• I set the Final Exam as equal to 100% of the Course Grade.
  Why? Since you have argued for your course grade in the Final, the letter grade there is your letter grade in the course.
• I changed the grade scheme for the Course Grade to Virginia Tech’s default grade scale (no rounding). 
  Why? To export your grades from Canvas so that I can import them to HokieSpa, I needed to set them to use the same grade scale that is used in HokieSpa.

Thanks for your hard work this semester. Good luck with your future studies and careers.

Unsubscribing from the Course Website and Twitter Updates

If you subscribed to the course website at the beginning of the term, you probably want to unsubscribe now. Look for an unsubscribe link at the bottom of the email message that you get from the course website.

If you were following the course Twitter account (@HokieTengrrl), just go the the page in Twitter and click the Unfollow button.

I have archived the Facebook group, so you should receive no more updates from it. If you prefer, you can also Leave the Group.

Overall Feedback for the Class

Generally, everyone did a well on the Genre Analysis Reports. Many of you reported that you learned valuable information that you could use in the workplace. Reports tended to use appropriate headings to structure the documents well.

Some Weaknesses in the Genre Analysis Reports

• Poor proofreading. In longer documents, the little things sometimes slide; but they are still very important. Remember that even in long documents you need to run the spellchecker and pay attention to the squiggly lines that tell you when something is wrong.
• Inconsistency. Another issue in longer documents is ensuring that you use the same form for your key words. Quite a few reports had errors with how the name of the kind of writing the authors explored named. In one sentence, for instance, I might see RFPs while the next expressed it as RFP’s. Remember that your terms should match.
• Required content missing. The other error I saw repeatedly related to missing content. The assignment required specific sections and three examples. The weekly post on December 4 even reminded you to “Ensure you include all the required sections and information, listed in Step 4 of the assignment.” Remember that in the workplace, failing to include the listed information can cost you a bid or grant. Be sure to pay attention to instructions.

Addressing the Genre Activity Report in Your Final

Unfortunately, classes are over, and there is no time left in the schedule for revision at this point. Because I must turn my attention to grading the final exams, there simply isn’t time to grade revisions of the Genre Analysis Report as well.

So What Do You Do if Your Genre Activity Report Earned an Incomplete?

1. Take a deep breath. You are not doomed. You are in the same kind of situation as someone in the workplace who didn’t win a bid or lost a client. There’s still hope.
2. Turn your attention to your final exam. As you explain the grade that you deserve in the course, explain what happened with your Genre Activity Report. Account for what went wrong, and convince me that you’ll deal with such situations in the future.
3. Do not stress yourself about the “bell curve.” Let me try to be a bit more transparent. There are always some students who are exemplary. The idea of the curve is only to ensure that exemplary students earn higher grades than those who just meet the requirements. That may be a tough standard, but I think it’s fair. In truth, I do not plot out all the numbers in some beautiful graph; but I do pay attention to students who have gone above and beyond the norm.
4. Focus on making your final exam persuasive by using these tips:
   1. Pay attention to the advice in the #TuesdayTutorial: Determining Your Course Grade.
   2. Use what you know about document design. Remember the value of chunking information, using information-rich headings, and making your document easy to navigate. Don’t make me (your audience) search for information. Use document design strategies that show me where everything is.
   3. Consider adding tables or graphs that support your argument. Be sure that any graphics you include add to the content. Don’t toss in clipart or other graphics just as decorations. Be sure your graphics help you make your point.
   4. Provide concrete data on your performance. Use numbers, facts, and even quotations from your work or feedback. Show me how you have done in the course. Make everything completely obvious.
   5. Remember to spellcheck and proofread. It’s important to your argument that your document is polished and professional. Errors will make your point less persuasive.

Overall Feedback for the Class

Generally, everyone did a great job on the two projects. The topics you chose for your Genre Analysis Reports will work well in most cases, and the status of your work you reported in your Progress Reports indicates you are on target to finish your projects on time.

