Course Title: Write complex documents
Part B: Course Detail
Teaching Period: Term1 2013
Course Code: OFFC5208C
Course Title: Write complex documents
School: 650T TAFE Business
Campus: City Campus
Program: C4226 - Certificate IV in Frontline Management
Course Contact : Sylvia Baroutis
Course Contact Phone: +61 3 9925 5469
Course Contact Email:sylvia.baroutis@rmit.edu.au
Name and Contact Details of All Other Relevant Staff
Seymour Jacobson
Tel: 9925 1563
Email: seymour.jacobson@rmit.edu.au
Nominal Hours: 50
Regardless of the mode of delivery, represent a guide to the relative teaching time and student effort required to successfully achieve a particular competency/module. This may include not only scheduled classes or workplace visits but also the amount of effort required to undertake, evaluate and complete all assessment requirements, including any non-classroom activities.
Pre-requisites and Co-requisites
None
Course Description
This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to plan documents, draft text, prepare final text and produce documents of some complexity. No licensing, legislative, regulatory or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of endorsement.
National Codes, Titles, Elements and Performance Criteria
National Element Code & Title: |
BSBWRT401A Write complex documents |
Element: |
1. Plan document |
Performance Criteria: |
1.1.Determine the purposes of documents |
Element: |
2. Draft text |
Performance Criteria: |
2.1.Review and organise available data, information and knowledge according to proposed structure and content |
Element: |
3. Prepare final draft |
Performance Criteria: |
3.1.Review draft text to ensure document objectives are achieved and requirements are met |
Element: |
4. Produce document |
Performance Criteria: |
4.1.Choose basic design elements for documents appropriate to audience and purpose |
Learning Outcomes
Details of Learning Activities
This course will be a combination of lectures, class exercises, questionnaires, case studies, on line study, and peer interaction. Students are expected to take part in the training activities and contribute through discussion and debate across the topics covered by the course
Teaching Schedule
| WEEK NUMBER/DATE | Content | Assessment |
| 1. 11 February | Introduction to course | Course overview, Assessment overview, Academic administration procedures, Class management |
| 2. 18 February |
Business writing - Chapter 15 in textbook The three-step writing process The seven components of writing style |
Portfolio items Practice exercises 1a,b,c,d (Page 427) Practice exercise 4 (Page 428) |
| 3. 25 February |
Business writing- Chapter 15 Organisation’s signature Evaluate and revise Advantages of writing in plain English |
Practice exercise 1a,b,c,d (Page 433) |
| 4. 4 March |
Writing business letters - Chapter 16 The three-step writing process for business letter Formatting a businesss letter Writing different types of letters |
Practice exercise 4 (Page 451) |
| 5. 11 March | Writing business letters - Chapter 16
The three-step writing process for business letter
Wriring different types of letters |
Practice exercise 3 (Page 458) |
| 6. 18 March |
Writing workshop Includes in-class case study
|
Case study 2, Questions 1,2 (Page 478) |
| 7. 25 March |
Writing emails, memos, and short reports - Chapter 17 Using the three step process Emails |
Minutes, manual, research report, advertisement
Practice exercise 2a,b (Page 490)
|
| 7. 1 April | MID SEMESTER BREAK | SPLIT WEEK 28 MARCH - 3 APRIL |
| 8. 8 April |
Writing emails, memos and short reports - Chapter 17 Short report writing Short report formats Types of reports (Refer to RMIT Study and Learning Centre and Drop-in Centre |
Case study 2, Questions 1,2,3 (Page 510) |
| 9. 15 April |
Writing long reports -Chapter 18 Planning, writing, formatting, completing long reports (This chapter can assist you in all your assessment reports in this Cert IV FLM Program) |
Review questions 1,16,17,18 (Pages 544-545) |
| 10. 22 April |
Writing technical documents - Chapter 19 Purpose and writing style
|
|
| 11. 29 April |
Writing technical documents - Chapter 19 Style, outlining, definitions |
Learning activities Question 3 (Page 566) |
| 12. 6 May |
Communicating visually through graphics - Chapter 20 Effective visual communication Types of graphics How to present them |
|
| 13. 13 May | Communicating visually through graphics - Chapter 20
Types of graphics How to present them
|
|
| 14. 20 May |
Skills Review Elements 1. Plan document 2. Draft text 3. Prepare final text 4. Produce document |
|
| 15. 27 May | Skills Review Elements
1. Plan document 2. Draft text 3. Prepare final text 4. Produce document |
Upload to myRMIT your final "perfect copy" revised version portfolio |
| 16. 3 June | Course review |
NOTE : This schedule may be varied due to unforeseen circumstances but students will not be disadvantaged as a result
Learning Resources
Prescribed Texts
Dwyer J, The Business Communications Handbook, 9th Edn, Pearson Education Australia, 2012 |
9781442546738 |
References
Other Resources
1. RMIT Library
2. myRMIT
Overview of Assessment
Assessment may incorporate a variety of methods including in-class exercises, problem-solving exercises, assignments, group or individual projects, presentations and written or practical tests, as well as homework activities.
