The descriptions I give should allow you to understand the amount of time needed to complete the assignment (this is for all the procrastinators).  It will also describe the easiest way to complete the assignment for a maximum grade.  I always want to complete assignments with the least amount of time possible, so hopefully this will help.

You will also need to find a current resume from someone in the field.  The best idea is to talk to individuals you may know in the field.  If they are currently employed in the field, then they most likely have a good resume.  The best idea would be to find several resumes from the field.  This will allow you to compare all of them and find commonalities between them.  If you would like, you can choose the best of them.  Using all of them would be equally fine.

Based on the information found from the sample resumes and the information found in the job ad, you will be required to create a resume of your own.  The quickest way to accomplish this is to use an existing resume you already own.  This will leave you only to change the information within and add new information based in the data you retrieved from the previous assignments.  Another quick solution to the problem would be to create a rough draft by compiling all the information you need, such as work experience, education information, and references.  This reference will make writing the resume and job letter quick and painless.

The last part of this assignment is to pretend you have been to an interview and create a thank you letter.  Dr. Art gives excellent advice and examples in his power point presentations.  Using his examples as a template, this part of the assignment should take thirty minutes at most.

After all the parts have been completed, do not think you are done.  It is always important, as with any other writing assignment, to edit your writing.  Small mistakes add up and will bring your grade down quickly.  The writing center located on campus in the English building is a great place to get editing help.  If you are anything like me, then you are probably not going to be able to edit your writing yourself.  It’s always good to get another opinion on the matter.  Dr. Art has a lot of office hours.  It is easy to take your assignments to him for editing before the assignment is due.

The last advice I have is to not procrastinate until the last minute.  It is not necessary to turn in assignments early.  Dr. Art would appreciate this and claims it will help boost your grade, but it is not necessary to get an “A” in the class.

Below is my job letter, thank you letter, and resume.  They are by no means perfect, but they should serve as an example to look at when attempting to finish your own assignment.

Thank-You Letter

Resume

Job Letter

Dr. Art will give presentations on the types of memos you can create; there are three.  If you were absent, this information can be found in your textbook.  Use your index.  I suggest before you write your memo, you fill out the memo worksheet provided in class.  You are required to turn this in, so it is not a waste of time.  I filled it out after I had already written my formal memo.  If I could do it over, I would most certainly look at the worksheet first.  It would have made my life much easier.

The informative memo is the easiest to write.  Dr. Art will expect between 1000 and 1500 words.  If you write an informative memo, it will be much more difficult to reach the minimum word count.  The persuasive memo will take a bit more time to write, but is well worth it if you have trouble thinking of things to say.  Sometimes I find myself with writers block and cannot get 200 words on the paper, let alone 1000.  Remember; do not try to write the entire thing all at once.

Keep your audience and goal in mind.  Your language in the memo should match the intellect of your audience.  In many classes you may have already taken, your teacher has probably asked that you do not use simple sentences and that you use higher vocabulary.  In technical writing, this is not the case.  Your writing should be directly influenced by the audience it is written to.  If your audience is third graders, what would they understand in your paper?  In the assignment directions, Dr. Art clearly states, “To write an effective memo, you will therefore need to carefully analyze your particular audience and provide information in a format and tone that clearly matches their specific needs and the specific goal that you want to achieve.”

As with every other assignment in class, it is imperative you have your memo edited before you turn it in.  With so many words, it is easy to miss typos and simple errors in your writing by editing it yourself.  Have a friend read it.  Pick a person from your specific audience to read it.  See if they can understand what you’re talking about.  The writing center and Dr. Art are always available as well.

Below is my Formal Memo.  I chose to write an informative memo because I thought it would be easy and less time consuming.  This was not the case and I would pick another type of memo if I could.  As you can see in my writing, it is reaching and grasping for more things to say.  Writing the memo worksheet after the memo also hindered my efforts.

