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Proposal Writing & Submission

Proposal Writing & Submission published on

This is the post for the week of Monday, March 13, 2017.

When Grades Are Based on LaborNotes for This Week

  • Work for the Week: This week you will finish your group proposal. Keeping in touch with one another this week will be very important. Be sure that you check in with everyone early in the week to make sure everyone is on board with the plan for writing and revising.
  • Readings for the Week: Nothing new this week. Use the readings from last week (listed below) to inform your work on your proposals.
  • Grading the Analysis Project: As is often the case with Spring Breaks, mine was not long enough, and I am still grading your analysis tables. You should have them back by midweek.
  • Grading System for the Course: Grades in this course are based on your labor—on the time and intensity that you put into your writing. You are not punished for making mistakes as long as you work to improve throughout the term. I created the infographic on the right during break to help tell you a bit more about this way of grading.

Readings for This Week

Everyone Writing Guide for the Workplace (assignment)
Proposal for Writing Guide Group Project (assignment)
Examples, Cases & Models: Proposals from Online Technical Writing
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

  1. 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.
  2. Read the “When Your Grades Are Based on Labor” infographic to understand how your major projects will be graded in this course. It’s probably not the system you are used to, but I have had success with it. You will notice as you work on your group project that I ask you to track the work that you are doing in your reflections. More information on the system is on the infographics page.
  3. Complete steps 3, 4, and 5 of the Proposal. You should have completed steps 1 and 2 before Spring Break. Your work this week is to collaborate on writing, revising, and submitting your proposal. For an easy way to begin drafting your proposal, I recommend copying the required section details from the assignment and pasting it into your group’s 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.
  4. Complete a Self-Assessment for the week. [Links will be added soon] Download the 03/13 to 03/17 Template and follow the instructions to share details on your work this week with me. Your self-assessment will account for your contributions to the group project and provide some evaluation of the group’s collaboration. Upload your completed self-assessment to the 03/13 to 03/17 Assessment in Canvas by 11:59 PM on Friday, 03/17. If you need extra time, take advantage of the grace period, which ends at 11:59 PM on Tuesday, 03/21.
  5. Submit your group proposal.
    • Dates: Your proposal is due by 11:59 PM on Friday, 03/17. If your group needs extra time, take advantage of the grace period, which ends at 11:59 PM on Tuesday, 03/21.
    • Logistics: One member of your group will submit your Proposal in Canvas. One submission will work for the entire group. You have two options:
      • upload a Word Doc or PDF.
      • submit your Google Share link, using the Website URL option. If you use your Google Share link, be sure that you have shared your document with tengrrl@vt.edu so that I can add comments.
    • Technical Help: Check out the How do I submit an assignment on behalf of a group? guide on the Canvas Help site.

 

Group Guide Proposal Overview

Group Guide Proposal Overview published on

This is the post for the week of Monday, February 27, 2017.

Infographic from 10 Steps to a Kickass Project Kickoff: A Checklist for Project Managers by WrikeNotes for This Week

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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)
Proposal for Writing Guide Group Project (assignment)
Examples, Cases & Models: Proposals from Online Technical Writing

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

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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]


 

Beginning Collaborative Work

Beginning Collaborative Work published on

This is the post for the week of Tuesday, February 21, 2017.

How to Succeed in this Online ClassNotes for This Week

  • Collaborative work: This week we begin the super-projects that will be your focus for the rest of the term.

  • Overlapping activities: Since the grace period for the Analysis project does not end until 11:59 on Thursday, you may find yourself working on projects for two different weeks.

Readings for This Week

Writing Group Work and the Remaining Projects

This week we begin the super-projects that will be your focus for the rest of the term. Your writing group will collaborate to create three projects:

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

The assignments for these remaining projects will be available next week. This week you will do some preliminary work on your proposal.

Your group will create these three projects collaboratively. These group projects will each be graded for completion, content, format and design, and accuracy and correctness. Each project will earn a base grade according to those criteria. That base grade will be adjusted up or down for each individual writing group member, taking into account the member’s effort, input, and performance.

Activities for This Week

  1. Review the tips for Succeeding in This Online Course. Set a schedule for the rest of the term to ensure that you take time to complete work on time and collaborate with your writing group.

