Today is the due date for Project 3. Aim to submit your work by midnight in your timezone, but remember that you have a 24-hour, grace period if you need it. No excuses needed. If something has gone wrong in your world and 24 hours may not be enough, contact me immediately and let me know what you need.

Class Work for July 29

These are the tasks to complete for today’s work:

• Go over the requirements for Project 3.
• Review the location of the FAQs for using Google Drive.
• Discuss the reflection memo and how to submit Project 3 in Scholar.

Requirements for Project 3

You need to turn in a reflection memo as well as a link to the documents you have chosen to write (extended definition, instructions, and glossary). Use the Writer’s Checklist on pages 388–389 of Markel to check your work. In particular, check the following:

• Make sure that your extended definition is clear and complete, and that it uses layout and design to make the information easy to read.
• Be sure that your instructions include numbered steps, use imperative verbs, and have an open and airy layout.
• Check that your glossary uses layout and design to make the terms and definitions clear, that the entries in alphabetical order, and that the glossary entries use broken sentences.

For all the documents you turn in, remember to check your spelling and proofread for grammar and punctuation.

Google Drive FAQs

Note: this is the same information you followed in Project 1. I’m including it as a reference in case you need a reminder.

To make sure that you can submit your project smoothly, pay attention to the following FAQs:

• If you worked in something other than Google Drive, you can use your preferences to automatically convert files you upload to Google Drive automatically.
  This step is important so that I can use the commenting features in Google Drive.
• If you already uploaded a document to Google Drive, check the format of your files and manually convert the files on Google Drive if necessary.
• Follow the instructions on how to set permissions and get the Google Drive Share link to get a link that will allow me to read and comment on your document.

Writing Your Reflection Memo and Submitting Your Project

Your reflection memo is your chance to tell me anything you want me to know before I read your project. For this project, your reflection memo will give me the link to your spreadsheet on Google Drive and the link to your analysis memo if you created one. You will also tell me about what you have written. Follow these instructions to submit your work:

1. Go to the Assignments tab on the left menu in Scholar.
2. Choose “P3: Definition and Instructions.”
3. Scroll down to the text box below the headings Submission and Assignment Text. You will write your memo in this box. (Alternately, you can write in a word processor/Google Doc, and copy/paste your text into this box.)
4. Add your memo headers (To, From, Subject, and Date). For your reflection memo, you’ll use the following:
• Address your memo to me (Traci) and from yourself (use your name).
• Add a subject line that indicates this is your reflection memo and which project it is for.
• Add the current date.
5. Insert a horizontal divider line using the button indicated with the red arrow in the image below:
   
6. Introduce your project—what are your overall goals, what grade have you aimed for, and what documents have you written for the project?
7. For each part of the project you have written (e.g., extended definition, instructions, glossary), do the following:
   1. Label the link so I know which document it will take me to.
   2. Add the Share link to the document on your Google Drive. Use the instructions for how to get the Share link on the FAQ site if you are unsure how to share documents.
   3. Tell me what I need to know to understand the information you have included in your document.
   4. Tell me anything else you want me to know about the the layout and design.
8. Review the information for Project 3 in the reflection memo. You should have a block for each piece you have written that tells me what it is, gives me the link, and tells me about it.
9. Add a concluding section that tells me anything else you want me to know about your project.
10. Agree to the Honor Code by clicking the checkbox at the bottom of the page in Scholar. You cannot finish submitting the project without clicking that checkbox (and it’s easy to miss).
11. Submit your Project, and save a copy of the confirmation and submission ID. If something goes wrong in Scholar, you can contact 4HELP with that information.
12. You’re done! Project 4 will be a short report and proposal that focuses on the job application materials you will complete for your final exam.

We’re about half-way through this course at this point. This week, we will finish up Project 3 and begin work on Project 4, which focuses on short proposals.

Class Work for July 28

Today we focus on peer review for Project 3, using Google Drive. The process will be just like the peer review you did last week. Here are the tasks to complete for today’s work:

• Refresh yourself on the documentation for the comment system in Google Drive.
• Post drafts for Project 3 in the forums.
• Respond to two students on Google Drive and in the forums.
• Review the comments on your own work.

Refresher on the Google Drive Comment System

If you need a reminder on the comment and sharing systems in Google Drive, use the step-by-step instructions for how to use Google Drive for peer review on the FAQ site, which includes details on how to share your document, how to comment, and how to respond to comments.  If you need a more detailed explanation, be sure to check out the Lynda video on “Commenting on a file.”

Posting Your Drafts for Project 3

You will post the share link to your draft in the forums:

1. Go to the Project 3: Definition and Instructions forum, and create a topic for your draft with your name or your username and career or field (e.g., “Traci, college writing instructor”).

2. Post a reply in your topic, doing the following:
   • If you do not want to share your last name in the forums, change it in your draft to a pseudonym. You can use a generic last name like Doe or Smith, or you can change it to Lastname.
   • Share the link(s) to your Project 3 drafts in Google Docs, using the FAQ linked in the Refresher section above.

