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2-3 pages, single-spaced + a grading rubric
 50 points possible
 Friday, October 22, 2010 by 5:00 p.m. using the assignments page.

This assignment asks you to propose what you will do for the independent project portion
of this class. This proposal should be at least 2+ single-spaced pages and should demonstrate that you
have thought carefully about your project, what you would like to be working on, and how you will
undertake this work. I will return your proposal with comments for revision or accept it. Once I accept
your proposal, it becomes a contract for the work you will do, and you can begin working on your project.

It is very important to pay attention to detail as you complete your proposal since your ability to articulate
your project will influence my understanding of the project, whether I accept your proposal or not, and
how I envision the final project that I will ultimately grade toward the end of the semester. In the
business world, people often only have one chance to pitch their proposals. Therefore, there is a grade
incentive to complete your proposal correctly and get it accepted sooner rather than later.

Ä If I accept the first draft of your proposal you can earn up to the full 50 points for the assignment.
Ä If I accept the second draft of your proposal you can earn up to 45 points for the assignment.
Ä If I accept the third draft of your proposal you can earn up to 40 points for the assignment.
Ä If I haven¶t accepted your proposal after the third draft, you will need to arrange to meeting with
me so we can discuss your proposal and the problems you are having with it and determine a plan
for making the necessary revisions. You can earn up to 35 points for the fourth draft of your
proposal.

 !"#I¶m expecting a project(s) that will include at least three related
components: reading, visual/technological, and writing. You¶ll need to spell these out in your proposal,
as well as the ways in which your reading component is related to the writing/visual parts. This proposal
is where you tell me what you will do, but moreover, you are writing an argument, arguing that what you
propose fits the assignment, is beneficial to your work within your own discipline, and is also of a scope
that can be completed in the next 5-6 weeks.

$!!%#&Please write your proposal using memo format. Refer to the
handout on memo format on the Unit 2 page and project proposal examples posted to Blackboard on the
Unit 4 page. Below you will find the parts you must include when drafting your proposal.

Proposal. (What you will do.) This portion describes the sort of project you will undertake, what shape it
will take, what your product will be. Is this a business plan, an instructional video, or a personnel
handbook, for example? How long will it be, and what resources will be used? How do you plan to
submit the assignment? What form will the writing and visual/technological components and maybe the
reading component take? This section is very important to me as a reader since this is the section that
helps me understand what you will do and what I will be grading, if your proposed project meets the
assignment requirements, and helps me make a plan for how I will balance my work load for the rest of
the semester.
Keep in mind that you must have a component:
Ä for reading (a works cited list at the end of the proposal, in either MLA, APA, or the documentation
style of your discipline, with the number of pages you¶ll read). Your reading list should contain a
variety of sorts of research: background info, examples of the thing or genre you hope to produce, and
 perhaps advice about how to produce work in that genre. This list of sources that you plan to use to
complete your project helps me determine if you have conducted enough research to understand and
complete the project or not. The reading component will be completed when your submit the works
cited page as a part of your proposal unless the genre that you decide to work with typically includes
a works cited page like a report or proposal would for example. In those cases, you should turn the
works cited page in twice, once with the project proposal and once with your final project.
Ä for writing (how many pages will you write? In what genre? What will this work look like?). The
written component may take very different forms depending on the type of project you decide to
undertake. The majority of your project may rely on writing if you pick a text heavy genre like a
report, proposal, business plan, instruction manual, etc. However, other projects like videos or more
visually based projects may have writing in the form of captions, small explanations of the content, or
even as a transmittal letter.
Ä for a visual/technological communication (will you design a web site, teaching materials, incorporate
video clips, etc.?). This component can also take many forms. Videos, websites, blogs, etc. would all
automatically fit the technological side of this component. However, you could also create a brochure
or pamphlet that includes pictures or other visual elements or pay close attention to creating a visually
pleasing document like a report by employing headings, using visual design to break up the
information for readers, including tables or graphs, etc.

÷
s. (What are your goals for the project?) What are your own goals for this assignment? How do
those goals fit with your overall goals as a student or an employee? Why do you wish to explore this
topic? What do you expect to learn about your discipline and the writing you will need to do in that
discipline by undertaking this research?