Other activities may be workplace-based or simulated work practices. These may include the production of technical requirements documents, direct observation of workplace practices and the presentation of a portfolio of evidence. This portfolio may include documents, photographs, video and/or audio files.
Students are advised that they are likely to be asked to personally demonstrate their assessment work to their teacher to ensure that the relevant competency standards are being met. Students will be provided with feedback throughout the course to check their progress.
Assessment Tasks
Assessment task - portfolio of evidence - please see weekly schedule for details of evidence
Portfolio includes tasks for weeks 2-15.
All portfolio items shall be attempted and a CA grade for each to be recorded in order to achieve a CA grade for this course. You will complete a portfolio of documents as evidence of your progressive learning and by submitting them to your class teacher each week, so you can gain progressive feedback on your work. All tasks must be submitted in the week indicated to your class teacher for assessment.
You will also submit your final collated portfolio documents in Week 15 to the dropbox. All tasks to be presented in fully blocked open punctuation format, Arial Narrow 11 pt font with the name of each task and the week due in the header of all documents. Your name and student number should be placed in the footer.
All documents should be proofread for any spelling, grammatical and formatting errors prior to any submission. IMPORTANT: You must back-up your work regularly and use your student Google drive. The student is responsible for their own documents at all times. Shared student files will not be accepted.
Assessment Matrix
Other Information
Academic Administration Procedures
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the presentation of the work, idea or creation of another person as though it is your own. It is a form of cheating and is a very serious academic offence that may lead to expulsion from the University. Plagiarised material can be drawn from, and presented in, written, graphic and visual form, including electronic data and oral presentation. Plagiarism occurs when the origin of the material used is not appropriately cited. Examples of plagiarism include:
• Copying sentences or paragraphs word-for-word from one or more sources, whether published or unpublished, which could include but is not limited to books, journals, reports, theses, websites, conference papers, course notes, etc. without proper citation;
• Piecing together text from one or more sources and adding only linking sentences;
• Copying or submitting whole or parts of computer files without acknowledging their source;
• Copying a whole or any part of another student’s work; and
• Submitting work as your own that someone else has done for you.
For further information including “Plagiarism (and how to avoid it): Resources for Students” refer to the Plagiarism section of the RMIT Policies, at http://www.rmit.edu.au/governance/policies in the Teaching and Learning Policy section. Penalties include official reprimand, recording of a failure result or expulsion from the University.
Referencing
Students are to use the Harvard Referencing System for this course
Submissions which do not use the Harvard system of referencing will not assessessed as Not Yet Competent, (NYC), but will be penalised in grading for this course. Wrong referencing includes using the footnote system instead of the Harvard (author-date) system, no page numbers in references where there is a quote, being unable to use the formula for in-text referencing, using a bibliography instead of a reference list, having no reference list, failing to show where a quote begins and ends, writing out the book title because you don’t know how to use references and not using all elements of the reference citation i.e. surname, initial, date published, title (correctly signified), publisher and place published. Minor errors such as wrong punctuation, a wrong page number or a simple typographical error in a date are not defined as an error.
Submission of written work/assessments
Written work must conform with RMIT’s guidelines “Written Reports And Essays: Guidelines For Referencing And Presentation In RMIT Business”, with respect to Harvard Referencing, which can be found at: http://mams.rmit.edu.au/s9sx559hurvc.rtf
Written assessment must be lodged by the due date in the format specified.
Please do not place work in plastic binders or plastic pockets.
Attach a signed Assignment Cover Sheet to each submission of written work or assessment.
You must keep a copy of your assignment/written work, which can be produced if the original is lost or damaged.
