Today you will submit your fourth project.

Readings for August 11

For today’s session, please read (or review) the following:

• FAQs on the Google Drive system.
• Guidelines on “Organizing a Memo” in Markel, on p. 232.

Work for August 11

There are two parts to submitting Project 1:

• Writing your transmittal memo.
  As I explained in the assignment, the transmittal memo is your chance to tell me anything you want me to know about your project. I will read your memo before I read your bio.

• Sharing your project link.
  For this project, your transmittal memo will give me the link to your biography statement on Google Drive (or wherever it is). Since you may have worked on LinkedIn or elsewhere, your link for this project may not go to the Google Drive.

Writing Your Transmittal Memo and Submitting Your Project

Follow these instructions to submit your work:

1. Go to the Assignments tab on the left menu in Scholar.
2. Choose “P4: Genre Analysis Report.”
3. Scroll down to the text box below the headings Submission and Assignment Text. You will write your transmittal memo in this box. (Alternately, you can write in a word processor and copy/paste your text into this box.)
4. Add your memo headers (To, From, Subject, and Date). For your transmittal memo, you’ll use the following:
• Address your memo to me (Traci) and from you (use your name).
• Add a subject line that indicates this is your transmittal memo and which project it is for.
• Add the current date.
5. Insert a horizontal divider line under the headers (using the button indicated with the red arrow in the image below):
   
6. Introduce your project:
   • Tell me about the analytical report you are submitting for your project.
   • Explain what grade you aimed for and how well you think you met your goals.
7. Make sure that your document is a Google Doc (and not a PDF or Word Docx file). See the tips below for information on how to convert your files if necessary.
8. Add the Share link to the document on your Google Drive. Use the instructions for how to get the Share link on the FAQ site if you are unsure how to share documents (see the tips below).
9. Agree to the Honor Code by clicking the checkbox at the bottom of the page in Scholar. You cannot finish submitting the project without clicking that checkbox.
10. Submit your Project, and save a copy of the confirmation and submission ID. If something goes wrong in Scholar, you can contact 4HELP with that information.

Tips on Using Google Drive

The FAQ site has step-by-step instructions for tasks you will complete with your Google Drive, including converting your document if you have worked in another word processor, adding comments, and sharing your documents are all included.

To make sure that you can submit your first project smoothly, pay attention to the following FAQs:

• If you worked in something other than Google Drive, you can use your preferences to automatically convert files you upload to Google Drive automatically.
  This step is important so that I can use the commenting features in Google Drive.
• If you already uploaded a document to Google Drive, check the format of your files and manually convert the files on Google Drive if necessary.
• Follow the instructions on how to set permissions and get the Google Drive Share link to get a link that will allow me to read and comment on your document.

Note that if your documents are in the wrong format or the permissions do not allow me to comment, I will return your work ungraded.

• Post the share link to your draft for Project 4 in the forums by 9 AM on Monday, 8/10. You may post earlier.
• Respond to two students in the forums by 11:55 PM on Tuesday, 8/11. You may respond earlier.
• Revise your Project based on the feedback and submit your project by 11:55 PM on Tuesday, 8/11.
• Take advantage of the grace period if you need it, which ends at 11:55 PM on Thursday, 8/13.

Posting Your Drafts for Project 4

1. Follow the instructions in Step 1 of How do I use Google Drive for peer review? to set up sharing permissions for your documents. You need to share your draft with “Anyone with the link” or “People at Virginia Tech with the link” so that we can read your work.
2. Create a new topic in the Rough Drafts for Project 4 section of the forums.
3. Share the link to your analytical report in Google Docs. You can follow these instructions to make your link in the forum post clickable.
4. Add a brief note that tells readers anything they need to know before reading the draft of your report.
5. If you have any specific concerns that you want your readers to consider, add a note on that as well.
6. Be sure to Preview your forum post to make sure everything shows up the way you want it to, and then Submit your message.

