Course Guide

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Course Description

English 421Y: Technical Writing Online

Sections: 19010-ENGL 42100-Y02 and 19011-ENGL 42100-Y03
Instructors: Jeremy Tirrell and Nathaniel Rivers

English 421 is a writing-intensive course designed to introduce students from various technical fields to the principles of technical writing. Technical writing will be defined as the presentation of technical material in written and visual formats that are user centered and aware of audience and context. The course and its principles are grounded in rhetorical theory which students will be introduced to throughout the semester.

Rhetoric, briefly defined, is the use of symbols to produce an effect; in technical writing specifically it is the use of concise writing, instructive and accessible images and graphics, and well-designed documents to convey technical information, describe technical processes, and promote and maintain technical projects for multiple and diverse audiences. Though rhetoric has become a negative word within political circles and contemporary media, it has a rich history as one of the oldest intellectual pursuits in the western world. With a focus on audience, context, and the persuasion inherent to even technical documents, rhetoric can greatly inform the purpose of this course.

Through a variety of online assignments and larger projects (both individual and group), students will learn the principles of technical writing (audience awareness, context analysis, situational ethics, document drafting and design, concise writing and revision, as well as the use and production of images and graphics) and professional practice (memoing, thumb-nailing designs, documenting work, and working in groups). Communication across multiple audiences continues to be a desired skill set in technical and professional fields. As students will hear throughout the semester, beyond field-specific knowledge and experience, successful and ethical communication is what drives the professional world. This class, in its content and in its form, will model these successful communication practices. Students will write frequently, individually and in groups, and do so in a timely, efficient, effective and high-quality manner. To achieve success in this course, students must display (in their products and in their processes) the ability to succeed in the real world.

This course attempts to find a middle space between the daily assignments, F2F discussion, and interaction of an onsite course and the self-pacing student may expect of distance education courses. Keep in mind that this course is not completely self-paced, but students can work ahead on a several assignments and, ultimately, can have more flexibility and responsibility within the course structure. See below for a more detailed description of the project modules and self-pacing.

Required Texts

The Thomson Handbook (Comprehensive Edition), by David Blakesley and Jeffrey L. Hoogeveen. Boston: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2008. 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. Students may also purchase the ebook version of the full book using these directions at the Professional Writing website. This text provides essential information, examples, and principles for effective business writing. We will be reading and discussing chapters from Parts 2 through 7. Other chapters in the book will be useful for reference purposes. You may be interested in watching this short Flash presentation about the book's resources.
All other course readings will be provided on the course site or via links to sources off-site.

Course Goals

Writing in Context

Analyze the invention, manufacture, and distribution of technologies in context and use writing to communicate these attributes in a variety of media and genres.
Write to the different levels of technical expertise of a range of audiences and stakeholders to foster technical understanding.
Understand the ethical implications of working within the nexus of technology and culture.

Project Management

Understand, develop and deploy various strategies for planning, researching, drafting, revising, and editing documents both individually and collaboratively.
Select and use appropriate technologies that effectively and ethically address professional situations and audiences.
Build professional ethos through documentation and accountability.

Document Design
Make rhetorical design decisions about technical documents including

understanding and adapting to genre conventions and expectations of a range of audiences including both technical and non-technical audiences
understanding and implementing design principles of format and layout
interpreting and arguing with design
drafting, researching, testing, revising visual design and information architecture
ensuring the technical accuracy of visual content

Teamwork
Learn and apply strategies for successful teamwork, such as

working online with colleagues to determine roles and responsibilities
managing team conflicts constructively
responding constructively to peers' work
soliciting and using peer feedback effectively
achieving team goals

Research
Understand and use the research methods and strategies necessary to the production of professional documents, including

working ethically with research participants, subject matter experts, and technical experts
locating, evaluating, and using print and online information selectively for particular audiences and purposes
triangulating sources of evidence
selecting appropriate primary research methods such as interviews, observations, focus groups, and surveys to collect data
applying concepts of usability research, such as user-centered design

Technology
Use and evaluate the writing technologies frequently used in the workplace, such as emailing, instant messaging, image editing, video editing, presentation design and delivery, HTML editing, Web browsing, content management, and desktop publishing technologies.

Project Modules and Self-Pacing

This section of English 421 finds the half-way point between the course goals of improving your writing process and collaboration skills while also meeting your expectations as a distance education student. Each student should be responsible and flexible in completing each week's work since you have some, but not complete, freedom to pace yourself.

The course is broken down into three modules centered around the course's three major projects. Here are some guidelines to help you understand how self-pacing, peer review, and collaboration will work:

Students may work ahead on reading responses.
Students or groups may work ahead within each project, but only within that project, and they must submit peer reviews in a timely manner, when due.
Students or groups cannot work ahead on peer reviews. Begin reviewing and responding on the day that drafts are due.
In group work, each student must maintain contact with other group members. Check your email daily, and use your course group space effectively.
Reading responses, comments, and give-and take in the blogs must be submitted weekly. The requirement is that you submit one reading response per week and that you write five (5) follow-up responses per week to blog posts submitted by your peers..
In Project 3, project logs must be submitted weekly. You'll create a blog post, tag it appropriately and post it by the end of the day on Fridays. You'll be given specific instructions for what your project logs should include.

Course Projects and Activities

Project One: Employment Project

During the Employment Project, students will learn and employ strategies for seeking and securing employment or an internship, with particular attention to the documents people normally use to represent themselves and their prospects to potential employers. This project asks students to work individually, but there will also be chances for students to work with their peers to exchange ideas and feedback during online workshops.

Students will locate a real and specific job or internship for which they are qualified and prepare the application materials for it. If a student already has a good job, they should find one that would be an advance for them, then prepare application materials for that position. In preparing the first deliverable, students are asked to learn about and use various web-based resources for job seekers and ultimately to select one real job to pursue. The second deliverable is a print resume suitable for such a position. The third deliverable is the all-important cover letter (i.e., "Job Application Letter"). The forth deliverable is an assessment of the student's experience in a "Project Assessment Document." In the process of completing each step, students will work closely with their peers and their instructor to shape their writing so that it represents them and their experiences fully and effectively.

Project Two: Instructions Project

An important task for technical writers is producing instruction materials that assist expert and novice readers with technology. However, clear, concise, helpful instructions are extremely difficult to produce. Many technology users have given up on reading instructions altogether and instead try to operate technology intuitively, with varying rates of success.

This assignment asks students to choose a specific technical subject they know well and write instructions for its use. The instructions can cover one complex process or general use of the item. Writing software instructions is recommended for this project because screen captures make excellent and easy-to-produce graphics, but students may choose an appliance, computer hardware, automobile procedures, mobile phone technology, etc. Students will produce two sets of instructions for this subject, one for experienced users and one for novice users. Both sets will be clear, concise, helpful, user-centered instructions that use words and graphics to assist the appropriate audience. Both sets of instructions will carefully consider audience experience, expectations, knowledge, competency, and vocabulary.

Project Three: White Paper Project

Building on the skills developed in The Instructions Project and the Employment Project, students will be assigned to groups of four to five individuals in order to research and present technological solutions to common (or perhaps uncommon) problems (e.g., internet security, alternative energy, prescription medication options, etc). This project will result in one primary document, a White Paper prepared for a specific audience as well as several supporting documents (project proposal, a Gantt chart, as well as activity reports and research reports). In researching, designing, composing, and revising the White Paper, students should keep in mind their primary and secondary audiences, in addition to any tertiary and gatekeeping audiences. When composing the documents students should pay close attention to:

writing style (plain and persuasive)
rhetorical moves made in the composition of the document
technical definitions and descriptions
the use of images, graphics, and other design features such as: fonts, headings, margin comments, sidebars, and pullouts

Additionally, students should consider the physical, political, economic and ethical contexts of these audiences.

Weblogs

Much of your writing for this class will be posted publicly on the Internet to your individual weblog or our community weblog home page. Weblog posting assignments will include Reading Responses, drafts, project logs, and research notes, among other types of content. See posting to your weblog for more information. The calendar specifies what you should post to your weblog and by when, so let that be your guide.

Reading Responses

Although we may have multiple readings each week, you are responsible for writing one, 300-word blog post as a Reading Response. The Reading Responses will synthesize the readings and your reactions to them, much like class discussion. Please refer to guidelines on how to post a reading response for more information.

Comments and Replies

You are required to submit five (5) comments and replies (e.g., follow-up responses) each week to the blog posts (Reading Responses and other posts made by others) appearing on our course site. Each should be, at minimum, 100 words.

All comments and replies to another's blog post should follow effective rhetorical strategies for networking with others on the Web. (Readings from the course text provide guidelines to follow.)

Keep threads alive and relevant.
Follow-up comments with further discussion.
Think of your comments and replies as part of a lively class discussion in which everyone participates.

Our activity online substitutes for in-person discussion in interesting (and sometimes deeper) ways. Of course, you are always welcome, and encouraged, to post beyond thsese minimum requirements. The course calendar includes reminders about meeting this ongoing obligation for participating in class discussion.

The format and focus of your weblog comments and replies is described in these Guidelines for Posting Comments and Replies. Please bear in mind that your online interaction is the glue that holds the course together, makes collobaration possible, and helps you achieve the course goals. For these reasons—and because we are not meeting F2F—your engagement in these online discussions will require serious and consistent attention throughout the course. It won't be possible to make up missed postings later since the discussion will have already moved on.

Grading

Employment Project	20%
Instructions Project	25%
White Paper Project (collaborative)	25%
Participation (Weblogs, Reading Responses, Project Logs, etc.)	30%
Total	100%

The three major projects in the course comprise several components, each of which will be worth a percentage of your final grade. For the collaborative project, students will complete the required Collaborative Evaluation Form.

All major assignments will be graded on the standard plus-minus letter-grade scale: A=100-94, A-=93-90, B+==89-87, B=86-84, B-=83-80, C+=79-77, C=76-74, C-=73-70, D+=69-67, D=66-64, D-=63-60, F=59 or below.

Students must participate in all of the three major projects and complete a majority of the required weblog posting assignments in order to pass this class. Students with questions about final grades should review university policies regarding grade appeals, which are outlined by the Dean of Students here: http://www.purdue.edu/ODOS/osrr/gradeappeal.pdf.

Technology Requirements

In order to participate fully in the course, you should already be able to use the technology platform and applications listed below.

Mac OS X or Windows XP or Vista
Microsoft Office for the PC or Mac (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) or Apple counterparts (Pages, Keynote, Numbers)
Up-to-date Web Browser (e.g., Firefox, Safari, or Internet Explorer)
Email Program (e.g., Purdue Webmail, Outlook, Thunderbird, Gmail, etc.)
Adobe Acrobat Reader (for PDF documents, collaborative review)

Technology Responsibilities

Because the exchange of information and documents in this class will be entirely electronic, familiarity with certain technologies is crucial for participation and success in the course. If you need any assistance now or at any point during the semester, please do not hesitate to ask.

