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Submission for Project 2

Submission for Project 2 published on

This is the post for January 4, 2016.

Today, you will complete peer review for the second project by noon and then submit your work by 11:59 PM tonight. If you need more time, use the grace period and turn in your work by 11:59 PM on Wednesday, January 6.

Readings for January 4

For this week, please review the following as needed:

Last-Minute Tips on Project 2

  • More than 10 items in your table? No problem. That’s fine.

  • Fewer than 10 items? Look for ways you can break kinds of writing up based on differences in a kind of writing. For instance, a good-news message is different from a bad-news message, but they might both be sent as a letter or an email message.

  • Unsure how to add graphical elements? Think about document design and readability. So make sure that your header row is visually different from the rest of the table (usually that means it’s in bold). People also do nice things with alternating row colors to make the different rows stand out.

  • What about clip art? Generally, avoid it. It’s typically unprofessional and distracting. I have had students add clip art occasionally, but you have to make sure that they really fit the information if you go that route. Any clip art should help communicate the message, not just be an extra illustration.

Work for January 4

  • (If you still need to) Provide peer review feedback to your classmate by noon, following these instructions. Canvas will automatically assign peer reviews to everyone who submits on time.

  • Revise your draft based on the peer feedback you received, using the Canvas Documentation to find your peers’ feedback.

  • Submit your revised draft by 11:59 PM, following these instructions. If you need an extension, take advantage of the Grace Period and submit your revised draft by 11:59 PM on January 6. Remember that there are no revisions or rewrites after your work is graded.

  • If you have a question, email me. I may not be able to answer immediately however. My mother is having shoulder replacement surgery today, so I’ll be a little busy and preoccupied. I’ll reply as soon as I can.


 
Last updated on 4th January, 2016, 1:12 AM

Happy New Year

Happy New Year published on

This is the post for January 1, 2016.

I hope you all take some time off today to relax and enjoy the holiday. I’ll be spending the day watching football and hanging out with family.

I won’t reply to any email messages until Saturday afternoon (unless I notice one of you has an emergency). If you don’t hear from me, don’t worry. I’ll catch up on Saturday.


 
Last updated on 1st January, 2016, 2:15 AM

Project 2 Overview

Project 2 Overview published on

This is the post for December 31.

Many of you have turned in your first project. If you are taking advantage of the grace period, have your work in by 11:59 PM January 1. Today, we move on to Project 2.

Readings for December 31

Tablet, showing a text on screen (indicating a reading)For today’s session, please read the following:

Work for December 31

  • Hand-drawn open book iconGo to Tests & Quizzes in Scholar, and complete the reading quizzes on Chapters 5, 7, and 9 of Markel by 11:59 PM tonight. Your grace period ends at 11:59 PM Saturday because of book shipping delays for some students. See the policies for quizzes on the course logistics page.

  • Get started on your second project:
    • Think of your audience as yourself. A year from now, if you were in the workplace, you should be able to come back to this analysis to remind yourself of the features to include in whatever you are writing.
    • Brainstorm a list of all of the kinds of writing you can think of that people in your field do.
    • Search for job descriptions in your field, and note the kinds of writing and communication that they mention.
    • Browse through the table of contents for Part IV of Markel (Chapters 9 to 15) and add any kinds of writing you missed. (NOTE: You are NOT limited to the kinds of writing in Markel. Consider the book one resource, but not your only resource.)
    • Don’t panic if you have an empty cell in your table. If a cell is irrelevant for one of the documents, that is okay. You should not have any empty columns however.
    • Use the example table of kinds of Writing Done by a College English Instructor to guide your work. Feel free to change the columns or rearrange them to fit your field. You can even add a column if you want. If you use information from outside sources, be sure to add a column for documentation.
    • See the formatting and grammar tips below to help arrange your table.

  • Post your draft by 6 PM on Sunday, January 3 to ensure that you are paired with two classmates for peer feedback, following these instructions. Canvas will automatically assign peer reviews to everyone who submits on time.

Formatting and Grammar Tips

  • Use short fragments as you fill in your table. Don’t worry about writing in full sentences. Focus on clear and concise language.

  • Make sure that all the cells in a column use parallel grammatical structures. In basic terms, parallel structures are structures that match.

    • If you start with a verb, be sure all the items in the column start with a verb.
    • If you are using a noun phrase in a column, make sure that all the items in the column start with a noun phrase.
    • If there is a period at the end of one item in a column, make sure there is a period at the end of every row in the column.

  • Get a larger writing space by changing your document to landscape orientation and changing the paper size to legal (8.5" by 14").

  • Be use the text in your table is flush left and vertically aligned to the top of the cell. This choice is the most readable according to readability studies.


 
Last updated on 31st December, 2015, 2:56 AM

Submission for Project 1

Submission for Project 1 published on

This is the post for December 30, 2015.

