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Project 2 Overview

Project 2 Overview published on

This is the post for the week of September 15, 2015.

Many of you have turned in your first project. If you are taking advantage of the grace period, have your work in by 11:55 PM September 21. Today, we move on to Project 2.

Readings for the Week of September 15

Tablet, showing a text on screen (indicating a reading)For today’s session, please read the following:

Work for the Week of September 15

  • Hand-drawn open book iconGo to Tests & Quizzes in Scholar, and complete the reading quizzes on Chapters 5, 7, and 9 of Markel by 11:55 PM by 11:59 PM Monday, September 21. See the policies for quizzes on the course logistics page.

  • Get started on your second project:
    • Think of your audience as yourself. A year from now, if you were in the workplace, you should be able to come back to this analysis to remind yourself of the features to include in whatever you are writing.
    • Brainstorm a list of all of the kinds of writing you can think of that people in your field do.
    • Search for job descriptions and note the kinds of writing and communication that they mention.
    • Browse through the table of contents for Part IV of Markel (Chapters 9 to 15) and add any kinds of writing you missed. (NOTE: You are NOT limited to the kinds of writing in Markel. Consider the book one resource, but not your only resource.)
    • Don’t panic if you have an empty cell in your table. If a cell is irrelevant for one of the documents, that is okay. You should not have any empty columns however.
    • Use the example table of kinds of Writing Done by a College English Instructor to guide your work. Feel free to change the columns or rearrange them to fit your field. You can even add a column if you want. If you use information from outside sources, be sure to add a column for documentation.
    • See the formatting and grammar tips below to help arrange your table.

  • Have a draft of your project ready to share on Tuesday. You must post your draft by 11:59 PM on Tuesday, 9/22 to ensure that you are paired with two classmates for peer feedback. Canvas will automatically assign peer reviews to everyone who submits on time.

  • If you have any questions about the assignment, post them in the Questions about Project 2 topic in Discussions in Canvas.

Formatting and Grammar Tips

  • Use short fragments as you fill in your table. Don’t worry about writing in full sentences. Focus on clear and concise language.

  • Make sure that all the cells in a column use parallel grammatical structures. In basic terms, parallel structures are structures that match.

    • If you start with a verb, be sure all the items in the column start with a verb.
    • If you are using a noun phrase in a column, make sure that all the items in the column start with a noun phrase.
    • If there is a period at the end of one item in a column, make sure there is a period at the end of every row in the column.

  • Get a larger writing space by changing your document to landscape orientation and changing the paper size to legal (8.5" by 14").

  • Be use the text in your table is flush left and vertically aligned to the top of the cell. This choice is the most readable according to readability studies.


 
Last updated on Thursday, September 17, 2015

Project 2: Analysis of Writing in Your Field

Project 2: Analysis of Writing in Your Field published on

Worth 15% of your course grade

Calendar IconImportant Dates

  • Sept 22: Rough Drafts for Peer Feedback, due by 11:59 PM
  • Sept 24: Feedback on Classmates’ Work, due by 11:59 PM
  • Sept 28: Project 2 due by 11:59 PM
  • Oct 5: Grace period ends at 11:59 PM

Goals

Hand-drawn icon of a page in a report, showing two graphs, on a clipboard learn the characteristics of the kinds of writing you will typically do in the workplace Globe iconidentify ethical/intercultural and global issues that can impact the kinds of writing in your field Recycling iconthink about the writing you will do in the future as you create something you can use later in your career

Hand-drawn Table IconThe Project Assignment

You will survey the kinds of writing people in your intended career do and arrange the information in a table. You’ll provide a short description of the different kinds of writing, identify the typical audiences and purposes, and classify the kinds of writing, matching the items to the chapters in our textbook and resources online. This chart will be a go-to resource once you are in the workplace.

Step-by-Step Details

#1 in a maroon circleStep 1: Decide on the career you will focus on for your project. Your major and the experiences you have had may prepare you for several careers. For this project, you need to choose one (ideally the one you are most likely to pursue after graduation) and explore this field in more detail.

You can choose any career you like. You can focus on a career related to a job or internship you have had. You can also think about an academic future if grad school is in your future.

#2 in an orange circleStep 2: Set your goals for the project.
As was the case for Project 1, you have the opportunity to aim for the grade you want to earn for Project 2. The options below outline what you need to do for the grade you want to receive.

Again, no one aims for a D, so I have not included any details for below-average work. If you really want a D, just put in minimal effort and do sloppy work.

The letter A, in white with black outlineComplete the B-level project and then use unique strategies and details that are clever, original, creative, and/or imaginative. Your table should include well-chosen graphics or visual elements or examples that increase its effectiveness. It should have no errors in grammar, spelling, style, punctuation, mechanics, linking, and/or formatting. The letter B, in white with black outlineComplete the C-level project and then use design elements (like headings, layout, etc.) to highlight key information and to make the table easy to read and visually appealing. Your table should have no more than three errors in grammar, spelling, style, punctuation, mechanics, linking, and/or formatting. The letter C, in white with black outlineResearch writing in your field, and create a table summarizing your findings on 10 different kinds of writing that are typical in your field. Describe the different kinds of writing, identify the typical audiences and purposes, and classify the kinds of writing, matching the items to the chapters in our textbook and resources online. Identify ethical/intercultural and global issues that can impact the different kinds of writing. Your table should be complete, well-written, and include  no more than five errors in grammar, spelling, style, punctuation, mechanics, linking, and/or formatting.

Bomb icon (indicating a warning)Warning! Remember that no grade is guaranteed.
Make sure your work is error-free, fully-developed, and ready to share with the intended audiences. Any work that is incomplete or that contains multiple errors will not earn an A or an A-.

For instance, say the writer aimed for a B and used design elements to make the table visually appealing, but the information in the table was incomplete and sometimes inaccurate. The project earns a C rather than a B.

#3 in a maroon circleStep 3: Create your table on writing in your field.
Create your project in Microsoft Word, as the formatting options in Excel are more limited. Remember that formatting errors will lower your grade.

Do a thorough analysis of the writing in your field. Survey the kinds of writing people in your intended career do and come up with a comprehensive list. In your table, provide a short description of the different kinds of writing, identify the typical audience and purpose, and classify the kinds of writing, matching the items to the chapters in our textbook and resources online.

Think of your audience for this project as yourself. Your goal is to learn about the characteristics of the kinds of writing you will typically do in the workplace. A year from now, if you were in the workplace, you should be able to come back to this analysis to remind yourself of the kinds of features to include in a text you are writing.

You will post the Google Share link to your draft for peer review by 11:59 PM on Tuesday, 9/22. If you do not post your draft on time, you will not be assigned peer review partners.

You will send feedback to your partners by 11:59 PM on Thursday, 9/24. Use the advice you receive from your readers to revise before the due date. There are no rewrites or revisions after work is graded.

#4 in an orange circleStep 4: Submit your work in Canvas.
When you are finished with the project, you will upload your file in the Assignment tool on Canvas. Details on how to submit your work will be included in the post for the week of September 22.

You will use the Comment section for reflection on your project. In this section you will tell me the following:

  • your career field (in case it’s not clear).
  • the grade that you have aimed for.
  • how well you reached your goals.
  • any other information I need to know to understand the work you did on your project.

Be sure that you follow the instructions, include the relevant information, and proofread your memo. If you skip adding the Comment, you lower your grade on the project. Remember that there are no rewrites or revisions after work is graded.


 
Last updated on Saturday, September 12, 2015

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