Replying to Project 4 Drafts

Next, you will reply to the posts of some of your classmates:

1. Review the instructions in Step 2 of How do I use Google Drive for peer review? if you need a reminder on how to use the Comment features in Google Drive.

2. Go to the Rough Drafts for Project 4 section of the forums, and read the drafts of at least two of your classmates and add a reply with advice and encouragement (more below).
   • Find one post that no other student has replied to (so that we can be sure everyone gets a reply).
   • Find a second post that has only one other student reply.

3. Use the link your classmate provided to go to his or her project and do the following:

   • Check the title and any headings in the document, and add a comment to tell your classmate if these design elements are clear and effective.
   • If you notice any spelling errors, punctuation errors, or typos, mark them as you read, but please focus more on the content rather than editing.
   • Add comments on the content of the draft. Comment on at least three things your classmate does well and at least three things that your classmate could improve on. It’s fine to include more than the minimum number of comments.

4. Go back to the forums and add a reply to your classmate’s topic. In that topic, make an overall comment that sums up what you thought of the report and gives your classmate some encouragement.

Reviewing the Comments You Received

Once you have finished adding comments to your classmates’ projects, return to your own draft, read the comments that your classmates have given you, and add replies as appropriate. For instance, you might thank your partner for catching an error, ask your partner for more detail on feedback you don’t understand, or share a revision and ask your partner if it is an improvement.

Because Project 4 is a larger project, I have opened up peer review on Friday, so that those of you who want more time can complete your peer review and revision during the weekend. Details are below.

Readings for August 7 & 10

For this week, please review the following, as necessary:

• Editing and Proofreading tips and skim Appendix B of Markel.
• FAQs on the Google Drive system.

Work for August 7 & 10

• Complete the peer review activities (full instructions):
  • Post the share link to your draft for Project 4 in the forums by 9 AM on Monday, 8/10. You may post earlier.
  • Respond to two students in the forums by 11:55 PM on Tuesday, 8/11.
  • Revise your Project based on the feedback.

• You will submit the share link to your project along with your transmittal memo on Tuesday, 8/11. Remember that you have a two-day grace period if you need an extension. We begin Project 5 (the final) on Wednesday.

Readings for August 5 & 6

Here are the resources for Project 4:

• Assignment for Project 4: Capstone Analysis Report
• Genre Analysis Examples
• Questions about Project 4 in the forums

Work for August 5 & 6

Wednesday and Thursday are work days, so I am posting one combined post for both days.

• Continue working on Project 4, using the Genre Analysis Examples to guide your work.

• Check Questions about Project 4 thread in the forums for some additional tips and information on the project. If you have a question yourself, add it to the thread, and I’ll answer asap.

• Review the Discussing Example Reports post in the forums as well for possible tips and ideas that you can apply to your own report.

• As a reminder, review the Forum Posts & Participation page and assess where you stand for your participation grade. If your participation numbers are not where you want them to be, you need to act now. Note that the quantity requirements for participation will not change.

• Please consider adding your opinions on the topics in the optional forum on Ethics and Technical Writing. I am finding your responses so far very interesting.

Readings for July 31

Read or review the following for today’s work:

• Assignment for Project 4: Capstone Analysis Report
• Genre Analysis Examples (3 example reports)
• Genre Analysis Proposal

Calendar Updates

Project 4 is a bigger project, and you will need more working time to get it done. I’m making some minor changes to the schedule that is posted on the Syllabus:

Work for July 31

• Use the Genre Analysis Examples to guide you as you gather information and draft your own report. You will work on different topics, but you the arrangement and kind of information that they include is similar to what you need to work on. After reading the examples, go to the Discussing Example Reports post in the forums and make two replies, following the instructions that you find in the post.

• By 11:55 PM tonight (Friday), reply to the Published Writing in Your Field topic in the Project 4: Genre Analysis Report forum, in order to do some additional research on writing in your field.

• Continue working on your project. You should be in good shape if you complete most of your research by the weekend. That will give you all of next week to work through your findings and write your report.

• I will reply to your proposals by Saturday evening. Be sure that you check the feedback for any changes that you need to make or advice that may help you with your writing.

