Course Title: Write complex documents

Part B: Course Detail

Teaching Period: Term1 2012

Course Code: OFFC5208C

Course Title: Write complex documents

School: 650T TAFE Business

Campus: City Campus

Program: C4223 - Certificate IV in Business Administration

Course Contact : Miranda Bryant

Course Contact Phone: +61 3 9925 5470

Course Contact Email:miranda.bryant@rmit.edu.au


Name and Contact Details of All Other Relevant Staff

Refer to class timetable for teacher contacts were applicable for this unit delivery.

 

Program information: Sylvia Baroutis (Program Manager) sylvia.baroutis@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

There are no pre-requisites for this unit.

Course Description

This course covers the skills and knowledge required to plan documents, draft text and prepare final text and produce documents of some complexity.

NB: This unit is co-delivered with BSBSUS301A Implement and monitor environmentally sustainable work practices and BSBADM405B Organise meetings.


National Codes, Titles, Elements and Performance Criteria

National Element Code & Title:

BSBWRT401A Write complex documents

Element:

1. Plan documents

Performance Criteria:

1.1. Determine the purposes of documents
1.2. Choose appropriate formats for documents
1.3. Establish means of communication
1.4. Determine requirements of documents
1.5. Determine categories and logical sequences of data, information and knowledge to achieve document objectives
1.6. Develop overview of structure and content of documents

Element:

2. Draft text

Performance Criteria:

2.1. Review and organise available data, information and knowledge according to proposed structure and content
2.2. Ensure data, information and knowledge is aggregated, interpreted and summarised to prepare text that satisfies document purposes and objectives
2.3. Include graphics as appropriate
2.4. Identify gaps in required data and information, and collect additional material from relevant enterprise personnel
2.5. Draft text according to document requirements and genre
2.6. Use language appropriate to the audience

Element:

3. Prepare final text

Performance Criteria:

3.1. Review draft text to ensure document objectives are achieved and requirements are met
3.2. Check grammar, spelling and style for accuracy and punctuation
3.3. Ensure draft text is approved by relevant enterprise personnel
3.4. Process text amendments as required

Element:

4. Produce document

Performance Criteria:

4.1. Choose basic design elements for documents appropriate to audience and purpose
4.2. Use word processing software to apply basic design elements to text
4.3. Check documents to ensure all requirements are met


Learning Outcomes


Well developed business writing skills adaptable to a range of business environments for the creation of reports, information and general promotional documents that are more complex than basic correspondence, memos or forms and documents that require review and analysis of a range of information sources.


Details of Learning Activities

Learning activities will include class-based exercises, demonstration and observation in order to develop competency, including the underpinning skills and knowledge required for this unit. Students will have access to the Virtual Enterprise (simulated business office environment) to put into practice the advanced word processing skills in context with available resources. This unit is co-delivered with COSC5945C/BSBITU401A Design and Develop Complex Text Documents refer to separate course guide and asesssment instructions. 


Teaching Schedule

5–11 Apr 2012

Midsemester break
     
WEEK Week Commencing Topic Assessments
1 6th Feb

• Course requirements
• Course support documents
• Blackboard
• Overview of assessment requirements including Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfers
• Grading
• Plagiarism
• Appeals
• Extensions
• Feedback
• Privacy
• Submission requirements
• Resubmission policy
• Where to get support
• Student responsibilities

 
2 13th Feb

Business Writing - Chapter 15

The three-step writing process

The seven components of writing style

PORTFOLIO ITEMS DUE

Practice Exercise 1. a, b, c, d, e, f & g (pg. 427)

Practice Exercise 4 (pg. 428)

3 20th Feb

Business Writing - Chapter 15

Organisation’s signature

Evaluate and revise

The advantages of writing in Plain English

Practice Exercise 1. a, b, c & d (pg. 433)


4 27th Feb

Writing Business Letters - Chapter 16

Applying the three-step writing process to business letters

Formatting a business letter

Writing different types of letters

Practice Exercise 4 (pg. 451)
5 5th March

Writing Business Letters - Chapter 16

Applying the three-step writing process to business letters

Formatting a business letter

Writing different types of letters

Practice Exercise 3 (pg. 458)

6

 

12th March


Labour Day public holiday (Monday)

THEORY CLASS ONLINE
Refer to myRMIT unit Blackboard for instructions

Finish reading review of Chapter 16

Case Study 2, Questions 1 & 2 (pg. 478)
7 19th March

Writing Emails, Memos and Short Reports - Chapter 17

Continue to use the three-step process of writing

Electronic mail (email)