Special Consideration
Special Consideration is a process that enables the University to take account of unexpected circumstances such as illness, injury or bereavement that affect a student’s performance in assessment. Forms are available from http://www.rmit.edu.au/students/forms Further information can be accessed from http://www.rmit.edu.au/students/specialconsideration
Return of Assessments and Feedback
Hard copies of any in-class assessments will be returned to you during class/lecture times, together with written feedback. Feedback for online submissions will be via myRMIT. Assessments are normally returned within two working weeks
Variations to Assessment
A change will not be made to the form or forms of assessment as detailed in the Course Guide unless:
1. the students enrolled in that course have received notice in writing of the proposed change; and
2. the change is approved by the Head of School and not less than 70% of the students enrolled in that course.
Appealing Assessment
You are entitled to appeal assessment results. Refer to RMIT Policy – Appeal Against Assessment Result available at http://www.rmit.edu.au/governance/policies in the Teaching and Learning Policy area.
Students are required to attempt all assessments and be rated as competent against all performance criteria to pass the course.
RMIT University recognises nationally accredited or endorsed qualifications and Statements of Attainment issued to the student by other Registered Training Organisations (RTO’s). Also, RMIT provides credit for work experience or other forms of life experience that match the learning outcomes/competencies of RMIT courses. You must provide evidence that is current, relevant valid, and verifiable that your experience matches the learning outcomes/competencies of the relevant course for which you are seeking credit. This evidence may include formal qualifications (certificates, etc); work samples; references; documents, etc. Please speak to your teacher before applying.
To apply, you should obtain an RPL Information Sheet. Forms are available on the RMIT Website at http://www.rmit.edu.au/student-records/studentforms . You should complete the appropriate form (RPL and/or Credit Transfer), attach the relevant supporting documentation and submit the form to your facilitator for this unit.
Marking Guide (competency):
Vocational Education and Training (VET) is based on current industry needs and the focus on preparing you for the workplace. Because VET courses are informed by practical application of knowledge and skills, they are based on a system known as ‘competency based training’ (CBT). So when you are assessed in VET it is about whether you are competent to do the job, as well as having a firm grasp on the knowledge and skills required to do that job, as opposed to traditional curriculum based education settings that are often based on knowledge retention.
You need to demonstrate you are competent in each element of the unit of competency you are studying.
You will receive feedback on each assessment task that will inform you whether you are competent or not and how well you are performing. Once competent in all elements of the unit you receive a competency grading.
Please refer to the Final Grades table below.
Marking Guide (Grading)
Each assessment task is marked as Competent or Not Yet Competent but not graded until achieving competency across the assessment tasks. We then grade your performance in the unit; this gives you the opportunity to have the level of your performance formally recognized against industry standards and employability skills.
The grading is according to the following criteria:
1. LEVEL OF INDEPENDENCE, INITIATIVE, ENTERPRISE AND PERFORMANCE OF WORK TASK
We are looking for a high level of ability to complete all tasks independently as per the specifications as well as demonstrating a high level of initiative in your approach to writing complex documents
2. DEMONSTRATED BREADTH OF UNDERPINNING KNOWLEDGE AND A WILLINGNESS TO CONTINUE LEARNING
We are looking for depth of understanding of the key concepts and knowledge required in Implement operational plan. You should be able to demonstrate a thorough understanding of all applicable principles for writing complex documents in all the assessment tasks.
3. TECHNIQUES & PROCESSES, TECHNOLOGY SKILLS AND PROBLEM SOLVING
We are looking for appropriate use of technology to assist in presenting all tasks clearly and suitable for the intended audience. You also need to show an understanding of the kinds of problems that can arise in writing complex documents in a workplace with people and teams and how these might be addressed.
4. WORK ORGANISATION, PLANNING AND SELF MANAGEMENT
We expect to see on-going uploading of information that is relevant to the unit, full utilisation of Blackboard as per course requirements and timely submission of all required assessment tasks.
5. COMMUNICATION, PEOPLE NETWORKING, LANGUAGE AND INTERPERSONAL SKILLS AND TEAMWORK
We expect to see contributions to relevant discussions and scheduled collaborative sessions. In addition your tasks should demonstrate a very good understanding of strategies for a collaborative approach to writing complex documents in the workplace.
Final Grades table:
CHD Competent with High Distinction
CDI Competent with Distinction
CC Competent with Credit
CAG Competency Achieved – Graded
NYC Not Yet Competent
DNS Did Not Submit for assessment
Course Overview: Access Course Overview