Descriptions of major course projects are listed here.
Links to the collaborative materials can be found here.
The following assessment refers to your latest group writing assignment. Please write your responses to #1, #2, and #3 in paragraph form, and record your numerical ratings as demonstrated below. Email your assessment to me. Write “Collaboration Report” on the subject line, and send your responses to rachael.d.bailey@gmail.com. Please send only your responses and not the questions.
Evaluative and Reflective Essay
Group Rating Assessment
Read through the following criteria. Assign a rating from each category for each student including yourself. Follow the format given at the end.
A. Rate each person’s attendance at meetings.
0=Student did not come to meetings.
1=Student came to some meetings.
2=Student came to all but one meeting.
3=Student came to all meetings.
B. Rate each person’s quantity of work on this project.
0=Student made no contribution.
1=Student made a small contribution to this project.
2=Student made a medium contribution to this project, but other students carried the main load.
3=Student made a large contribution to the project.
C. Rate each person’s quality of work on this project.
1=Contribution was of such low quality that it had to be rewritten substantially. Student contributed few ideas and made little impact on final product.
2=Contribution was of medium quality and some had to be rewritten. Student contributed some ideas and made a medium impact on final product.
3=Contribution was of high quality, and student helped with rewriting. Student also contributed many good ideas and made a substantial impact on final product.
D. Rate the person’s interpersonal skills.
1=Student caused unnecessary personal or procedural conflict that negatively impacted the group.
2=Student had little impact on interpersonal relationships.
3=Student cultivated supportive and respectful relationships.
E. Rate the person’s conduct in the group process.
1=Student did not become actively engaged in collaborating with the group as a whole.
2=Student took over the group and made this more of a solo effort rather than a group effort.
3=Student allowed and encourage all members to participate. Student encouraged an exchange of ideas.
F. Rate the person’s contribution towards making this a learning group, where students help each other learn, not just a production team, where students contribute only their expertise.
1=Student did not teach others new skills.
2=Student contributed his or her expertise, but made a small effort to teach others new skills.
3=Student took time and effort to teach his or her skills, such as editing, creating graphics, designing documents, organizing, etc. to other group members.
G. Rate the person’s contribution in making this a learning group, where students try new skills, rather than a work team, where students contribute only their expertise.
1=Student did not try learning a new skill.
2=Student made a small effort to try a new skill.
3=Student took time and effort to try a new skill, such as editing, creating graphics, designing documents, organizing, etc.
Reporting format
Give first name and at least an initial of the last name. Report the numbers in this format, listing each member of your group, including yourself.
Steve N.
Attendance 2
Quantity 3
Quality 2
Interpersonal skills 2
Conduct 2
Learning 2
New skills 3
Take five minutes to discuss what attitudes or activities are productive and lead to successful group work, and which ones are not productive and lead to less satisfactory group work. How could group members improve their groups? Draw from your assigned readings and your own experience. Be ready to report to the entire class.
Case Study #1
George, Luis, and Maggie are writing a product description together. The day they are assigned the paper, Luis has a great idea for a mechanism they can describe. He is excited about it, and he brings it the next time they meet. George agrees that it would be a good mechanism to describe for their paper. Maggie disagrees, but she sees that George and Luis already agree, so she is quiet about her hesitations in using Luis’ idea. She tries for consensus by agreeing with George and Luis.
Case Study #2
Orlando, Julia, and Crystal are working on a process paper. Orlando wants to get the paper finished so he can enjoy the weekend without any homework. Julia wants to finish, but she wants the paper to be perfect. She has noticed that Crystal doesn’t have a lot of ideas to offer when they discuss the paper. She knows Orlando wants to work, but only during the week. Julia knows that if this project is going to get done and be “A” work, she will have to do most of the work herself, so she writes a lot of it over the weekend herself. Julia moans that group work always means she does the work and others just ride on her efforts.
