devry engl216 full course latest 2015 december [ all discussions all homework and full course project

As you read Chapter 1, you will learn that communication skills are critical in the workplace and that technical writing is used in virtually every work environment.

For this discussion, locate a technical document from your workplace or from home or the Internet, preferably one that might be found in your career field. Note that Figure 1-1 (page 4) provides a list of technical communication examples.

Using the five goals and features of technical communication listed in the textbook (page 4), describe how the document addresses these characteristics. Then, discuss whether or not you feel the document is successful in its overall goal. Provide examples from the document to illustrate.

If possible, share the document by posting a link or a PDF of the sample used.

As our text states, “one cardinal rule governs all on-the-job writing: Write for your reader, not for yourself” (page 41). This requires a solid audience analysis. As part of this analysis, you must also consider the audience's cultural background, particularly in light of today's global society.

For this discussion

1. discuss some general reader characteristics and methods for analyzing the readers of various technical and workplace documents; and
2. describe additional considerations you need to make when dealing with a global audience or an audience from a culture different than your own. Feel free to choose a specific country or culture to analyze for this part of your response.

week 2

Most of us have received a business letter, a memo, or an e-mail before. Although these documents may not seem like traditional forms of technical communication, they actually possess or should possess many of the same qualities as a standard technical document. They should be clear, concise, and written with a specific audience and purpose in mind. For this discussion

1. explain why the ABC format described in the text reading is beneficial for writing all correspondence; and
2. discuss several ways to incorporate the “You” attitude in your writing. Why is this important?

Our text states that document design plays a major role in how readers understand and perceive information. In fact, the way a document is designed or presented creates a subliminal effect, a first impression of sorts, which readers often use to judge the overall value of the document. Sound a little like psychology? Well, it is!

For this discussion, review the elements of document design covered in Chapter 5, and then choose two or three elements—color, consistency, grids, white space, the use of lists, parallelism, fonts, and so on—that you feel are the most important. Explain why you feel these elements are critical for helping create a good first impression.

week 3

As our text indicates, there are several differences between process explanations and instructions. For this discussion

1. describe the differences between the two types of documents;
2. discuss when you would use one or the other; and
3. provide an example of one or both, either by explanation or a sample via a link or attached pdf file.

As our text explains, conducting research for workplace situations is a little different than doing research for academic writing (see Figure 9-1). For this discussion, consider the topic you have chosen for your Course Project and

1. describe the topic and explain the different types of sources you plan to review. In addition to literature reviews, are you considering conducting primary research for your project? If so, please describe. If not, describe what type of primary research could be used. Be sure to review the discussion of primary research in the textbook; and
2. discuss any ethical or legal issues you might have to consider. Refer back to Chapter 1 for a review of these topics.
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As our text explains, writing reports, especially informal reports, is a very common task in most workplaces today.

For this discussion, compare and contrast the format and uses of formal and informal reports. Describe an example of either a formal or informal report that you have used or perhaps even written in the workplace, or locate a report via an Internet search. Did the document follow the guidelines suggested in the text (Chapters 10 and 11)? Explain how or how not.

As stated in the text, “Proposals are crucial to most organizations—indeed, many companies rely on them for their very survival” (p. 399). For this discussion

1. compare and contrast solicited and unsolicited proposals. Which do you think is harder to write? Why?; and
2. given your academic major and/or your chosen career field, describe a situation where you would write an unsolicited proposal to either an internal or external audience. What strategies would you use to gain the reader’s attention? Be sure to consider any legal or ethical issues for this proposal.

Even in technical documents a picture can equal a thousand words.

You can create illustrations, such as graphs, charts, diagrams, schematics, and images using a variety of software applications, such as Microsoft Visio, PowerPoint or Excel, and Adobe PhotoShop or Illustrator. For this discussion

1. using your text (Chapter 13) and documents that you have reviewed or used previously, what suggestions do you have for writers in regard to illustrations; and
2. what types of illustrations or graphics are you planning to use for your Course Project? How do you think they will benefit your readers’ understanding?

Feel free to provide any examples that you may have.

Let's carefully examine the theory and practice of successfully drafting a lengthy document, such as a formal report or proposal.

For this discussion, begin by reviewing the section in Chapter 2: Writing Initial Drafts (page 51). I also recommend exploring the Interactive Parallelism tutorial in the refresher port at THE|HUB.