During the semester, you'll need regular access to the Internet and email. Because the course website is the main locus of the class community, you are responsible for reading and keeping current with all content posted there, including what has been submitted by both the instructor and your fellow students. You will be responsible for configuring your system to access course materials, to read course email and participate in online discussions, and to submit your work. Very early in the semester, you will be asked to demonstrate that you can meet these responsibilities:

Register for the course website and complete your profile information.
Post a message about yourself and your interests
Read the course description and calendar, and ask questions when you are uncertain about requirements or activities.
Set up your @purdue.edu email or an alternative that you can access regularly and reliably
Become proficient sending and receiving email attachments, resolving file compatibility issues, and following email decorum.
Check the course calendar before each class meeting.
Become proficient participating in the class Drupal space.
Become more proficient with unfamiliar computer technologies and applications, including Web editing software, document cycling systems, desktop publishing applications, and graphics programs.
Maintain back-up copies of all assignments.

If at any time you have problems accessing the Internet from home, you will need to find a public lab or connection point. Problems with computers will not be an excuse for falling behind or failing to complete required assignments. If your Internet service goes down, find another connection point. If your computer breaks, use another one. In other words, find a way to complete the assignments on time. Because computer problems are a fact of life, always work to complete your assignments early and make frequent backups to multiple media.

Course Technologies

Course Website (running on Drupal)
Dreamweaver (Web Editor)
Powerpoint, Word, Keynote, Google Docs (for collaboration)
Acrobat and Acrobat Reader
Adobe Connect (for group meetings, as needed)

Collaborative Work

Teamwork is a required component of the course. You and your project team members are responsible for updating one another and me about assignment development and progress. In addition, you also are responsible for negotiating together all aspects of your work, including planning, drafting, revising, file managing, and scheduling of assignments. When a collaborative project is assigned, you will receive explicit guidelines for successful collaboration. Individual group members will complete Collaborative Evaluation Forms. For more information about good principles of collaboration, see the brochure, Group Work and Collaborative Writing <http://dhc.ucdavis.edu/vohs/>.

Attendance

Because this is an online course, your attendance at a physical location is not required. However, you will need to demonstrate active involvement in the course activities by keeping up with reading responses, project logs, and other coursework. You will also need to respond to course email promptly to ensure that good communication flows in all directions. More than one continuous week of absence from course activities is grounds for failure of the class. If you disappear for a few days here, another few days there, and some more later, then your final grade may be lowered, and you will likely see your class participation suffer and your collaboration fail. In addition, if you are frequently "absent" from the online discussions (i.e., you fail to post for several days at a time), your final grade may be lowered.

Academic Integrity

Purdue students and their instructors are expected to adhere to guidelines set forth by the Dean of Students in "Academic Integrity: A Guide for Students," which students are encouraged to read here:

http://www.purdue.edu/ODOS/osrr/integrity.htm

The preamble of this guide states the following: "Purdue University values intellectual integrity and the highest standards of academic conduct. To be prepared to meet societal needs as leaders and role models, students must be educated in an ethical learning environment that promotes a high standard of honor in scholastic work. Academic dishonesty undermines institutional integrity and threatens the academic fabric of Purdue University. Dishonesty is not an acceptable avenue to success. It diminishes the quality of a Purdue education, which is valued because of Purdue's high academic standards."

Academic dishonesty is defined as follows: "Purdue prohibits "dishonesty in connection with any University activity. Cheating, plagiarism, or knowingly furnishing false information to the University are examples of dishonesty." [University Regulations, Part V, Section III, B, 2, a] Furthermore, the University Senate has stipulated that "the commitment of acts of cheating, lying, and deceit in any of their diverse forms (such as the use of substitutes for taking examinations, the use of illegal cribs, plagiarism, and copying during examinations) is dishonest and must not be tolerated. Moreover, knowingly to aid and abet, directly or indirectly, other parties in committing dishonest acts is in itself dishonest." [University Senate Document 72-18, December 15, 1972]"

If you have any questions about this policy, please ask.

In Case of a Campus Emergency

In the event of a major campus emergency, course requirements, deadlines and grading percentages are subject to changes that may be necessitated by a revised semester calendar or other circumstances. You can acquire updated information from the course website, by emailing your instructor, or by contacting your instructor through the English Department at 765-494-3740.

Late Work

The instructor will stick closely to the course calendar. It is important that you keep up. When possible, you may certainly complete assignments early, but you must complete them on time. Much of what you do for this class quickly leads to another assignment. And, often, your postings and comments are part of a larger discussion that will not wait for you. It will also be difficult for you to do your part in group projects if you miss assigned deadlines. Thus, the majority of missed class assignments cannot be made up. If a serious and unavoidable problem arises, however, you should contact your instructor by email prior to the deadline to determine whether or not an extension for the work will or will not be granted. Late work will rarely, if ever, be accepted without prior approval.

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. You will be notified about any major changes, but you are still responsible for keeping up with the current schedule.

Week 1

By Monday, January 12, at midnight

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 complete an assignment properly. 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.
Read through the rest of this page so that you know when assignments are due the rest of the week.

By Wednesday, January 14, at midnight

Now that you have had a chance to read the course description and explore the class website, email your instructor with a note letting him or her know that you have finished registering for the course. Your email should include a subject line, a greeting, a short message, and your real (full) name. (Make sure your email is in keeping with the course Email Guidelines.) It is important that you complete this task so that you know how to get in touch with your instructor. Your instructors' email addresses are either jtirrell@purdue.edu (for Jeremy Tirrell) or nrivers@purdue.edu (for Nathaniel Rivers).
Complete Getting Started 2: Logging in for the First Time and Getting Started 3: Editing Your Account for the First Time
Review How to Post to Your Individual Weblog and then How to Post Comments and Replies
There is a post on the course home page asking students to introduce themselves. Post a comment to that post in which you:
- describe where you are from
- give your course of study and year
- talk about your career goals
- tell what you would like to get out of this course
- share at least one thing personal about yourself (a hobby, your favorite sport, a favorite activity, etc.)
Reminder: As you work on assignments for this course, always read ahead a few days to give yourself time to ask questions about future assignments.

By Friday, January 16, at midnight

Read: Chapter 3—Readers and Contexts of Use in Technical Communication Today (TCT).
Post (by midnight tonight): Reading Response (300 word) on Chapter 3. Focus your report on the chapter's discussion of the different categories of audiences and the different types of contexts for technical writing. Being able to distinguish between audiences and identify the specific requirements/constraints of the context will be important this semester. Please review Principles for Reading Responses before you write your report. Make sure to tag your blog post with the appropriate "Reading Response" week tag by selecting it from the "Reading Response" drop-down box when you submit your post.
You have until Monday at noon to submit your five (5) comments (e.g., follow-up responses) to the blog posts. Your comments can be on the blog posts of others, or they can be in response to comments made on your blog post. The point is to establish and participate in a conversation. Each comment should be, at minimum, 100 words. Please review Principles for Comments and Responses for guidance.

Week 2

By Monday, January 19

By noon, have your 5 comments posted to the blog posts.
Read the Employment Project description thoroughly.
Read Instructor Blog #1: Getting a Job is Hard Work
Read Chapter 15—Staring Your Career in TCT
Review online job hunting resources. Look for positions that are in keeping with the Employment Project description.

By Wednesday, January 21, at midnight

Post (by midnight tonight): Reading Response (300 word) on Chapter 15. Focus your report on the chapter's discussion of tailoring your documents to emphasize particular skill sets. Also, connect your discussion back to the previous chapter's information on audience and context. For example, how would you craft your employment documents to satisfy both a primary audience (e.g., your potential boss) and a gatekeeping audience (e.g., an HR worker)? Make sure to tag your blog post with the appropriate "Reading Response" week tag by selecting it from the "Reading Response" drop-down box when you submit your post.

By Friday, January 23, at midnight

Submit your five blog post comments.
To prepare to create your first Employment Project deliverable (Job Ad Analysis), read pages 220-23 in The Thomson Handbook and review the Purdue OWL Job Skills Checklist. This checklist will help you identify and articulate job skills that you possess.

Week 3

By Monday, January 26, at midnight

By Wednesday, January 28, at midnight

Post (by midnight tonight): Reading Response (300 word) on Chapter 8. Discuss how different genres offer different patterns for organizing documents, as well as how patterns of arrangement within documents create frameworks for understanding their content. As always, connect your discussion back with previous readings as well as applicable personal experiences.
Job Ad Analysis due. The Employment Project page describes how to produce your Job Ad Analysis. Make sure to tag your Job Ad Analysis blog post with the appropriate "Job Ad Analysis" tag by selecting it from the "Employment Project" drop-down box when you submit your post.

By Friday, January 30, at midnight

Submit your five blog post comments.
The following readings will help you design your resume draft, which is due next week. (Your Reading Response due on Monday is also based on these readings.)
- Read Instructor Blog #2: Resumes.
- Read this fantastic article by an HR coordinator titled "Skeptical Resume Reader Tells How He Really Thinks."
- Read "A Glimpse and a Hook" and scan the corresponding comments (the comments may take a while to load).
- Read Resume and Cover Letter Guide: Drafting Descriptions.
- Read the Purdue Owl's information on resumes.
- Read The Thomson Handbook Chapter 12 section C on Resumes and Cover Letters.

Week 4

By Monday, February 2, at midnight

Post (by midnight tonight): Reading Response (300 word) on last Friday's resume draft readings. Discuss specific ways in which you will apply the various readings to the process of drafting your resume. Be certain to cite specific sections of readings and point to concrete applications in your drafting process and your resultant resume.
Read this front page post about new blog post and comment formatting options

By Wednesday, February 4, at midnight

Submit your five blog post comments.
Before you submit your Resume Draft, read this FAQ entry about attaching files. The gist is that when you attach files to a post you have to click "Save" without clicking "Preview" first. You are responsible for having your materials attached correctly, so make sure to ask your instructor any questions you have early.
Resume Draft due. To submit your resume draft, attach it as a .pdf file to a blog post tagged with the appropriate "Resume Draft" tag. To receive full credit, you must attach your draft as a .pdf file and not a .doc file. We use .pdf files because they ensure that your resume will look the same to all viewers. Word .doc files vary depending on the viewer's particular computer setup. This handout covers how to export your files to .pdf.

By Friday, February 6, at midnight

Complete the Resume Extravaganza Activity.
Look at the Resume Drafts and select two to critique thoroughly. Post a comment of 250 words each to the two resumes that you have selected in which you analyze the resume, making connections to the components discussed in Instructor Blog #2 (e.g., Education, Experience, Design, Spelling & Grammar, etc.), the Thomson Handbook information on resume design, and this handout on resume design. Do not comment on a resume that already has two comments. We want to make sure that every resume gets two replies.

