Course Sandbox

Instructor Information

Joseph M. Moxley, Professor of English, He/Him/His
mox@usf.edu

Office Hours

Please email me when you have questions. I’ll typically respond pretty quickly. If you don’t hear from me within 24 hours, pls send me a 2nd email. I’m generally available via Teams throughout the workday, especially the afternoons. Don’t hesitate to reach out. I don’t mind jumping on a call. I’d much rather have you ask sooner rather than later.

Course Delivery

This is a hybrid course. It meets online via Microsoft Teams on Tuesdays, 2:00 to 3:15; Otherwise, the class is online. On Tuesdays, at the beginning of class, your assignment for that Teams meeting will be available at Canvas. You will earn a participation credit for attending the Teams meeting so long as you do the work then, as specified at Canvas.

University Course Description

This course will introduce you to the idea of research as inquiry and as a knowledge-making, creative enterprise that is used in the workplace (as well as academic fields) to solve problems, answer questions, and develop apps and services. By exploring the research methods used in the PTC (professional and Technical Communication) field, you will develop an awareness of how professionals in the field of PTC develop an idea, plan a research project, go about gathering data (whatever “data” may be), perform analysis, and present their work.

USF Core Syllabus Policies

USF has a set of central policies related to student recording class sessions, academic integrity and grievances, student accessibility services, academic disruption, religious observances, academic continuity, food insecurity, and sexual harassment that apply to all courses at USF. Please be sure to review these online: USF Core Syllabus Guidelines <usf.edu/provost/faculty-success/resources-policies-forms/core-syllabus-policy-statements.aspx

Personal Pronouns

So that I may refer to you with the appropriate pronoun in Canvas, the University’s course LMS (learning management system), please set your preferences for your personal pronoun at Canvas > Settings. If you have a first name change request for Canvas, please email IDM-Help@usf.edu from your official USF email account. You do not need to provide personal details for the request. Tell USF the first name you want to show in Canvas. This will also change your name in the directory, but it will not change your email address.

Learn more about personal pronouns and how they are tied to inclusive language.

How Can You Do Well in This Class?

1. Show up. Throughout the course, at least two times each week, please check Announcements @ Canvas. I make weekly and often biweeklyAnnouncements.
2. Show up every Tuesday
3. Show up on time.
4. Show up ready to participate enthusiastically in class activities and class discussions.
5. Show up prepared (i.e., complete all assigned readings and assignments before class)

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Assignments

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Your assignments may only be available at the beginning of each Teams Meeting. You will earn one course-participation credit by participating in each meeting and completing the assignment for that week. If you miss an assignment, it will count as an absence per the labor-based grading policy.

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Creative Challenges

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Key Terms, Concepts, and Research Methods in Professional and Technical Communication

This goal of this challenge is to introduce you to the vocabulary, concepts, epistemological foundations, and research methods of the major Methodological Communities that inform contemporary knowledge-making practices.

How to Critique Research Questions, Reviews, and Citations

The goal of this challenge is to deepen students’ understanding of diverse research methodologies by analyzing and comparing the shared and disparate practices of scholars, designers/creatives, and empiricists. Through collaborative analysis and reflection, students explore how different epistemological assumptions and methodological communities shape research questions, literature reviews, citations, and overall discourse conventions within the PTC field.

How to Critique Research Methods, Results, and Interpretations

The goal of this challenge is to develop students’ critical thinking and analytical skills in evaluating research methodologies within Professional and Technical Communication by having them collaboratively analyze and critique published studies across different journals for methodological flaws, ethical considerations, and alignment with epistemological assumptions. Additionally, this challenge aims to broaden students’ understanding of the field by comparing findings across journals, allowing them to infer the relative authority of different journals and identify common methods and epistemological assumptions prevalent in PTC research. Through group presentations, students share their insights, fostering a comprehensive view of the current state of research practices in the field.

Presentation – Culminating Synthesis of Research Methods and Findings in Professional and Technical Communication

You’ve already:

1. Visualized major research methods and epistemologies that inform PTC across disciplines,
2. Analyzed the research questions, literature reviews, and citation practices of three articles, and
3. Critiqued each article’s methodology, results, and interpretation.

Now, your task is to pull together these insights into a concise, 5 minute presentation. Rather than simply summarizing the three articles again, you will extrapolate what these articles reveal about:

• The epistemological values shaping research in the journal (using the framework you developed for empirical [quantitative, qualitative, mixed], scholarly/theoretical, and design/creative methods),
• The preferred research methods and approaches favored by this journal,
• The genre conventions (structure, rhetorical moves, citation norms) that define how this journal disseminates knowledge,
• The ethical underpinnings evident (or lacking) in the articles, and
• The overall “authority score” you assign to the journal, based on earlier considerations of credibility and impact.

