Worth 5% of your course grade

Important Dates

• August 15: Project 5 due by 11:55 PM
• No grace period. Work not submitted by 11:55 PM on Saturday, August 15 earns a zero.
• August 18: Course grades entry deadline.

Goals

learn the characteristics of performance evaluation reports that are typical in the workplace

review your participation and highlight your best work in the forums

The Project Assignment

You will review your work in the forums and write a completion report that outlines what you have done during the term, guided by the Forum Posts and Participation requirements for the class. In addition to grading your report, I’ll use the information in your report to help determine your forum grade for the course. In the workplace, you would think of this report as a performance review.

Step-by-Step Details

Step 1: Review the Forum Posts & Participation Information. Begin by reviewing the Forum Posts & Participation information that was posted at the beginning of the term.

The page explains the expectations for the work you do in the forums, so your report will explain how you met those goals (or offer some explanation for why you didn’t). Note both the requirements for a specific quantity of posts and for the quality of your posts.

Step 2: Gather your data. You need to collect the data on your participation in the class, using the details on the Forum Posts & Participation page as a guide. Specifically, you need to find data such as the following:

• What have you done to participate consistently and professionally?
• Have you completed all daily work completely and on time?
• Have you completed the expected number of forum posts?
• Which forum posts demonstrate that you have contributed high quality work?

You should gather the relevant numbers, links to example posts, and excerpts from the posts. For instance, you might demonstrate why you think a particular forum post you made is the best by linking to it, summarizing its content, and providing a quotation from it that shows its effectiveness. Alternately, you might quote another student who has commented on your post’s effectiveness.

Step 3:
Set your goals for the project. As was the case for the other projects in this course, you have the opportunity to aim for the grade you want to earn for Project 5. 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.

Complete the B-level project and then use unique strategies and details that are clever, original, creative, and/or imaginative. Your memo should include well-chosen graphics or visual elements (like a a table or chart that illustrates or tracks some aspect of your participation). Your memo should have no errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, mechanics, linking, or formatting.

Complete the C-level project and then use design elements (like headings, layout, etc.) to highlight key information and make the memo easy to read and visually appealing. Your memo should have no more than three minor errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, mechanics, linking, and/or formatting.

Write a report in memo format that addresses the participation portion of your grade: number of posts, consistent, professional participation, and quality of posts. Link directly to example forum posts that demonstrate your work. In the final section of your memo, explain what grade you should earn for the participation portion of your course grade (the 10% of your grade you earn for participation, NOT the grade for Project 5). Your memo should be complete, well-written, and include no more than five spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors.

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 memo visually appealing, but the information in the memo was incomplete and sometimes inaccurate. The project earns a C rather than a B.

Step 4: Create your project. Once you have gathered all of your information, write your report. Use a friendly, inviting tone with “you attitude.” Your underlying goal is to persuade your reader (me) that you have done a good job participating in the forums.

Since you are discussing your grade in the course, you are not required to post your report for peer review.

Step 5: Complete the transmittal memo. Write your transmittal memo to me, using specific details from your project to help me better understand your work. Tell me anything you want me to know about your project before I read it.

More details on this memo will be included in the post for the final exam (posted 8/14). Be sure that you follow the instructions, include the relevant information, and proofread your memo. If you skip this memo, you lower your grade on the project.

Step 6: Submit your work in Scholar.
When you are finished with the project, you will submit your transmittal memo in the Assignment tool on Scholar with the Google Share link to your memo. Details on how to submit your work will be included in the post for the final exam (posted 8/14).