The memo format

Practice Exercise 2. a & b (pg.490)

8 26th March

Writing Emails, Memos and Short Reports - Chapter 17

Short report writing

Short report formats

Four types of reports

(Refer to the RMIT Study & Learning Centre and Drop-in centre reminders)

Case Study 2, Questions 1, 2 & 3 (pg. 510)
9

From 2nd April through to week commencing

9th March due to Mid-semester break

Note in student diary

Writing Long Reports - Chapter 18

Planning, writing, formatting and completing a long report

Use this chapter to help you develop the best approach to your VE Project over the mid-semester break for draft submission in week 10.

Review Questions 1, 16, 17 & 18 (pg. 544-45) 
 
10 16th April

Writing Technical Documents - Chapter 19

Purpose and writing style

Work on draft report as directed in class.

Submit draft Reflective Records Virtual Enterprise: Sustainability Project (soft copy required for Design and Develop Complex Text Documents Portfolio – refer Assessment Instruction).
11

23rd April

25 April 2012 Anzac Day public holiday (Wednesday)

Writing Technical Documents - Chapter 19

Review and edit

Learning Activities - Question 3 (pg. 566)

12 30th April

Communicating Visually Through Graphics - Chapter 20

Effective visual communication

Types of graphics and how to present them in visual communication

 
13 7th May

THEORY CLASS ONLINE

Students are to attend the Diploma of Business Administration Student Conference

 Work on VE Project

 
14 14th May

Skills review elements:

1. Plan document

2. Draft text

3. Prepare final text

4. Produce document

 
15 21st May

 Skills review elements:

1. Plan document

2. Draft text

3. Prepare final text

4. Produce document



Final collated proofread folio submitted in sequence with Assignment Cover Sheet.


NOTES: collated and proofread with corrections as directed by the teacher’s initial weekly feedback.


Your portfolio should reflect the best version of all documents submitted throughout the semester.

16 28th May   Assessment review and feedback where required.
       


Learning Resources

Prescribed Texts

Chapters 15 - 20: Dwyer, J. The Business Communication Handbook, 9th Edition, Pearson. Contact publisher for eBook details also comes with a companion website.

9781442546738


References

Dobson, A. Touch Typing in 10 hours, Oxford UK, 2009

9781845283407

Duffy, J. Illustrated Series, Microsoft Word 2010 Brief, Cengage Learning, 2011

9780538748223

Zimmermann, Zimmermann, Pinard & Shaffer. New Perspectives on Microsoft® Word 2010: Comprehensive, 1st Edition, Cengage Learning, 2011.

9780538748926


Other Resources

myRMIT Studies

RMIT Study & Learning Centre https://www.dlsweb.rmit.edu.au/lsu/

Reflective Records Virtual Enterprise Style Manual


Overview of Assessment

Assessment will be through direct observation combined with a review of a portfolio of complex written documents and a business proposal. There will also be oral or written questioning to assess the knowledge of complex business writing skills.

Full time students will participate in the Virtual Enterprise, a simulated office environment as well as a weekly face-to-face theory class. Part time students will participate and draw on their experiences from their workplace while engaging with the course through online flexible delivery.

In addition to the assessments, formative feedback is provided to the student throughout the duration of the course.


Assessment Tasks

Draft Reflective Records Virtual Enterprise:Sustainability Project report for review in Week 10. You must successfully complete all set tasks to be deemed competent in this unit.

Portfolio of Evidence

You will complete a portfolio of documents as evidence of your learning by submitting them to your class teacher each week, so you can gain progressive feedback on your work. The knowledge and skills that you will develop by completing the portfolio of documents, will assist in the production of the Reflective Records Virtual Enterprise: Sustainability Project.

All tasks must be submitted in the week indicated to your class teacher for assessment in hard copy format. You will also submit your final collated portfolio documents in Week 15. 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 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 to your USB and H: drive, never work on files directly from your USB instead copy to your H:drive first then back-up, deleted and corrupted files cannot be recovered – be responsible for your own documents at all times shared student files will not be accepted.

Note: You must submit your draft report for assessment in Week 10 to be deemed competent for this unit and submit your corrected draft as an attachment in the appendix of your final report.

Submission Requirements 

NOTE: Assessment tasks need to be submitted via Blackboard and viewed on screen during class time when requested by the teacher.