  2. Review the information on collaboration. The four infographics for this week address some of the challenges of teamwork and suggest ways to deal with them. Read through the information, and find at least one idea that you think would strengthen your writing group. Share the idea and your feelings about it in a post in your #team______ channel in Slack. If appropriate, revise your group guidelines to reflect this new information.

  3. Create a single analysis document for your group. This work is the first step for work on your proposal. Follow this process:

    1. Create a single document in Google Docs that is shared with all your group members and with me (tengrrl@vt.edu). Only one of you needs to do this.
    2. Add your analysis table to the group document.
    3. Organize the document to make it more usable. In particular, group similar kinds of writing together. For instance, if several of you included email, arrange the information so that all the entries for email are together.
    4. Don’t worry about differences in columns for now. This is just a working document.
  4. Update your participation log. You will do your midterm participation reflection next week, so spend some time this week making sure that your log is up to date.

  5. Complete a Self-Assessment next week. Because of Presidents Day, we have a short week this week, and next Friday (or earlier), you will all head off for Spring Break. To keep the workload reasonable, you will report on your work to date before break starts.

 

[Credits: Infographic was created on canva.com. Icons are all from The Noun Project, used under a CC-BY 3.0 license: : book laptop by unlimicon, Coffee by Vladislava Barzin, schedule by Chameleon Design, group chat by Gregor Cresnar, and group brainstrom by cathy moser.]


 

Submitting Your Analysis Project

Submitting Your Analysis Project published on

This is the post for the week of Monday, February 13, 2017.

Notes for Today

  • Shift in due dates: Because many groups have had challenges in working out logistics for this first project, I have changed our due dates:

    • 02/06 to 2/10 Self-Assessment due in Canvas by 11:59 PM on Friday, 02/17
    • Analysis of Writing in Your Field due in Canvas by 11:59 PM on Friday, 02/17
  • Déjà vu: Since we are continuing work from last week, you will see that the readings are the same. That doesn’t mean you can skip them. Read through them again and work to make your group stronger and more collaborative.

  • Celebrate President’s Day: Monday, 2/20 is a holiday. Even though Tech doesn’t take the day off, I am assuming that this course will. Nothing is due on Monday, and the post for next week will be live around midnight on Tuesday, 2/21. Enjoy some time off!

Readings for This Week

Group Work and Major Project Assignment #1

You have two goals this week: (1) doing whatever it takes to build a strong, working writing group, and (2) revising and submitting your Analysis of Writing in Your Field project.

As a reminder, here are the critical dates for the project:

  • Week of January 30: Research and draft your project.
  • Week of February 6: Share your draft with your writing group, and provide feedback to your group members.
  • Submission Due Date: Friday, February 17 at 11:59 PM   *** New Due Date ***
  • End of Grace Period: Thursday, February 23 at 11:59 PM (3-day grace period, excluding weekend + President’s Day holiday)

Activities for This Week

  1. Build a strong writing group. Each group needs to work to ensure that everyone gets feedback and support. To that end, make sure you have completed the work assigned last week:
    1. Introduce yourself to your writing group.
    2. Collaborate to set ground rules for your writing group in your #team______ channel on Slack. Be sure to think about when you should post ideas and how to ensure that work doesn’t wait until the last minute.
    3. Share a draft of your Analysis of Writing project in your #team______ channel on Slack and give feedback to your group members.
  2. Read through/view the resources on your writing group, and tell your writing group at least one thing you will do to help the team collaborate successfully.

  3. Revisit last week’s post for details on the activities you need to complete. All the work listed last week is due by Friday, 2/17..

  4. Complete the Self-Assessment for the week. Since the work continues from last week, you will update and submit the template from last week. Download the 02/06 to 2/10 Template and follow the instructions to share details on your work this week with me. Upload your completed self-assessment to the 02/06 to 2/10 Self-Assessment in Canvas by 11:59 PM on Friday, 02/17. If you need extra time, take advantage of the grace period, which ends at 11:59 PM on Tuesday, 02/21.

 

Total weekly activity points for 02/06 to 2/10: 10 (with an additional 2 points extra credit)

 


 

Peer Review in Writing Groups

Peer Review in Writing Groups published on

This is the post for the week of Monday, January 30, 2017.

54% of employees get their best ideas from talking with colleaguesNotes for Today

  • My Apology: I’m sorry for the delay in getting this week’s post online. Our dog Daisi was 13, and she is very much missed. Thanks for being understanding.