Formal Memo

Memo Worksheet

I chose a set of instructions on how to build a paper airplane.  I found these online.  They were not that difficult, but had enough steps for me to analyze.  If you look ahead, you will see that the instructions you choose will need to be tested for usability.  If you select instructions with a million steps, this testing will be a nightmare.

The second part of this assignment is to write a memo to Dr. Art explaining why you chose the instructions you did.  This is quite simple.  On Dr. Art’s webpage, there is a list of questions he wants answered in the memo.  If you answer all the questions posed, then there should be no problems reaching the minimum word count.  The questions should be answered truthfully and thoroughly.  The truth is never bad.  If you chose the instructions because you waited until the last minute and it was all you could find, then write about it.  You will not lose points for being a procrastinator.  The truth will only give you something to write about without being creative.

The last question on the list is open-ended, “What help do you need from Dr. Art to make your instructions analysis project successful?”  This is designed for you to ask questions and receive feedback.  If you are having troubles write it down.  Dr. Art can only help you figure it out.  As always, edit your paper.  The easiest way to get an “A” is to edit your assignments.  No matter the content, it just needs to be correct.

Below is my set of instructions and my memo.  It serves as a good example of what should be contained in the memo.  My set of instructions was fairly decent when it came to analyzing them.  The testing also did not take me long.

Instructions Memo

With your audience in mind, find at least two individuals from the audience willing to test your instructions for you.  You should have all necessary supplies for them.  If you can not find anyone from your audience, find someone close to your audience.  A person not in your audience will make analyzing the usability of the instructions harder.  Remember to write about it though.  If the user was not in the audience write it down and how it affected your results.  The more individuals you test your instructions on, the better your results will be.

The memo to accompany your testing results will again need to be 1000 to 1500 words.  Do not wait until the last minute.  The easiest way accomplish this assignment quickly is to start with your instructions selection memo.  This can be used as a rough draft.  It contains most of the items you will need in this memo.  The only thing you will need to add is your usability testing results summary.

The testing summary should be a majority of your paper.  It is the most important piece.  It explains to the reader what makes your instructions good or bad.  Think about what would make the instructions better.  Making a questionnaire for your usability testers can help you find more things to fix.  Do not say there is nothing to fix and that the instructions are perfect.  There is and always will be something to fix or improve.

Remember to get your paper edited before you turn in it.  Editing was my major weakness over the semester.

Below is the link to my Memo.  I am not attaching my usability results because they were handwritten by the users that tested my instructions.  It would have been difficult to make it an electronic copy.

Document Design Worksheet

Instructions Analysis

Every member of your group wrote an email to Dr. Art prior to this assignment.  They should have their own proposal in mind for the project.  As a group, you should discuss each of the topics.  Look at which project would be easiest and the least time consuming.  Ask your self questions to determine the best proposal:

1. How much research is needed to complete the report?
2. Who is the audience of the proposal?
3. What is the goal of the proposal?
4. What is the solution for the proposal?
5. Could you write ten pages on the subject?

Choose the topic as a group. If one member of the group chooses the topic, then the other members are less likely to contribute during the rest of the project.  From this point on, it would be a good idea to bring your stuff with you to class.  There will be lots of time after the presentations everyday during class to work with your group on the current assignment.  This is wasted time if you do not work on the project during this time.  My group accomplished almost the entire project during free class time.

The proposal that you choose can be used for this assignment.  Most of the elements the person wrote about can be used in this assignment.  Using their memo as a rough draft will make writing this assignment quick and easy.  Two to four pages may sound like a lot to write, but with a group it is easy.  If every member writes something, the minimum length should be easily met.

With the group assignments, you should take them to Dr. Art during his office hours to be edited.  This will become increasingly important during this project.  Every member in the group will receive the same grade regardless of the amount of work completed.  If you rotate members that go to his office, then every member will share the responsibility.