Team-Based Literature Reviews

Throughout the course, as of the Teams weekly meetings, students engage in critical analysis of multiple scholarly studies, theories, and research studies on the impact of AI on education, cognition, and writing. For this creative challenge, students work individually to write an annotated bibliography and then work collaboratively to write a literature review that paraphrases, quotes, and cites at least 17 sources on topics such as the history of adoption of technologies, the effects of AI on cognitive development, the effect of AI on human agency, and the ethics of AI-assisted writing.

Research-Based Student AI Policy Statement

Based on the scholarly research you have conducted throughout this semester, create an evidence informed AI Policy Statement. Beyond stating explicitly if/when/and how students can use generative AI tools for school work, explain the why your recommended policies. This will provide authority to your recommendations for critical audiences — students and teachers who want to be told why they are being told to do something.


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Course Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

1. understand how scholarly methods — textual research and knowledge of past scholarly conversations — inform the invention and discourse practices of all researchers, regardless of the methodological communities they are members of or hope to contribute to
2. engage in rhetorical, textual, and citation analysis
   • articulate the topics, key terms and concepts, discourse conventions, and research practices of professional and technical researchers who authored the studies reviewed by you and your peers in the class
3. be a critical consumer of research.
   • Be able to engage in methodological critique of your own or other’s research in PTC
     • be able to distinguish opinion and acts of sophistry from research-based, triangulated, authoritative information
     • be able to identify and define the scholarly, quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method methods investigators use in a research study
     • be able to determine whether investigators followed the conventions and epistemological assumptions members of a methodological community expect them to follow
     • be able to critique the methods investigators use in a study
       • identify when the investigators make claims and interpretations that exceed the authority of the methodology they used
4. be able to identify ethical problems associated with human-based research
5. possess the rudimentary competencies necessary to write a research proposal, following appropriate ethical, discourse and methodooigcal conventions, as defined by particular methodological communities.

Scope

Regarding scope, this course will not provide a substantive introduction to the scientific method nor will it provide a substantive review of the epistemologies that inform research communities, such as positivism or post positivism. Instead you might consider this course to be an introduction to the topics of imagination, invention and research methods — like looking at a globe or map of the world as opposed to really traveling, hither and yon. While it introduces you to big picture stuff — the number of continents, oceans, mountain ranges — it doesn’t introduce you to all of the unique languages and practices of research communities. Instead, this is a basic survey course — a glimpse of the big picture. That said, it admittedly focuses more on creative, scholarly, and qualitative ways of knowing. Note as well that although there are multiple assignments, they are all fairly brief — typically a couple of pages each with several deliverables.

Why is an Undergraduate Course in Research Methods Important to Professional and Technical Writing Students?

To be literate in a knowledge economy, professional and technical communicators need to be able to

1. collaborate effectively with subject matter experts from various disciplines
2. critically evaluate research findings and their implications for communication practices
3. design and conduct appropriate research studies
4. apply research insights to improve communication strategies and products.

A research methods course is highly valuable for all PTC students, as it develops essential skills that are critical for both professional and technical writing roles:

• It equips students with the ability to conduct rigorous, ethical research to support evidence-based decision-making and produce more credible, data-driven deliverables.
• The coursework develops critical thinking skills, enabling students to identify problems, formulate research questions, analyze findings, and draw sound conclusions – abilities that are crucial regardless of their specific PTC career path.
• Students learn to effectively evaluate, interpret, and engage in research, protecting them from perpetuating misinformation or relying on unsound scholarship in their work.
• For technical writing students, the research methods training also strengthens their user research capabilities, such as conducting needs assessments and usability testing.

Grading

Your grade will be based on two criteria:

1. your attendance at weekly Teams Meetings
2. Your labor over the semester on required projects. This approach is called “labor-based contract grading.”

Attendance & Grading Policy

Students are expected to attend classes via Teams on Tuesdays, 12:30 to 1:45. Students who anticipate an issue with regular attendance or with being on time should take the course in a semester when their schedule is more flexible. 

1. Students who accrue three unexcused absences—missing one and a half weeks of a fifteen week semester—will not receive a grade deduction.
2. Students who miss four to six Teams Meetings each semester will have a one-grade-level deduction. For example, if the student has met the grading contract for an A based on their labor, they will receive a B in the course
3. Students who miss seven to nine Teams Meetings will will have a two-grade-level deduction.
4. Students who miss ten to eleven Teams Meetings will will have a three-grade-level deduction.
5. Students who miss more than twelve Teams Meetings will fail the course.