  • Reminder: If you are taking advantage of the grace period, complete the 01/30 to 02/03 Self-Assessment in Canvas by 11:59 PM tonight (Monday, February 6).

  • Better Discussions: Starting this week, most of your discussions in Slack will take place with your Writing Group. That means that conversations will become a lot easier. You will only be chatting with at most 11 people (rather than close to 90). I will indicate your writing group channels as #Team______ in the weekly posts.

  • Extra Credit: This week has opportunities for extra credit in the Weekly Self-Assessment. Complete the optional items for extra points.

Readings for This Week

Crowdsourcing Revision of Major Project Assignment #1

This week, you will spend time with your writing groups getting and giving advice on how to improve your Analysis of Writing in Your Field project. Your previous English classes probably called this process peer review. Several of the readings talk about how peer review works.

In addition to the information in the readings, I want to suggest that you think of this process differently. Imagine that you are crowdsourcing revision of the documents. Each of you brings what knowledge and information you have to the projects. Add what you can. Ask for help where you need it. You know how crowdsourcing works. Bring that idea of working together to make something happen to the projects you are working on.

As a reminder, here are the critical dates for the project:

  • Week of January 30: Research and draft your project.
  • Week of February 6: Share your draft with your writing group, and provide feedback to your group members.
  • Submission Due Date: Wednesday, February 15 at 11:59 PM
  • End of Grace Period: Tuesday, February 21 at 11:59 PM (3-day grace period, excluding weekend + President’s Day holiday)

Activities for This Week

  1. Introduce yourself to your writing group. I set up groups in Canvas and Slack, following the Google Sign-up Document. In Slack, share the professional bio that you posted in #intros with your writing group. Add any comments you’d like to get to know one another beyond sharing your bio. There are two ways to share your bio:
    1. Find your bio in #intros, copy it, and paste it into your #team______ channel.
    2. Find your bio in #intros, follow the instructions to quote a message to get the link, and paste the link into your #team______ channel.
  2. Collaborate to set ground rules for your writing group in your #team______ channel on Slack. The primary work of your writing group is explained in the Writing Groups Overview. You may also collaborate to write some short documents. Your group should make a set of guidelines that covers all of the following:

    • Contact information that group members can use to contact one another outside Slack and Canvas, if desired.
    • Group responsibilities (division of labor) for the project. For instance, do you want a leader? Who is responsible for making sure work is done?
    • Communication policies that account for how the group will deal with scheduling, questions, and absences.
    • Revision crowdsourcing strategies and plans (think about including ideas from this week’s readings).
  3. Share a draft of your Analysis of Writing project in your #team______ channel on Slack.

    • In your message, ask your group to look at anything you are trying to improve. Let them know the kind of advice you need.
    • Add a link to your draft or direct your group members to find the draft in the Analysis of Writing in Your Field discussion in Canvas. Do NOT upload your draft to Slack, as we have to be careful not to go over our storage limit.
  4. Work on the design and phrasing of your Analysis of Writing project. Apply information from the Ten Ways to Improve Your Writing and from the slideshow in the assignment to your project. For instance, pay attention to things like the layout of the columns, how you phrase the information in your table, and the alignment of the information in the columns. You will find more information in the linked resources.

  5. Find info on ethics. If you are focusing on ethics in your table, check out Chapter 9 (9.1–9.6) of Technical Writing by Hamlin, Rubio, and DeSilva. You need to click through to access all the sections of the chapter.

  6. Find info on intercultural and global issues. If you are focusing on intercultural and global issues in your table, check out Practicing Intercultural Communication from Writing Commons.

  7. Update your Participation Log. Add details on your contributions in Slack to your Log to make sure your records are up-to-date.

  8. Complete the Self-Assessment for the week. Download the 02/06 to 2/10 Template and follow the instructions to share details on your work this week. Upload your completed self-assessment to the 02/06 to 2/10 Self-Assessment in Canvas by 11:59 PM on Saturday, 02/011. If you need extra time, take advantage of the grace period, which ends at 11:59 PM on Tuesday, 02/14.

 

Total weekly activity points for 02/06 to 2/10: 10 (with an additional 2 points extra credit)

 

[Image: Detail from Effective Collaboration [INFOGRAPHIC]]
 

Delay in This Week’s Post

Delay in This Week’s Post published on

Folks, I will post the work for this week in the next 24 hours, and I will give you the extra day to complete it.