Week 5

By Monday, February 9, at midnight

Read this story posted to the front page and complete the exercise described there
The following readings will help you compose your cover letter draft, which is due Wednesday:
Post (by midnight tonight): Reading Response (300 word) on today's cover letter draft readings. Discuss specific ways in which you will apply the various readings to the process of drafting your cover letter. Be certain to cite specific sections of readings including the Thomson Handbook's material on cover letters, and point to concrete applications in your drafting process and your resultant cover letter.

By Wednesday, February 11, at midnight

Submit your five blog post comments.
Cover Letter Draft due. To submit your cover letter draft, attach it as a .pdf file to a blog post tagged with the appropriate "Cover Letter Draft" tag. To receive full credit, you must attach your draft as a .pdf file and not a .doc file. We use .pdf files because they ensure that your cover letter will look the same to all viewers. Word .doc files vary depending on the viewer's particular computer setup. This handout covers how to export your files to .pdf. Also, in the body of the blog post itself, ask two specific questions about your cover letter that you would like reviewers to address. You may wish to touch upon issues such as tone, concision, level of detail, etc.

By Friday, February 13, at midnight

Complete the Cover Letter Peer Review Activity.

Week 6

By Monday, February 16, at midnight

Read: "Resume Revision Tips"
Note: we will be online to answer questions between 4:00 and 4:30. Click this link to join our Adobe Connect meeting space (Flash pluggin required). This session also will be recorded and available online later.

By Wednesday, February 18, at midnight

Continue revising Employment Documents
View Monday's Adobe Connect Session. (If you see a white square in the middle of the screen hit the "Pause" button and then the "Play" button to fix it. There is also a bit of an echo when jflitt talks. The echo is a part of the recording and was not present during the live session.) This is an example of the kind of thing we will do in Q&A sessions in the future. Getting personalized attention is a good way to improve your documents. If you are interested in joining in the future you can ask questions via text chat or through a microphone (in the ITaP labs you may have to switch the sound input from "SB Live" to "Sound Max" to use a microphone).

SPECIAL SESSION: Thursday, February 19

We will be online again to answer questions between 1:00 and 1:30. Click this link to join our Adobe Connect meeting space (Flash pluggin required). Log in as a guest (you can use any name you want).

By Friday, February 20, at midnight

Employment Project Final Draft due. To submit your final draft, attach finished versions of your Resume and Cover Letter as .pdf documents to a blog post tagged with the appropriate "Employment Project Final Draft" tag. To receive full credit, you must attach your files in .pdf format and not .doc format. We use .pdf files because they ensure that your resume and cover letter will look the same to all viewers. Word .doc files vary depending on the viewer's particular computer setup. This handout covers how to export your files to .pdf.
Employment Project Assessment due. This handout will help you complete your assessment document. To submit your assessment document, attach it as a .pdf document to a blog post tagged with the appropriate "Employment Project Assessment" tag. To receive full credit, you must attach your file in .pdf format and not .doc format. We use .pdf files because they ensure that your assessment will look the same to all viewers. Word .doc files vary depending on the viewer's particular computer setup. This handout covers how to export your files to .pdf.
Next week we begin Project #2: Instructions. Feel free to look through the project description to get an early start.

Week 7

By Monday, February 23, at midnight

Read the Instructions Project description thoroughly. Weeks seven through ten will be focused on this project.
Read: Instructor Blog #4: Technical Instructions
Read: Chapter 19—Technical Descriptions in TCT
Read: Chapter 20—Instructions in TCT
Watch this video (from Common Craft). Consider its approach to readers/users. What level of expertise does it assume? How does it present the technology to those readers (word choice, style, tone, level of detail, design, and even the medium)?

Post (by midnight tonight): Reading Response (300 word) on Chapters 19 and 20 and Instructor Blog #4. Focus your report on the chapter 20's discussion of tailoring your instructions to help specific audiences perform a specific task and chapter 19's emphasis on concrete yet accessible descriptions. Point to concrete examples you have encountered to flesh out your response (you might even consider discussing the video example we have provided or another example from Common Craft). Also, connect your discussion back to the previous chapter's information on audience and context. For example, how would you describe your technology to audiences with different levels of expertise (i.e., knowledge of the technology, general technological awareness, vocabulary)? Consider also the ethics of successful instructions. In Instructor Blog #4, we warn against treating users as "idiots," and suggest treating them as "novices" instead. What are the drawbacks of the "idiot" approach, and what problems could this approach create for you as the expert producing instructions? Make sure to tag your blog post with the appropriate "Reading Response" week tag by selecting it from the "Reading Response" drop-down box when you submit your post.
Also, enjoy Cosmo Kramer's attempt at technical description:

By Wednesday, February 25, at midnight

Submit your five blog post comments.
Read this front page story about Instructions Project proposals

By Friday, February 27, at midnight

Post (by midnight tonight): Step 1: Proposal. Review the Instructions Project description for a description of the proposal. Make sure to tag your blog post with the appropriate "Proposal" tag by selecting it from the "Instructions Project" drop-down box when you submit your post.

Week 8

By Monday, March 2, at midnight

Read Chapters 24—Using Visuals to Inform and Persuade and 25—Desktop Publishing and Graphic Design for Writers in TH
Read: Instructor Blog #5: Design
Post (by midnight tonight): Reading Response (300 word) on Chapters 24 and 25. Make sure to tag your blog post with the appropriate "Reading Response" week tag by selecting it from the "Reading Response" drop-down box when you submit your post.

By Wednesday, March 4, at midnight

Submit your five blog post comments.
Review front page story "Proposal Redux"
Complete Instructions Exercise

By Friday, March 6, at midnight

Post (by midnight tonight): Step Two: Sample Graphics and Thumbnails. Review the Instructions Project description for an explanation of this step. Thumbnail examples are available here (a more thorough, high scoring thumbnail) and here (a satisfactory, lower scoring thumbnail). Provide a thumbnail for each instruction set (novice and expert). Make sure to tag your blog post with the appropriate "Graphics and Thumbnail" tag by selecting it from the "Instructions Project" drop-down box when you submit your post.
In addition to posting your own sample graphics and thumbnails, provide feedback (in the form of 100 word comments) for two other students. You have until Sunday at midnight to complete this feedback assignment.

Week 9

By Monday, March 9, at midnight

Read Chapter 12—Revising and Editing for Usability in TCT (pages 336-37 omitted)
Read: Instructor Blog #6: Usability
Post (by midnight tonight): Reading Response (300 word) on Chapter 12 and Instructor Blog #6. Using the readings as your guide, describe what type of usability test you plan on employing and why it is the most appropriate one for your document. Describe in some detail the specifics of the usability test you will produce. Use this Reading Response to help you draft your usability test. Make sure to tag your blog post with the appropriate "Reading Response" week tag by selecting it from the "Reading Response" drop-down box when you submit your post.

By Wednesday, March 11, at midnight

Submit your five blog post comments.

By Friday, March 13, at midnight

Post (by midnight tonight): Step Three: Rough Drafts and Usability Testing. To submit your instruction set drafts attach each as a separate .pdf file to a single blog post tagged with the appropriate "Rough Draft" tag. To receive full credit, you must attach your drafts as .pdf files and not .doc files. You should also attach your usability test (in whatever file format you deem appropriate), which should contain, in addition to the test itself, detailed instructions for taking the test. Also, in the body of the blog post itself, describe the instruction sets, the key (and concrete) distinctions between an expert and novice user, and how each set differs to account for each audience. Describe, as well, the basics of your usability test and how you wish to receive feedback (a completed survey email, a summary posted as a comment, etc.) Make sure to tag your blog post with the appropriate "Rough Draft" tag by selecting it from the "Instructions Project" drop-down box when you submit your post.
Usability testing should be completed by midnight Monday, March 23. (This means that you have Spring Break to complete it.) To ensure that everyone's instruction sets are reviewed at least twice, please post (on Friday) a placeholder comment indicating that you are doing usability testing on a student's instructions. Return and edit this post once you have completed the usability test.

Week 10

Spring Break: no assignments due

Week 11

By Monday, March 23, at midnight

Complete Usability Testing

By Wednesday, March 25, at midnight

Revise your instruction sets according to the results of your usability tests and your instructor feedback

By Friday, March 27, at midnight

Post (by midnight tonight): Step Four: Final Drafts. To submit your final drafts attach each as a separate .pdf file to a single blog post tagged with the appropriate "Final Draft" tag. To receive full credit, you must attach your drafts as .pdf files and not .doc files. If it would not make sense to put your instructions in .pdf format—for example, if you produce online instructions—please contact your instructor before the due date.

Week 12

By Monday, March 30, at midnight

Instructions Project Assessment due. This handout will help you complete your assessment document. To submit your assessment document, attach it as a .pdf document to a blog post tagged with the appropriate "Instructions Project Assessment" tag. To receive full credit, you must attach your file in .pdf format and not .doc format.
Read the White Paper Project description thoroughly. The remainder of the semester will be devoted to this project.
Read this front page post about using Google Docs in the White Paper Project.
Read Thomson Handbook pages 235-236. Additionally, visit and read the digital resources linked there (the "OSDDP" ones are here and here). Pay particular attention to the "How to Write White Papers" white paper.
Read "The Steak Behind the Sizzle" (pdf), a white paper about white papers.

By Wednesday, April 1, at midnight

Post (by midnight tonight): Reading Response (300 word) discussing white papers and sample white papers. Focus your responses on the uses of white papers and how those uses relate to different contexts. For instance, how does a marketing white paper differ from a government white paper and why?
Read this front page post about tagging content in the White Paper Project.
Read "Feuds in Student Groups," which discusses group dynamics. The password is "tirrell."
Review the following Sample White Papers. Note: while some of these White Papers are marketing documents (that is, less objective in tone), their design and composition are in line with what you will be asked to produce.
- Acxiom and this brief design analysis.
- Sophos and this brief design analysis.
- These Motorola White Papers:
  - Push-To-Talk
  - IP MultiMedia

By Friday, April 3, at midnight

Submit your five blog post comments.
Project Proposal due. One member of your group should post this as a blog. Remember that to receive full credit it must be at least 500 words long and tagged with the appropriate "Proposal" tag and your group tag.
Post (by midnight) weekly group activity report. One member of your group should post this as a blog. Remember that to receive full credit it must be at least 300 words long and tagged with the appropriate "Group Activity Report" tag and your group tag.
Post (by midnight Sunday) individual activity report. Remember that to receive full credit it must be at least 200 words long and tagged with the appropriate "Individual Activity Report" tag and your group tag.
View sample activity reports (both individual and group).