You should ensure that you:

Submit assessments on or before the due date. If your performance in the assessment is affected by unexpected circumstances, you should consider applying for Special Consideration. Information on the process and application forms is available at http://rmit.edu.au/browse;ID=ls0ydfokry9rz website.
• Always retain a copy of your assessment tasks. (hard copy and soft copy)
• When you submit work for assessment at RMIT University you need to use a cover sheet that includes a declaration and statement of authorship. You must complete, sign and submit a cover sheet with all work you submit for assessment, whether individual or group work. On the cover sheet you declare that the work you are presenting for assessment is your own work. An assignment cover sheet for submission of work for assessment is available on blackboard.
• Each page of your assessment should include footer with your name, student number, the title of the assessment, unit code and title and page numbers. For example, Jill Bloggs, 324567, Task 2, OFFC5208C Write complex docs, Page 1 of 10.

Required skills
• communication skills to clarify requirements of documents
• literacy skills to edit and proofread documents; to create documents with a complex, organised structure of linked paragraphs which use simple and complex syntactic structure
• numeracy skills to collate and present data, graphs and annotated references

Required knowledge
• enterprise style guide/house style (refer to the Reflective Records Virtual Enterprise Style Manual)
• formatting styles and their impact on formatting, readability and appearance of documents
• organisational requirements for ergonomics, work periods and breaks, and resource conservation techniques
• rules and conventions for written English, as defined by general and specialist dictionaries and books about grammar.

• problem-solving skills to use processes flexibly and interchangeably.


Assessment Matrix

Assessments

Element Portfolio of Evidence (submitted progressively and collated at the end of semester)
1. Plan documents x
2. Draft text x
3. Prepare final text x
4. Produce document x


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 pass that unit of competency.

Marking Guide (Grading)

After achieving competency we then grade your performance in the unit; this gives you the opportunity to have the level of your performance formally recognised against industry standards and employability skills.

Final Grades Table:

CHD
Competent with High Distinction
CDI
Competent with Distinction
CC Competent with Credit
CAG
Competency Achieved – Graded




 

 

 

The grading is according to the following criteria:

1. LEVEL OF INDEPENDENCE, INITIATIVE, ENTERPRISE AND PERFORMANCE OF WORK TASK
Student must be able to design complex documents by evaluating tasks to improve efficiency and suggesting improvements to the structure and design of existing systems. Also must demonstrate a high level of ability to complete all tasks independently as per the specifications as well as demonstrating a high level of initiative in individual approach to planning, drafting, preparign and word processing business documents.

2. DEMONSTRATED BREADTH OF UNDERPINNING KNOWLEDGE AND A WILLINGNESS TO CONTINUE LEARNING
Students are required to actively participate in coaching and mentoring sessions (scheduled classes in labs and the Virtual Enterprise simulated office to improve level of standard service. Students should be able to demonstrate a thorough understanding of all applicable business writing conventions and word processing functions in all the assessment tasks, whilst following safe work practices throughout.

3. TECHNIQUES & PROCESSES, TECHNOLOGY SKILLS AND PROBLEM SOLVING
Students are required to demonstrate their problem solving skills in order to analyse document requirements and using online help, manuals and user documentation. Students should demonstrate ability to determine appropriate strategies to respond to user requests, diagnosing customer service complaints and taking steps to improve the service, making decisions about classification and storage of records. Maintenance of existing business technology and planning for future requirements using business technology such as computers, word processing programs and printers should also be considered to support document purpose.

4. WORK ORGANISATION, PLANNING AND SELF MANAGEMENT
Students are expected to organise work schedules and meetings, determine and plan future business technology requirements and plan task organisation to meet time lines specified on the weekly submission schedule. Students also must ensure that they evaluate own performance and identify areas for improvement and this is demonstrated throughout the semester. They should manage time and ensuring ergonomic requirements are met by; planning and reviewing own work and use judgement and discretion with confidential information

5. COMMUNICATION, PEOPLE NETWORKING, LANGUAGE AND INTERPERSONAL SKILLS AND TEAMWORK
Students should be able to communicate with colleagues and customers to gather information about their needs and to provide services; listening to and following complex oral instructions, proofreading and editing, writing clear and detailed instructions. Agree on the purpose and structure of documents with colleagues and clients, collecting feedback from colleagues and assessor. Contributions to relevant class discussions and scheduled Collaborate sessions will be observed where applicable. In addition your tasks should demonstrate a very good understanding of strategies for a collaborative approach to writing business documents in the workplace.

Course Overview: Access Course Overview