Mods. (How you will do it.) Generally, what will you do to meet these objectives? Show me that
you can accomplish this work. Basically, what is your plan for completing this work? This section
should work hand in hand with your timeline. The methods section explains each step that you need to
take to complete the project while the timeline is a visual representation of those steps accompanied by
specific dates for completion.

The methods section is one place in particular where you need to closely consider project management
and consider the small steps you will need to complete your project successfully not just the big steps.
Also, as you think of your methods, pay close attention to scope. It is easy to get carried away when
proposing and designing a project, so realistically consider what you will be able to accomplish given
your other responsibilities in this class and in life in the time you are given to complete the project along
with the resources that you have to complete it. Most projects become larger once you begin them, so
start smaller rather than bigger.

Tl . (When you will do it.) Include a schedule chart or a Gantt chart illustrating the completion of
the assignment²this is where you tell me when I should be expecting the work, when / if you will be
coming to meet with me to discuss your work or if you will need feedback at any scheduled time. Be sure
to include the due dates for your progress report, this proposal, and the final project in addition to your
own due dates that you set for yourself. Show me you have considered how to plan a large project. Refer
to Ê




 page 377 for information on schedule charts and Gantt charts. You can
create simple versions of these charts in Word by inserting a table into your document, listing your tasks
in the left hand column, listing the dates in the top row, and filling the cells with color to show what task
you will work on, on what days.

?aluao Crra. (How I will evaluate the project¶s success.) Provide fair and complete criteria for
evaluating the success of this project and draw up a rubric for me to use to provide you with feedback.
Consider the following points as you establish your criteria and create your rubric:
 ÄHow will you know if the project is successful and has met your goals? How will I know?
ÄWhat primary traits will I look for when I evaluate this project? This is the grading criteria. Should
I grade you based on following genre conventions, document design, editing, source use, etc?

The more completely you can explain your criteria and what will constitute a successful project that has
met your goals the easier it will be for me to effectively and fairly grade your project. Including specific
point values for each criteria you list can also be helpful so I know which criteria you value the most in
determining your project¶s success.

Feel free to use my rubrics as models, or make your own, but make sure it will help me accurately
evaluate your project and whether or not it has met your goals for the project. This is a document that I
will actually use to evaluate your project, and I will not accept your proposal unless your rubric is solid.

àad
orks d ls. (in the documentation style of your discipline²check your handbook!) Make
sure you do strong preliminary research that demonstrates the level of the work you will be attempting to
undertake. You will want a well-developed reading list if you want to convince me you will be
attempting to get an A on your project. Your reading list or works cited page should be made up of
sources that you plan to use as you complete your project. This could be sources you need to cite for
information they contain, directions to teach you how to do something, people you will need to talk to,
etc.

&
Ä You should create a single-spaced document that employs headers, bulleted lists, and a visually
pleasing over-all design that carefully organizes all this various info for your reader (me).
Ä As long as you can convince me you are undertaking a project that¶s of interest to you and helps you
grow in understanding of the communication tasks you will need to undertake as a professional, I¶ll
O.K. it. Be sure to think about it enough to figure out something interesting to you and to think
carefully about how you should be evaluated.
?
MPL? ÷ Pà÷?CT Y÷ MIGHT Pà÷P÷?
1. A training video for a 5-10 minute work place task.
2. A business plan for a business idea you would like to explore.
3. Anything for a ³real´ client²your department or your work place might want a set of instructions for
some office or lab procedure, a brochure for students considering your major, a web site for an
organization you volunteer for.
4. Any field research in your discipline²a case study of the writing produced by someone in your field
(the genres, the recipients, the style, the amount, etc), an informational interview with a writer in your
discipline.
5. A proposal to change or review some office procedure.
6. A research report on a topic of interest in your discipline²say TQM and its workplace applications at
your job site.
7. A recommendation report suggesting alternative practices in your lab, department, or workplace.
8. A PowerPoint presentation for a talk you have to give in a professional situation.