One of our dogs passed away this evening. She had been sick for about a week. I’m sorry, but I just can’t pull things together enough to put the work online right now.
—traci


 

Analysis Overview

Analysis Overview published on

This is the post for the week of Monday, January 30, 2017.

Notes for Today

  • Reminder: If you are taking advantage of the grace period, complete the 01/23 to 01/27 Self-Assessment in Canvas by 11:59 PM tonight (Monday, January 30).

  • My Responses in Slack: Obviously I cannot reply to every message, so I try to leave a thumbs up or happy face to indicate that I saw your post. If I skipped you, it wasn’t on purpose. Conversation will become easier once we break out into writing groups.

  • BTW Writing Assignment Collection: I’m building a site for all the project assignments for this course. Right now, there is only one assignment there. More will come, but for now, be aware that there are links that do not go anywhere yet.

  • My Work Hours This Week: As usual, I will be around in the afternoon and later evening most days. I will be mostly unavailable during the day on Thursday (helping with the weekly Girl Scout cookie delivery).

Readings for This Week

Major Project Assignment #1

The first major project is the Analysis of Writing in Your Field. Since this assignment is tied to your major or career choice, students in both Business Writing and Technical Writing will complete the same project.

Here are the critical dates for the project:

  • Week of January 30: Research and draft your project.
  • Week of February 6: Share your draft with your writing group, and provide feedback to your group members.
  • Submission Due Date: Wednesday, February 15 at 11:59 PM
  • End of Grace Period: Tuesday, February 21 at 11:59 PM (3-day grace period, excluding weekend + President’s Day holiday)

Activities for This Week

  1. Join a writing group. The feedback on Slack suggested that some of you were happy to stay with your majors or colleges. Some of you wanted to mix things up since you already spend so much time with folks in your majors. Rather than trying to decide, I am asking you to sign up for whatever you want. Go to the Google Sign-up Document, read the instructions, and add your name to a group by 11:59 PM on Friday (no grace period). I will set up your groups during the weekend.

  2. Share an audience analysis of an emoji. If you have trouble, think about how you use the emoji and how someone older might use it. Have some fun with this, but keep the explanations polite.

    • Go to the Slack channel for the course you are taking (either #_business-writing or #_technical-writing).
    • Choose an emoji that shows up in Slack (emoji help in Slack).
    • Write a post that includes the emoji and explains how different audiences might interpret the emoji.
    • Indicate whether you would use the emoji in the workplace as well. If not, explain why.
    • Once you post your analysis, read through some of the other comments and add some emoji replies to three.
  3. Read the Analysis assignment, and ask any questions you have. If you have any questions about the assignment, check in #general in Slack to see if they have already been answered. If they have not, post your question there and be sure to include #analysis-asgt so that I can find it. Asking a question is not required.

  4. Begin work on the Analysis assignment. Use the suggestions in Step 3 of the Analysis assignment (Research writing in your field) to begin work on your project.

  5. Complete the Self-Assessment for the week. Download the 01/30 to 02/03 Template and follow the instructions to share details on your work this week. Upload your completed self-assessment to the 01/30 to 02/03 Self-Assessment in Canvas by 11:59 PM on Friday, 02/03. If you need extra time, take advantage of the grace period, which ends at 11:59 PM on Monday, 02/06.

 

Total weekly activity points for 1/30 to 2/3: 8

 

[Image: Detail from Think Emoticons are NSFW? Think Again.]
 

Introductions and Collaboration

Introductions and Collaboration published on

This is the post for the week of Monday, January 23, 2017.

Detail from Communicating in the Modern Workplace: How Millennials and their Managers CompareNotes for Today

  • Reminder: If you are taking advantage of the grace period, complete the Syllabus Verification Quiz in Canvas by 11:59 PM tonight (Monday, January 23).

  • Building Teams with Slack: We are using Slack heavily this week to begin the process of getting to know one another and work together. If you have trouble with the software, check out the information on the Help with Slack page. You can also ask for help in Slack itself—and if you see someone ask a question you can answer, please chime in.

  • My Work Hours This Week: As usual, I will be around in the afternoon and later evening most days. I will be mostly unavailable during the day on Thursday (helping with Girl Scout cookie delivery), and I will be at a meeting on Saturday during the day.

Readings for This Week

These infographics present details about writing in the workplace. As you review what they say, think about whether you agree, how believable the research they share is, and any information you think could be added to improve them.

