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Professional Writing Skills Overview

Professional Writing Skills (W231) is a Writing Program course for students in diverse majors. It fulfills a second writing class requirement for students in the Schools of Liberal Arts, Public and Environmental Affairs, Physical Education, Tourism, Convention, and Event Management, and Social Work, among others. It also carries elective credit under the English Major. Students are required to complete W131 (or a comparable composition class) with a grade of C or higher before enrolling in W231. Depending on enrollment figures, around 15 sections are offered each semester, with all sections meeting in computer classrooms every other class session.

W231 introduces students to writing in workplace settings and focuses on the development of research skills that will be of value not only in the workplace, but also in upper-level courses in the student’s major. The course assignments integrate previous writing experience with the discovery of the conventions of workplace writing, while a collaborative climate supports student responsibility for learning as they analyze and work within the constraints of various rhetorical situations typically encountered on the job.

During the first part of the semester, students complete one or two writing projects, each graded individually.  (The number of early projects assigned depends on their complexity.) These assignments introduce students to the various genres in professional writing before they move on to learn research methods and to practice research-based writing through an extensive applied research project. The project allows students to put the writing principles learned in the first part of the course into practice by addressing a current problem in a local business or organizational setting.

With an emphasis on information retrieval skills, analysis, interpretation, and application of findings, the project is done in collaborative teams, allowing students to develop expertise in team dynamics, an important qualification for personal growth and advancement in many careers. The focus of the project is a current significant problem within a local professional community for which alternative solutions are possible. Writing in a "real-world" situation helps prepare students for the challenges they will encounter when writing on the job. Teams choose their target organizations by contemplating their majors, jobs, volunteer work, student organizations, and local communities,  determining the problems experienced within each. Next, students conduct secondary and primary research to identify potential solutions.

Sequenced to promote student success, the written assignments include a research proposal, an interview guide, an annotated bibliography, a literature review, a primary research instrument, and a recommendation report. The approach to problem solving taught in W231 not only emphasizes the value of teamwork and information retrieval skills, but it also prepares students for the creative and independent thinking expected in the workplace. 

W231 is not available as an H-Option. Honors W150 replaces either the W132 or W231 requirement for most schools. 

Course Goals and the PULs

By the end of the course, successful students will have the ability to:

• Determine the appropriate content, format, and style for creating effective workplace documents.
• Adapt their writing to different situations, audiences, and purposes.
• Organize documents clearly and effectively for the intended audience.
• Expand their teamwork skills as they collaborate effectively in groups.
• Develop good research questions and strategies.
• Think critically about rhetorical concerns as they gather, evaluate, interpret, and     apply information accurately, logically, and ethically.
• Produce accessible, well-designed documents.
• Develop a clear, concise writing style.

Textbook

W231 instructors may choose from the following two books:  

• Oliu, W.E., Brusaw, C.T., & Alred, G.J. (2010). Writing that works: communicating effectively on the job. (10th ed.). New York: Bedford St. Martin’s. The accompanying website is here.     
• Oliu, W. E., Brusaw, C. T. & Alred, G. J. (2009). The Business writer’s handbook. (9th ed.). New York : Bedford St. Martin’s. The accompanying website is here.

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