Case Study #3
Matt, Pui, Liz, and Gabriella are working on a research paper together. Liz does not want to be doing a group paper, so whenever they meet, she moans about the project and about how hard it is. She skips a few meetings because they don’t seem to get much done, and she knows she didn’t miss much anyway. Gabriella will catch her up on what she missed. She detects feeling of resentment from the other group members, but she attributes it to overly uptight people who have no life.
Case Study #4
Sherrie, Malcolm, Duane, and Suzanne have spent hours on their research project. They are still writing the proposal, and they have met many times already. Each time they meet, they seem to go over the same problems they encountered the last time. They end up brainstorming for new ideas, but they end up with the same list they came up with last time. They never get past the idea stage. They seem to be making no progress.
Case Study #5
Tina and Jennifer are tired of being in a group with Martine and Paul. They think that they waste time at meetings and get nothing done. Instead, Tina and Jennifer meet on their own, make some quick decisions, and write half of a draft of a paper. When they all meet again, Tina and Jennifer present what they did on their own. Martine and Paul are mad Tina and Jennifer went off on their own, but they don’t say anything because they want to have consensus.
Case Study #6
Jamaal, Steve, and Andrea are supposed to write instructions for how to make an elaborate paper airplane. When they meet, they jump right into the task. They divide up the steps and leave. When they meet again, they start immediately into the project. They put the steps all together in one document. Then they are done. By the end, Jamaal, Steve, and Andrea end the project not knowing a thing about each other, but they have finished the paper in record speed, and they were very efficient.
Case Study #7
Natalie, Yolanda, Ping, and Michael are working on a process paper. Yolanda has a lot of experience in graphic arts, so, when they are adding the pictures, she shows Ping and Michael how to scan a picture in and add it to the text. Natalie is good with words and is a good editor. She edits the paper with Yolanda so Yolanda can learn more about punctuation rules. The process is not very efficient, and it takes a longer time to produce the paper than if they did only what they were good at.
Case Study #8
James, Nathan, and Allie need to schedule a time to meet with each other. James works nights, and Nathan works afternoons. Allie has two night classes. There doesn’t seem to be any time they are all free except Thursday from 1:30-2:45. This makes all of them very frustrated because the paper is due soon, and they can’t get together.
The first tasks are as follows. You have fifteen minutes.
You are assigned to write a letter of application and a resume for a real job or internship. Look for job listings in the Purdue placement center, the newspaper, the Internet, or through acquaintances.
Audience
Write the letter to a real person with a real address. Research your audience and tailor the letter and resume to suit this audience. Show you have researched their company and show how you would be good for their company (not how the company would be good for you). The audience for the memo is your instructor.
Organization
Letter: The letter should be typed in a basic letter format. Check the textbook for examples. A subject line is optional. Use correct titles in the salutation, and put a colon after the name. Organize the letter this way:
Heading: Include your address, telephone number, and email
address. If you have a fax number, include that as well.
1st paragraph: How did you find out about the job? What are you
applying for?
2nd and maybe 3rd paragraph: How are you good for this company?
What do you have to offer? What is unique about you? Be SPECIFIC, and feel free to repeat things that are in the resume.
4th paragraph: Ask for an interview. Make sure your telephone
number is included.
Closing and signature.
Resume: Use categories that best display your qualifications. Usually people write their most recent education and experience first, but this is not a hard and fast rule. Don’t include personal information. Do include computer skills, language skills, relevant jobs, maybe volunteer work, relevant classes, etc. Tailor the resume specifically for this job.
Memo: Use standard memo format. This memo is written to your teacher. It should explain and present the job announcement. The memo should also explain the rhetorical decisions you made in writing the resume and letter. Why did you include the information in your letter and resume, and how did you decide the order of the information? How did you tailor the letter and resume to the audience? Do you know the person you are writing to? Do they know you? Were there any other considerations you had to negotiate?