Week 13

By Monday, April 6, at midnight

Read this front page post about White Paper Proposal feedback.
Read Part 3—Conducting Research in TH.
Post (by midnight tonight): Reading Response (300 word) on research. Use the reading response to identify the research you will need to conduct and to create a research plan. Remember, as always, to be specific.
Review these Gantt Chart Resources:

By Wednesday, April 8, at midnight

Gantt Chart due. To submit your Gantt Chart, one member of your group should attach it as a .pdf document to a blog post tagged with the appropriate "Gantt Chart" tag and your group tag. To receive full credit, you must attach your file in .pdf format and not .doc format, and you must tag your content correctly with both tags.
Submit your five blog post comments.

By Friday, April 10, at midnight

Group members should have their research underway. While all research blogs are to be posted by week fourteen, we suggest you begin posting them soon. Sample research blog here.
Post (by midnight) weekly group activity report. One member of your group should post this as a blog. Remember that to receive full credit it must be at least 300 words long and tagged with the appropriate "Group Activity Report" tag and your group tag.
Post (by midnight Sunday) individual activity report. Remember that to receive full credit it must be at least 200 words long and tagged with the appropriate "Individual Activity Report" tag and your group tag.

Week 14

By Monday, April 13, at midnight

Read Chapter 5—Ethics in the Technical Workplace in TCT (pages 115-116 omitted).
Post (by midnight tonight): Reading Response (300 word) on workplace ethics. Focus your response on the ethical component of the project you are currently working on or on one you have already completed (e.g. the instructions project). Use the terminology of the text to analyze the ethical situation of that work and the documents you produced. Make sure to reference the TCT discussion in your response.

By Wednesday, April 15, at midnight

Submit your five blog post comments.
Post (by midnight tonight): Thumbnails. Review the White Paper Project description for an explanation of this step. Thumbnail examples are available here (a more thorough, high scoring thumbnail) and here (a satisfactory, lower scoring thumbnail). To submit your thumbnail, attach it as a .pdf document to a blog post tagged with the appropriate "Thumbnail" tag and your group tag. To receive full credit, you must attach your file in .pdf format and not .doc format, and you must tag your content correctly with both tags.
In addition to posting your own thumbnails, provide feedback (in the form of 100 word comments) for each member of your group. You have until Friday at midnight to complete this feedback assignment. Use this feedback to negotiate the layout and design on the white paper your group will produce.

By Friday, April 17, at midnight

Complete thumbnail feedback assignment.
All research blogs should be completed by midnight.
Post (by midnight) weekly group activity report. One member of your group should post this as a blog. Remember that to receive full credit it must be at least 300 words long and tagged with the appropriate "Group Activity Report" tag and your group tag.
Post (by midnight Sunday) individual activity report. Remember that to receive full credit it must be at least 200 words long and tagged with the appropriate "Individual Activity Report" tag and your group tag.

Week 15

By Monday, April 20, at midnight

Use this time to complete your white paper drafts.
We will be making ourselves available for questions through Adobe Connect from 1:00-2:00 pm. Click this link to join, and enter as a Guest (you don't need a login and password).

By Wednesday, April 22, at midnight

Use this time to complete your white paper drafts.
We will be making ourselves available for questions through Adobe Connect from 1:00-2:00 pm. Click this link to join, and enter as a Guest (you don't need a login and password).

By Friday, April 24, at midnight

White Paper rough draft due. To submit your rough draft, one member of your group should attach it as a .pdf document to a blog post tagged with the appropriate "White Paper Rough Draft" tag and your group tag. To receive full credit, you must attach your file in .pdf format and not .doc format, and you must tag your content correctly with both tags.
Post (by midnight) weekly group activity report. One member of your group should post this as a blog. Remember that to receive full credit it must be at least 300 words long and tagged with the appropriate "Group Activity Report" tag and your group tag.
Post (by midnight Sunday) individual activity report. Remember that to receive full credit it must be at least 200 words long and tagged with the appropriate "Individual Activity Report" tag and your group tag.

Week 16

By Monday, April 27, at midnight

Use this time to revise your white papers.
We will be making ourselves available for questions through Adobe Connect from 1:00-2:00 pm. Click this link to join, and enter as a Guest (you don't need a login and password).

By Wednesday, April 29, at midnight

Read this front page post about White Paper Draft feedback.
Use this time to revise your white papers.
We will be making ourselves available for questions through Adobe Connect from 1:00-2:00 pm. Click this link to join, and enter as a Guest (you don't need a login and password).

By Friday, May 1, at midnight

White Paper final draft due. To submit your final draft, one member of your group should attach it as a .pdf document to a blog post tagged with the appropriate "White Paper Final Draft" tag and your group tag. To receive full credit, you must attach your file in .pdf format and not .doc format, and you must tag your content correctly with both tags.
Post (by midnight) weekly group activity report. One member of your group should post this as a blog. Remember that to receive full credit it must be at least 300 words long and tagged with the appropriate "Group Activity Report" tag and your group tag.
Post (by midnight Sunday) individual activity report. Remember that to receive full credit it must be at least 200 words long and tagged with the appropriate "Individual Activity Report" tag and your group tag.
Submit (by Monday, May 4) Collaborative Project Evaluation Form via email. Form attached here as protected .doc file.

Projects & Activities

Descriptions of major course projects are listed here.

Employment Project

The Employment Project deals explicitly with structuring decisions. In this project students will create two primary documents (a resume and a cover letter) which, taken together, will structure, in part, the decision-making process concerning their application for employment. There are, of course, factors beyond the control of individual applicants, but the self that you create with your employment documents (along with the self that the reader constructs for you) goes a long way in securing employment (or at least an interview). This project asks students to work individually, but there will also be chances for students to work with their peers to exchange ideas and feedback during online workshops.

Project Prompt and Summary

Students will locate a real and specific job or internship for which they are qualified and prepare the application materials for it. If a student already has a good job, they should find one that would be an advance for them, then prepare application materials for that position. In preparing the first deliverable, students are asked to learn about and use various web-based resources for job seekers and ultimately to select one real job to pursue. The second deliverable is a print resume suitable for such a position. The third deliverable is the all-important cover letter (i.e., "Job Application Letter"). The forth deliverable is an assessment of the student's experience in a "Project Assessment Document." In the process of completing each step, students will work closely with their peers and their instructor to shape their writing so that it represents them and their experiences fully and effectively.

Deliverables

One: Job Ad Analysis

First, find a job ad using an internet search engine that you will apply for during the Employment Project. The ad should be for a job you are qualified for now or at the time of graduation. Provide a link to the ad and perform a 600 word job ad analysis. Your analysis should include extensive explanation of why you selected the job. Include interests and career enhancement opportunities the job will provide, as well as your relevant skills and experience that match the job requirements. Look closely at the key words in the job ad and explain how you possess and can demonstrate those qualities. Also, perform some research on the company by checking out their website. Include information you discover that could be relevant to a resume or cover letter. Think of the Job Ad Analysis as a prelude to the Cover Letter. Post (as a blog) by Wednesday of Week Three.

Two: Resume

Your printable resume (almost always one page in length) should adapt features drawn from the samples available for review through the course site. It's critical that you shape your resume to the specific job or internship you have chosen to apply for (that it's suited to the context), so be sure to include only the relevant aspects of your professional experience. Additionally, as templates are widely used and this easily spotted by HR personnel, their use is prohibited in this class. The writing needs to be error-free, concise, and presented in an easily readable format. There will be an online workshop period, when students will review one anothers' resumes. Post (attached to a blog) by Wednesday of Week Four.

Three: Cover Letter

The job application letter is critical to your efforts in securing a job, perhaps even more critical than your resume itself. It is in the cover letter that you begin structuring the response to your application. With the cover letter you provide a framework through which potential employers view your resume and you as a potential employee. For the Employment Project, your letter should be no longer than one or two pages (one is preferable in most cases), following the suggestions and models. There will be an online workshop period as well. Post (attached to a blog) by Wednesday of Week Five.

Four: Final Drafts

Submit, as separate pdf files, final drafts of your employment documents (resume and cover letter). Post (attached to a blog) by Friday of Week Six.

Five: Project Assessment Document

As you near the end of your work on the Employment Project, prepare a two-page overview and analysis of your deliverables and the process you used to produce them. A handout will be provided to help guide the document. Your Project Assessment Document should reflect on what you learned during this assignment and how you will apply that knowledge to a later job search. Post (attached to a blog) by Friday of Week Six.

Grading

The Employment Project is worth 20% of the course grade. The breakdown for each of its components is as follows:

Job Ad Analysis – 10%
Resume – 40%
Cover Letter – 40%
Project Assessment Document – 10%

Grading Criteria

When grading this project, the instructor will pay particular attention to whether students have effectively adapted their documents to the job for which they have applied. The writing will need to be precise, accurate, and well-suited to the context (the job/field) and to the rhetorical occasion (in terms of tone, style, and content). In this case, a generic, catch-all resume and cover letter will not satisfy the requirements of the project. Specifically, the following criteria will apply:

All documents conform to the design principles established by the genre, Technical Communication Today, and The Thomson Handbook.
Documents are catered to a specific job at a specific company and reflect how the applicant would correspond to the company goals and environment.
Resume is well formatted, includes all necessary components, and reflects knowledge of resume conventions.
Resume job descriptions are concise, specific, catered to job ad keywords, and utilize parallel verbiage.
Cover letter is concise, specific, and professional. Cover letter frames and structures the information in the resume, reflecting job ad keywords comprehensively to present the applicant as a desirable addition to the company.
Documents are professional and error free.
Documents could function within a professional environment. If a student could not send the resume and cover letter to the prospective employer and stand a good chance of getting an interview, the project will not receive an A.

Instructions Project

An important task for technical writers is producing instruction materials that assist expert and novice users with technology. However, clear, concise, helpful instructions are extremely hard to produce. Many technology users have given up on reading instructions altogether and instead try to operate technology without explicit instructions, with varying rates of success.

Project Prompt and Summary

This assignment asks students to choose a specific technical object or process they know well and write instructions for its use. The instructions can be over one complex process or the general use of the item. Writing software instructions is recommended for this project because screen captures make serviceable, easy-to-produce graphics. Choosing easy to access (or, better yet, free) software will also make the peer review more productive because students will perform usability tests on one another's instructions. However, students may choose computer hardware, mobile phone technology, etc. Students will produce two sets of instructions: one for experienced users and one for novice users. Both sets will be clear, concise, helpful, user-centered instructions that use words and graphics to assist the appropriate audience. Both sets of instructions will carefully and respectfully consider audience experience, expectations, knowledge, competency, and vocabulary. Documents are expected to be in a size other than 8.5 by 11 unless there is a necessary reason for them to be so.

Steps

Step One: Project Proposal

Write a blog post that describes in detail what object or process you have selected for this project. Include exactly what the object or process is and what your instructions will cover. Also explain why your instructions are legitimate and necessary, and why you are qualified and credible to write about this topic. Then identify your two separate audiences and how they differ. What are the needs, expectations, values, and concerns of each? Lastly, include ideas for possible graphics that can be used and layouts you will employ for your instructions. Post (attached to a blog) by Friday of Week Seven.