Based on the reading, the tutorial, and your experience, what are the best next steps after completing a comprehensive outline for a document? How do you get started with a draft? How do you personally overcome the challenges of writer’s block?

week 6

As we all know, the amount of information on the Internet is growing exponentially. Consequently, the need for creating or converting information into web-friendly formats is growing rapidly, as well. Technical communicators now often write content for websites, update a corporate blog or wiki, or manage a company’s social media presence on the Web.

For this discussion

1. describe the major differences in writing content for the Web versus writing for print; and
2. discuss the importance of web page design and interface. What elements do you feel make a website visually appealing or not?

Feel free to share a website you like or don’t like and explain your reasoning.

We often think of writing as a solitary task. However, as our text states, collaboration with coworkers and with subject matter experts (SMEs) actually rank as two of the most important skills for technical writers in the workplace. So, let’s discuss some ways to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of collaborative writing. For this discussion

1. explain the benefits derived from collaborating with others; and
2. discuss some of the common pitfalls when working collaboratively. How might you overcome these challenges? Please share any personal experiences you have had with working in a group or on a team.

First, please check the announcement area to find out which team you'll be working with. Then, use the drop-down menu to navigate to your team's Discussion area. In this Discussion area, you will need to do the following.

• Please post your rough draft as an attachment by Wednesday.
• Post two peer reviews for two of your teammates by Sunday or no later than the date your professor has announced. Important: Use the peer review form located in Doc Sharing, and post your feedback as an attachment.

For example, If there are five people on your team, there should be five drafts posted by the instructed due date. The first person to post a draft should do a peer review for the second and third people to post their drafts, and so on, with the last person to post looping around to do peer reviews for number one and two.

Meeting the deadlines is important! If, for some reason, a team member is late in posting a draft, you do not need to wait for him or her before proceeding with the peer-review process. If someone is late posting a draft, he or she should know that the opportunity to participate may be missed. Participating in the peer-review process counts as part of your discussion grade for this week. Discussion grades will be reduced if these deadlines are not met.

Presentations in the workplace include everything from casual conversations in front of a few colleagues to making sales pitches to customers to giving speeches to large audiences. Further, as more and more organizations conduct business in multiple locations and globally, the use of webinars and other distance presentation tools is growing substantially.

You will be creating a narrated PowerPoint show to present your Course Project. For this discussion

1. describe how you plan to organize your presentation for both your narration and your PowerPoint show. What information will you include? What will you leave out; and
2. discuss what you think are the most critical speaker characteristics for either live presentations or for web-based presentations.

In this exploration of the final two stages of the writing process, we examine the value and mechanics of revising and proofreading our documents. A review of Chapter 2: Revising Drafts (page 52–54) and Chapter 17 on style is a good place to begin. For this discussion

1. contrast the differences between revising and proofreading. Which is harder for you?; and
2. share the strategies you have learned in this class and in other classes that work well in both of these stages.
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Objectives

Given information on a technology or business-related issue presented in a case study, evaluate and integrate outside research to create a well-organized and documented formal analytical report or proposal using at least six sources, including books, articles, interviews with subject matter experts, and websites or databases, and prepare a set of presentation slides to accompany the proposal.

Guidelines

Beginning in Week 2, you will work through the weekly research stages and writing process toward the creation of an 8- to 10-page Formal Recommendation Report or Proposal and accompanying PowerPoint show, either narrated or for use during an onsite presentation of your final report.

Topic: Topic suggestions are provided in Doc Sharing; however, if there is a topic you’d like to use that is not on the list, please contact your instructor for approval. Please note that the topic must be appropriate for either a recommendation or proposal report. Review Chapters 11 and 12 in the text for a description of these reports.

Audience: The audience for this report is an industry decision maker, such as your supervisor or CEO, or a public policymaker, such as a politician or bureaucrat, who could act upon your recommendations or proposal. You will identify this decision maker in the Course Project topic proposal that you will submit in Week 2.

Research: Six academic and/or professional research sources are required. Your research must consist of a variety of electronic sources (websites, databases, media) and traditional sources (books, journals, magazines). All sources must be cited using the American Psychological Association (APA) documentation system.

Final Report/Proposal Details

As noted above, the final product will consist of an 8- to 10-page report or proposal on a technical or business topic from the approved list in Doc Sharing or your own topic with approval from your instructor. The final document includes the following.