Students may arrange to turn assignments in late if they miss class for one of the following university-approved reasons, AND they’ve alerted me prior to the absence when feasible. Excused absences include:

1. Court Imposed Legal Obligations
2. Jury Duty, court subpoena, etc.
3. Military Duty
4. Religious Holy Days. Note: Students who anticipate the necessity of being absent from class due to the observation of a major religious observance must provide notice of the date(s) to the instructor, in writing, by the second class meeting.
5. Ongoing Medical Conditions. Students facing extenuating circumstances, such as a debilitating illness or injury (physical or mental) or disability that inhibits him or her from attending class or completing assignments, must work with the appropriate on-campus organization (e.g., the Center for Victim Advocacy & Violence Prevention, SOCAT: Students of Concern Assistance Team, USF’s Student Health Services, USF’s Student Accessibility Services). The appropriate on-campus organization will then act as a liaison on behalf of the student and help the instructor determine appropriate action. As your instructor, I am not qualified to determine appropriate accommodations for ongoing medical conditions, and I will require documentation and guidance from these experts/liaisons.
6. Presenting at a professional conference. Students who miss class because they are participating in a scheduled professional conference are expected to present a schedule of the event upon returning to class.
7. USF Athletics’ Participation. Students who miss class because they are participating in a scheduled USF athletics event are expected to present a schedule of the USF athletic events that require their participation to me by the first week of the semester if they intend to be absent for a class or an announced examination.

If you plan to miss assignments due to the reasons listed above, you are responsible for informing me about your excused absence prior to the absence and for making up the missed work within a week of the original deadline. Beyond university-excused absences: please be in touch with me as early as possible if you’d like to request an extension for a *very* good reason (e.g., serious illness or accident, death of a family member, job interview), and I will consider your request if it is accompanied by relevant documentation. 

If you do not have a university-approved excuse for your absence or if you do not receive an extension from me, I will not accept late work.

Late & Incomplete Assignment Policy

Due dates. The due dates for all assignments are indicated in Canvas. If you’re outside of Florida, make sure that you keep track of “Tampa Time” (EDT), as all due dates are listed according to the time zone in which the main campus is located. Most assignments are due on Monday. Take note of the following differences:

• 11:59 AM = 1 minute before noon. You probably won’t see this in our class.
• 11:59 PM or 23:59 = 1 minute before midnight. You’ll see this listed as a common assignment due-date time at Canvas.

Late assignments are those that are turned in after the due date listed in Canvas.

Incomplete assignments are those that are not submitted, those that are submitted in an inappropriate form (for example, via email or incorrect file type) or a file that cannot be reviewed (this includes files that cannot be opened), or those that do not meet assignment guidelines or baseline criteria for passing. Incomplete assignments earn a score of “incomplete.” 

No late assignments are accepted. The only exceptions to this policy are students with USF-excused absences (medical absences require a doctor’s note; school activities such as USF teams require a note from Athletics BEFORE THE ABSENCE). You are welcome to work ahead if your schedule requires that.

Labor and Contract Grading Policy

In addition to your participation in the course, your grade is determined by your labor on the creative challenges and final project. To earn an A in this course, you need to

1. receive a complete the final report
2. receive a complete on all but one of creative challenges

To earn a B in this course, you need to

1. receive a complete the final report
2. receive a complete on all but two of the challenges

To earn a C in this course, you need to

1. receive a complete the final report
2. receive a complete on but three of the creative challenges

To earn a D or F in this course, you need to

1. fail to complete the final report
2. receive a complete on all but four of the creative challenges

Canvas Workaround

Assignments in Canvas will be marked as “Complete” or “Incomplete.” However, Canvas will show you a percentage in your “Grades” view. Ignore that. Any cumulative percentage that Canvas might show you is meaningless.

1. You earn a score of complete on an assignment by completing it as described in the assignment description and related supplementary materials
2. You earn an incomplete by failing to submit an assignment, by submitting an assignment that does not fulfill the requirements, or by submitting an assignment that cannot be opened/read.

