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.
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).
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.
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.
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 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.
Before you submit your Resume Draft, readthis 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.
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.
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).
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.
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:
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
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.
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.
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 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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.