• Title page (one page)
• Cover letter (one page, one or two paragraphs, single spaced)
• Table of contents including list of illustrations (one page)
• Executive summary (one page, two or three paragraphs, single spaced)
• Body of report or proposal using the following required sections.
• Introduction
• Discussion sections
• Conclusions and Recommendations
• Six research sources provided on APA formatted References page (one page). All references included on the Reference page must be cited in-text.
• Technical Illustration or visual such as a chart, graph, or image that you have created or have located via academic research. This should be incorporate within the main body of the report and be mentioned in-text.
• Formatting Elements(discussed in Chapter 5 in the textbook).
• Single spacing (or 1.15), double spacing between sections and/or paragraphs
• 12-point font size for main body of writing
• Arial, Calibri, Cambria, or Times New Roman font type
• Use of headings and subheadings when appropriate
• Paragraph length of approximately five to seven sentences
• Standard 1” margins
• Ragged right justification

Note: Sample formal reports are found in the textbook on pages 334, 388, and 431. There are some formatting and heading variations depending on the type of report but all include the required sections.

Multimedia PowerPoint Presentation Details

You will present your report in a multimedia technical briefing in Week 7 using a narrated PowerPoint slide show. The instructions for creating this project can be found in Doc Sharing. The file is labeled Creating Audio Recording in Powerpoint.docx. Details include

• eight to 10 slides, including
• introduction slide with the report title and your name;
• two to three slides per each main point of report;
• a memorable conclusion slide;
• use of full sentence, meaningful headings, and short words or phrases within the body of the slides;
• a minimum of two meaningful visuals;
• use of a business-appropriate design template; and
• 5–7 minutes of narration.

Milestones

Please see the chart below for the topics, deadlines, and deliverables. Under the chart, you will see details for each week's assignments.

As you will see, there is much work to be done. We will, however, be walking through each stage together. Keep up each week, and you will have no problems succeeding. You will definitely want to feature your formal report in your professional portfolio to show to employers.

Lastly, don't forget about your other assignments unrelated to this Course Project.

NOTE: Because the course requires other assignments, working ahead on your Course Project is an excellent idea. Doing so will free you up when there are longer weekly assignments.

Weekly Course Project Deliverables

Week 2: Course Project Launch and Topic Proposal

This week, you will choose a technological or business topic that you would like to investigate for your Course Project. It could be related to your current job, future career, or your Senior Project. However, the topic must be one that fits the parameters of a recommendation report or proposal and addresses a business audience, such as a company executive or decision maker. Make sure to select a topic that will interest you throughout the course. Topic suggestions are located in Doc Sharing. If there is a topic you’d like to use that is not on the list, please contact your instructor for approval.

Unless you are using a real-world issue from your own workplace to develop for this project, you will need to create a few details to help frame the direction for your project. To this end, your topic proposal should include the following.

Title: What is your preliminary title for the report?

Audience: Who will be reading your report or proposal? Is this solicited or unsolicited? In other words, have you been asked to investigate this topic or are you making a suggestion to someone who has not directly asked for it? Are there secondary audiences for the report?

Purpose: What is the overall goal of the report or proposal? What is your objective?

Thesis statement: State the main points you intend to use to develop your argument. Be sure to include at least three main points. See the thesis writing section in the lecture this week.

Submit your thesis to the Dropbox by 11:59 p.m. Sunday for instructor feedback.

Week 3:Annotated References List

This week, you will create an annotated References page, including six sources for your report. Include a minimum of three traditional sources (books, newspapers, magazines, journals, and databases, such as EBSCOhost). Electronic sources (credible websites, etc.) are acceptable for the remainder. Your Annotated References list should include the following.

Correct APA format: All six references must be listed in correct APA format. Make sure to view the APA Guide for Citing Sources tutorial located at the bottom of the Syllabus. There are also several links to APA citation sites provided in the Webliography.

Credible sources: All references, whether they are traditional or electronic, should be from credible sources written by identifiable experts or professionals in the field.

Well-written annotations: Three of the six references must be annotated in a meaningful manner. In other words, provide a short (100-word) description of the article and indicate how it applies to your topic. The annotations must be written in your own words. Note that all references included in your final report must be cited in-text within the report.