Step Two: Sample Graphics and Thumbnails

Sample Graphics
Using the principles from Chapters 24 and 25 of The Thomson Handbook, design rough drafts of graphics for your instructions. Graphics could be screen captures, photos, drawings, illustrations, etc. Post your sample graphics to your blog as attachments. Include at least two graphics. Though these graphics are drafts, they should be substantial and near completion for this step.

Thumbnails
Using the drawing function in Microsoft Word (or another program that is familiar), students should prepare a thumbnail sketch of each instruction set (novice and expert), convert the file to .pdf, and post it to their blog (some examples will be provided). Thumbnails should identify colors, typefaces, and other design elements the instructions will employ. They should also indicate the dimensions of the documents as well as other important physical features. Post (attached to a blog) by Friday of Week Eight.

Step Three: Rough Drafts and Usability

Turn in rough drafts of both sets of instructions by attaching them to a blog post in .pdf format. Rather than traditional peer review, students will create usability tests (described in Technical Communication Today and discussed in Instructor Blog #6) that their fellow students will complete. Usability testing focuses explicitly on the documents' usability in the real world. These tests should be attached to the blog post with the instruction set drafts. The body of the blog post should describe the instruction sets, the key (and concrete) distinctions between an expert and novice user, and how each set differs to account for each audience. It also should describe the basics of the corresponding usability test and how you wish to receive feedback (a completed survey email, a summary posted as a comment, etc.) Students should consult the handout "Eliciting Good Responses" as they compose this blog post. Post by Friday of Week Nine. Usability Testing is to be completed by Monday of Week Eleven.

Step Four: Final Drafts

Post final drafts of your instructions in .pdf format as attachments to a blog. If it would not make sense to put your instructions in .pdf format—for example, if you produce online instructions—please contact your instructor before the due date. Instructions should comply with the grading criteria described below. Post (attached to a blog) by Friday of Week Eleven.

Step Five: Project Assessment Document

As you near the end of your work on the Instructions Project, prepare a two-page overview and analysis of your deliverables and the process you used to produce them. A handout will be provided to help guide the document. Your Project Assessment Document should reflect on what you learned during this assignment and how you will apply that knowledge later. Post (attached to a blog) by Monday of Week Twelve.

Grading

The Instructions Project is worth 25% of the course grade. The breakdown for each of its components is as follows:

Proposal – 10%
Sample Graphics and Thumbnails – 10%
Rough Drafts and Usability Testing – 20%
Final Drafts – 50%
Project Assessment Document – 10%

Grading Criteria

In grading, the instructors will consider the following criteria:

Each set of instructions includes appropriate words and graphics to assist readers, and is an appropriate length to cover all necessary information.
Words and graphics complement one another in describing technology use to targeted audiences.
Instructions include all basic features included in Chapters 19 and 20 of Technical Communication Today.
Each set of instructions is clear, concise, helpful, and user-centered.
Instructions are visually appealing, applying the four design principles found in Chapter 25 of The Thomson Handbook.
Instructions are of a professional quality and appropriate for a professional context. If the instructions could not be packaged as is for distribution with your technology to real customers, they will not earn an A.

White Paper Project

Project Description

Building on the skills developed in the Employment Project and the Instructions Project, students in groups of four or five (groups appended below) will research and present technological solutions to specific, meaningful problems (e.g., problems of internet security, alternative energy, prescription medication options, etc). This project will result in one primary document, a White Paper prepared for a specific audience, as well as several supporting documents (project proposal, Gantt chart, activity reports and research reports). In researching, designing, composing, and revising the White Paper, students should keep in mind their primary and secondary audiences, as well as any tertiary and gatekeeping audiences. When composing the documents, students should pay close attention to:

writing style (plain and persuasive)
rhetorical moves made in composing the document
technical definitions and descriptions
the use of images, graphics, and other design features such as fonts, headings, margin comments, and sidebars

Additionally, students should consider the physical, political, economic and ethical contexts of their audiences.

White Papers are documents produced for decision-makers; that is, they work to structure decision-making through communication. They rarely tell an audience what decision to make; rather, their focus is on creating a framework from which decision-makers can make decisions. They provide tailored research, allow for different readings and readers, and account for each audience's unique context of use. Their style, as well, contributes to decision-making. Word choice, sentence structure and visual appearance all create an impression of the authors, their credibility and trustworthiness. Style also impacts the mood and mindset of the reader, which contribute significantly in decision making. This project asks students, in groups, to prepare a White Paper that allows a specific decision-maker to decide among competing solutions to a particular problem.

Groups

Group 1	jstn	JFlitt	breal	Jeff
Group 2	Ben	bpo	bjdunfor	ymyang
Group 3	jonesae	Isaac	ck86	nmhess
Group 4	Chris	Matt	Zephyrus	Matt2178
Group 5	grfnpt	Kristin	jrdavies	secolema
Group 6	DigtalSHU	Beachside32	TANoNati	Bill D
Group 7	Joey M.	estefano	HiggsBoson	Zebulon	Doddy
Group 8	ajwaters	dbasso	apersohn	Lpetrovi	winninraces

Email addresses are available on the Members page. Students may also communicate through instant messaging, the chat and wiki features of Google Docs, or anything else.

Deliverables

One: Project Proposal

Each group will deliver a 500 word proposal for its project posted as a blog. Proposals should cover the basics of the project (topic; potential sources of research; primary, secondary, tertiary and gatekeeping audiences; and document design). The proposal should also suggest a division of labor: who will be responsible for what (this should prepare the group to produce the Gantt Chart). The goal of this proposal is to interest the instructor in the project and persuade him that the project is feasible, valuable and in concert with the goals of the project and the course. Post (as a blog) by Friday of week twelve.

Two: Weekly Group Activity Reports

Groups are also responsible for weekly activity reports (300 words) in order to keep the instructor abreast of progress the group has made over the week. Group activity reports (submitted as a blog) are due by midnight, each Friday, starting with week twelve and concluding in week sixteen.

Three: Weekly Individual Activity Reports (Work Blogs)

As the course and the professional world stress the value of documenting work processes, individual students are required to keep weekly work blogs of the tasks they have completed. These activity reports or "work blogs" (200 words) should briefly and professionally describe work done and how this work contributed to the goals of the group. Students will post and clearly label five work blogs by Sunday of each week of the project starting in week twelve and concluding in week sixteen.

Four: Gantt Chart

In a thoroughly executed Gantt chart, students should layout group tasks, a time table for the completion of each tasks, and the individual responsibilities of each member. (Information about constructing Gantt charts will be provided.) To produce the Gantt chart, groups must identify specifically what each group member will be doing at each step of the process. Post (attached to a blog) by Wednesday of week thirteen.

Five: Thumbnail Design Sketches

Each group member should prepare at least one thumbnail sketch of the white paper and post them to his or her blog (some examples will be provided). Each group member should then review and comment on the thumbnail sketches of their fellow group members to negotiate a consistent look for the white paper. Thumbnails should be posted (attached to a blog post) by Wednesday of week fourteen.

Six: Research Blogs (Activity/Analysis Reports)

Each group member is responsible for a minimum of three research blogs. These blog posts (250 words) should summarize and analyze relevant research in the context of the project and suggest ways in which the content can be incorporated into the documents (as text, as a sidebar, or as an illustration). (Handouts and samples will be provided.) Research blogs must be completed (and properly categorized) by Friday of week fourteen.

Seven: White Paper

Groups will design and compose a professional quality white paper (1600 – 1800 words) that lays out three to five researched and viable solutions to their chosen issue or problem for multiple audiences. The document should structure the decision-making process by framing the issue and providing options without advocating for any one solution. Draft Day: Friday of week fifteen. Final Draft Due: Friday of week sixteen.

Eight: Collaborative Project Evaluation Form

Group members are asked to complete the Collaborative Project Evaluation Form to assess their collaborative experiences, the effectiveness of the group, and the contributions of individual group members. Students are also asked to “sign off” on the work blogs of their fellow group members, verifying that the work each describes is work they actually completed. Evaluations are private, and should be emailed to the instructor by Friday of week sixteen.

Grading

The White Paper Project is worth 25% of the final grade. The breakdown for each of its components is as follows:

Individual Component: 30%
- Research Blogs: 10%
- Individual Activity Reports (Work Blogs): 10%
- Thumbnails: 5%
- Collaborative Project Evaluation Form: 5%

Group Component: 70%
- Group Project Proposal and Gantt Chart: 10%
- Group Activity Reports: 10%
- White Paper: 50%

White Paper Grading Criteria

Style is plain and persuasive when and where appropriate and is in sync with the expectations and needs of the various corresponding audiences
Document (in all aspects) accounts for primary, secondary, tertiary and gatekeeper audiences
Words, graphics and illustrations all compliment one another
Graphics and illustrations are consistently numbered and labeled, and are provided with captions and/or descriptions
Headings are succinct and create multiple access points for readers
Design features such as sidebars, margin comments and pullouts produce unique and additional access points for readers
Overall design follows Johnson-Sheehan’s five principles, makes document easy to understand and scan, and creates a persuasive professional impression
Technical definitions and descriptions are correct, concise and appropriate for the audiences
Purpose and intent are clearly stated and defined, as is the issue or problem
Each section of the document has a clear introduction, developed body and a concise conclusion
Specific information and sources are documented thoroughly, consistently, and unobtrusively (we suggest using MLA-style footnotes)

Course Handouts, Guides, and Readings

All course handouts, guides, and readings can be found here.

Getting Started 1: Registering on the Site

To get started with your course, you'll need to complete a few steps, which include

Registering for the course website (here).
Logging in for the first time.
Editing your account for the first time.

Registering for the course website

Go to the course website.
Click on "create new account" under "User Login" in the navigation menu on the left.
Create a username that will identify you in the system and that you will use for logging in. Because this site is public on the Internet, your username should not include your last name. You are welcome to use any username (e.g., your IM screenname) that would not be offensive to others or otherwise inappropriate for a course website. Capitalize your username as you intend to use it; usernames are case sensitive.
Enter your email address. You may use your Purdue email address. If you have an alternate one, use the one that you check most regularly.
Provide your real name and home page URL (web address, if you have one). Note that your real name will not be visible publicly but only to students registered at the site.
Complete the Blog info and and Major and interests boxes, using the suggestions on the form.
Check whether or not you grant permission for your instructor to send you grades via your registered email address.
Click on "Create new account." Registration information will be sent to the email address you listed, so check your email soon after you register. You will need the password that it sends you. Your instructor will approve your registration (if new account requests are moderated), and then you will be able to log in to use site features.