Printing
Use an excellent printer. Laser printers are better than inkjet because they look sharper and less blurred. Use no more than two fonts so you won’t distract, but feel free to use bolds and italics. Sans serif fonts are better for headings and serif fonts are better for text. Both the letter and resume should be printed on conservative and elegant resume paper. No photocopy paper and no cardstock. Remember to sign your letter!!
Mechanics
This document should be error-free. No spelling errors. No typos. None.
Grading
Turn in the resume and letter with the grading sheet. Read through the sheet and make sure you have checked your documents according to the listed criteria.
Memorandum
To:
From:
Date:
Subject: (or Re:)
Start right into the memo without a greeting. Single space the lines, signifying
paragraphs by a line skip.
You can simply end the memo without signing it.
Style Presentations
During the semester, five groups will present and teach us specific ideas to improve our mechanics and usage. Each group consists of five people, and all five must be equally involved in planning and presenting. Check the syllabus for the day your group will present.
Guidelines
Attached you will find the Powerpoint presentations given in class for the grammar and style assignments.
During the Service Learning Project, groups will interact with clients in real world writing environments to gain firsthand experience in professional writing. By developing a writing project with a local organization, students will learn negotiation and collaboration skills necessary to produce a final draft that is satisfying to all parties.
Project summary
For this project, groups of 2-4 members will be asked to locate a real world client and negotiate a reasonable and mutually beneficial writing project which will be completed by the end of the semester. In working with community members, students will operate in a real world writing environment that requires collaboration with their group, their organization, and their instructor to complete the project by semester's end. It is each group's responsibility to establish their own client and project, though all clients and projects are subject to instructor approval. The instructor will veto any project for an organization which has individuals from the group as members, as well as organizations which have formal marketing departments. Students are encouraged to work with non-profit organizations, student organizations, academic departments, and small businesses. Potential projects include the following:
* A brochure for an after school program
* A policy manual for Habitat for Humanity
* A press release for a charity event
* A marketing campaign for a coffeeshop live music series
* A market analysis and series of flyers for a campus club membership drive
* A promotion for an academic department guest speaker
* Internal policy documents for a departmental office
It is crucial that projects are appropriate in length and content. The project needs to take roughly six weeks to produce, so project options too small or ambitious may need some revision. It is also crucial that the project is mutually beneficial; the work needs to be of importance to the organization and educational for the students. For potential organizations, check out the United Way, the Journal and Courier List of Lafayette Organizations or the student organizations at SSINFO.
Project Goals
This project emphasizes several important goals that all professional writers should bear in mind and that are consistent with those of the Professional Writing at Purdue. The Service Learning Project emphasizes the collaborative writing process in context. It will include research specific to the organization and will require appropriate technology in producing a document designed to meet the organization's specific needs.
DELIVERABLES:
Group:
Group Deliverable 1:
Short Memo: This 100 word memo should inform the instructor of your group members, and suggest the kinds of organizations the group will contact and the kinds of projects that the group is interested in undertaking. This will be composed before meeting with potential clients, but should include a short list of organizations you are considering.
Due Date: End of class Friday March 22.
Group Deliverable 2:
Formal Proposal: In this detailed 4 page project proposal, groups will propose and plan out the scope and specifics of their project. The proposal will be graded by me, but a copy will be sent to the client as part of the negotiation process. This proposal must include the following elements:
* Name of organization.
* Contact information of the organization.
* Goals/Mission Statement of the organization.
The proposal should also address project goals and deliverables:
* The deliverables determined by group and client.
* The intended audience for the deliverables.
* The intended process to complete these goals.
* Detailed timetable for completing this process.
* The group division of labor, including tasks and rationale.
* Research completed so far towards the project.
* Research still necessary to complete the project.
* Resources needed to complete the project (technological, research, etc).
Due Date: Wednesday March 26
Group Deliverable 3:
Memorandum of Agreement: In the third step of this project, you will create a memo that you send to your client that confirms their participation and delineates the specific goals, timeline, and documents that you will create. In other words, the memo should make clear to all parties (me, the organization, and your group) the exact expected outcome of the project and when that outcome will be completed. You must deliver a copy of the memo to me before forwarding it on to your client.