Submit the preliminary outline with the bibliographic information for the six sources to the Dropbox by 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

Week 4: Outline

This week, you will create an outline of your formal report. You must use the Outline Template located in Doc Sharing for this assignment. Your outline should include the following.

Information for all sections of the report: Be sure to fill in every section of the outline template with the required information.

In-text citations: In-text citation for all sources listed on your References page must be included within the outline indicating how you used each of the sources listed on the References page.

References page: Include the References page you created in Week 3.

Submit the outline to the Dropbox by 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

Week 5:Formal Report First Draft

This week, you will create a rough draft of the formal report that will include all the required sections of the report, along with in-text citations and the References page. Note that the executive summary and cover letter will be written and submitted in Week 6. The report must be organized and formatted correctly using guidelines in Chapter 10 and the sample report beginning on page 334 in the text as a model. To recap, the draft should include

• a cover or title page;
• a transmittal letter (not required for draft);
• a table of contents;
• a list of illustrations;
• an executive summary (not required for draft);
• an introduction;
• discussion sections;
• conclusions and recommendations;
• a references page; and
• an appendix (optional).

As noted, you are required to create or locate an appropriate technical illustration, such as a chart, graph, diagram, or schematic to help convey a point in the report. You may use a software application, such as Excel or Visio. You could also create an image or photograph using a digital camera or some graphics package.

You must import the illustration into the formal report. It should be labeled correctly with a title and caption. If you did not create the illustration yourself, be sure to include a proper citation for it.

Submit the formal report first draft with the technical illustration included to the Dropbox by 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

Week 6: Cover Letter, Executive Summary, and Peer Review

Executive summary: In Week 6, you will create an executive summary that accurately describes the entire report in a condensed one-page version. See pages 318–320 for a discussion and sample reports for examples.

Cover letter: You will also create your cover letter (or transmittal letter) and add it to your formal report. Information for this part of the project is on pages 314–316 of your text.

Peer review: You should submit the first draft of your report to the Peer Review Discussion Forum by 11:59 p.m. Wednesday for peer review. You will be completing a review of another classmate’s report by 11:59 p.m. Sunday. Your grade for your peer review is given in your discussion grade this week. NOTE: You must use the Peer Review feedback form in Doc Sharing for this assignment.

Week 7: Final Report and Technical Briefing

Final Report: Your final report is due this week. The final report must follow the formatting elements described above and include the following components.

• Cover or title page
• Transmittal letter
• Table of contents
• List of illustrations
• Executive summary
• Introduction
• Discussion sections
• Conclusions and recommendations
• References page
• Appendix (optional)

Technical Briefing (narrated PowerPoint): Create a 5–7-minute multimedia technical briefing based on the highlights of your formal report. You will record your presentation using the audio narration function within PowerPoint. You will need a headset microphone. The directions are located in Doc Sharing. The file is labeledCreating Audio Recording in Powerpoint.docx.

You should create eight to 10 highly effective slides. The following details apply.

How many slides?Your PowerPoint slides should align with and support the points of the thesis. A good rule of thumb is approximately two to three slides per main point of your report or proposal. You also need a title slide that appears during your introduction and a slide that appears during the conclusion of your presentation. This adds up to approximately eight to 10 slides.

Slide design:Use a business- or professional-design template with appropriate font styles, sizes, and colors. PowerPoint has choices. Keep fonts consistent and easy to read. Follow the design principles for visual aids found in your text and in the Week 7 Lecture.

Slide content:Write full-sentence headlines that summarize or synthesize the content in the slide body and tell a coherent story from start to finish. Bullet slide copy with words or short phrases; do not put in paragraphs of text.

Visuals within the PowerPoint:You are required to include a minimum of two visuals within your slides. More is better. Clip art (cartoon-type images, etc.) is not acceptable. Good visuals include charts, graphs, tables, diagrams, maps, screenshots, photos, and other images that add meaning and value to the presentation and make the information easier to comprehend for the audience.

Presentation time frame of 5–7 minutes:Remember to preview and review. When we make oral presentations, we always tell the audience where we are taking them, and then end with a summary of where we have been. So, for your presentations, preview your main areas or points in the opening, and then review those same points in your closing to reinforce the messages and signal the ending of the speech.

Submit the final presentation to the Week 7 Dropbox by 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

Submit the final report with cover letter and appendix to the Week 7 Course Project Dropbox by 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

Grading Rubrics