The following websites (in no particular order) offer advice on writing short bio statements, like the writing you need to do for the Professional Biography Statements assignment:

• How to Write Short Company Newsletter Bios of Employees (eHow)
• Transform Staff Bios from Mundane to Magical in 6 Easy Steps (GettingAttention.org)
• “Meet the Team” Pages: Examples and Trends (Smashing Magazine)
• How to Write a Short Bio About Yourself (Chron)
• How to Write a Snappy, Tight Professional Bio (NBC Chicago)
• How to Write a Sample Self-Bio at a New Job (Global Post)
• Writing a Professional Biography (U of Rochester)
• Top Ten Tips for Writing a Professional Overview or Biography (Ezine @rticles)
• How To Write an "About Me" Page That Gets You Hired (99u)
• Samples of Professional Branding Statements (Dummies.com)

To get started on Project 1, complete the following tasks:

1. Read through several of the resources. Most of them are short, and you should be able to skim through them quickly. Pay attention to the advice you see them repeating and anything that catches your eye (whether it’s good or bad).

2. Go to the "Readings for Project 1" topic in Discussions in Canvas, and post your response to the articles. You have been arranged in discussion groups, so you will only see the replies written by your group members. There are some questions to help you get started. Post two replies to at least two other people in your group. For full credit, all total you will add at least three replies: (1) your own original thoughts, and then (2 & 3) responses to what two people in your group have said.

Submitting your work in Canvas is similar to Scholar. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Go to our course in Canvas.
2. Choose Assignments from the left sidebar.
3. Choose the "Project 1: Professional Bio Statement" assignment.
4. Click the big Submit Assignment button on the upper right. You’ll see this File Upload form:
   
5. Click the Choose File button, and navigate to your file. It must be a *.doc, *.docx, or *.pdf file.
6. Type your reflection comments in the Comments… box (indicated by the orange arrow). I read your comments before I read your project. Include this information:
   • Tell me your audience and purpose in a sentence (e.g., This is for a formal bio for an architectural firm’s website).
   • Tell me what grade you aimed for (e.g., I aimed for a B+ by including headings and …..).
   • Tell me anything else you want me to know before I grade your project.
7. Click the Submit Assignment button, and your work will be uploaded and turned in.

Worth 15% of your course grade

Important Dates

• Dec 29: Rough Drafts for Peer Feedback, due by 6:00 PM (no grace period)
• Dec 30: Peer Review Discussion, due by 12:00 Noon
• Dec 30: Project 1 due by 11:59 PM
• Jan 1: Grace period ends at 11:59 PM

Goals

build community by introducing yourself to the class and connecting with one another

identify ethical/intercultural and global issues that you care about and will expand on during the term

think about audience and purpose as you create something you can use later in your career

The Project Assignment

Imagine that you have taken a new position with a company or organization, and write a biographical statement for the company newsletter or the team section of the company website. You may be able to use some of this assignment later in the term when you work on your Job Application Materials.

Step-by-Step Details

Step 1: Decide on a specific audience and purpose for your project. You will do better on this project if you have specific readers in mind, so decide on a company or organization whose employees or clients will read your bio.

You can choose a company you are doing an internship for, a company where you worked in the past, a club or Greek organization you belong to, or your department or college. There are lots of options.

Step 2: Set your goals for the project.
You have the opportunity to aim for the grade you want to earn in this class. 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 bio 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 bio easy to read and visually appealing. Your bio should have no more than two or three minor errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, mechanics, linking, and/or formatting.

Write a professional bio for a specific formal audience. Include biographical facts as well as discuss your interest in ethical and/or intercultural and global issues in your field or career. Your bio should be complete, well-written, and include no more than five 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 bio 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 biography statement.
Write your biography statement in your word processor. .

As you compose, focus on details. While your scenario is imaginary, the details in your biography should be current and accurate. Do not make up future information.

Use the examples linked on the course website to guide your work. You will post your draft for peer review by 11:59 PM on December 30. Use the advice you receive from your readers to revise your bio before the due date. There are no rewrites or revisions after work is graded.

Step 4: Complete the reflection comments.
Your reflection comments are like a cover letter for your project. They tell me whatever information I need to know to understand the work you did on your project.

More details be included in the submission instructions on the due date. Be sure that you follow the instructions, include the relevant information, and proofread your comments. If you skip these comments, you lower your grade on the project.

Step 5: Submit all the documents in Canvas.
When you are finished with the project, you will submit your reflection comments and your biography statement in Canvas. Details on how to submit your work will be includedin the post on the due date.

1. Read several of the biographies linked below. I gathered a range of biographies from different kinds of sites. Please be sure to read at least one formal company/academic bio and one informal bio.

   Formal bios

   • Corps of Cadets Staff Biographies
   • Draper Aden Contact Us page
   • Hokie Club Staff
   • Federal Mogul Corporate Leadership
   • American Veterinary Pathology Associates
   • Rackspace Leadership
   • AEP Leadership

   Less formal bios

   • Bike Barn Staff
   • WSLS Team
   • Campus Automotive Staff
   • Faces of the Forest Service
   • Special Olympics of Virginia Staff & Board of Directors (there aren’t bios, but mouse over the photos)

2. Go to Discussions in Canvas and choose the "Analyzing Example Bio Statements" discussion. Discuss what you can tell about audience and purpose for the bio statements based on the information they include and the tone of the biographies. There are some questions there to help you get started.

3. Once you have posted about your readings, read through what others had to say, and reply to at least two of the ideas or questions that your classmates have posted.