Unsubscribing from the Course Website and Twitter Updates

I will begin sending out updates for the Spring sections of Technical Writing in a few hours, so you likely want to unsubscribe from the course tools. Here’s how:

• If you subscribed to the course website at the beginning of the term, you probably want to unsubscribe now. Look for an unsubscribe link at the bottom of the email message that you get from the course website.
• If you were following the course Twitter account (@HokieTengrrl), just go the the page in Twitter and click the Unfollow button.
• I have archived the Facebook group, so you should receive no more updates from it. If you prefer, you can also Leave the Group (instructions).

Overall Feedback for the Class

Generally, everyone did a well on the Genre Analysis Reports. Many of you reported that you learned valuable information that you could use in the workplace. Reports tended to use appropriate headings to structure the documents well.

Addressing the Genre Activity Report in Your Final

If you received an Incomplete, you have until 11:59 PM tonight (Friday, 01/12) to turn in a revision. Unfortunately, classes are over today. Because I must turn my attention to grading the final exams, there simply isn’t time to grade revisions after today.

So What Do You Do if Your Genre Activity Report Earned an Incomplete?

1. Take a deep breath. You are not doomed. You are in the same kind of situation as someone in the workplace who didn’t win a bid or lost a client. There’s still hope.
2. Turn your attention to your final exam. As you explain the grade that you deserve in the course, explain what happened with your Genre Activity Report. Account for what went wrong, and convince me that you’ll deal with such situations in the future.
3. Do not stress yourself about the “bell curve.” There are always some students who are exemplary. The idea of the curve is only to ensure that exemplary students earn higher grades than those who just meet the requirements. That may be a tough standard, but I think it’s fair. In truth, I do not plot out all the numbers in some beautiful graph; but I do pay attention to students who have gone above and beyond the norm.
4. Focus on making your final exam persuasive by using these tips:
   1. Pay attention to the advice in the #Tutorial: Determining Your Course Grade.
   2. Use what you know about document design. Remember the value of chunking information, using information-rich headings, and making your document easy to navigate. Don’t make me (your audience) search for information. Use document design strategies that show me where everything is.
   3. Consider adding tables or graphs that support your argument. Be sure that any graphics you include add to the content. Don’t toss in clipart or other graphics just as decorations. Be sure your graphics help you make your point.
   4. Provide concrete data on your performance. Use numbers, facts, and even quotations from your work or feedback. Show me how you have done in the course. Make everything completely obvious.
   5. Remember to spellcheck and proofread. It’s important to your argument that your document is polished and professional. Errors will make your point less persuasive.

Notes for Today

• Turn in any revisions by 11:59PM. If you still have Incomplete grades on any of your work, today is your last chance to turn in revisions.
• Consider how to make your performance visual in your Performance Review. Return to the #Write: Visualize Your Progress post for ideas.

Readings for Today

• All Posts by Title
• Discussions by Title

Tasks for Today

1. Visit the pages linked in the Readings above to find any of the information from earlier in the course.
2. Complete the tasks in the Performance Review Submission Module in Canvas:
   
   1. Turn in your 1/12 Labor Log in Canvas by 11:59PM Friday, 1/12.
   2. Turn in your Performance Review in Canvas by 11:59PM Saturday, 1/13.
3. Once I have everything graded, your course grade will be the grade recorded for the Performance Review in Canvas.

Notes for Today

• Include completion of the SPOT survey as evidence of your work to earn a grade higher than B.
• No peer feedback required for the Performance Review. Your Review focuses on your grade in the course, which is private and personal. Any assignment that required you to share details about your grade would be a FERPA violation, so there is no peer feedback. If you personally want to share your draft with someone, you may. You can decide to share the information, but there is absolutely no requirement to do so.

Readings for Today

• Performance Review Assignment (Final Exam)
• Advice Articles on Writing Self-Evaluations
• Extra Posts for Today
  • #Watch: Final Exam Resources
  • #Tutorial: Determining Your Course Grade
  • #Fact: How SPOT Evaluations Are Used

Tasks for Today

1. Complete the tasks and readings included in the Performance Review Overview Module in Canvas:
   1. Read the assignment and related information on the Performance Review assignment.
   2. Read the Extra Posts for additional information that can help with your Performance Review. Leave a comment if you like.
   3. Complete your SPOT survey, using the advice in the #Fact: How SPOT Evaluations Are Used post.
2. Record the work you have done for the day in your Labor Log, which is due tomorrow.

Overall Feedback for the Class

The status of your work as reported in your Progress Reports indicates you are all on target to finish your projects on time.