Below is my groups Proposal Memo.  We picked the topic and wrote the entirety of the memo during in class time.  At this point during the project, we were ahead of schedule and could have turned in assignments early.  We did not take advantage of turning in the assignments, but we did get a head start on the upcoming assignments.

Group Memo

Start by creating a table of contents.  Microsoft word will make it for you, and this will ensure standard formatting is applied to the entire page.  There will be no need try and tab to the correct location.  The only thing you will need to do is make sure all the headings use the heading format under styles bar.  Once you have created the entire outline, using the heading style, then right click on the table of content and update the field.  This will make the table of contents filled with all of the headings from the report, to include page numbers.  If you are still having trouble, Dr. Art will give a presentation over how to create a table of contents, or you can just ask him.

By using the template as an outline, writing the report will be extremely simple.  From here, you can assign group members to fill in certain parts of the report.  This will make it fair and the report will get finished in a timely manner.  This will also guarantee that every member is contributing equally to the whole of the project.

Along with the outline, your group will need to create a cover memo.  This is not the same as your progress memos.  This memo can be cut and pasted from other assignments.  It simply asks about the problem, the solution, and the audience.  You should have already written this stuff in the Proposal Plan Memo.  There is no need to rewrite something you have already written.  Find the easiest possible way.

The other part of this particular assignment is individually completed progress memos.  The progress memo should be honest and truthful.  If there is someone in your group that is not pulling their weight, then tell Dr. Art in this memo.  The only way it can be fixed, is for Dr. Art to know.  On the assignment page, there is a list of questions.  Answer all the questions in your memo.

At this point, a WordPress.com site, like your individual portfolio, would be handy.  Your group can create a site where everyone has access.  On the site, you can post all of the relevant assignments and progress memos.  This will make creating your individual portfolio easy.  Every assignment on the assignments page of Dr. Art’s site will need to be posted to your portfolio, which includes every group member’s progress memos.  Essentially, it is a great way for the group to communicate without actually meeting.  You may find conflicting schedules makes it hard to meet on a regular basis.

Below is my groups outline and progress memos.  As always, do not forget to get everything edited.  This includes your progress memos.  They will be graded and every member of the group will receive the same grade regardless of how good or bad your progress memo is.

Proposal Cover Memo

Proposal Outline

Thomas- Progress Memo

Happy- Progress Memo

Ely- Progress Memo

Jasmine- Progress Memo

The rough draft should be as long as you can make it.  My group found that it was easier to pretend the rough draft was the actual final copy.  Our goal was to get the entire report done for the rough draft deadline.  This made the final draft a piece of cake.  The only thing you will need to do between the rough draft and the final copy is to get it edited.  The final copy, if you look at the schedule, is due the very next class day.  This gives you very little time to work on the final copy from the time the rough draft is due; this is a very good reason to finish it now.

The cover memo is exactly what you were supposed to write on the last cover memo.  The best idea is to use it for this cover memo.  Of course, you need to make the necessary corrections that Dr. Art gave you when he graded the last one.  At the bottom, add a small paragraph of what you’ve done and what still needs to be done.  This will help Dr. Art see what you’re lacking, and maybe he will be able to advise you in the right direction.

The last part of this assignment is the progress memos.  This is not the same memo you wrote for the last assignment, though you could use it as a starting point.  With the last progress memo as your rough draft, make sure all the questions Dr. Art asked you are answered.  Here are the questions from Dr. Art’s webpage:

• “Do you clearly describe how the group project is coming along?
• Do you specifically describe what each group member has done, is doing, or will do?
• Do you tactfully and constructively describe any group problems?
• Is your description consistent with other group members?
• Is your description realistic (for example, does it match what you’ve actually done or realistically can get done)?
• If you ask for help, do you do this in a clear, constructive, and useful way?
• Is it clear that each group member contributed an individually-written progress memo?”

The progress memo is an easy way for you to clearly gauge how your group is coming.  It will show you what your report is looking like at that particular time.  Be honest as you write these progress memos.

