This is the post for the week of Monday, February 27, 2017.
Notes for This Week
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Work for the Week: This week you will begin your group proposal. Your writing group should work to complete this week’s activities BEFORE you leave for Spring Break. Allowing them to wait until the Grace Period ends after break will complicate the process of completing your proposal on time.
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Readings for the Week: This week, there are some separate readings for business writing and technical writing classes. Read the portion that is relevant to you. You can, of course, read or skim the material for the other course for additional pointers.
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Spring Break: I assume that everyone takes a break next week. I will reply to email or questions in Slack, but more slowly than usual.
Readings for This Week
| Everyone |
Writing Guide for the Workplace (assignment) |
|---|---|
| Business Writing Students |
Proposal Writing Basics from Business Communication for Success |
| Technical Writing Students |
Proposals from Online Technical Writing |
Writing Group Due Dates
| Major Projects | Due Date |
| a proposal for your group’s writing guide | 11:59 PM on March 17 |
| the writing guide itself (which can take several forms) | 11:59 PM on April 14 |
| a presentation of primary information from your report | 11:59 PM on May 1 |
Activities for This Week
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Review the assignments for the Writing Guide for the Workplace and Proposal for Writing Guide Group Project. The Examples, Cases & Models: Proposal provides some models you can use as your group works. Post any questions you have about the assignments in #general on Slack.
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Examine the Project Kickoff infographic for tips on how your group can begin work on your proposal successfully. Click on the infographic to view a larger, easier to read version. Your team should work through these ten steps by the time your proposal is complete.
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Complete steps 1 and 2 of the Proposal before break. These steps require setting up a Google Doc for your group to compose in, choosing the kinds of writing you will profile, and deciding on a publishing medium. If you want to begin drafting your proposal, I recommend copying the required section details from the assignment and pasting it into your Google Doc. That process will give you the details you need to include within the document, so you an begin adding your specific information under each heading.
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Add a mid-term reflection to your participation log. Go to the fourth tab in your participation log, which is labeled “Self-assessment, reflection, and improvement.” Follow the instructions there to add a mid-term reflection on your work to date. Set goals for the work you need to do during the rest of the semester to meet the requirements for the course.
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Complete a Self-Assessment next week. Download the 02/20 to 03/03 Template and follow the instructions to share details on your work this week with me. Since this self-assessment covers two weeks, you will find details on some of the activities in the course blog post for last week. Upload your completed self-assessment to the 02/20 to 03/03 Self-Assessment in Canvas by 11:59 PM on Friday, 03/03. If you need extra time, take advantage of the grace period, which ends at 11:59 PM on Tuesday, 03/14.
[Credits: Infographic from 10 Steps to a Kickass Project Kickoff: A Checklist for Project Managers by Wrike]