3. Let your classmates know about any specific concerns that you want them to consider as they comment on your draft.

4. Be sure to Preview your draft to make sure everything shows up the way you want it to, and then submit your post.

Responding to Your Classmates’ Drafts

Follow these instructions to respond to your classmates’s drafts:

1. Read and comment on the drafts of at least two of your classmates:

   • Find one post that no other student has replied to (so that we can be sure everyone gets a reply).
   • Find a second post that has only one other student reply.

2. Use the Share link to go to your classmate’s draft on Google Drive and do the following:

   • Check the title of the document(s), and add a comment to tell your partner if it is clear and effective.
   • If you notice any spelling errors, punctuation errors, or typos, mark them as you read, but please focus more on the content rather than editing.
   • Add comments on the content of the draft. Comment on at least three things your classmate does well and at least three things that your classmate could improve on. It’s fine (excellent, even) to include more than the minimum number of comments.
   • As you check the documents, check them for the following:
     • Extended definition: Does the document use layout and design to make the information easy to read?
     • Instructions: Are the steps numbered? Does the document use imperative verbs? Is the layout open and airy?
     • Glossary: Does the document use layout and design to make the terms and definitions clear? Are the entries in alphabetical order? Do the glossary entries use broken sentences?

3. Once you finish commenting on the document, go back to your classmate’s post in the forums and add an overall comment that sums up what you thought of the paper and gives your partner some encouragement.

Reviewing the Comments You Received

Once you have finished adding comments to your classmates’ projects, return to your own draft, read the comments that your classmates have given you, and add replies as appropriate. For instance, you might thank your partner for catching an error, ask your partner for more detail on feedback you don’t understand, or share a revision and ask your partner if it is an improvement. Your goal is to reply today so that your classmate can respond if you need more information.

As I emailed Wednesday, I’m running behind this week. Some personal issues got in the way, so we took Wednesday off. For Thursday, we will look at chapter 14. Friday, we will look at chapter 2 and some examples. We’ll be back on schedule at that point.

Class Work for July 24

These are the tasks to complete for today’s work:

• Present details on your forum posts and participation grade.
• Go over the assignment for Project 3.
• Discuss the genres of technical description, definition, and instructions (chapter 14 of Markel)

Forum Posts & Participation Grade

I have added details on how your grade for the participation, daily course work, and online forum posts is determined. This portion of your grade is worth 16% of your overall course grade. The information will help you make sure you meet your goals for the course as well as help you prepare for Project 5, which will report on your progress and accomplishments in the course.

So far you are all meeting the requirements for this portion of your grade. Your posts are complete and thoughtful. I have not gone through to ensure that you have all posted every one of the daily posts, but as far as the content of your posts is concerned, you are showing the kind of effort and critical thinking that I expect.

Getting Started on Project 3

The third assignment is to create documents that will tell a middle or high school student about your field, in preparation for a career day event. You can write up to three documents: a description, step-by-step instructions, and a glossary.

Here’s what I want you to do:

1. Read the assignment completely. Begin thinking about the goals you will set for the assignment and the specific field you will choose. You don’t have to commit to anything until tomorrow, but start thinking about it.

2. If you have any questions (today or in the future) about the assignment, go to the Questions about Project 3 topic in the forum and add them. You can skim through this topic for answers as well.

Discussing Technical Description, Definition, and Instructions

Nearly everything you need to know to complete Project 3 is included in chapter 14, so I urge you to read the textbook thoroughly and follow the advice that it offers. To help you navigate the chapter, let me provide a few tips:

• The extended definition that you are writing should provide someone who knows nothing about your field with a clear understanding of what your job will involve. Pay particular attention to the strategies on pages 362–66, which demonstrate different ways you can organize your definition.

• Instructions follow very specific formats, with numbered steps and imperative verbs (commands). Pay particular attention to the information on page 377 about open, airy design. Also notice the details on adding appropriate warnings and the use of signal words. Finally, follow the guidelines for “Drafting steps in Instructions,” on pages 382–383.

• A glossary usually uses sentence definitions, so pay attention to the information on pages 361–362 if you decide to complete that document. Remember that a glossary should be alphabetized and that the layout should make the defined terms stand out. Someone should be able to look at your glossary and know immediately what it is by the design and layout. There’s an excerpt of a glossary on page 330.

The information in the textbook is very important to your success for the project. Rather than asking you to respond to discussion questions today, I am asking that you read the chapter closely, looking for details that will help you with your project. As you read if you have any questions, please post them in the forums.

On Friday, I will share some tips on finding and using graphics and provide some examples documents. I want you to be ready to tell me what your plan is for Project 3—in particular, I want to know what you will focus your instructions on, if you choose to write them, so that I can make sure you have chosen something that fits the length expectations.