Feedback on Progress Reports

• Good Attention to Design. Progress reports should make it fast and easy to find the key information, and you all used information-rich headings to help block out the information and organize the document. Many of you also included an updated version of the Gantt chart that you used in your proposal—that’s a great strategy!
• Value of the Assignment. Many of you indicated that you found the progress report useful because it allowed you to stop and reflect on the work you had done on the Genre Analysis Report. You were able to appreciate your progress on the larger report while still determining what more you had to do. That was the exact goal of the Progress Report assignment!

Revision Activities for Progress Reports

I have reopened the assignment so that those of you who want to revise can improve your project. Follow the guidelines below to resubmit your work.

1. If I made a mistake
   Send me an email message or a private message in Canvas with the details. I’ll fix it.
2. If there were problems with the content or design of your bio
   Revise your project to improve your work, adding whatever is missing or tweaking the design. Resubmit your project, and I will regrade your work. All revisions MUST be submitted by 11:59PM on the last day of class (Friday, 1/12).
3. If you did not submit your work at all
   It is too late. Be sure to turn in all the remaining projects if you want to pass the course.
4. If something else is going on
   Send me an email message or a private message in Canvas with the details. I’ll see what I can do to help you.

Readings for Today

• Textbook readings on formal reports, listed in Step 2 of the assignment
• Extra Posts for Today
  • #Tutorial: Using Lists to Organize Information
  • #Infographic: Overused Words
  • #Fact: Grammar and Style Checkers Are Often Wrong
  • #Write: Proofreading Facebook vs. Proofreading Essays

Tasks for Today

1. Complete the tasks and readings included in the Genre Analysis Report Submission Module in Canvas:
   1. Review the Textbook readings on formal reports, listed in Step 2 of the assignment.
   2. Read the Extra Posts for additional information that can help with your project. Leave a comment if you like.
2. Check your work on your Genre Analysis Report carefully. Since there is little time left in the term, you need to be sure that your project does not need revision. In particular, consider the following:
   1. Review the rubric, which is on the assignment page in Canvas.
   2. Ensure you include all the required sections and information, listed in Step 4 of the assignment.
   3. Spellcheck and proofread your work.
3. Record the work you have done for the day in your Labor Log.
4. If you find yourself ahead of schedule, begin work on your final exam.

Notes for Today

• Keep in touch. We’re down to the last days of the course, so it’s important to stay on track and finish strong. If you run into trouble, be sure to contact me so we can come up with a solution.

Readings for Today

• Chapter 5.0 to 5.2: Citations and Plagiarism, from Technical Writing by Hamlin, Rubio, and DeSilva
• Chapter 5. Using Sources, from Effective Technical Writing in the Information Age by Schall
• Extra Posts for Today
  • #Tutorial: Citing Your Sources
  • #Fact: Polished, Professional Documents Matter
  • Review: #Fact: Informative Headings Help Readers
  • Review: #Watch: Create Information-Rich Signposts 

Tasks for Today

1. Complete the tasks and readings included in the Genre Analysis Report Peer Review Module in Canvas:
   1. Learn how to cite the sources from your research by reading the linked chapters from online textbooks and watching the new #Tutorial on citing sources. The #Tutorial also includes links to citation generators that can help you with your bibliography.
   2. Watch the video in the #Fact: Polished, Professional Documents Matter post to review the front and back matter for your report.
   3. Review the #Fact and #Watch on headings (from earlier in the course) and apply the ideas to your table of contents (TOC). In short, be sure that your TOC informs your readers about the report’s contents. Today’s infographic outlines ways that you can write headlines, which can also inform the way that you create information rich headings in your TOC and report.
   4. Complete peer review in the Group Feedback on Genre Analysis Report Discussion in Canvas:
      1. Share your draft with your writing group.
      2. Give feedback to the members of your writing group, following the suggestions in the #Watch: Peer Review Commenting Strategies post.
      3. Use the feedback from your group members to revise your proposal (which is due by 11:59PM).
2. Record the work you have done for the day in your Labor Log.

Note: This infographic already has a transcript.

Overall Feedback for the Class

Everyone did a great job on the proposals. The topics you chose for your Genre Analysis Reports will work well in most cases—and I’m very excited to see what you learn as you work on the projects. Everything sounds so interesting.

Feedback on Your Short Proposals

• Well-structured and detailed. Everyone did a great job with details and explanations. It was easy for me to see what you were going to explore in your Genre Analysis Reports as well as for me to understand why you all made the choices that you did.
• Strong use of design. All of the reports used great layout strategies with strong, information-rich headings. It was easy to find all the required information.
• Pay attention to any comments. There were a few minor points that I noted in some of the proposals. Since the remaining major projects are all related, you may make the same minor errors in your Progress Reports or Genre Analysis Reports. Apply those notes to your final two drafts.
• Avoid comma splices. A few of you had problems with comma splices. We all make this error from time to time. I make them most often when I’m texting and not paying attention to what I’m doing. It’s not the worst error you can make, but it is one you should avoid in professional writing. Watch this tutorial video from Texas A&M (2m14s) to find out how to avoid them:
   
  
  

Revision Activities for the Analysis Project

I have reopened the assignment so that those of you who want to revise can improve your project. Follow the guidelines below to resubmit your work.