Make sure to get everything edited before you turn it in.  Below is my group’s rough draft and all of the progress memos from each of the group members.  As you can see, the rough draft is very long, but it was essentially the final copy, without editing.

Cover Memo

Group Rough Draft

Thomas- Progressc Memo

Ely- ely-progress-memo1

Happy- happy-progress-memo1

Jasmine- jasmine-progress-memo1

When taking the report to either the writing center or to Dr. Art to get edited, you should have a list of very specific questions you would like to ask.  It would be ridiculous and almost impossible if you slap down a fifteen to twenty page report in front of Dr. Art and expect him to edit the entire thing.  If you have been working ahead, you can get parts of it edited at a time, so when this deadline comes along, it will not be as bad.

At this point, if there are any handouts, words, or acronyms your audience may not understand, you can insert an appendix and a glossary in your report.  The glossary is a useful tool, especially since not all audiences may be up to date on the terminology of the subject.  My group’s report was on implementing a comprehensive sex education program in the Lubbock Independent School District.  There are several terms that have changed and several new acronyms, that even I was not aware of, until after completing the research.

The appendix could contain lists of data not in your report or different activities or handouts that directly relate to your report.  My group used the appendix as a place where we listed the exact differences between a comprehensive sex education and an abstinence-only-until-marriage education.  There were several students in my class that did not understand the complete differences between the two.

If you have taken any part of this repost to Dr. Art to get edited, you should attach his corrections to the end of the report.  This will let Dr. Art know that he helped with the editing, and he will not be looking for editing mistakes.

The same day that this report is due, the presentations will held.  The presentation is nothing to worry about.  Your peers will be grading this.  The only thing you need to have is a visual aid and a handout.  Follow directions carefully on the handout.  You do not want to lose my points, like my group, for not following directions.  The directions are clearly written on Dr. Art’s webpage.

Below is a copy of my groups Formal Group Proposal Report.  It is lengthy, but was necessary to adequately describe the problem and solution.  Formatting is very important for this assignment.  Think about your audience and the goal of the report.  What type of formatting would make sense?

Formal Report

The first part is the presentation handout.  You should have already had this done for the presentation from the last class.  There is no need to do anything to it.  You simply have to attach it to the other part of the assignment.  If you did not have a handout, I would suggest making one really quickly.  Dr. Art’s exact words in his webpage are “Do not revise what you handed out to the audience – just submit the exact version you used for the proposal performance.”

The second part of the assignment is individually completed summary memos.  This is your final chance to report to Dr. Art about the project as a whole.  If there is anything he should know about other group members, this would be the time.  For this assignment, Dr. Art will be grading as normal, but he will also be looking for truth.  This means you either need to get with your group and make sure each of your stories match, or you need to tell the truth and the whole truth.

The memo itself can be taken from the original progress memos that you have written for the project earlier.  If it is not the truth, then I probably would not use them.  Make sure you answer all the questions that Dr. Art asked on his webpage.  The questions are listed below:

• “How well did your group manage the overall proposal report and presentation project?
• If the overall project went well, then exactly why did it go well?
• If the overall project did not go well, then what were the problems?
• What exactly did you contribute to the overall proposal report and presentation project, and precisely how did these things benefit the group effort?
• What are two or three specific things that would you personally do differently if you had the chance to repeat the entire project (and why)?”

This assignment is still turned in as a group.  It is important you edit yours and make sure your group will edit theirs.  You will all receive the same grade.  If a group member is slacking on this assignment, your grade will suffer because of him or her.

Below is my group’s handout.  We did not follow directions on the header, so we lost several points for an error that could have been easily rectified, had we read the directions.  There are also the summary memos from each of my group members.  As you can see, we had a really great time working with each other and ran into very few problems.

Good Luck with the rest of the semester!

Handout

Thomas- progress-memo

Ely- ely-progress-memo2

Happy- happy-progress-memo2

Jasmine- jasmine-progress-memo2