Readings for December 30

For this week, please read the following:

Work for December 30

  • Revise your draft based on the peer feedback you received, using the Canvas Documentation to find your peers’ feedback.
     
  • Submit your revised draft by 11:59 PM on 12/30, following these instructions. If you need more time, use the grace period and turn in your work by 11:59 PM on January 1. Remember that there are no revisions or rewrites after your work is graded.

 
Last updated on 30th December, 2015, 2:40 AM

Audience, Purpose, and Peer Review

Audience, Purpose, and Peer Review published on

This is the post for December 29.

Readings for December 29

For today’s session, please read the following:

Work for December 29

Please complete these tasks:

  • Post the draft of your bio statement for peer review feedback by 6 PM today, following these instructions. Feedback is due to your two classmates by noon tomorrow. Your final draft is due by 11:59 PM tomorrow. The grace period ends at 11:59 PM on January 1.

  • Go to Tests & Quizzes in Canvas, and complete the reading quizzes on Chapters 2, 4 and 6 of Markel by 11:59 PM tonight. Your grace period ends at 11:59 PM Saturday because of book shipping delays for some students. See the policies for quizzes on the course logistics page.


 
Last updated on 28th December, 2015, 12:38 PM

Project One Overview

Project One Overview published on

About the Pacing of this Course

During Fall or Spring Semester, you have 15 weeks to complete a course. During the Winter session, you have about 15 days, so we have to complete the work of a week every day. That means there are a lot of readings and activities every day.

Because of delays in getting the textbook however, I need to extend the grace period for the reading quizzes to be fair to everyone. The normal grace period is 24 hours, but for this first week only, I am extending the grace period for all reading quizzes to 11:59 PM on Saturday, January 2. Don’t procrastinate though! It will be easier for you to complete the readings each day rather than having to do everything on Saturday.

Readings for December 28

For today’s session, please read the following:

Help with Canvas

  • Read the Student Getting Started with Canvas Guide.
  • Use the From Scholar to Canvas – Tool Map to figure how to how do something in Canvas that you know how to do in Scholar.
  • To ask a quick question, click Help at the upper right corner of the screen, and select one of the help options from the pop-up window. Canvas helpdesk consultants are available 24/7 via chat, phone, or through online ticket. 

Work for December 28

Please complete these tasks today:

  • Begin work on Project 1:

    • Go to the Discussions tool in Canvas, and choose the the “Readings for Project 1” topic. Discuss what you read in the Some tips on writing biographical statements with the members of your group.
    • Go to Discussions in Canvas, and choose the "Analyzing Example Bio Statements" discussion. Analyze the examples for Project 1 using the discussion questions in Canvas. You will be working in small groups again to help manage the conversation.
    • If you have any questions (today or in the future) about the first assignment, send me an email message.
  • Complete the quizzes for today’s readings:

    • Go to Quizzes in Canvas, and complete the reading quizzes on Chapter 1 and Chapter 3 of Markel. See the policies for quizzes on the course logistics page.

 
Last updated on 28th December, 2015, 12:49 PM

Intro to Technical Writing

Intro to Technical Writing published on

This is the post for December 27.

This site is the official home for our Winter 2016 course (CRN #40102). Information on all assignments, weekly activities, and related resources will be posted here. Check this site regularly for the details on what to do for the course.

Readings for December 27

For today’s session, please read the following:

Work for December 27

Today is about making sure you understand the course policies, getting set up, and generally touching base with one another. If you have technical difficulty with today’s work, don’t panic! Send an email to tengrrl at vt.edu and let me know what you need help with.

Please complete these tasks by noon on Monday, December 28:

  • Log into Canvas, using your PID and password. Contact 4HELP if you need assistance with your login. You can find help for Canvas 24/7 by using the Help link on the Canvas site and in the Canvas: Getting Started for Students article.

  • Confirm that your notifications in Canvas are set the way you want them. Note that Canvas uses your notification preferences to determine whether to email you or text you (or not tell you at all) about information in the site. See the section "How do I adjust my notification preferences?" in the Student Getting Started with Canvas Guide for more information on setting up your notifications.

  • Verify that you understand how the course works:
    Go to the Discussions tool (in the left menu in Canvas), and respond to these posts:


 
Last updated on 27th December, 2015, 6:54 PM

Welcome to English 3764 for Winter 2016

Welcome to English 3764 for Winter 2016 published on

Welcome to the Winter 2016 session of Technical Writing. The course begins on Sunday, December 27, 2015.

To prepare for the course, please do these things:

1. Buy the book immediately. If you want the physical copy, you need to order it today so that you have it when the course starts. The ebook version is fine as well.

2. Note that I am still working on the course website and our Canvas site. I will send an email announcement when all the assignments and other materials are ready.


 
Last updated on 25th December, 2015, 4:09 AM

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