Lecture: 2 hours/week
Seminar: 2 hours/week
This course emphasizes learning through a problem-solving approach. Working individually and in groups, students participate in the discussion and analysis of business communication documents and case studies. Students propose a focus for their report, proposal or plan. They aim to produce complete, credible documents using professional strategies, tools and techniques. Other methods of instruction may include lectures, peer review, group discussion, online activities, lab exercises and field trips.
Analyzing Written Documents
- Develop competency in genre analysis
- Review samples of appropriate documents
- Outline their structural elements and their purpose(s)
- Identify characteristics of the documents (tone, voice, register, word choice)
- Understand the significance of multiple audiences for document development
- Develop a critical awareness of relevant ethical and legal issues
Developing Expertise
- Review outlining options for documents
- Use strategies for content development, including primary research
- Draft task analyses, work plans and schedules
- Use traditional editing tools for managing documents (e.g., style sheets, version control, templates)
- Practise using document production programs and tools (e.g., Acrobat, Advanced Word, InDesign)
- Manage visual materials (photographs, tables, charts) appropriately
- As needed, secure permission(s) to use copyrighted material
- Follow a typical approvals process for documents produced in the workplace
Producing Written Documents
- Prepare outlines for professional business communication documents
- Recognize the purpose of scope of work statements
- As needed, revise a task analysis, work plan and schedule
- Develop appropriate content (e.g., narrative, objective summary, case study, storytelling)
- Acquire permissions, if needed
- Resolve challenges (e.g., inconsistent feedback, lack of content, uneven quality)
- Use industry-standard tools
Enhancing Documents in a Transmedia Context
- Acquire an overview of the current media context (e.g., social media, transmedia storytelling)
- Demonstrate an understanding of how written print documents fit into this environment
- Repurpose components of the document or develop new content for collateral materials in a variety of forms (e.g., press release, blog post, social media post, transmittal memorandum, website, briefing note, slide deck, video)
- Integrate these components to achieve stated communication goal(s)
Students develop advanced skills in producing credible, professional documents and related supporting materials.
By the end of the course, successful students will be able to:
- develop a strategic plan for producing a long, complex document (e.g., report, proposal, plan);
- identify the roles, responsibilities and tasks involved in producing a long, complex document;
- apply this understanding to the analysis of business documents and when producing their own business documents;
- employ a range of strategies, tools and techniques to plan, research, write, edit and produce complex documents;
- design related supporting materials (e.g., summaries, slide decks, video clips, infographics, press releases);
- work with a broad range of visual materials (e.g., photographs, tables, charts, graphs);
- become familiar with requirements for print production;
- work collaboratively in teams with other students to produce written documents and related supporting materials.
Assessment will be based on course objectives and will be carried out in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy. An evaluation schedule is presented at the beginning of the course. This is a graded course.
Instructors may use a student's record of attendance and/or level of active participation in the course as part of the student’s graded performance. Where this occurs, expectations and grade calculations regarding class attendance and participation will be clearly defined in the Instructor Course Outline.
Students may conduct research as part of their coursework in this class. Instructors for the course are responsible for ensuring that student research projects comply with college policies on ethical conduct for research involving humans, which can require obtaining Informed Consent from participants and getting the approval of the Douglas College Research Ethics Board prior to conducting the research.
Example evaluation scheme:
| Long, complex document (e.g., report, proposal, plan) | 30-40% |
| Short, collateral material (at least three, totaling) | 30-40% |
| Additional tasks (e.g., team reporting, presentations) | 10-20% |
| Attendance/participation/professionalism | 10% |
| Total | 100% |
Textbooks and materials may be required to be purchased by students. A list of required textbooks and materials is provided for students at the beginning of the semester. Example texts may include:
- a current Canadian advanced business communication text
- an OER text developed for the course
- a coursepack of selected readings
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