Description of Project

The semester-long project that you will work on for English 229 will embody key aspects of workplace writing:  it will be a collaborative project stretching over a considerable period of time.  You will also write a document that falls within one of the genres of technical and professional writing, and the writing will be for real "clients" and audiences.

A Collaborative Project

One of the important ways that writing for the workplace differs from academic writing is that it is most often collaborative, and this project will give you an opportunity to develop your collaborative writing skills.  While you have the option to work collaboratively on the short assignments, this project requires that you work in a group of 3-4 students (I may, reluctantly, allow groups of as few as two or as many as 5.)

A Semester-long Project
Another way in which this project will parallel writing on the job is that you will need to work on it over a relatively long period of time as you juggle the time you have for it with your other assignments and classes.  This means you and your group will need to create a schedule, meet outside of class, and set deadlines.

A Project within the Technical Writing Genres

Essentially, you and your group can develop almost any kind of project as long as it produces a document that fits within the longer "genres" typical of professional writing:  instructions/manuals, proposals, or a reports.

A Project for a Real Client (or Clients) and Audience

A critical expectation that I have for this project is that it will be "real," that you will produce a document for a client (or clients) who will be very likely to use the document and/or distribute it to other readers.

Thus, part of your task early in the term will be to seek out a client.  If you work on or off campus, talk to your supervisor.  Is there an employee handbook or manual that needs re-writing?  Does the office use some software or a piece of equipment with a lousy instruction manual or no manual at all?  For example a couple of years ago one the  groups for this course wrote a set of instructions for the skate sharpener at Yost arena

Is there an issue or question your office needs researched and reported on?  One year, I had group that did a site report for a new Bruegger's Bagel Bakery:  the store opened at the group's suggested site and still does incredibly well.

Is there something the company or office isn't doing or is there something it does now that you could think could be done better?  You and your group might write a proposal suggesting the change?

You don't necessarily need to write a manual, report, or proposal for an employer.  If you are involved with a student group or some other organization on campus, perhaps it has a likely project for you.  Does your fraternity/sorority need its policy manual re-written?  Is there some sort of report that needs to be prepared for the national organization? I you're involved in a community group, maybe you could help it out with some sort of project.

Another possibility would be for you and your group to re-write a badly written instruction manual or to re-write a highly technical manual for a non-expert audience.  For example, a few years ago, my parents gave my wife and I a gas grill for a holiday present.  That was great, but the instructions were so impossible to follow that we returned the grill and got one that was pre-assembled.  If you have come across a set of instructions that are a particularly lousy, it might be a great project for your group to do user-friendly re-write.

The Project's Medium

While I expect that most of these projects will result in paper documents, I could also see this project going off into the virtual world.  If appropriate, the instructions/manual, report, or proposal could be done on the web.

The Project's Requirements

You, no doubt, have questions about the form and format of this project and about how long it will be, but I don't have any answers, or rather, I have one answer.  The form, content format, length, etc., of the project will be determined by the project's purpose and the needs and expectations of the project's audience.  In other words, what you decide to do and for whom you decide to do it for will determine much of what you do for the project.
 

Collaborative Project Process

1.  From the beginning of the term I will be asking you to think about project ideas and to discuss those with classmates.

2.  On 10/17, I'll ask you to begin forming groups for the project.

3.  On 10/24, we'll finalize the groups and begin to develop project ideas.

4.  On 10/31, the group will submit a typed project proposal describing its purpose and audience, some preliminary ideas about its structure and format, a consideration of the kinds of research and preparation the group will need to do for the project, and the group's timeline for completing the project (You will receive an In class Assignment grade for your proposal).

5.  On 11/21, you'll need to have completed a rough draft of the project.  Failure to have a draft will lower your In Class Assignment grade by 1/3rd grade.

6.  On 11/30, you'll need to have completed a first revision of the project.  Failure to have a first revision will lower your In Class Assignment grade by 1/3rd grade.

7.  On 12/5, 12/7, & 12/12, the groups will do presentations of their project for the class (You will receive an In class Assignment grade for your presentation).

8.  A final draft of the project must be included in your portfolio or you must refer me to your colleague in whose portfolio I'll find your your project.

9.  At the end of the term, I'll ask you  to fill out an evaluation of your group's work.  I'll use this evaluation and my own observations when I consider how the Collaborative Project fits into your portfolio.