Calendar
Follow the links at the bottom of this page for a schedule of assignments for each week this semester. Within each week, you will find daily listings of assignments. Each bullet point for the day is a different task for you to complete. Unless specifically noted otherwise, all assignments are to be completed before class on the day listed.
This course calendar may be updated throughout the semester. I'll notify you about any major changes, but you are still responsible for keeping up with the current schedule.
IMPORTANT: You must visit all of the links provided within the course calendar. There are many links to follow and read. Make sure you visit all of them. Some links provide easy access to other parts of the class site which will help you in your assignments. Some links are to required readings. Others provide you with detailed instructions on completing the assignments. Eventually, you may come to know the instructions which supplement assignments that are repeated throughout the course, but it's still a good idea to continue to revisit the instructions to make sure that you are satisfying all of the requirements.
Week 1
Week 1
By Monday, June 9, at midnight
- If you have not done so already, read Welcome to English 421Y, Technical Writing (Distance Learning).
- Complete Getting Started 1: Registering on the Site
- Review carefully the Course Description, paying particular attention to all requirements. It is important that you become very familiar with the course policies so you can understand what is expected of you in this class. It might be best if you read through the course description twice; ignorance of the course policies will not be an excuse for failure to properly complete an assignment. Please do not fall behind on the first day. This course will proceed at a quick pace, so don't wait a few days to get going!
- Read Learning to Navigate the Site. Then explore the class website. Make sure that you login; some class website features are not available to guests. It'll be easier as we move forward if you take the time now to explore. Get familiar with where things are located, which links take you further into the class website and which take you outside to other resources.
- You should have purchased the course textbook already: The Thomson Handbook (Comprehensive Edition), by David Blakesley and Jeffrey L. Hoogeveen. Boston: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2007. This book is available at local bookstores and may also be purchased online (e.g., through Amazon, here). You can buy the hardcover or paperback versions.
- Familiarize yourself with the content and structure of The Thomson Handbook. Scan the frontmatter (including the the table of contents) and the backmatter (the "Glossary of Web Terms" and the "Glossary of Usage") so that you know what the book contains.
- Read through the rest of this page so that you know when assignments are due the rest of the week.
By Tuesday, June 10, at midnight
By Wednesday, June 11 at midnight
- In a new blog entry, post a Reading Response to Thomson Handbook Chapter 12: Writing For Business and the Workplace. For the response, post a blog discussing your expectations for the course and how you hope it will contribute to your academic and professional development. Make sure that reading responses are 300 words in length, and that they reference specifics from the reading. Don't forget to put your reading response in the "Reading Response" category. You can select your category from the list below the title of your blog. Posts that are not tagged will not be graded.
- Don't forget to post 5 comments of 100 words each to other student reading responses by tomorrow night. Your comments should be thoughtful and specific, referencing specifics from the post and building further on those ideas.
By Thursday, June 12 at midnight
- Read the project description for Project 1: Instructions Project. Email the instructor with any questions or post them on the FAQ.
- Don't forget to post 5 comments of 100 words each to other student reading responses. Your comments should be thoughtful and specific, referencing specifics from the post and building further on those ideas.
By Friday, June 12 at midnight
- Read Instructor Blog #2: Email. Post a comment to the blog. You can discuss ideas in the blog, or mention other personal or reported email horror stories (I encourage students to include links to other email debacles like those I list). Remember also that this blog establishes the email principles for the course which I expect students to follow in all emails with me and other students.
Check out Week 2. No later than today, you should read through the course calendar for the following week. Make sure that you understand all of the assignments. If you have any questions, contact the instructor.
Week 2
Week 2
By Monday, June 16, at midnight
- Instructions Project Step #1: Proposal Due. Post a proposal detailing your plan for the instructions project. This proposal should include what technical object your instructions will cover, what tasks and troubleshooting it will include, the images you hope to use, and the audience and context of use. Remember, this proposal is designed to persuade me that your idea is a great fit for the project. Don't forget to tag the post in the Project 1 category. Posts that are not tagged will not be graded.
By Tuesday, June 17, at midnight
By Wednesday, June 18 at midnight
- In a new blog entry, post a 300 word Reading Response to TH Ch 24 Using Visuals to Inform and Persuade, and TH Ch 25: Desktop Publishing and Graphic Design for Writers. This response is uniquely interactive and asks you to do a little informal usability testing. Choose some instructions for a product in your home that you have never read. Operate the product by performing the tasks as they appear in the instructions - don't cheat or skip steps when you already know what to do. When you are finished, write about the experience. Where the instructions user-friendly? Why or why not? Where did you encounter problems? Then incorporate the reading and instructor blog. What design principles or elements did the instructions use or violate that affected your use? What did you learn from this experience and the reading that you will apply in your own instructions? Don't forget to put your reading response in the "Reading Response" category. You can select your category from the list below the title of your blog. Posts that are not tagged will not be graded.
- Don't forget to post 5 comments of 100 words each to other student reading responses by tomorrow night. Your comments should be thoughtful and specific, referencing specifics from the post and building further on those ideas.