Due Date: Wednesday April 2.
Group Deliverable 4:
Weekly Progress Memos: Every week, each group will send 100 word e-mails informing the instructor of their progress on the project. Memos will include tasks completed, meetings conducted with group and client (if necessary), any problems encountered, and goals for the following week. Memos should also evaluate group progress in regards to the timetable established in the proposal.
Due Date: Friday by 5 pm each week
Group Deliverable 5:
Rough Draft: Each group will meet with me individually for half an hour during the week of November 13-17. Prior to this conference, you must email me a rough draft of the project and your weekly progress memo, which will assess, in addition to the regular weekly report, your overall progress up to this point. Drafts and progress reports are due at 12 noon the day before your conference. You will be assessed as a group for the written materials and individually for your participation in the conference.
Due Date:April 7-11.
Group Deliverable 6:
Oral presentations: Each group will give a brief oral presentation to the class AND to their client, who must be present in class during the presentation, discussing the needs of the client and how you created documents to address these needs.
Due Date: April 18-23.
Group Deliverable 7:
Final deliverables: In addition to submitting to me the documents you present to the client, you need to accompany these documents with a three page report assessing and addressing the work you did for the client. The report should delineate the problem you approached, the research you completed, and the deliverables you developed. You should specifically address how the deliverables you created met the client’s needs. This report is also the appropriate place to inform me of any problems that arose in the process, whether with research or with the client. Keep in mind that this document is a formal report and evaluation of your process and overall success.
You will submit the final deliverables (project and report) to me before giving them to the client.
Due Date: Friday April 25
Individual:
Individual Deliverable 1:
Discussion Board Proposal: Each student will submit a discussion board proposal of roughly 250 words advocating for a potential project and client. Students are welcome to do research and initial contact, but should not promise anything to an organization at this phase. Students will read submitted proposals and use the Drupal forums to select and organize groups, which should be selected by classtime on Friday March 22.
Due Date: Wednesday March 20 by 5 pm.
Individual Deliverable 2:
Work Blogs: Each individual will be required to keep a weekly blog which details their contributions to the project. In the final project assessment, every group member will approve every blog. Worklogs will be updated weekly beginning the week of March 17 and will continue until the project concludes April 25. Worklogs must be updated by 5 pm on Fridays. Submissions must be at least 100 words.
Individual Deliverable 3:
Conferences: Each group will meet with the instructor for at least one half hour conference to update on the progress of the project, address any complications, and negotiate standards for grading. While this is a group deliverable, each member will be graded individually on attendance and participation.
Due Date: Week of April 7-11.
Individual Deliverable 4:
Project Assessment: An important component of your project is successful collaboration. Each member will reflect on their participation in the project and on the experience of working in a group. In 1-2 pages, reflect on the following: Your work and participation in the group, the group participation and effort (be sure to approve or contest every members' workblogs), the experience of working with a client, what you have learned from the project, and what you would change if given the chance to do it again.
Due Date: Saturday April 26.
Grading:
There will be two grades awarded for this project: a group grade and an individual grade. The group grade will receive 2/3 of the overall grade and the individual will receive 1/3. The Service Learning Project group grade breaks down as follows:
* Group Deliverable 1: 5%
* Group Deliverable 2: 20%
* Group Deliverable 3: 10%
* Group Deliverable 4: 10%
* Group Deliverable 5: Pass/Fail
* Group Deliverable 6: 15%
* Group Deliverable 7: 40%
The Service Learning Project individual grade breaks down as follows:
* Individual Deliverable 1: 25%
* Individual Deliverable 2: 45%
* Individual Deliverable 3: 10%
* Individual Deliverable 4: 20%
Grading Criteria
The final documents will be graded on how well they meet client needs and professional writing standards. Because of the unique nature of the project, groups will be graded based on a specific set of standards created for their project. These standards will vary greatly between projects, and are partly the result of negotiations between client, groups, and instructor. Projects cannot be revised after final evaluation.
