Emphasizing Important Information in a Technical Description Prompt
English 235
Due: 11:59 pm October 31, 2021 in Canvas
Purpose
The purpose of this assignment is to analyze and revise a technical description document after you have completed some research into the topic area. Your analysis and revision should address issues of titles/headings, information flow (topics) and size (paragraphs vs chunks), transitions, and fine details. While you should analyze the document before researching and revising, you must also write a short reflective response about the process of analysis, research, and revision.
By completing this assignment, the problem you are trying to solve is how best to revise the document so that it appropriately deals with the issues at hand (the problems raised inDocument B.2
Actions), incorporates new research, and best communicates the information it contains.
Skills
This assignment will reinforce the following skills that are necessary in professional and technical communication:
- Analysis of information
- Focus on important issues
- Constructing clear and concise prose
- Revision of pre-existing work product
- Conducting outside research to integrate into a document
- Balance of detailed and general knowledge for a broad audience
Understanding audience needs and expectations is one of the most foundational components of professional and technical writing. Therefore, successful completion of this assignment requires that you consider your audience,both instructors/students in a college engineering program and prospective students for that program, and frame your analysis and document revision to be most successful for that audience.
Task
Completion of this assignment should generally follow the proceeding steps:
Establish a calendar with deadlines for each of the major steps of the writing process that follow.
Review the source material (Document B.1
Actions, Draft of the Description of 3D Printing;Document B.2
Actions, Dr. Juneja’s E-mail; the case background outlined below) multiple times to build expertise.
Spend time analyzing each of the major components of the document.
Schedule different analysis sessions for each of the different sections.
Focus on identifying strengths and weaknesses of each section:
Document B.2
Actionsto focus your analysis on the 5 specific revision points identified in the document.
Conduct research on 3D printers/printing that connects to the five revision areas identified inDocument B.2
Actions.
Draft an outline of the revised document that incorporates pertinent information from your research.
Work on revising each section in turn based on the data you gathered during your analysis, your research material, and revision outline.
Schedule a short usability test (i.e., peer review) to receive feedback on your revisions.
Implement any additional changes identified during usability test.
Complete Reflective Response Prompt (see below).
Submit final revision of document and Reflective Response Prompt by due date.
To give yourself the best chance of producing a successful document revisionyou will want to avoid making the following decisions. In other words,don’t do these things:
Wait until the day before the assignment is due to start.
Don’t conduct any research.
Don’t test the document.
E., don’t go to the writing center, have peers read revised document, etc.
Do no specific analysis of the document prior to revising.
Criteria for Success
The “Emphasizing Important Information in a Technical Description” project has no minimum word requirement. That said, it is expected that you will add to/revise the existing document (originally 700 words). Between revising the source document, integrating research, and answering the Reflective Response Prompt you can assume writing at least 750 words, though you may need more. Keep in mind, thatDocument B.2
Actionsstipulates
the revised version of theDocument B.1
Actionsshould not be more than 1000 words.
Your intended audience for this analysis, research, and revision areinstructors and students in a college engineering program as well as prospective students.
Students who wish to be most successful on this project will spend significant time working on understanding and analyzing the document before beginning to revise. Successful students will conduct relevant research and integrate useful, new information into the revised document. Successful students will also conduct a small usability test (i.e., solicit feedback from others) before finalizing the document. Lastly, successful students will also spend time fully responding to the Reflective Response Prompt in order to explain the results of their document analysis and research and why they made the changes they did to the source document.
Your response to the Reflective Response Prompt (see below) should be included in the same file as your revised Technical Description (Document B.1
Actions) document.
Lastly, your submission will be graded and commented on individually. However, some students do find rubrics useful. Therefore, the rubric at the end of this prompt is included as reference but will not be used in scoring your project.
NOTE: While the following background for this assignment places you in a collaborative work environment (a group of three students), you are to complete this assignment on your own. In other words,this is not a group project.
This project will be worth a 20 points (or 20% of your final grade).
Background
Dr. Juneja looks up from the piece of paper he is reading (Document B.1
Actions) and puts on what looks to you like a forced smile. “All right, this is good,” he says. “Many of the facts are correct. Yes, this is a good start.”
You’re not encouraged. You glance at the two other students seated around the conference table in Dr. Juneja’s outer office. You are a member of a three-person team in your materials-engineering class. The other two team members are Melodie Karsten, a mechanical engineering major, and Phil Mitchell, a civil engineering student. You’re a materials engineering major.
“The engineering college spent quite a bit of money on this 3D printer,” Dr. Juneja says patiently as he lifts the piece of paper, “and they want to put this piece on the college website.” He pauses. There is an uncomfortable, lengthy silence.
“We know it’s just a draft. We thought about adding descriptions of the project we did in your class, and we’ve got a lot of photos,” you say. “We realize it’s not ready.”
Dr. Juneja nods slightly. “Let me send the three of you an email. I’ll tell you what I’d like you to do.” He shifts in his chair, which you know means the meeting is over. You, Melodie, and Phil stand and thank him for taking the time to meet with you.
Later that day, you get the email from Dr. Juneja (Document B.2
Actions).
Reflective Response Prompt
Answer the following questions as thoroughly as possible
after you have completed your research and revised
your source document.
Return to one of the sources you consulted as you further researched 3D printing. Examine how effectively this source emphasizes important information. Explain the ways in which this source follows or strays from the principles of emphasis and coherence we’ve covered in class. In presenting information about 3D printing, did any of your sources inspire ideas about how you might improve the organization and development of your own draft? How so? How were your revisions impacted by the mixed audience (current faculty/students and possible future students)? Finally, what insights have you gained about composing/revising a technical description?
If you prefer a pdf version of this assignment you can download one here:Emphasizing Important Information in a Technical Description.pdf
Actions
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