgrounds of a specific audience. 

Throughout the semester, we will be thinking about our many different audiences - our classmates, our future employers, colleagues, and customers - and how we can most successfully tailor the information these different audiences desire according to the requirements they've provided either explicitly or implicitly.  

In addition to conducting both primary and secondary research during the semester, helping to further hone those skills, we will be most interested in how you are able to create documents that provide useful content in whatever style or format that is most appropriate, effective, and persuasive to the intended audience.

For more on the basics of Technical Communication/Writing, please watch the following video (5:23) from Dr. James Lipuma at NJIT. You will be asked to watch several of Lipuma's videos over the course of the semester.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
What is Blended Learning?
ENGL393BL is a hybrid or "Blended Learning" course - hence the BL - meaning it takes advantage of both in-class and online learning environments. While this version of Technical Writing is slightly different in format, it has the same basic goals and covers the same content as traditional, face-to-face courses, which PWP also offers.  Blended Learning is a campus-wide initiative, with a variety of courses in several different departments already available. To learn more about the university's commitment to this initiative, you can read here Links to an external site. and here Links to an external site..

As you should have noticed while enrolling on Testudo Links to an external site., this course is on a Tuesday/Thursday schedule, meeting "in class" on Thursdays  and "online" on Tuesdays.  In general, this means that you do not need to be in the classroom, or even on campus, during most Tuesday sessions. 

Some online activities will be asynchronous, meaning you will have some flexibility regarding when you complete your work. Sometimes, online activities will be synchronous, meaning you will compete the work during the Tuesday class period. Regardless, you should not double book the Tuesday class period. At certain points in the semester, you will need to meet for conferences or schedule group work during this time. And days marked asynchronous may be changed to synchronous. 

There are a number of advantages to Blended Learning-style courses, the most obvious being the flexibility of not having to be on campus for all class meeting days.  However, as those of you who have taken courses like this in the past have probably learned, succeeding in this type of course requires a heightened level of initiative and personal responsibility.  Being organized and able to manage your time is paramount to succeeding in the course. 

As you will not be in class as often, it will be up to you to keep up with deadlines and to follow instructions correctly.  This course website has been created to streamline that process, but it is up to you to familiarize yourself with the format of the course, to learn how to use all of the resources provided, and to ask questions when you have them.  Please ask your questions earlier rather than later. 

As you move into the work force, likely you will be required to use a variety of online platforms and applications, often simultaneously, much like a Blended Learning course.  Hopefully, learning to succeed in this class, as in other classes within your majors, will help you transition more easily into similar professional environments in the future.
 
 
 
How does ENGL393 differ from other writing courses?
Undoubtedly, you have taken a variety of writing and other English classes during high school and college. With this in mind, ENGL393 does not function as an "intro" class focusing on the basics of writing. In particular, ENGL393 is not a grammar class (though we will review some grammar resources, and, by all means, you will work to create polished final documents).

Instead, this class seeks to build on all of your past writing experiences, re-directing the skills you've acquired in order to craft document types you might encounter in your post-academic careers. Especially as it concerns the final project, your success in the course will depend on your critical thinking skills, your adaptability, and your willingness to improve over time.

Many students enter ENGL393 and other PWP courses unsure of their writing abilities, either because of performance in past courses, or because they simply haven't had to write much in recent years. Because many of your majors (or at least your experience thus far in those majors) do not focus as much on the writing process, this uneasiness with taking a writing course is completely understandable. I'm sure you will find that most of your classmates feel the exact same way as you do.

Recognizing this, ENGL393 (especially this blended learning version) is set up to allow students a variety of opportunities to tailor the course to their own interests while still achieving all of the same learning outcomes listed at the top of the course Policies. Like most courses, what you get out of the class will largely depend on what you put into it.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Who takes ENGL393?
More sections of ENGL393 are offered than any other PWP course each semester. Typically, Engineering, Computer Science and other STEM majors make up the largest percentage of each section. For this reason, many of the examples discussed in class, and many of the topics students pursue for their final projects, reflect these disciplines.

Nevertheless, a variety of other majors also choose to take ENGL393 and find the course extremely beneficial to them. As students are able to choose their own topics for the final project, they are able to tailor the course to their own needs and interests. 

Regardless, if you are interested in choosing a writing course that is most aligned with your major(s) and career goals, please find a list of PWP course offerings here Links to an external site..