UnGrading Resources

1. Contract Grading – So Your Instructor Is Using Contract Grading
2. Labor-Based Grading Resources by Asao Inoue
3. Labor-Based Grading Contracts: Building Equity and Inclusion in the Compassionate Writing Classroom, 2nd Edition

AI Policy

You may use AI in this course. However, you must also write and submit with the assignment an extended “metacognitive footnote” that reports on how you used AI, such as

1. Thought Partner. Engaging with AI tools in a dialogic manner to discuss, critique, and synthesize ideas, including intellectual strategies such as rhetorical reasoning, genre analysis, critical information literacy practices, counterarguments, and methodological critique.
2. Research Assistant. Using AI tools to engage in strategic searching, identify canonical texts, visualize relationships among sources, and develop gaps in knowledge.
3. Composing Assistant. Using AI tools to facilitate intellectual processes associated with writing (e.g., prewriting, inventing, drafting, collaborating, researching, planning, organizing).
4. Citation Assistant. Using bibliography tools to manage references.
5. Publishing and Remediation Assistant.  Using AI tools for SEO purposes or for remediating texts in different media (e.g, text to speech; text to image; text to video).
6. Designer. Using AI tools for creating visual elements (e.g., photographs, tables, figures, illustrations). 
7. Editorial Assistant. Using AI tools to conform to standard written English
8. Teaching Assistant. Using AI tools to teach oneself about the genre of the dissertation, information-literacy standards of the STEM community, scholarly conventions for citing sources, writing and rhetorical processes, or the stylistic conventions of the scientific community.

Your metacognitive footnote should be comprehensive. At a minimum, it should be 250 words. Illustrations are encouraged. That said, it’s important to note that in school settings and work settings it is a violation of academic and/or professional integrity for you to submit work that has make up sources and evidence. Thus, if you experiment with AI, you must not simply “copy and paste.” Instead, you need to check every source and quotation — really every word. Works submitted that have “hallucinated references” will receive an FF. So, from my perspective, it’s fine for you to work with AI but whatever you turn in needs to be yours: it needs to reflect your voice, tone, voice, persona — and thinking. I recommend you use one “window” for composing, and another for AI-assisted writing.

Grading FAQs

If you are grading based primarily on labor rather than quality and assigning “complete” or “incomplete” grades, what sort of critical feedback can I expect to receive?

Conventions

Depending on the rhetorical context, I’ll consider the conventions that govern academic or professional writing:

1. Academic Writing – How to Write for the Academic Community
2. Professional Writing – How to Write for the Professional World

Audience Awareness

I will assess whether your work is responsive to the needs and interests of its target audience (e.g., readers, listeners, or users). As NCTE’s (National Council of Teachers of English) Position Statement on “Understanding and Teaching Writing: Guiding Principles” (Adler-Kassner et. al. 2018) points out, audience awareness is a critical concern of writers during composing (along with purpose and context):

When writers produce writing, they take into consideration purposes, audiences, and contexts. This leads them to make intentional choices about the elements that go into writing:

1. content (the subject or focus of the writing);
2. form (the shape of the writing, including its organization, structure, flow, and composition elements like words, symbols, images, etc.);
3. style and register (the choice of discourse (aka writing style] and syntax used for the writing, chosen from among the vast array of language systems [often called “dialects”] that are available for the writer); and mechanics (punctuation, citational style, etc.)” (“Understanding” 2022).

Style

I will assess whether the writer(s) has adopted an an appropriate writing style given the rhetorical situation. Are the writer’s appeals to ethos and pathos appropriate given the audience? Have they established a consistent voice, tone, and persona? To assess whether the text is writer-based or reader-based based, I will evaluate its clarity, brevity, coherence, flow, inclusivity, simplicity, and unity. 

Content & Critical Thinking

I will evaluate whether the writer has provided the evidence and reasoning readers need to correctly interpret the work. Regarding evidence, is the content responsive to what the audience knows/feels about the topic? Has the writer created an authoritative text by providing  a consistent credible voice, tone, and persona? Have they employed the information literacy conventions academic and professional readers expect? For instance, have they provided the sources and details readers need to assess the credibility of their claims? Additionally, I will assess whether the writer has maintained a consistent line of inquiry or analysis throughout the paper. Has the writer demonstrated a clear progression of ideas, where each new piece of information logically builds on the previous one.  This approach ensures that the reasoning is clear and coherent, effectively addressing the thesis or research question and demonstrating thorough content and critical thinking.

Organization

An illogical progression or lack of cohesiveness will hinder clarity and undermine the effectiveness of the writing. A well-organized paper demonstrates an understanding of the rhetorical situation and audience’s needs, resulting in a clear and compelling piece. Hence, I will assess check the document for logical flow — whether the writer maintains a consistent line of inquiry or analysis throughout the paper. This involves ensuring that every section and paragraph supports the central focus—the thesis, hypothesis, or research question that drives the narrative or argument. In other words, I’ll consider whether the writer has structured their work with a clear and logical progression of supporting points, ensuring cohesiveness and unity throughout. This involves ensuring that every section and paragraph supports the central focus — the thesis, hypothesis, research question that drives the narrative.This also involves ensuring each new idea builds logically on the previous one, adhering to the given-to-new contract. I’ll also consider whether deductive and inductive reasoning are applied appropriately, depending on the nature of the argument or narrative. Headers should be used effectively to make the content scannable.