Activities for This Week

  1. Add a professional profile picture to your Slack account. To help us all get to know one another, please add a professional profile picture to your account. Photos will help us get to know one another and will personalize the discussion. Without photos, it’s just a list of names. If you need help, check the Slack documentation on editing your profile.

  2. Add a professional profile picture to your Canvas account. To help us connect you from Slack to Canvas, please use the same profile picture in both places. Follow the Canvas documentation to add a profile picture in your user account.

  3. Participate in my AMA discussion. Post any questions you have about me or my background in the #iamtraci channel on Slack. Read whatever has been posted. Add emoji, replies, or follow-up questions as desired. Please keep the conversation classroom-friendly.

  4. Write a professional bio and post it in #intros on Slack to introduce yourself. In the workplace, it’s typical to write a short bio that would appear in a company newsletter or be shared with clients. You will frequently find these bios online on a “Meet the Team” type webpage. Here are some examples: 

    Write a similar, short bio that introduces yourself to the class. A photo is not required as there is already one showing for your profile. After you post your bio, read through your classmates’ bios and add a reply to at least three with a friendly comment or question. Try to build some connections.

  5. Weigh in on the writing group discussion in #general on Slack. I’d like your input on organizing writing groups for the courses. As you will be focusing primarily on writing in your fields, arranging teams by major makes the most sense. The numbers for each major vary widely. For some there are plenty for a team (or even too many). For other majors, there is only one student (not really a team). So read the additional information in Slack, and offer your suggestions. Add emoji votes, replies, or new ideas.

  6. Explore how the 4 infographics connect (or don’t) to your experience or knowledge of your field. Go to the Slack channel for the course you are taking (either #_business-writing or #_technical-writing). Choose the infographic you want to comment on (all four have been posted), and add your reply. Read the comments of your classmates and add some emoji reactions to their ideas. You can contribute additional replies as well.

  7. Complete the Self-Assessment for the week. Download the 01/23 to 1/27 Template and follow the instructions to share details on your work this week. Upload your completed self-assessment to the 01/23 to 01/27 Self-Assessment in Canvas.

 

Total weekly activity points for 1/23 to 1/27: 10

 

 

[Image: Detail from Communicating in the Modern Workplace: How Millennials and their Managers Compare]

 


 

Welcome to Business & Technical Writing

Welcome to Business & Technical Writing published on

This is the post for the week of Tuesday, January 17, 2017.

OverviewSurprise! People with Stronger Writing Skills Are Better at their Jobs, Get Paid More

This is the course website for English 3764, CRNs #13920 and #13921, and for English 3774, CRNs #19069 and #19070. All four courses are taught by Traci Gardner at Virginia Tech during Spring Semester 2017.

Information on all assignments, weekly activities, and related resources will be posted here. Check this site regularly for the details on what to do for the course.

Notes for This Week

  • Course Pacing: This week we are getting a gentle start. Take time to work through the course documents on the site so that you are ready to hit the ground next week.

  • Two Courses, One Site? It may seem strange, but yes, this site and the various resources we are using are for two different classes: Business Writing and Technical Writing. Why? The policies and general set-up for the courses are the same. The readings, activities, and assignments are usually different. Sometimes they do overlap, as in the case of Job Application Materials. Basically, I would rather spend my time helping you than maintaining two nearly duplicate sites.

  • Work Hours: Normally, I am online from late afternoon through early morning hours. I’m not a morning person. So look for responses from me during those hours.

Readings for This Week

Activities for This Week

  1. Take the Syllabus Verification Quiz in Canvas to confirm that you have read the Syllabus and information on course logistics. This quiz comprises your weekly activity for the week and is worth 10 points. The quiz is due by 11:59 PM on Friday, January 20. If you need more time, take advantage of the grace period and complete the quiz by 11:59 PM on Monday, January 23.

  2. Confirm that your notifications in Canvas are set the way you want them. Note that Canvas uses your notification preferences to determine whether to email you or text you (or not tell you at all) about information in the site. See the section "How do I adjust my notification preferences?" in the Student Getting Started with Canvas Guide for more information on setting up your notifications.

  3. Watch later this week for an announcement about our Slack Team site, where we can begin discussing the course. Naturally, if you have a personal question in the meantime, you can send me an email message at tengrrl at vt.edu.

 

[Image: Detail from Why Good Writing Is Needed for Better Jobs]
 

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