Be creative; choose something of interest to you and related to professional communication in your
discipline, your workplace, or your life. I expect you to propose a project that would require about 15-20
hours of individual work, spread out over the next five to six weeks.
I will grade your proposals based on the following:
Ä Content
ð Focused on a central project and how it will be completed
ð ?mploys carefully constructed, convincing arguments
ð pemonstrates strong preliminary research in the form of a developed reading list
ð pevelops a clear plan for undertaking the project
Ä Visual Choices
ð Professional design
ð Consistent design choices (fonts, spacing, capitalization, etc.)
ð Materials reflect understanding of professional presentation
Ä ³Reader-Centered´ Readability Guidelines
ð Consistent point-of-view
ð Lists in parallel form, active verbs in parallel tense
ð Language is clear and concise and sounds intelligent and professional
ð pesign helps readers make way through information easily
ð Timeline graphic is easy to understand
Ä Shows adequate attention to proofreading and editing, spell checking, and documenting sources

'  
( 1-2 pages send in the body of an email
15 points
Wednesday, November 24, 2010 by 5:00 p.m.

You will provide a progress report that indicates how far you¶ve moved along with your project
learning. This report might adjust the project slightly if you did not calculate well the time it
would take to learn some aspect of your project. Avoid ³fluffing up´ the progress report.
?ffective progress reports will give tight overviews of what has been completed to date,
significant learning moments, challenges, methods for addressing the challenges, and plans for
proceeding beyond this point. Your progress report should:
Ä Follow professional email format
Ä Be organized in a reader-centered way that groups like information together
Ä Be visually organized so information is easy to find and access
Ä Include any necessary background information that I need to understand your report
Ä ?xplain any progress or setbacks you have encountered, how you plan to deal with any
setbacks, and include your plans and any adjustments necessary for the completion of the
project.

I will grade your progress report on the following criteria:

Ä Follows professional email format and the guidelines for reader-centered communication
Ä Briefly but completely explains the work you¶ve done and plan to do on your project
Ä Is carefully proofread and edited


) 
( Up to you, should take 15-20 hours of work
 100 points
 Friday, pecember 3, 2010 by 5:00 p.m. Please resubmit the grading rubric you created in
your project proposal with your project.

 Your assignment is to develop and carry out a project of your own choosing. It must in
some way engage professional communication in your discipline, your job, your volunteer work, or your
life as a citizen. There are a few things to keep in mind. The project:
Ä should be designed to require 15-20 hours of individual work.
Ä needs to include a rubric for evaluation.
Ä needs to have been proceeded by a proposal that I accepted.

# This project will serve several purposes:

Ä it gives you a chance to design and propose a major project.
Ä it allows you the opportunity to explore an area that you think will make you more marketable: web
development; seminar planning; editing or handbook writing; video editing and production; field
research in your workplace, lab, or department; developing instructions, proposals, or business plans.
Ä it provides you with an opportunity to pace and direct your own work²basically, to develop project
management skills.

"# !*%&&+!#
Ä a reading component (a specific reading list, like an annotated bibliography, showing your
engagement with your topic and discipline. It should include citations for each source and a
description of the source) This may be submitted with your proposal unless your project requires
formal documentation in which case, you should submit the reading list/work cited page with both the
proposal and final project.
Ä a writing component (this may take various forms ranging from a transmittal letter to written content
in a report or a website, directions for use, a story board etc.)
Ä a visual/technological component (this may take various forms ranging from using document design
in a written document, using graphics, creating a video or other technology based project, etc.)
Ä a grading rubric submitted with your proposal

,
 

( 1 page, memo format submitted through the Blackboard assignments page
 25 points
 Monday, pecember 6, 2010 by 5:00 p.m.

Managing a project can be challenging. For this project, you managed your first large project (for this
class). I¶d like you to use this reflection memo assignment as a time to do some planning and strategizing
about your own ability to manage projects. Please write a one-page memo addressing the following:

1. What are your strengths concerning project management, or which of your behaviors positively
affect your project management abilities?
2. What are your weaknesses in terms of project management, or which of your behaviors
negatively affect your project management abilities?
3. What are some steps you can take to exploit your strengths and minimize your weaknesses? Try
to think of specific strategies that will make you better at project management and explain how
these strategies will work.
An intro and three brief paragraphs should do this. Note that your task has an inherent organization
pattern because of the assignment (three points equals three paragraphs with your headings and topic
sentences already provided!).

This assignment is asking you to be introspective about your own skills and abilities and to do some end-
of project assessment that will allow your next project management opportunity to be more effective.

Grad
 T Mo
Ä Uses well designed page that reflects visually the organization of the written portion (use
headings, bulleted lists, etc.)
Ä Thinks through questions and shows attention to developing an appropriate strategy for
developing your skills
Ä ?mploys memo format
Ä Shows attention to proofreading and editing