• If you have any questions about the assignments, go to the forums and post them in the Questions about Project 4 thread. I’m back in Virginia now, so I will be answering mail several times a day.

Readings for July 30

Read or review the following for today’s work:

• Assignment for Project 4: Capstone Analysis Report
• Genre Analysis Examples (3 example reports)
• Genre Analysis Proposal

Work for July 30

• Propose your project in the forums by 11:55 PM tonight, following the instructions on the Genre Analysis Proposal page. If you need an extension, take advantage of the 24-hour grace period for daily work. Remember that this project is worth 30% of your course grade. It is longer and more involved. The proposal is an important part of the process, since it makes sure that you’re on the right track before you dive into writing the actual report.

• By Friday, July 31, reply to the Published Writing in Your Field topic in the Project 4: Genre Analysis Report forum, in order to do some additional research on writing in your field.

• If you have any questions about the assignments, go to the forums and post them in the Questions about Project 4 thread. I’m back in Virginia now, so I will be answering mail several times a day.

Readings for July 29

• Assignment for Project 4: Capstone Analysis Report
• Genre Analysis Examples (3 example reports)

Work for July 29

• Begin work on Project 4. Take time today to explore the various kinds of writing you might examine in your report. You will propose your project in the forums tomorrow.

• By Friday, July 31, reply to the Published Writing in Your Field topic in the Project 4: Genre Analysis Report forum, in order to do some additional research on writing in your field.

• If you have any questions about the assignments, go to the forums and post them in the Questions about Project 4 thread.

• When I’ll reply to any questions: I will arrive back in Virginia late tonight. Look for replies after 9 PM Eastern or first thing in the morning. I will reply earlier when possible.

Limited Access

I am limiting access to these examples to students in this class, since they were not written for classes I teach. You will have to log into Scholar to get to these documents.

To access the files, go to the Resources Folder in our Scholar site, and download the three files:

• GenreAnalysisReport1.pdf
• GenreAnalysisReport2.pdf
• GenreAnalysisReport3.pdf

Using the Examples

These examples were written in different situations. One is a collaborative report. The others were written for another, parallel professional writing course. While the writing situations are slightly different for the students involved, they are all writing for the same assignment you are using. Don’t let the slight differences throw you off.

Future Examples

I am hoping to use some of your reports as examples for classes in the future. I will ask for your permission during the last week of class.

Where?

You will post your proposal in the forum by 11:55 PM Thursday, July 30.

To organize this project a bit, I have set up a subforum specifically for your proposals: Proposals for Project 4. I’d like you to name your post with the kind of writing and your field. So if I were to work on this project, I might have the subject line “Course Syllabus, for College English Teacher.”

What Do You Write?

Write a short proposal that explains the genre (or kind) of writing that you will focus on for your report. Address the following points:

1. Background/Introduction
   Give some background on your genre, your experiences with it to date, what you already know, etc. Then clearly state, "I would like to study this genre for the following reasons: . . . ." What are your motivations for doing work in this area?

2. Areas to be Studied
   What are the key points you will explore/research? What are some questions you will ask and try to answer with this project? What do you intend to do with this project?

3. Methods of Research
   What is your research strategy? What, exactly, are you planning to do to try to find answers to your questions?

4. Timetable
   What are your target dates for various stages of completion? You have about two weeks for this project, so set some deadlines for yourself to ensure you are ready to share you rough draft on August 10 and turn in your project on August 11.

5. Qualifications
   What makes you qualified to do this research? What skills do you bring to the table that will help you deal with this topic effectively?

6. Request for Approval
   Ask for approval; ask for guidance, articulate biggest concerns at this point; ask for suggestions about next right steps; provide contact information.

What Happens Next?

I will read all the proposals and give you feedback on your plan by Saturday. Keep working on your project as if you have approval. You will post a progress report that assesses that you have accomplished so far on Tuesday, August 4.