Getting Started 2: Logging in for the First Time

To get started with your course, you'll also need to complete this second step:

Logging in for the first time

You should have received an email from the system that includes your new password. With that email handy, return to the course website.
Enter your username and password in the "User login" box. Your initial password can be retyped or cut-and-pasted into the password box. If you cut-and-paste it, make sure you don't include any extra spaces before or after the password characters. The password and user name are case sensitive.
Click on Log in. When you've successfully logged in, you will see a block of links in the left sidebar with your username above it as a title. This is a navigation menu that provides you with links to many services and content on the site. If you are unable to log in successfully, try re-entering your password. Remember that usernames and passwords are case-sensitve, so make sure you don't have Caps Lock turned on by accident and that (if pasting in your password) that you don't include extra spaces. You may also click on "Request new password" if you ever forget yours.

Getting Started 3: Editing Your Account for the First Time

To get started with your course, you'll also need to complete this third step, which will take a bit more time than the previous two.

Editing your account for the first time

Once you've logged in successfully, you need to edit your account and provide some additional information about yourself.

Click on my account link in the navigation menu on the left.
On the next screen, click on the edit tab.
On the account settings screen, scroll to the Account information area.
Change your password by entering a new one into the password boxes. Choose a password that you can remember but that is secure. Remember that passwords are case sensitive.
Scroll to the Picture area.
Upload a picture of yourself or avatar (an image that represents you well) that you would use in a public context. You may have to find one and edit in an image editor, so you just try to have this step completed by the end of Week 2. If you need help editing an image, send a copy to your instructor for help. See Creating Avatars and Images for Your Profile for more information.
Next, scroll to the Theme configuration.
The default selection will be checked. You can select any theme you like and all pages will show up with that theme. The default theme has been specially designed and will probably offer the most consistent display of all site content. The instructor uses that theme as the default and so designs pages with it in mind.
Scroll to Contact settings.
Check the Personal contact form box.
When you have made your changes, click on the Submit button at the bottom of the page.

The following steps ask you to complete information for your profile. This will enable the instructor and fellow students to learn a little more about you and help the instructor tailor this class to your background and goals, as well as arrange collaborative projects.

Click on the edit tab again, then on the Personal Information link at the top of the next page.
Enter the required information in the boxes. If you don't have a home page, leave that box blank.
Click on Submit to save.

That's it! You have completed all the steps of the Getting Started process. If you ever need to change any of the information, you can always edit these pages again.

If you have any trouble along the way, please be sure to let your instructor know.

Creating Avatars and Images for Your Profile

Some of you may be in search of an avatar or image to use in the profile that you created for yourself when you registered. If so, here are some suggestions:

An avatar is just an image that "stands-in" for your picture and can be an object, artwork, a photo, or something else that might convey some aspect of your identity, personality, or interests. So, for example, someone interested in biking might use an image of a bike as an avatar rather than a personal picture. The image works best if it's in jpg, gif, or png format, and the dimensions should be (about) 85x85 so that it displays correctly (and doesn't get squished when displayed, for example).

To find an existing avatar to use for free, you could look at a site like these. If you have a Yahoo! ID (free to get, if not), you can get some nice ones:

http://avatars.yahoo.com/

or try

http://www.avatarity.com/

You could also take an existing image of yourself and then create a picture by cropping out the part you don't want. If you haven't used an image editing program before, that can be a bit tricky. But if you have, just use the crop tool to draw a box around the part of the image you want to use, crop it, and then resize it so that it's about 85x85 pixels.

Learning to Navigate the Site

For the first day of class, you'll want to explore some of the features of the site. This document gives an overview of a few features you might want to take a look at that will help you to navigate the site.

Navigation

In the header visible at the top of every page, you'll find one row of links:

The first five take you to important sections of the course guide.
The others take you to useful resource sites at Purdue.

Once you've logged in to the site, directly beneath the header on the left, you'll find the main navigation block, accessible from every page:

The navigation block is your gateway to many areas of the site useful for creating and viewing content and managing your work. For example,

My workspace
Lists all the blog posts, files, and other content that you have posted to the site.
My messages
All Private Messages sent to you by your instructor or other students from within the course site are listed here.
Create content
From here you can post to your individual weblog or the front page (see How to Post to Your Individual Weblog).
All blogs
Lists all the blogs on the site and includes a direct link to your blog in its submenu.
Members
Need to find out a classmate's email address? Use the members list. You can also click on any username to access the personal account page. Only registered users have access to the private portion of account pages.
Recent posts
This display allows you to access all of the recent content posted by everyone. Note how it provides red asterisks to denote pages you have yet to read and notices of new unread comments.
My account
Links to your profile information, site settings, and more. Adjust your account profile here.
log out
Use this to log out of the website, which is recommended after each session.

Book Navigation

All course materials on the site are integrated into the course guide:

The course guide is a hypertext with many levels of pages.

You can use the book navigation links that show previous and next pages below the main text or use the breadcrumb navigation at the top.
Use the printer-friendly version link beneath any page to get a text-only version of that page and all of its subpages collated into one. For example, if you go to the top page of the guide and click on printer-friendly version, you will see the entire course guide, including the calendar, on one screen (a very long one).

How to Post Comments and Replies

Posting comments, as you will soon see, is easier than creating and sending an email.

You must be logged in to the site in order to post comments.
While you can click on the add new comment link on any post from the course home page, instead, first click on the title to access the full post and all comments. Always make sure you view the full post first. There may already be a comment conversation thread begun about what you are interested in discussing. Rather than starting a new thread, join in the existing one.
Choose add new comment to reply directly to the main blog post and start a new thread or reply to respond to an individual comment.
If you don't see an add new comment link, you are most likely not logged in.
Enter a title for your post in the Subject field. Your title should describe the content of your post. If you do not enter a title, the system will automatically use the first few words of your comment post.
Enter the text of your comment in the Comment field. You may use plain text or some HTML. Some people may have the "enable rich text" link visible. If you use that feature, Drupal will give you a set of buttons much like a word processor's to help you input your message. Be careful to review your input, however, since this feature will do some strange things with your text on occasion.
Click on "input format" to learn about your formatting options. Drupal will use a filter to convert line breaks and URLs when you select "Filtered HTML." If you want to format your posts nicely, include images, or insert more sophisticated HTML, then choose "Full HTML." Generally speaking, leave the Input format on Filtered HTML unless you have used HTML tags other than those allowed.
Select Preview comment at the bottom of the page.
Always review what you have written in preview mode. You will not be able to edit your comment once you have posted it.
If you are ready to submit your comment, select Post comment at the bottom of the page. Don't forget this step! The most common way people lose posts is by forgetting to submit after previewing their comments or blog entries. If you have made changes to a post, preview it again.
Verify that your comment has been posted. It should be visible on the page. If something went wrong, try using your back button to get to the input screen. Review and resubmit if it's still there.

Note: You can use the Comment viewing options to change the way that comments are displayed on the page. Experiment with this feature and see which configuration works best for you.

How to Post to Your Individual Weblog

Posting to your individual weblog is a little more complex than posting a comment, but after a couple of times, you'll find it as easy as email.

You must be logged in to post to your weblog.
From any page on the site, choose the create content link in the main navigation block on the left hand side. That will bring you to the create content page. [You can also click on the blogs link and then the "my blog" sublink.
The first time you visit the create content page, read the descriptions under personal blog entry and story.
To post to your individual weblog, choose blog entry. This will bring you to the Submit blog entry page.
[Tip: Users of The Thomson Handbook should review the Project Checklist on "Networking in Online Forums" (p. 627) to refresh your memory on posting successful weblog messages. (All of Chapter 28 would be a good review at this stage.)]
Enter a good Title for your post.
Choose a Category tag for your post. You can use a standard one (like "Reading Response" or create one suggested in the prompt or that suits your content. You may use multiple tags.
Enter the text of your post in the Body field. You may use plain text or some combination of HTML in creating this post.
Leave the Input format on Filtered HTML unless you have used HTML tags other than those allowed.
Under URL path settings, you can give your post a short and unique URL alias. For example, you might want to use "team3projectlog" to identify your team's project log. If you use that URL, the full path would be something like http://digitalparlor.org/up07/420Y/team3projectlog.
Optional: If you need to attach a file,
- Click on the File attachments link.
- Use the Browse button to locate the file on your hard drive.
- One you have located the file, click the Attach button.
- A bar will show the progress of the upload . You should then see your attachment listed.
Choose Preview.
Review your post. If you make any changes, preview it again.
When ready, select Save to post.

Notes:

The system will not offer you a Save button if you do not give your post a title.
If enabled by your instructor, choose story on the create content page to post to the course home page. The rest of the procedure is the same as for creating a personal blog entry.

Creating Hyperlinks

For this class, you'll have to learn at least one HTML tag, the one for making hyperlinks.

It's easy to learn. Check it out:

Make sure that your rich-text editor is enabled. Click on enable rich-text below the Body box.
Highlight the text you want to turn into a link.
In the buttons below the Body box, click on the chain link button.
This box should appear.
In the Link URL box, cut and paste your full URL there. Then click on Insert.

Your link will now show up in your text.

Here is how you make links in traditional HTML coding. it's still easy, but it doesn't show up with our rich-text settings and input format.

is the tag itself without any information in it. Within the quotes, you'll put the url, or web address, for the site which you want to link to. In between the ><, you'll put the text you want displayed on the screen.

For example, the url for slashdot is http://slashdot.org/. And if you want to make the word Slashdot a link in a sentence to the website in a blog post, type in,

<a href="http://slashdot.org/">Slashdot</a> is a well known community blog site.

To get

Slashdot is a well known community blog site.

HTML is picky and it's easy to make a careless mistake. Don't include any extra spaces in the HTML tag. Make sure that you include "http://" as a part of your web address. In fact, one of the easiest ways to make sure that you get the URL correct is to copy and paste it from the address bar of a browser window currently displaying the page.

See? Not too difficult. But there's one more thing . . . .

Avoid merely posting the URL as a link:

http://slashdot.org

Notice how this doesn't convey much information. Better to have put the page title (often found either on the page or in the window bar at the top) or link to part of your text (think of the examples in this site). At the same time, really long URL's won't word wrap at the end of a line. They may cause problems with the way that text is displayed on web pages.

Creating PDF Files

Portable Document Format (PDF) is a file format created by Adobe Acrobat and useful for sharing printer ready versions of documents. Unlike when files are shared between different productivity applications (i.e., word processing, spreadsheet) or different versions of the same productivity software, the same layout and typographic styles are maintained regardless of the computer environment. What the author sees when creating a PDF is exactly what the receiver of the file sees and can print out on their computer. Consequently, PDFs are particularly useful for sending resumes, cover letters, and other business documents where layout and presentation is critica. Writers want all of the effort they put into formatting professional-looking documents to be maintained.

