ENC 4212: PROFESSIONAL & TECHNICAL EDITING

COURSE REVIEW ANDFINAL EXAM PREPARATION

University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee

Fall 2015 / Week 14Length of this lecture audio: 00:27:09

NO AUDIO CODES IN THIS LECTURE

The final exam will be available on Canvas from 8 a.m. onDec. 6 until 11 p.m. on Wed., Dec. 9, 2015.

Copyright © 2015 by T. E. Roberts, Instructorhttp://www.todroberts.com/USF/4212_welcome.htm Source: www.cartoonstock.com

ENC 4212, Professional & Technical Editing • Fall 2015 • Week 14 (Final Lecture) • Slide 2 of 8

Essential Elements of All Communication

RECEIVERSENDER MESSAGE

Emphasis in professional and technical communication is on MESSAGE and RECEIVER, not SENDER.

ENC 4212, Professional & Technical Editing • Fall 2015 • Week 14 (Final Lecture) • Slide 3 of 8

Course Content

Longman Guide Chapters & Other Reading ENC 4212 Assignment Relevant Lectures

1, 2, 3, 12, 14, 15 (intro to profession, grammar, usage, proofreading)

Assignment 1 (Sept 7, 2015):Editing for Content and Clarity Weeks 1, 2

4, 5, 6, 7, 8 (nuts and bolts of copyediting); Levels of Edit

Assignment 2 (Sept 28, 2015):Editing Wikipedia Weeks 3, 4, 5

11, 13, 16 (comprehensive editing, quantitative information); Empirical Math

Assignment 3 (Oct 19, 2015):Verbal & Visual Media Weeks 6, 7, 8

17, 18, 19 (visual design, illustrations, websites); 16, 20, 21 (information architecture, legal/ethical issues, project management)

Assignment 4 (Nov 30, 2015):Three Options Weeks 9, 10, 11, 12

ENC 4212, Professional & Technical Editing • Fall 2015 • Week 14 (Final Lecture) • Slide 4 of 8

Course Learning Objectives

• How to work with client or employer in defining a feasible and results-oriented communications goal.

• Finding the best editorial strategy and medium to meet that goal.

• Using the right tools and techniques to serve the intended reader or user.

• Learning to think and act like a professional editor• Managing stress, confusion, personalities, budgets, and deadlines.• Meeting high professional and ethical standards.• Enjoying your work and continuing to learn and improve

ENC 4212, Professional & Technical Editing • Fall 2015 • Week 14 (Final Lecture) • Slide 5 of 8

Course Outcomes

• By this point in the semester, you should be able to:• Transform incomprehensible gobbledy-gook and confusing jargon into lucid,

simple messages for various users.

• Serve as an effective bridge between Subject Matter Experts (SME’s) such as engineers, IT specialists, management executives, lawyers, and medical doctors and the educated but non-technical users of those persons’ messages.

• Provide both substantive and corrective editing services in the creation of white papers, bulletins, editorials, speeches, blogs, brochures, websites, periodicals, technical papers, and other media.

• Continued development of your skills will depend on your own opportunities, zeal, energy, and career objectives

ENC 4212, Professional & Technical Editing • Fall 2015 • Week 14 (Final Lecture) • Slide 6 of 8

Online Course Evaluation• This is a course requirement, not just “nice to have.”

• Suggest specific ways to improve the course for future presentations (be honest, fair, objective, and detailed).

• Students’ composite scores and individual anonymous written responses will be published on my USF website for anyone to read (where appropriate, I will respond to selected written comments): http://www.todroberts.com/USF/Roberts_Evaluations.htm

• Follow the directions shown in the “Course Evaluations” link in the Canvas menu

• IMPORTANT: Send me a screen capture of the message confirming that you have completed the evaluation. (See sample image below.)

ENC 4212, Professional & Technical Editing • Fall 2015 • Week 14 (Final Lecture) • Slide 7 of 8

Final Exam on Canvas: Dec. 6-9, 2015

• Test will consist of 16 multiple-choice questions (each correct answer is worth four points), and 18 true/false questions (each correct answer is worth two points). Incorrect or missing answer earns a zero. All questions call for the “best” answer. Total points available = 100.

• To reduce opportunity for cheating, questions will be drawn at random from a large pool and thus will vary individually for each student.

• Exam must be completed within 45 minutes -- if you stop to look up an answer, you will run out of time. (Average time allowed per question = 80 seconds)

• Will be available on Canvas from 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 6, until 11:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015. Do not wait until the last minute to take the exam!

• Be sure you and your computer are ready -- no distractions, no power or internet outage!• Exam counts for ten percent (10%) of your overall semester grade in ENC 4212

Sample question: “Your boss has assigned you the job of preparing a website for marketing a new product line in today’s economy. Based on what you have learned in this course, identify your first task as editor: (a) screen and hire qualified outside consultants; (b) work with management in defining objectives, budget, and work plan; (c) begin on the project by yourself and then summon help if needed; (d) tell the senior managers they’re full of s--t and ought to resign immediately; (e) do a fast and desperate Google search for ‘how to design a website.’ ”

• For test preparation, prepare and answer your own similar (but more challenging!) questions.

ENC 4212, Professional & Technical Editing • Fall 2015 • Week 14 (Final Lecture) • Slide 8 of 8

What Will the Exam Cover?

• All assigned reading in the textbooks

• All the course lectures

• All course-related email messages

• The syllabus and assignment instructions

• The content of your written submissions

• All links on the course website (those highlighted in yellow will be emphasized)

• Daily Writing Tips from Aug. 24 to Nov. 27, 2015 -- see http://www.dailywritingtips.com/archives/

ENC 4212, Professional & Technical Editing • Fall 2015 • Week 14 (Final Lecture) • Slide 9 of 8

Have a Good Winter Break

• Take a real break from work now and then -- stress can be just as deadly as obesity, addiction, and driving without a fastened seatbelt.

• Keep thinking, learning, writing, and editing -- an autodidact does not need a teacher, course, or textbook!

• Professional writers and editors must have a sense of humor (if this isn’t a Federal law, it should be).

• If you’re graduating this semester, congratulations and good luck on your next step – say hello at the USFSM Commencement on Dec. 13, 2015 (I may be the one wearing a Guy Fawkes mask to represent the online learning – and hacking -- community).

• Stay in touch and let me know of your career progress.