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What You Should Already Know

There are no prerequisites for this course; however, the more students know about the English language and its rules, as well as the basics of writing, the easier this course will be for them.

This course was authored by Kelley Shane. Please keep in mind any first-person references are those of the author and not the instructor who may be teaching this course.

Course Learning Outcomes

After completing the course, students should be able to do the following:

  1. Write technical material clearly and concisely.

  2. Apply the basics of technical writing to their own writing in research writing and other technical documents.

  3. Explain the differences between techincal and nontechnical writing.

  4. Copyedit and edit for style.

  5. Format documents for visual impact.

Course Materials

There are no required texts for this course. It is highly recommended that students purchase or borrow a copy of The Chicago Manual of Style.

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Assignments

You will complete these assignments during the course.

Self Check Quizzes

Most of the objectives in this course are followed by a self check quiz. These computer-graded quizzes do not count toward students’ grades. They are designed to prepare students for the unit quizzes and for the final exam.

Unit Quizzes and Portfolio Assignments

This course consists of 7 units, each unit ends with a unit quiz or a portfolio assignment. These assignments are one of the best ways to prepare for the final exam.

Exams

You will complete one final exam for this course. The final exam consists of 75 multiple-choice questions. It is closed book/note and has no time limit. See the Exam Preparation page for details.

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Grading

Your grade in this course will be based on these assignments and exams:

* You must pass the final exam with at least a 60% to earn credit for the course.

Assignment or Exam Grading Percent of Total Grade
5 Unit Quizzes Computer 33%
2 Portfolio Assignments Instructor 34%
1 Final Exam* Computer 33%

Grade Scale

Your letter grade is calculated according to these percentages.

A 93% - 100%
A- 90% - 92%
B+ 87% – 89%
B 83% - 86%
B- 80% - 82%
C+ 77% - 79%
C 73% - 76%
C- 70% - 72%
D+ 67% - 69%
D 63% - 66%
D- 60% - 62%
F (fail) 0% - 59%

Getting Help

Please use the help menu in this course to contact Academy of America or your instructor. You can find information about tutoring available to Academy of America students on the Tutoring website.

The Resources page offers a wide variety of services to support you:

  • Academic success skills coaching such as time management, study skills, test preparation, motivation, and more.

  • Course-specific support that includes live tutoring and on-demand resources.

Come find out how we can help you achieve your goals.

Course Policies

For information about how long you have to complete the course, resubmitting assignments, retaking exams, and other questions, please see Course Policies.

Plagiarism Policy

Plagiarism is defined as the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one’s own original work. This may also include when a student copies and pastes directly from another source and passes it off as his or her own, copies computer-generated text from a translation tool and uses it as his or her own, or fails to cite a source after loosely summarizing its content in his or her own words.

As determined by your instructor or the BYU Independent Study administration, if evidence of academic misconduct on assignments or exams is established, one of the two following consequences will apply to each incidence:

First Offense of Plagiarism

  • You will fail the lesson and be allowed the opportunity to resubmit the lesson (or)

  • You will fail the lesson and be denied the opportunity to resubmit the lesson

Second Offense of Plagiarism

  • You will fail the lesson and fail the class (or)

  • You will fail the lesson, fail the class, and may be ineligible to enroll in a specific course or any of our courses without going through an appeals process

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