PDFs are typically viewed using Adobe Reader (which is free to download). However, Adobe Reader will not produce PDFs. As you will soon be submitting drafts of cover letters, resumes, and other documents in PDF format, make sure that you can successfully generate a PDF using one of the following means:

Adobe Acrobat Professional, Standard, or Elements are three versions of Adobe's productivity program for producing PDF files. These programs are not free and do not generally come installed when purchasing a computer. However, some public computer labs (i.e., most of Purdue University's main campus labs) may have Acrobat Professional installed. When Acrobat Professional is available, from your word processor or browser (or any screen that can be printed), select File -> Print. On a PC, you will be able to select, under Printer Name, "Adobe PDF" instead of sending your file to a printer. (See the figure below.) On a Mac, you will see a button "Save as PDF" on the print dialog box. In both cases, you will be asked where you want the created PDF to be stored.
Adobe offers a free PDF trial service online. However, you may need to produce PDF's more than allowed by the free trial.
CutePDF is a free application which you can download and install on your home computer.
Google Docs: You can use these free applications (word processor, spreadsheet, and more) for collaboration and, conveniently, to export a document file to PDF format. (Upload your Word document, for example, then export it as PDF later.)
OpenOffice is a free, full-featured, open source office productivity suite comparable to Microsoft Office that has PDF generation built in. From within OpenOffice, choose File->Export as pdf
One of your classmates suggests PrimoPDF.

Five Steps of Storyboarding

Find or create a storyboard template that you can use to draft your outline, like the storyboard template available from the Professional Writing website (PDF format).
Each frame of your storyboard should represent a unique page, a step in a sequence, or some other individual component of your work (such as a PowerPoint or Keynote slide, a keyframe in Flash, or a Web page).
In each frame, identify your content. Use shorthand to describe the content (including images and audio) that you want to include and approximately where it should be placed, as in the example below.
Add notes to each frame in your storyboard on design, source files, material, and anything else that will help you remember what each frame should contain and how it should be presented.
When you have completed a rough draft of your storyboard, read back through it to see whether it has an order that makes sense and includes the multimedia you want to use. Move frames around as necessary.

Project Log Guidelines

During course projects, you may be required to keep a weekly project log and post it to your weblog on the course site.

Purpose

Because you will have a weekly record at the end of the project, your project log will help you to complete the Peer Collaboration Evaluation Form or other form of self evaluation due at the end of each project. Project logs also provide evidence of each group member's contribution to the project. And detailed project logs lend more credibility to your evaluation of others in your Peer Collaboration Evaluation Form.

After college, you may find keeping a project log useful in your professional career:

In the busy life of a professional, it can often be difficult to remember all aspects of a project when compiling monthly or quarterly progress reports.
Consultants can use project logs to provide supporting evidence of work done on a project in preparing invoices or in case a client questions billable hours.
Once a project is completed, a project log can be useful as a record for planning similar, future projects that will be completed by others.

Requirements

A good project log will usually include a progress report each week. Post a short report to your weblog covering all of the following:

Use informative titles (e.g., Project Log for Week 5: Project 2 Takes Shape)
Tag your post with "Project Log"
Report on the status of the project: Is it in early drafting? Is it production ready? Is your group conducting research? Etc.
Record your contributions to the project that week.
Record the contributions of others in your group.
Record the time and date of group meetings and communication and describe briefly what was accomplished. Did the group have a large email discussion? Did you IM with another group member? Etc.
Report on any scheduled plans for completing specific tasks in the project. What group members have taken on which specific tasks? What are the prospective deadlines?
Plan out ideas for completing the project, including ways to collaborate and communicate more effectively with your group.
Reflect on any lessons you have learned about collaboration and electronic communication.

Remember. Your project logs are public and can be read by other group members. Be diplomatic. Do not write about what other group members failed to do or negatively evaluate their participation. Simply record what others have agreed to do and the tasks which they have completed. You will have ample opportunity to assess the work of others at the end of the project.

You can of course post more than once a week.

Principles of Reading Responses

Your instructor may require you to respond to course readings with blog posts. Each reading response should be specifically focused on the reading and the prompt provided on the calendar, clearly indicate that you have read and thought seriously about the reading, and be sufficiently developed. Your instructor may set a word-limit minimum for these responses. Make sure to tag your blog post with the appropriate "Reading Response" week tag by selecting it from the "Reading Response" drop-down box when you submit your blog post.

In composing your reading response you should:

Be sure to focus your response on the subject of the prompt.
Link your response to recent class discussions online, your current project work, something you might have read elsewhere, and/or previous professional, academic, or personal experience writing and communicating in other contexts.
Discuss how the reading contributes to your understanding of the current project, expands your understanding of recent discussions, or suggests ideas for your work in the class.
Be sure to cite properly the original reading and any other sources you might mention. Good citation practice is critical in all writing and especially so on the Web.
Be sure your post is 300 words or more.
Apply the rhetorical considerations discussed in Principles for Posting to Your Weblog to your reading responses.

Principles for Posting to Your Weblog

You'll do a lot of the writing for this class in your individual weblog space on the course website. You can access your weblog via your my account page.

One way to think of a weblog or blog is as a journal. However, unlike a journal that you might keep at home (as well as most if not all of the writing you have done in school before), your blog space is public. Your fellow class members will be invited to read your blog. Classmates will respond to your posts with comments and replies. Group members will review notes you take when doing research. And, of course, since it's on the Internet, other Web readers may encounter your writing and take a look at what you have to say.

There are many uses for weblogs, but you'll only use them for a few things here. During this class, you may be asked to use your course weblog to

share drafts of your work-in-progress for peer review
keep a project log
post research notes

In addition to the individual weblog space that everyone has, the home page of the course website is a community blog space where new content may be posted. While most of your blog writing will be posted to your individual weblog, the home page may be used as a place to promote discussion among all class members. For example,

When there is a reading response assignment, your instructors may promote someone's post to the front page for community discussion.
Groups may be asked to lead discussion by posting their reading responses or blog posts to the course home page instead of to their individual weblogs.
Groups may be asked to share proposals and progress reports with the entire class.

Good Blogging Practices

Titles for blog posts should reflect the context of what you have written, not merely restate the name of the title of the assignment or reading. Interesting and informative titles draw more interesting responses from others.
Blogs should demonstrate the principles of writing for the Web as they are covered in this course.
Bloggers link. Use hyperlinks when referring to another post on the public Internet and follow good attribution practices. Hyperlinks mean converting text to a link, not merely cutting and pasting in an URL. To do so, you'll have to know a little HTML for creating hyperlinks.
People visiting the course website from the Internet won't know what you mean if you just mention "the reading assignment for today." At minimum, you should mention the name of the text and the title of the chapter or section you are referencing.
Good bloggers always keep in mind that they are writing for a public audience.

To Learn More

To receive credit for your work, be sure to follow the course requirements for reading responses, replies, comments, and other coursework.
Optional: Read Meg Hourihan's What We're Doing When We Blog for a brief description of weblogs. For further reading on weblogs, take a look at The Weblog Webliography on Kairosnews.

Principles for Comments and Replies

Posting projects, drafts, reading responses, comments, and replies will be a primary means of class interaction and discussion. The course description explains the purpose of this coursework

When commenting and replying to blog and other posts on the course website, follow all directions and guidelines listed in the course description or calendar. It will also be helpful to

Review How to Post Comments and Replies.
Read through all comments and replies in the thread
Strive to be thoughtful and analytical in your comments.
Try to find something new to say instead of repeating what has already been said in the original post or in other comments already posted.
When relevant, feel free to share the personal experiences that shape your views on the topic.

You should also

Provide links to additional resources on the Web that would better inform the discussion. You should always link to any other texts on the Web you mention, even those on the course website.
Contend with and/or support the original blog post. If you are criticizing what the blogger has said, remember to do so respectfully, which encourages further dialogue. "This sucks" would not be an appropriate response. Neither would "That's great!" if you don't explain what you mean.
Direct attention to related and relevant issues. You may find that none of the posts on the class website about a particular set of readings confront what you feel is an important issue on the assigned texts. As long as it is related to the general topic of the readings or the topic of this class, feel free to post a comment which turns the conversation in a new direction (use the subject line to clearly specify this new direction).
Use emoticons and acronyms to convey additional information (such as tone and intonation).
Review Chapter 28, "Networking with Others on the Web" in The Thomson Handbook (p. 621)

For those of you wishing to do more than the minimum requirements of the course, you might visit the class website additional times per week and post new comments and/or replies to any of the blog posts.

Eliciting Good Response

Imagine the following scenario:

You have a great idea for a project for your department at work. Because it will require significant resources and funding, the senior manager in your department has asked you to prepare a ten-page proposal.

After working on the proposal for a while, the senior manager sends you an email requesting to see your draft in progress. The proposal is far from complete, but you fire off a reply saying "Here is my working draft," and attach it. The next day, you receive another email from the senior manager full of feedback which you are obligated to take. However, the feedback asks you to revise your proposal in new directions, quite contrary to what you had planned, effectively taking over the direction of the proposal. You now have to discard many good ideas you had for development. Those sections where you knew you needed the most help--they were not addressed at all.

This happens all the time in getting response to our writing. We get proofreading corrections when we need ideas; we get heavy revision suggestions when the draft needs to be proofread to meet a deadline.

To elicit useful and focused responses from readers (during peer review, for example), we must solicit good response. In the above scenario, if the writer had explained to the senior manager where she needed help in the draft and what her plans were for further development, it's quite possible that the feedback would have been more focused and helpful. So when asking for feedback on a document, explain to the responder

your concerns about the current state of the draft (i.e., where, specifically, you need help)
where you are in the process of drafting (i.e., ready to polish to meet a deadline, planning to do more revision)
your target audience
any plans you might have for further development of the text

Once you've defined your needs, your reviewer is more likely to shape their feedback effectively for you. As a reviewer, it's much easier to address the writer's concerns than to try to guess what might or might not be useful to the writer.

Guidelines for Responding in Networked Communities

These recommendations come from careful consideration of the typical rhetorical situation of discussion boards--public spaces where people with shared interests or values and special expertise gather to discuss the topics that interest them. The style and tone of posts is usually more formal than you might find in chat rooms, where the focus can be more on immediacy and fast give-and-take.

Read the user guidelines for the board or forum and be sure to follow them.
Read through all the messages in a particular thread before posting a response.
Provide enough context in your message (by quoting from a previous post, for example) so that all readers understand what you’re responding to or what you’re proposing.
If you can’t stay on topic, begin a new thread and give it a subject line that conveys the topic clearly.
If you want to reply to a person but your message seems too personal or might stray off topic, consider sending a personal message instead (through email or, if possible, using the board’s internal message server).
Take the time to preview and edit your messages before you post or publish them.
When your message is posted to the board or forum, open it and read it to see if it says what you intended. If it doesn’t, re-edit it.
Return frequently to the board or forum to see how others have responded to your post or how the thread has continued.
If people respond to your post, keep the discussion going with another message (if appropriate).
Don’t be so eager to reply to posts that you overwhelm everyone with responses to every message that gets posted. Give other people opportunity and time to reply.

Consider also these student-generated guidelines for a class forum, as well as examples of good (and not-so-good) discussion practices.