1. If I made a mistake
   Send me an email message or a private message in Canvas with the details. I’ll fix it.
2. If there were problems with the content or design of your bio
   Revise your project to improve your work, adding whatever is missing or tweaking the design. Resubmit your project, and I will regrade your work. All revisions MUST be submitted by 11:59PM on the last day of class (Friday, 1/12).
3. If you did not submit your work at all
   It is too late. Be sure to turn in all the remaining projects if you want to pass the course.
4. If something else is going on
   Send me an email message or a private message in Canvas with the details. I’ll see what I can do to help you.

Note: This video has closed captioning, so it does not need a transcript.

Notes for Today

• Fast Turn-Around on Progress Reports. Your progress report today is meant to be a fast turn-around document, similar to what you would give to your immediate manager in the workplace. There are situations where a progress report will be longer and more involved (e.g., an quarterly update to clients on a year-long project).

Readings for Today

• Progress Report Assignment
• Readings from Textbooks
  • Memos, from Writing Commons
  • From Technical Writing by Hamlin, Rubio, and DeSilva
    • 6. Progress Reports
      • 6.1 Functions and Contents of Progress Reports
      • 6.2 Timing and Format of Progress Reports
      • 6.3 Organizational Patterns or Sections for Progress Reports
      • 6.4 Other Parts of Progress Reports
      • 6.5 Revision Checklist for Progress Reports
  • From Style for Students Online: Effective Technical Writing in the Information Age by Schall
    • Progress Reports
    • Sample Progress Report
• Extra Posts for Today
  • #Tutorial: Progress Reports for Clients and Stakeholders
  • #Write: Visualize Your Progress
  • #Fact: Deal with Trouble in Advance

Tasks for Today

1. Complete the tasks and readings included in the Progress Report Overview & Submission Module in Canvas:
   1. Read the linked information to learn about how to compose progress reports. The Extra Posts provide additional information that can help you improve your draft. Your progress report should be in memo format, addressed to me (Traci).
   2. Share a draft of your Progress Report in the Feedback on Progress Reports on Canvas.
      • In your message, ask your group to look at anything you are trying to improve. Let them know the kind of advice you need.
      • Provide feedback to your group members, using the strategies in the Peer Review Commenting Strategies video.
      • Revise your Progress Report, using the feedback from your group members.
   3. Submit your Progress Report in Canvas by 11:59PM. If you are taking advantage of the grace period, submit your project by 11:59PM on Tuesday, 01/09.
2. Continue work on your Genre Analysis Report, which is due on Wednesday. The readings from Friday can help with any questions you may have as you work.
3. Record the work you have done for the day in your Labor Log.

Photo credit: Progress Report by Forest Hill Society on Flickr, used under a CC-BY 2.0 license.

I have graded all of the Analysis of Writing in Your Field projects. To save time, I left minimal comments on the documents. Instead, I’ll provide additional information as a whole-class comment in this post.

This post also explains what you can do if you are not happy with your grade.

Overall Feedback for the Class

• Requirements of the assignment. Yay! Everyone included 10 (or more!) kinds of writing. That didn’t happen last semester, so I’m quite pleased that you all read the instructions carefully..
• Parallel grammatical structure. Remember that the text in all cells of a column needs to be grammatically parallel. They need to match in their structure. Read more about parallelism on the Purdue OWL for help and examples, and revisit the #Tutorial: Using Parallel Structures.
• Centered text. Remember that the best design for text is flush left, ragged right. Centered text is harder to read. See the #Tutorial: Avoid Centered Text on the course website for help.

Revision Activities for the Analysis Project

I have reopened the assignment so that those of you who want to revise can improve your project. Follow the guidelines below to resubmit your work.

1. If I made a mistake
   Send me an email message or a private message in Canvas with the details. I’ll fix it.
2. If there were problems with the content or design of your bio
   Revise your project to improve your work, adding whatever is missing or tweaking the design. Resubmit your project, and I will regrade your work. All revisions MUST be submitted by 11:59PM on the last day of class (Friday, 1/12).
3. If you did not submit your work at all
   It is too late. Be sure to turn in all the remaining projects if you want to pass the course.
4. If something else is going on
   Send me an email message or a private message in Canvas with the details. I’ll see what I can do to help you.

Note: This infographic needs a text-based transcript. See the Optional Accessibility Transcript Activity for more details.