By Thursday, June 19 at midnight
- Read Instructor Blog #4: Design. Post a comment responding to, furthering, or challenging the ideas to the blog. You may also post links to instructions you find online and explain how they embody good or bad design.
- Don't forget to post 5 comments of 100 words each to other student reading responses by tonight. Your comments should be thoughtful and specific, referencing specifics from the post and building further on those ideas.
By Friday, June 20 at midnight
- Continue working on instructions.
Check out Week 3. No later than today, you should read through the course calendar for the following week. Make sure that you understand all of the assignments. If you have any questions, contact the instructor.
Week 3
Week 3
By Monday, June 23, at midnight
- Instructions Project Step #2: Usability Test Due. Here's a chance for some informal usability testing of your instructions. Find a willing volunteer, such as a friend, roommate, parent, co-worker, sibling, etc, preferably not someone familiar with the object covered in your instructions. Provide them with your instructions and the object, and have them complete the desired task by following instructions step by step. Do not assist them when they encounter difficulties. Do take notes about where they seem confused, stuck, frustrated, or places where they skip a step. Then, in a 200 word blog post, describe how the testing went. Where did your instructions work well? Where did they fail the user? How did the user interact with your design? How will this inform your revision of your instructions? Don't forget to tag the post under the Project 1 category in order for it to be considered turned it.
- Read and comment on 2 other student usability blogs by tomorrow night.
By Tuesday, June 24, at midnight
- Read project description for Project 2: Employment Project. Post any questions to the FAQ.
- Continue working on the instructions. Final instructions due tomorrow!.
By June 25 at midnight
- Final Instructions Due! Post instructions as a .pdf attachment in a comment under the blog Final Instructions Turn-In. Don't forget to attach. Instructions not attached by midnight are considered late. (Remember, Drupal cannot accept .docx files or files over 5 mb).
By June 26 at midnight
- Read Instructor Blog #5: Getting a Job Sucks! Post a comment responding to, furthering, or challenging the ideas to the blog. You may share positive or negative stories you have about job searches as well.
- Find a job for the Employment Project. Consult the following sites:
By June 27 at midnight
- Read Instructor Blog #6: Resumes. Post a comment responding to, furthering, or challenging the ideas to the blog.
- Read this fantastic Career Journal article by an HR coordinator.
- Read "A Glimpse and a Hook" and scan the corresponding comments.
- Read Writing Descriptions.
- Read the Purdue Owl's information on resumes.
- Revisit TH Chapter 12 on Resumes and Cover Letters.
- In a new blog entry, post a 300 word Reading Response to the above readings. In light of your career goals and the job you are considering, how do you want to portray yourself in your resume and cover letter? What kind of professional do you want to be, and what kind of employee does the company want? (consult the company website if possible). How will you use your resume and cover letter to portray yourself in a favorable light? Don't forget to put your reading response in the "Reading Response" category. You can select your category from the list below the title of your blog. Posts that are not tagged will not be graded.
- Post 3 comments to other reading responses by tomorrow night. (2 comments on Monday plus 3 tomorrow equals five for the week.)
Check out Week 4. No later than today, you should read through the course calendar for the following week. Make sure that you understand all of the assignments. If you have any questions, contact the instructor.
Week 4
Week 4
By Monday, June 30, at midnight
- Employment Project Step #1: T-Chart Due. You will create a mock T-letter, a new but growing genre in employment searches (see sample here), that aligns your skills with the company demands. In Microsoft Word, create a two column table. One one column of the table, list all the skills required by the company. In the other column, match your past experience with these requirements. In order to satisfy the company requirement, you must provide concrete institutional experience (work, school, volunteer job, organization, etc). So if they're looking for organization skills, you can talk about how you planned a fun run at work, but not about how clean you keep your room. Post the T-letter as an attachment to a blog. (Remember, Drupal cannot accept .docx files or files over 5 mb). Don't forget to tag the post under the Project 2 category in order for it to be considered turned it.
By Tuesday, July1, at midnight
By July 2 at midnight
- Post a Reading Response to Tuesday's reading. Online, find two cover letter samples. In the blog, analyze the letters in reference to yesterday's reading, considering the following questions. Do you think they are effective? Why or why not? What specifically do you like or not like about each? What things do you want to model/avoid in each? Reference specifics from each letter and post a link or attach them. Don't forget to tag your Reading Response in the Reading Response category. Posts that are not tagged will not be graded.
By July 3 at midnight
- Post drafts of your resume and cover letter as an attachment to your own blog (this will allow other students to post peer editing comments underneath). Don't forget to attach. (Remember, Drupal cannot accept .docx files or files over 5 mb)
By July 4 at midnight
- Have a happy and safe July 4th weekend!
Check out Week 5. No later than today, you should read through the course calendar for the following week. Make sure that you understand all of the assignments. If you have any questions, contact the instructor.