Student-Generated Guidelines for Online Discussion

No “Phaedrus” responses, such as “How true!” Elaborate on your responses, quote from a previous response, an dquote from a text (with explication) to help the discussion along.
No “sniper” shots. Avoid overly contentious posts that take a jab but don’t explain or elaborate.
Keep the discussion relevant to the whole class and, if a post refers to privately shared knowledge, give some context for other readers who may not know what you’re writing about.
Be a responsible reader of others’ posts, and don’t respond in a thread until you’ve caught the drift of the discussion.
Be concise, keeping your post to about 200 words or fewer. Longer posts are sometimes necessary, especially when quoting a text.
Stay on topic. Watch and follow the thread (in the subject line) of a discussion. If your topic is a new one, start a new discussion thread and see if you can get others to join you.
Sign your messages. (Drupal allows you to create a “signature” in your profile settings that will be automatically appended to your forum messages.)

If you would like to read some examples of these guidelines in action, read on to see how some students use them to create lively discussion: Examples: Keeping Online Discussions Lively and Focused.

Examples: Keeping Online Discussion Lively and Focused

* These examples--each illustrating the "student-generated guidelines for online discussion"--are hypothetical examples and aren't the words of real people. (Re-posting an online faux pas would just be even more embarrassing. . . .) They have been adapted with permission from The Thomson Handbook for the purposes of class testing. The authors are David Blakesley and Jeff Hoogeveen.

1. “No Phaedrus Responses”: Phaedrus was one of Socrates’s students and appears in the dialogue named after him, Phaedrus. Throughout the dialogue, Socrates does most of the talking, on such subjects as the nature of love, madness, and writing. When he chimes in, Phaedrus will say things like, “How true. Tell me more!” These kinds of responses don’t add anything new to the discussion (an important goal for most posts in online communities) and should be avoided. While they register agreement, these posts might better explain the basis for agreement. When you feel a Phaedrus response coming on, feel compelled to explain “Why” when you post it.

*** Example: “No Phaedrus Responses”***

Original Post:

Armand: . . . for these reasons, I think it’s important that we begin our project by first coming up with a good list of questions to ask our client.

Melissa:

Ineffective Response: Exactly!

Effective Response: Exactly! I have an idea for the first question we should ask: “What is the most important goal of your organization?” Do any others have some recommendations for possible questions?

Caption: Melissa’s first reaction was to agree, which she announced. However, that sort of response doesn’t add anything new to the thread except to register a vote—as if the original post were a poll. In her effective response, She develops the thread by coming up with a question and then asking others to do the same.

*** End of Example ***

2. No sniper shots”: The students thought they should avoid hit-and-run commentary, posts that offer a brief critique of someone else’s message but don’t bother to explain or justify the response, making it seem like a personal attack carried out in front of all participants.

***Example: “No Sniper Shots” ***

Original Post:

Andrew: Here’s another question that I think we should ask and that may tell us the motivation behind the client’s success: “Aside from earning a profit, what do you find most rewarding about your business?”

Toni:

Ineffective Response: That’s ridiculous!

Effective Response: Maybe not all of the people are in it for the profit in the first place. This question presumes that it’s a major “reward.” That doesn’t apply to nonprofit organizations, of course. Perhaps we could just leave off the “Aside from earning a profit” part and ask a series of questions. “What’s most rewarding . . . ?” “What else do you find rewarding?” Etc.

Caption: Toni’s first reaction was to disagree, and as with Melissa’s Phaedrus response, she simply registers her opinion without explanation. In her more reasoned response, she states her disagreement but then explains why she feels that way. Future posters will be more likely to react to here reasons than simply the fact of her disagreement, which can stimulate further discussion.

***End of Example***

3. “Keep discussion relevant”: Nothing can be more aggravating for participants than reading personal messages exchanged between two people in a public forum. (It feels like overhearing someone talking to a friend on a cell phone in a dentist’s waiting room on Monday morning.) Sometimes, of course, people accidentally send a reply to everyone on an email discussion list, much to their own horror. (If you ever do this, it’s common practice to send a quick, very short reply to the list expressing your apologies to everyone.)

*** Example: “Keep Discussion Relevant***

Original Post:

Nedra:

Our client is really busy, so it’s important that we are well prepared with our interview questions and thus don’t have to ask too many follow-up questions later.

Tom:

Ineffective Response: I was really busy this weekend, I can tell you that! I went to a great tailgater on Saturday . . .

Effective Response: Maybe we should also anticipate what our client’s responses will be so that we can ask follow-up questions on the spot. If, for example, the client says that she enjoys the work “because she likes helping people,” we should ask her to share a memorable example of when she made a difference in someone’s life and how it felt.

Can you explain how Tom’s response shifts the course of the conversation? What kind of posts do you think might follow his?

***End of Example***

4. “Be a Responsible Reader”: It is sometimes tempting to respond immediately to a particular post in a thread, but you should take the time to read ahead so that you understand the trajectory of the discussion. It’s likely, for example, that someone else may have already responded as you intended to, and so your response will not only interrupt the flow but may also show everyone else that you haven’t read very carefully (This same principle should be applied when you’re posting to an email discussion list; before replying to a particular message, make sure that you don’t have other messages in the thread already in your Inbox.) Naturally, you should also read the posts of others carefully so that you understand their meaning. In cases where you want to respond to a particular point in a previous message, it can be helpful to quote it in your own message.

***Example: “Be a Responsible Reader”***

Original Post:

Jose:

During our online interview in the “Field Research Thread,”, the client said that she saw community outreach as a major goal of the organization, but also that it posed a serious difficulty given her severely limited budget and time to devote to PR.

Allan:

Ineffective Response: I agree that community outreach is important for these kinds of organizations. Maybe we should recommend that she hire a PR firm to help?

Effective Response: Do you think, then, that we should bother tracking down information about how much it would cost to hire a PR firm or should we rather spend our time researching lower-cost alternatives?

In his ineffective response Allan seems to only respond to the first part of Jose’s message without noticing what Jose says at the end. What point does Allan miss? How does he incorporate his better understanding into his effective response?

***End of Example***

5. “Aim for brevity”: Keep your messages reasonably short. Excessively long messages are sometimes, even if they are very well written and introduce important distinctions or complexity. In the give-and-take of online communication, it can be difficult for people to respond to such messages because they usually make several points that could be picked up in the thread. It also makes it difficult for readers to indicate what part of a message they have responded to (they want to preserve the thread, but it already has unraveled in too many directions). Even in face-to-face (F2F) communication, most people know how it feels to try to have a conversation with someone who speaks in long monologues. When you write too much in an online forum, you pose the same difficulties for your readers.

Context can help you decide how long your messages should be. In asynchronous communication, when there is usually more time to read posts, messages are typically longer (or can get away with being longer) because readers have more time to read carefully. In synchronous situations—when people read on the fly—messages need to be very short so that others can follow the conversation. In our examples in this section, the students have composed short responses so that the give-and-take can help them reach concrete solutions in a hurry.

***Example: “Aim for Brevity”***

Original Post:

Angelica:

Our client has told us that the major aim of the organization is to assist people who have suffered discrimination because of unfair housing practices.

Mark:

Ineffective Response: Unfair housing practices fall under the purview of the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) branch of the federal government, specifically the code that legislates “Fair Housing Practices.” Those laws arose in the twentieth century to address widespread discriminatory practices that made it easy for wealthy landlords to exploit poor people who not only couldn’t pay high rent but also had unequal access to legal options because of the high cost of hiring a lawyer. In the 1960s, fair housing laws became a flashpoint for civil rights action, and the term “slumlord” became a popular term for people who charged high rent without fulfilling their obligations to maintain their rental property in livable conditions. In the 1990s, we saw the emergence of films like The Super, which starred Joe Pesci as a slumlord sentenced to live in his own housing as the penalty for not maintaining the property. Other films, like The Tenant and Duplex, show [. . . etc.]

Effective Response: I imagine that the client works with the local human relations organizations because they are usually the ones who intervene in claims of housing discrimination. Our local commission has a Website that contains information about the process of filing a claim. Maybe we should talk to someone who can share some ideas for how our client can help make this information more widely available to landlords, too, so that they don’t all end up like Joe Pesci in The Super!

Mark’s first response provides some good information, but the danger is that the thread will get lost if he also delves into films that show the consequences of unfair housing practices. If you feel compelled to share a long response, what could you do so that you don’t interrupt the current thread? Start a new thread? Upload a file attachment with “more details for those interested”?

***End of Example***

6. “Stay on topic to preserve the threads”: You should always try to preserve the thread of a discussion by staying on topic. Threads are topical subject matter identified in the subject line (either of an email message or in a bulletin board posting). One of the main benefits of online discussion is that it enables us to follow and develop a train of thought with others so that, in pooling our ideas, we arrive at new and deeper insights, or a more precise plan of action. If you intervene in such threads with posts that radically shift the topic, then you may seriously hurt that effort. In cases where you find it necessary to take the conversation in a new direction, you can always post a new message, with a new subject line (i.e., start a new thread).

***Example: “Stay on Topic to Preserve the Threads”***

Subject Line of Thread: Using visuals in our client report

Original Post by Quentin: Like Ann, I think we need to include visuals as more than fancy decoration in our report to our client. It would be helpful, for example, to give a screen shot of the parent organization’s Website so that the client can see what the catalog looks like, especially since they will have to develop their own.

Ineffective Response:

Subject Line: Using visuals in our client report

Kelly:

I think our report should use APA style because that’s what the client said she used in school and so she’ll be familiar with it. What are we supposed to do?

Effective Response:

Subject Line: Using visuals in our client report

Kelly:

How about a screenshot also, of a catalog produced by another local organization with similar goals? I’ve found a Website for an organization in Florida that provides people with a catalog of services that looks very nice and could be an excellent model. See http://fchr.state.fl.us/

How does Kelly’s effective response both preserve the thread and create opportunities for others to respond?

***End of Example***

7. “Sign your messages”: When you post messages to blogs, bulletin boards, and threaded discussion lists, they will often automatically contain information about the person posting the message, usually identifying him or her by “User Name.” Very often, a person’s user name is not his or her real name but a single word, sometimes with small and capital letters or numbers intermixed, for purposes of uniquely identifying the user on the system. (For example, on the WWWThreads forums, David Blakesley has a user name of “DaveB.” On the Moveable Type Weblog, he’s also “DaveB”) Signing off on a post also indicates to others that you’ve finished your message and haven’t, for example, accidentally clicked on “Post” or “Send” before you intended. Many bulletin board programs (and even MOO clients) will allow you to provide additional profile information so that people can click on your name to get further information about you or, if they choose, to send you a private message. You usually have options about how much information you’re allowed to provide. Sometimes, it’s acceptable for people to use “Screen Names” that keep their real identity private, especially in social forums where privacy concerns may be important.