Design

I will assess whether the writer has effectively applied key design principles — proximity, alignment, repetition, and contrast — to enhance the clarity and impact of their work. I will question whether the text demonstrates an understanding of visual rhetoric and the power of visual language. This includes using images, graphs, and other visualizations to support and enhance the written content, making complex information more accessible and engaging. Headers, bullet points, and other formatting tools should be used effectively to make the document scannable and user-friendly. 

Context

What is PTC (Professional & Technical Communication)?

Professional and Technical Communication is an academic field that focuses on creating clear, effective, and usable information for specific audiences in workplace and public settings. It involves researching, writing, designing, and delivering complex information across various media to help users understand and act on that information.

What is the Role of Professional and Technical Writers?

Professional and technical writers are subject matter experts in writing, design, project management, and digital writing — including, e.g., remediating texts in multiple media, printed posters to Tweets. They are researchers and communicators who investigate, create, and deliver clear, accessible content for diverse audiences across industries such as technology, healthcare, finance, and government. As researchers, professional and technical writers may investigate user behaviors, analyze document effectiveness, conduct literature reviews, or explore new communication technologies. They often collaborate with subject matter experts outside of their field, serving as writing coaches, editors, and project managers who engage in research to enhance communication strategies and outcomes.

Professional writers may do the equivalent work of technical writers — and vice versa — but traditionally there are a few distinctions between these roles:

• Professional Writers are typically skilled writers, public speakers, and researchers. They often hold undergraduate or graduate degrees in fields such as rhetoric, composition, communication, design, and product management, though some acquire these competencies through on-the-job experience. These professionals may serve as writers or spokespersons on teams, bringing their communication expertise to various subject areas. Their work can be job-related or extend to public spaces, including social media platforms like Reddit, blogs, newspaper and magazine articles, and books.
• Technical Writers share many of the skills and credentials of Professional Communicators but tend to focus on complex, technical subjects in fields like technology, engineering, and science. While they may have similar academic backgrounds to professional writers, their work is typically more specialized. Unlike Professional Communicators who often address broad public audiences, Technical Writers primarily create content for specific, often specialized audiences in workplace settings. Their outputs include instructional materials, user manuals, product documentation, and technical reports, with an emphasis on clarity, accuracy, and usability of information.

Recommended Reading

1. Professional and Technical Communication: An Overview by Professor Gerdes, Virginia Tech

University Policies

Please note that this course follows all USF Policies as described at the following urls:

1. https://www.usf.edu/provost/faculty-success/resources-policies-forms/core-syllabus-policy-statements.aspx
2. https://www.usf.edu/provost/faculty-success/documents/forms-policies-handbook/2021-08-13-hb233-guidance.pdf
3. https://usf.app.box.com/s/i2h4niaipp9kq53c2gx6vb2jqk482qfd

“It is fundamental to the University of South Florida’s mission to support an environment where divergent ideas, theories, and philosophies can be openly exchanged and critically evaluated. Consistent with these principles, this course may involve discussion of ideas that you find uncomfortable, disagreeable, or even offensive.In the instructional setting, ideas are intended to be presented in an objective manner and not as an endorsement of what you should personally believe. Objective means that the idea(s) presented can be tested by critical peer review and rigorous debate, and that the idea(s) is supported by credible research.

Not all ideas can be supported by objective methods or criteria. Regardless, you may decide that certain ideas are worthy of your personal belief. In this course, however, you may be asked to engage with complex ideas and to demonstrate an understanding of the ideas. Understanding an idea does not mean that you are required to believe it or agree with it.”

“If a student has concerns about discrimination, they can contact the appropriate office that has been designated in university processes: https://usf.app.box.com/s/1z01bzz19gzpw2o3j2zerukkcxaom1jo”

Acknowledgments

I thank Heather Shearer for meeting with me and sharing her expertise with labor-based grading. And I thank Melzer, Sperber, and Faye for their excellent article, “Contract Grading – So Your Instructor is Using Contract Grading…” Now that students are broadly using generative AI systems to complete their school assignments, I think there’s good reason to shift from traditional grading measures to contract grading.