Assignments

Class participation (5%)

Your class participation grade depends upon your showing up prepared for class discussion. During these discussions, you must show evidence that you have read the textbook assignments by being able to talk about them intelligently. This means more than just answering questions when being called on. You need to contribute regularly to class discussions on your own initiative.

Quizzes (10%)

These quizzes are designed to test your comprehension of chapters from the textbooks and will be unannounced to ensure you read consistently and carefully.

Short assignments (30%)

These short assignments—to be completed both in-class and out of class—will fall mostly during the first half of the semester:

In-class writing exercises (2%) - due throughout the semester, these exercises are graded on a check minus, check, check plus basis and accumulated for a final score.
Professional interview (5%) - due August 30, the professional interview gives you the chance to interview a professional technical writer or a technical professional who writes frequently. During the interview, inquire about the person's approach to writing, including his or her approach to problem solving. More about the professional interview
Website analysis (8%) - for this assignment, due September 6, you will explore and critique a large-scale commercial or organizational web site, analyzing how the site's designers have achieved or not achieved communication with their audience and describing the strengths and weaknesses of the site as an information space. Your rhetorical analysis should focus on such things as style, content, visual imagery and how these address the information needs of primary and secondary audiences. More about the website analysis
Research report (5%) - due September 13, this assignment will give you the chance to learn more about library and Internet research strategies. More about the research report
Collaborative memo (10%) - due September 27, this project will give you the chance to work with a partner to recommend changes to an information sheet regarding solar power. More about the collaborative memo

Résumé & cover letter (10%)

Due October 23, this assignment will give the opportunity to prepare for the job market by writing a résumé and cover letter. If you've done a résumé before, you can make it even better by applying many of the information design techniques we've learned so far. More about the résumé assignment

Information design project (45%)

Working with a real client organization, you and a partner will design or redesign a set of information products to meet the communication needs of their primary and secondary audiences. The project as a whole encompasses three assignments, as follows:

Project proposal (10%) - for this assignment, due October 11, you will identify a substantial informational problem or need in your school, community, or workplace and then propose a detailed plan for solving this problem through the composition of various informational products. More about the project proposal
Progress report (15%) - due November 6, these oral presentations will give you and your partner experience explaining progress on your project in a face-to-face setting using the latest presentation techniques and technologies. Conducted over two class periods, November 6 and 8th, two weeks before Thanksgiving. More about the progress report
Formal report (20%) - due during our final exam period, the formal report allows you and your partner to demonstrate all you have learned in this course. Prior to the due date, we will hold substantial workshops and peer review sessions to help you fine-tune your report into a polished, professional deliverable. More about the formal report