Week 5
Week 5
By Monday, July 7, at midnight
- Employment Project Step #2: Peer Editing Due! Choose two other student resumes and cover letters. Read them carefully and provide feedback in a 200 word comment below their blog post. Provide constructive feedback about strengths, weaknesses, and potential improvements in formatting, content, and design. Consider the resume and cover letter together and the impression they create for an employer. For this project, you are graded for giving, not receiving, peer editing feedback, but please try to make sure that everyone receives at least one peer editing comment. Don't forget to tag the post under the Project 2 category in order for it to be considered turned it.
By Tuesday, July 8, at midnight
By Wednesday, July 9 at midnight
- Project 2: Employment Project Due! Post your resume and cover letter to the Project 2 Turn In blog. Don't forget to attach. Projects not attached by midnight are considered late. (Remember, Drupal cannot accept .docx files or files over 5 mb).
By Thursday July 10 at midnight
- Receive group assignments for Project 3: White Paper Project.
- Read Instructor Blog #8. Post a comment below the blog which extends or complicates the material in the blog. Please include any good researching tips you have as well.
By Friday July 11 at midnight
- Project 1 revisions due! Please post your revisions to the revisions turn in blog along with a comment that describes specifically what changes you made to the project. Revisions posted after midnight will not be graded.
- Meet online or email with your group to establish contact. Begin discussing the project timeline and how you will accomplish the steps.
- Create a Google Docs Account for your group.
- Don't forget to post a project log this week. Because not much work has been completed yet, your log can cover decisions made about how the group will divide up labor. This will be useful as a reference point later. Please post your project log in the Project Log category (untagged project logs will not be graded).
Check out Week 6. No later than today, you should read through the course calendar for the following week. Make sure that you understand all of the assignments. If you have any questions, contact the instructor.
Week 6
Week 6
By Monday, July 14, at midnight
- Read Instructor Blog #9. Post a comment below extending or complicating the ideas in the blog.
- Read Sample White Papers.
- Read "Why White Papers Don't Work" (attached).
- Read "The Steak Behind the Sizzle".
- The group should send the instructor a short email which includes the software under discussion (Google Docs unless your group determines otherwise) and the organization that the white paper will target.
By Tuesday, July 15, at midnight
- Continue working on research posts.
By Wednesday, July 16, at midnight
- Project 3: Research Posts Due! Each group member should post 3 source annotations to their group research wiki. The posts should explain and summarize the source, provide a link if possible, and most importantly, describe how it might benefit the project. Each annotation should be 150 words in length. Update - now due by Thursday, July 17 at noon due to site outages.
By Thursday July 17 at midnight
- Continue work on group project.
By Friday July 18 at midnight
- Reading Response Due. Based on the sample white papers and readings, write a short guide to writing a white paper. Include a definition of the genre and the kind of readers it entails.
- Don't forget to post comments to all your group member's reading responses. That is your commenting requirement for the remainder of the semester. Please post comments by Sunday at midnight.
- Don't forget to post a project log this week! Project logs must be posted as individual blogs and tagged in the Project Logs category. Please post project logs by Sunday at midnight.
Check out Week 7. No later than today, you should read through the course calendar for the following week. Make sure that you understand all of the assignments. If you have any questions, contact the instructor.
Week 7
Week 7
By Monday, July 21, at midnight
- Project 3: Draft Due! Post your draft as a pdf attachment in a new blog. Don't forget to attach (Remember, documents over 5 mb will not be accepted by Drupal). Please note that according to the updated Project 3 page, drafts for the white papers should be roughly 1500 words and the final should be 2000-2500 words.
By Tuesday, July 22, at midnight
- Read Instructor Blog #10. Post a comment below extending or complicating the ideas in the blog.
- No reading response this week, but look at TH Part 7 and 8. Choose a section or two to read that represents a part of writing that gives you trouble (concise writing, fragments, etc). Focus on applying the principles from the chapter to your revisions of your white paper.
By Wednesday, July 23, at midnight
- Project 3: Peer Review Due! I will assign each group another group's white paper to review. Each group member should read the white paper carefully and post a comment to the blog which evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of the paper, focusing on possibilities for improvement. Consider scope of the paper, organization, accuracy, audience, and design. Each peer review comment should be 150 words in length.
- Group Assignments
- Group 1 reviews Group 2
- Group 2 reviews Group 3
- Group 3 reviews Group 4
- Group 4 reviews Group 5
- Group 5 reviews Group 1
By Thursday July 24 at midnight
- Continue work on group project.
By Friday July 25 at midnight
- Project 3 Due!. Attach Project Three to the White Paper Turn-In Blog.
- Project 2 revisions due. Attach revisions to the Project 2 Revisions Turn-in Blog.
- By midnight on Saturday, July 26th, fill out the Collaborative Project Evaluation form about the group project and e-mail as an attachment to the instructor (the form is a confidential evaluation of your and your team's performance, so do not post it to the site). Please be thorough, clear, and professional in your evaluation.
Next week, exam schedule is in effect. We do not have any final exams, so the course ends on July 26th when you e-mail in your Collaborative Project Evaluation form.
Week 8
End of classes, exam schedule in effect! Thanks for a great course!