Course Outline of Record

Item	Value
Curriculum Committee Approval Date	10/01/2024
Top Code	493084 - English as a Second Language - Writing
Units	0 Total Units
Hours	36 Total Hours (Lecture Hours 36)
Total Outside of Class Hours	0
Course Credit Status	Noncredit (N)
Material Fee	No
Basic Skills	Not Basic Skills (N)
Repeatable	Yes; Repeat Limit 99
Open Entry/Open Exit	Yes
Grading Policy	P/NP/SP Non-Credit (D)

Course Description

This noncredit course provides students with the essential reading and writing skills needed to manage a small business. Students will develop confidence in writing business transactions, memos, emails, inquiries, schedules, and reports. Focus will be placed on reviewing the principles and techniques of business writing, increasing editing and proofreading skills, and communicating using positive, negative, neutral, and persuasive language. Topics include handling customer requests, scheduling appointments, and reviewing résumés and cover letters. Open Entry/Open Exit. NOT DEGREE APPLICABLE. Not Transferable.

Course Level Student Learning Outcome(s)

1. Course Outcomes
2. Identify key information from written documents.
3. Compose a variety of business documents and transactions using the five-step writing process (planning, researching, outlining, drafting, and revising).
4. Integrate both formal and informal language in writing.
5. Utilize different writing styles to perform various business tasks.

Course Objectives

• 1. Develop business messages that are clear, concise, coherent, courteous, and complete in every detail.
• 2. Generate ideas, conduct relevant research, organize information into an outline, transform the outline into a first draft, and implement revisions and edits to produce a final draft.
• 3. Differentiate between direct and indirect communication strategies and apply them to a variety of business messages.
• 4. Use proper capitalization, punctuation, grammar, and sentence structure.
• 5. Use technical vocabulary, everyday idioms, acronyms, abbreviations, and contractions in written materials.
• 6. Compose professional documents based on a variety of writing tasks.
• 7. Formulate a variety of positive, negative, neutral, and persuasive business reports and messages.
• 8. Explain the basics of formal versus informal language.
• 9. Identify cross-cultural differences in writing styles.

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Lecture Content

Understanding the foundations of writing Capitalization Distinguishing between lower-case and upper-case letters Punctuation Using commas, periods, apostrophes, and question marks Grammar and sentence structure Differentiating between different verb tenses Interpreting events and actions using active and passive voice Writing simple, compound, and complex sentences Connecting ideas using conjunctions Utilizing pronouns for referencing Employing parallel structure Employing technical versus non-technical vocabulary Word choice Understanding the audience and degrees of formality Avoiding ambiguous, awkward, vague, and biased language Implementing concrete language Conveying the right tone Abbreviations Contractions Acronyms Implementing the five-step writing process Planning Identifying the purpose of writing Brainstorming ideas Analyzing the audience 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person perspectives The "you" approach Comparing direct and indirect communication strategies Researching Distinguishing between credible and noncredible sources Citing and referencing sources Outlining Drafting Revising Revising messages to include Concise wording Precise verbs Concrete nouns Vivid adjectives Revising messages to eliminate Repetitious words Redundancies Jargon Slang Writing business documents Formatting Letter styles Letter componen ts Interoffice memorandums Informal reports E-mail messages Giving instructions Composing job descriptions Developing mission statements Explaining policies and procedures Promoting one s business, services, and/or products Brochures Newsletters Press releases Blogs Social media posts Developing reports Annual reports Investigative reports Progress reports Formulating routine messages Emails, memos, and text messages Employee requests Customer requests Follow-up correspondences

Method(s) of Instruction

• Enhanced NC Lect (NC1)
• Online Enhanced NC Lect (NC5)
• Live Online Enhanced NC Lect (NC9)

Reading Assignments

Instructor handouts Online articles and documents

Writing Assignments

Various business documents such as job descriptions, mission statements, brochures, reports, and routine messages

Out-of-class Assignments

.

Demonstration of Critical Thinking

Applied performance (e.g. follow oral and/or written directions, oral interview, take notes (key information)) Problem-solving (e.g. case studies, error analysis, open-ended) Observation (e.g. during individual and group collaborations) Simulation (e.g. role playing, visualization, modeling concepts, skits/dramas) Self-evaluation

Required Writing, Problem Solving, Skills Demonstration

Applied performance (e.g. follow oral and/or written directions, oral interview, take notes (key information)) Presentations (e.g. individual vs. group, peer vs. teacher vs. outside evaluator grading) Projects/reports Observation (e.g. during individual and group collaborations) Cooperative experience (e.g. focus groups, student teams, study groups) Simulation (e.g. role play, visualization, modeling concepts, skits/dramas) Informal conversations

Eligible Disciplines

ESL: Master's degree in TESL, TESOL, applied linguistics with a TESL emphasis, linguistics with a TESL emphasis, English with a TESL emphasis, or education with a TESL emphasis OR bachelor's degree in TESL, TESOL, English with a TESL certificate, linguistics with a TESL certificate, applied linguistics with a TESL certificate, or any foreign language with a TESL certificate AND master's degree in linguistics, applied linguistics, English, composition, bilingual/bicultural studies, reading, speech, or any foreign language OR the equivalent. Master's degree required.