Readings for August 14 &15

If you need a refresher, please review the following:

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

Work for August 14 &15

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 “P5: Completion Report (Final).”
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 anything I need to know before I read your completion report.
   • 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.

Today you will read some example self-assessment documents and consider how they use word choice.

Readings for August 13

For today’s session, please read the following:

• National Guard self-assessment brochure.
• USDA self-assessment document.
• Denver County Public Schools Employee Brief.

Work for August 13

• Analyze the self-assessment documents you have read for today for Powerful Word Choice. Post your responses in the forums:

  • Forum Post on National Guard Self-Assessment Brochure
  • Forum Post on Denver Schools Self-Assessment Statement 
  • Forum Post on USDA Self-Assessment Statements 

• If you have any questions about the assignment, go to Questions about Project 6 in the forum and add them.

• Details on how to submit Project 5 will be posted tomorrow (8/14). Your final is due by 11:55 PM on Saturday, 8/15. There is no grace period.

• Complete the Course Evaluation, if you have not done so yet (more details below).

Course Evaluation

Please fill out the Student Perceptions of Teaching (SPOT) survey for this course. I do not see the feedback until after grades are submitted, and your comments are anonymous.

The feedback helps the department make important decisions about teaching methods, course content, and faculty promotion. Written comments help me decide what to keep or change the next time I teach the course.

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).