During the White Paper Project, you will learn to identify ethical and technological issues relevant to a professional setting, to research and synthesize information, and to present that information in an objective fashion which contributes to action. Although this project involves some individual elements, the majority of the project is the result of collaboration.
In this project, groups of 2-4 members will be asked to do web-based and library research and then to write an informative white paper on methods for addressing an ethical issue created by an innovative technology. For instance, you might examine the electronic commerce, digital communiction and workflow, and content management systems in business and educational contexts, p2p file sharing and copyright law, safety issues, identity theft, etc. Alternately, you may choose to research another topic that does not revolve around technology, but it must be a current and relevant issue that is thoroughly researchable.This research will result in a visually sophisticated document of 10 to 15 pages that presents findings to an appropriate rhetorical situation. You must present at least three solutions to the problem which take into account the needs of the different readers. After producing the final draft of the white paper, groups will present their findings to the class in a brief and engaging oral presentation complete with PowerPoint and handout(s).
White Paper. A white paper is an informative and definitive overview of a well-focused topic. White papers typically include an "Executive Summary," "Background Information," "Key Issues" or "Key Developments," "Resource List," and a number of other sections, depending on the nature of the subject matter (a chronology, remaining challenges, future prospects, etc.)
Rhetorical Situation: The primary audience for your white paper consists of readers who are concerned in implementing solutions to the problem you are addressing. Though they are experts in their field, their awareness of the ethical issue and their familiarity with the technology and policies needed to address the issue will vary based on particular audiences. The purpose of the white paper is to identify a problem and provide objective information which could lead to a solution.
Length and Format: The length of your white paper will depend somewhat on your choice of topics, but should be within 10 to 15 pages (formatting will vary based on the design employed by each group, but every white paper should be visually sophisticated.)
Sample White Papers for Reference:
Info About White Papers:
This project emphasizes several important goals that all professional writers should bear in mind and that are consistent with those of the Professional Writing Program at Purdue. The White Paper Project emphasizes shaping research, writing and design to very specific situations and purposes:
Writing in Context
Analyze professional cultures, social contexts, and audiences to determine how they shape the various purposes and forms of writing, such as persuasion, organizational communication, and public discourse.
Writing Process
Develop and understand various strategies for planning, researching, drafting, revising, and editing documents that respond effectively and ethically to professional situations and audiences.
Collaboration
Learn and apply strategies for successful collaboration, such as working and communicating on-line with colleagues, setting and achieving project goals, and responding constructively to peers' work.
Research
Understand and use various research methods to produce professional documents, including analyzing professional contexts, assessing and using information resources, and determining how various media and technologies affect and are affected by users and readers.
Technology
Develop strategies for using and adapting various communication technologies to manage projects and produce informative and usable professional documents.
Document Design
Learn to argue with visual data, understanding and implementing various principles of format, layout, and design of professional documents that meet multiple user and reader needs.
The White Paper Project grading breakdown is as follows:
Group D 1: Proposal: 10%
Group D 2: White Paper Draft: 10%
Group D 3: White Paper Final: 40%
Group D 4: Presentation: 20%
Individual D 1: Discussion Board: 5%
Individual D 2: Research & Blog: 10%
Individual D 3: Assessment: 5%
When I assign a grade to your project, I will pay particular attention to see whether your white paper is informative and accurate and that you avoid as much as possible arguing a particular position. You should strive for a balance of perspectives and accurate coverage of a focused topic. The point is not to advocate for a position or "pamphleteer," but to establish a foundation of knowledge about the subject that future students and researches will find useful. I will also weigh your feedback on the Collaborative Project Evaluation form (Word format) in assigning a grade for your participation in the project.
