Topic- Transportation Problem
I am an international student. I don’t know how to drive, so I have to travel by bus if I am to go to university. If I am to reach the university at 8:00, I have to catch a bus at 6:40, and if I miss it, there isn’t any bus until the next hour. So, I have been having a problem with transportation. It is the same problem with people who don’t have a personal vehicle. I try to talk with some people at the station, and they talk about the same issue. They have a problem while returning to their home cause there isn’t any bus after 7:00 PM. So, it is a local problem that I am having that I would like to address.
Research-Based Proposal (RBP) Objective To write a research-based proposal for addressing a specific, concrete problem in your work or school world. Components and procedure Note: The plans must be completed for feedback before you proceed to the research component, and the research component must be completed for feedback before you proceed to the proposal. Plans A and B Identify two different problems you’d like to explore. Each plan should define the problem in terms of its nature (what exactly is the problem?) and scope (who or what does it affect?). Write each plan up as a memo to me. 75-100 words each. Research and analysis First, keep in mind that this is only the research component. Don’t propose anything yet. The report should be an analysis based on one of your plans. In other words, focus on the nature, scope, causes, and implications of the problem you’re exploring (please use those terms or similar ones as headings). You’ll get a chance to refine it in using of my feedback as you move to write the proposal. You must include a minimum of eight sources (see next page for a note about sources). 1000-1200 words. Full research-based proposal (research analysis PLUS your proposal) The proposal component added to the research-based analysis as one whole package. Provide a clear and concrete explanation of the action(s) needed to address the problem you’ve researched. You don’t have to solve the problem completely—your proposal should be a realistic idea for how to address the problem in some constructive way. The contents of your proposal will vary depending on your topic. You may ask for funds, materials, personnel, or other resources, or you may ask that certain changes be made in a policy or procedure. Sources You should source your work from the start. That means even your plan can have sources, although sources are not required until the research and analysis component of the project. What kind of sources? Appropriate, relevant, and useful sources: Books can provide background, context, history, and general perspectives. They can be very thorough and detailed, broad in scope, and can help lead you to other sources. Academic articles can provide specific, concrete, and (usually) reliable and credible research findings. They can be very useful, but it can be hard to find examples that fit your case perfectly. However, you can interpret and draw inferences to see why an article may be relevant. They are good at leading you to other sources as well. News articles and other online discussions can provide up-to-the-minute accounts of a problem, and they can get you names and other information that are very relevant. However, they typically are not deeply researched and not usually sourced extensively. Other sources include • Surveys • Interviews • Systematic observations (e.g., of a process or system) • Primary-source documents and information (e.g., government statistics) Tips 1. First, you can think of the overall project as a much more developed version of the persuasive letter assignment. It does not have to be built on that, but your general approach and your use of rhetorical strategies can be similar. 2. Your project should address a problem. The problem should be a situation or environment in a technical or professional realm (which can include school). That means the problem can be any one of the following needs: a. A need for a substantially revised or new policy, procedure or practice. b. A need for new or different technologies, tools, or devices. c. A need for a program, workshop, training session, or other instructional process. 3. You may still be thinking: “Ok, but give me some examples!” Here are some possible angles: A substantially revised or new policy, procedure or practice. • Perhaps there’s an issue in your workplace with people showing up late. You could just say, “Here’s a problem. You show up late. Don’t, or you’ll be fired.” Sure, you could say that. But what if you researched management techniques for getting people to comply with rules about tardiness at work? • Perhaps your company’s “workflow” has some inefficiencies. You could research ways to make workflows more efficient. • Perhaps you are a college student and not working in a professional or technical environment yet. That’s ok. Maybe you could research effective study or test-taking techniques—then your proposal could be tips for students. New or different technologies, tools, or devices. • Introducing new technology, tools, and devices generally is done to increase efficiency or provide better products. You could research various options, looking at their specs (yes, you can use specifications as a source). Program, workshop, training session, or other instructional process. • You could develop any of these to help others do their jobs better, learning something new that will help them in some other aspect of their lives. You could research comparable approaches as well as ideas about how people learn within the field that interests you. • Again—if you’re a student now, you could think in terms of workshops, training sessions, instructional seminars, etc., that would be of use to students on campus or in their lives. Objective Components and procedure Sources Tips