Important Dates

• July 30: Proposal for Project 4, due by 11:55 PM
• August 4: Progress Report for Project 4, due by 11:55 PM
• August 10: Rough Drafts for Peer Feedback, due by 9:00 AM
• August 11: Project 4 due by 11:55 PM
• August 13: Grace period ends at 11:55 PM

Goals

become an independent writer who who no longer needs a writing instructor to tell you how to compose a genre of writing

think about audience and purpose as you practice the kind of research you will need to do during your career

The Project Assignment

You will learn everything there is to know about a kind of writing you will do in your career. You will find online resources, interview people in the field, and analyze examples. You’ll publish your findings in an analytical report that explains how the genre works. You will write a short proposal and a progress report, in addition to the final report.

Step-by-Step Details

Step 1: Decide on a genre to explore for your project. Return to the table you created for Project 2, or think about the writing you do or will do in your field. Choose a kind of writing that you have not previously done. Ideally, you should choose a kind of writing that your genuinely want to know more about or that you know will be critical to success in your field.

You will research the kind of writing you choose, focusing on the particular kind of writing for the next two weeks. You will turn in a proposal for your project on Thursday, July 30.

Step 2: Set your goals for the project.
As has been the case for all the projects in this class, you have the opportunity to aim for the grade you want to earn on this project. The options below outline what you need to do for the grade you want to receive.

No one, in my experience, 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 report should include well-chosen graphics or visual elements that increase its effectiveness. It should have no errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, mechanics, linking, and formatting.

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

Write an analytical report that discusses the purpose and audience for a particular kind of writing used in your field. The report will discuss all aspects of the genre and will include at least 3 examples. (See additional details below in Step 3. Your report should be complete, well-written, and include no more than 5 spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors.

Warning! 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 report visually appealing, but the finished text was full of typos. It was obvious the writer didn’t proofread at all. The project earns a C rather than a B.

Step 3: Write your analytical report.
Research and write your analtical report as a document on Google Drive. I strongly urge you to create your report in Drive from the beginning to avoid formatting issues. Formatting errors will lower your grade.

With examples and relevant formatting, your report will likely be close to 20 pages long. Review the example genre analysis reports to see the kind of layout and design that are appropriate for your project.

The research for your report should include the following:

• a literature review and evaluation of online resources (to learn what have other researchers already studied and said about the particular genre in question),
• interviews with people who actually write and read these documents to learn about their experiences with it,
• and site inspection (examining the actual physical work environment or conditions researchers already studied and said about the particular genre in question), experiences with it, that affect the process of this particular genre is typically composed).

You will analyze and explicate the rhetorical situation for your particular genre—that is, you will identify and explain the problem that creates the need for this particular form of written communication, the purpose and occasion that calls this kind of writing into being, or the work that needs to be done and to which this text responds.

You will analyze the audience or users of this particular genre of written communication, including their knowledge, experience, and work environments, their motivations for working with the genre in question, how they perceive and use the text in question, and what they do with it.

You will outline the constraints at work on the writers and the readers of these documents, including computing environments, documents, facts, and workplace objects, but also less tangible factors such as relations, beliefs, attitudes, traditions, images, interests, and motives that are in play in their organizations or workplaces.

You will obtain at least three examples of the particular genre in question and analyze them to extract the generic conventions, characteristics, features, and strategies that distinguish this genre.

You will post a progress report on your project on Tuesday, August 4. You will post your draft for peer review by 9 AM on Monday, August 10. Use the advice you receive from your readers to revise your report before the due date. There are no rewrites or revisions after work is graded.

Step 4: Complete the transmittal memo.
A transmittal memo is like a cover letter for your project. It tells me whatever information I need to know to understand the work you did on your project.

You will write a short transmittal memo that gives me the Share link to your report and explains the decisions you made for Project 4. More details on this memo will be included in the post for the due date (July 11). 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 5: Submit all the documents 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 analytical report. Details on how to submit your work will be included in the post for the due date (July 11).

Note that if the submission is not a Google Drive document, I cannot provide any feedback on your work.