Print out the attached rubric and turn it in with your white paper.
Oral Report
Each group will give an oral report on the problem and findings they have presented in their white paper. You are also required to participate in the question sessions immediately following each presentation (at least 2 questions over the 6 presentations).
Timing
The report will be between 15 and 20 minutes with 5 minutes afterwards for questions. If you go over, your grade will be penalized. We will have a timer sitting in the front. The timer will count down each minute when there are five minutes left by using a set of index cards, so your entire group will be able to tell how much time is left and pace themselves accordingly.
Audience
Your audience is this class, so adapt all your information, graphics, and definitions to this educated yet uninformed audience.
Graphics
Each group should create a Powerpoint presentation which follows the 10-20-30 rule (10 slides, 20 minutes, 30 point font). The slides should include (1) introductory slide (1) summary overview slide (7) “point” slides (1) concluding slide.
The Presenter
As this is a business writing course, business attire is required for this presentation (shirts and ties for men, skirts or business slacks for women). Remember to maintain eye contact. Move effectively to keep the attention of your audience (but by the same token, avoid nervous pacing or shuffling). Speak loudly so we can hear you over any machines. Vary the pitch of your voice, use good teaching skills, avoid filler words, etc. Since this is a group presentation, each member of the group is required to participate equally in both the actual presentation and the fielding of questions section which follows.
Organization
Use both an introductory slide and an orientation slide to give us an overview of the presentation. As you progress, give us verbal/visual guideposts so we know where you are and where you are going. Allow yourself time to conclude your presentation. Remember, if you have one minute left, choose to conclude rather than beginning another point.
Grading
Each group will fill out a grading sheet for the other groups, but the final grade comes from me.
You are also required to ask at least two questions of the groups during the question session over the two days of presentations. I will keep track. Remember that in the “business world,” you will be required to think on your feet after presenting your material, and this situation will recreate that context, as well as affording you the opportunity to think critically about your classmates’ presentations.
Your white paper should meet the following criteria:
There will be both group and individual deliverables for this project. Groups will be responsible for the following:
Group Deliverable 1: Proposal. You will have the opportunity to review individual proposals on Drupal and to discuss possibilities and form groups. Each group will turn in one hardcopy of a 250 word topic proposal, in the form of a memo, by February 8. This memo will include information about the topic under consideration, the potential solutions to be examined, and possible resources. Follow the guidelines for memo writing outlined at Purdue's Owl. Remember that you are selling an idea -- this is a persuasive, not descriptive, document. This means presenting the ethical issue as worthy of consideration, and the solutions as relevant, while demonstrating the feasibility of the project within the parameters of the assignment.
Group Deliverable 2 and 3: Draft and Final Copy of White Paper. Each group will be required to have 3 hardcopies of their white paper (must be printed before class) in class for peer review on February 20th. Remember that a draft is a complete version. Each group will be required to pass in one hardcopy of their white paper on February 29. In addition to the print copy, each group will email me a PDF version of their white paper.
Group Deliverable 4: Presentation. Each group will present their material to the class on the week of March 3-7. Presentations will run 10-12 minutes. They must include multimedia elements and be accompanied by a handout. Each group member will be expected to take part in the presentation.
Individuals within groups will be responsible for the following deliverables:
Individual Deliverable 1: Drupal Group Forum. Each individual will post a project topic on the appropriate Drupal Forum (professionally written with a subject heading Topic Proposal: ____ ). Every student will then respond to other posts to ensure that they have negotiated a topic and a group by Wednesday, February 6th.
Individual Deliverable 2: Drupal Research & Work(b)log. Each individual will be required to keep a blog which a) records their research and b) details their contributions to the project. Worklogs will be updated weekly until the project concludes March 7.
Individual Deliverable 3: Project Assesment. An important component of your project is successful collaboration. Each member will reflect on their participation in the project and on the experience of working in a group. Due Friday March 7. Collaborative Project Evaluation form