Feedback on Your Short Proposals

• Over-reliance on Bullet Lists. The sections of the proposal should be written in paragraphs not in a series of bullet lists. The sections can certainly include lists, there should be more explanation and supporting materials.
• Focus on Design and Detail in the Timetable/Schedule. The schedule section of this kind of proposal is critical since it demonstrates how the work will proceed and outlines the deliverables and/or milestones. You can use layout and design to emphasize this section and show the relationship among dates. Using a timeline, a Gantt chart, or a calendar layout, for instance, will show readers how the dates and deadlines build upon one another.

Feedback on Progress Reports

• Pay Attention to Design. Progress reports should make it fast and easy to find the key information. Readers should not have to search around for the details. Be sure that headings indicate the important sections and use other design features to organize the information. Many of you, for instance, included an updated version of the Gantt chart that you used in your proposal—that’s a great strategy!
• Worries about Time Constraints. Many of you indicated concern about the amount of work left to do on your reports and the ever decreasing number of days in the course. Just keep at it, and do the best you can. If you run into a challenge you’re not sure how to overcome, let me know.

Revision Activities for the Analysis Project

I have reopened the assignments so that those of you who want to revise can improve your projects. Follow the guidelines below to resubmit your work.

1. If I made a mistake
   Send me an email message or a private message on Slack with the details. I’ll fix it.
2. If there were problems with the content or design of your project (either one)
   Revise your project to improve your work, adding whatever is missing or tweaking the design. Resubmit your project, and I will regrade your work.
3. If you did not submit your work at all
   It is too late. Be sure to turn in all the remaining projects if you want to pass the course.
4. If something else is going on
   Send me an email message or a private message on Slack with the details. I’ll see what I can do to help you.

Revision Dates

To allow me time to grade your work by the end of the term, you must submit your revisions in Canvas by 11:59 PM on Friday, December 1. Revisions will not be accepted beyond this date without a note from a doctor or the Dean of Students.

This date applies for all projects: the professional bio, analysis, short proposal, and progress report. Remember that you cannot submit a revision for a project by the end of the grace period. Revisions are NOT intended to support those who never did the work in the first place.

Photo credit: Typing by Sebastien Wiertz on Flickr, used under a CC-BY 2.0 license.

I have graded all of the Analysis of Writing in Your Field projects. In this post, I’ll comment on how you all did and what you can do if you are not happy with your grade. Please read the information carefully and note the related dates.

Overall Feedback for the Class

• Meet the requirements of the assignment. Some folks either failed to read the assignment or didn’t pay attention to the details. Their projects typically failed to include 10 kinds of writing, so they need to revise. Please pay attention to the details and requirements of assignments.
• Pay attention to parallel grammatical structure. Remember that the text in all cells of a column needs to be grammatically parallel. They need to match in their structure. Read more about parallelism on the Purdue OWL for help and examples, and revisit the course post from 9/19.
• Avoid centered text. Remember that the best design for text is flush left, ragged right. Centered text is harder to read. See the #TuesdayTutorial on the problems with centered text on the course website.
• Work on document design: Many projects could be improved with more attention to document design. The posts on Improving A Table’s Appearance  and explaining why Tables Can Be Boring provide tips.
• Help from the Writing Center: As a reminder, anyone can visit the Writing Center in the library for help with projects for the course. Writing Center tutors can help you strengthen your content as well as work on document design and issues with phrasing, grammar, or punctuation. You can read more about the Writing Center and make an appointment on the Writing Center’s webpage.

Revision Activities for the Analysis Project

I have reopened the assignment so that those of you who want to revise can improve your project. Follow the guidelines below to resubmit your work.

1. If I made a mistake
   Send me an email message or a private message on Slack with the details. I’ll fix it.
2. If there were problems with the content or design of your analysis project
   Revise your project to improve your work, adding whatever is missing or tweaking the design. Resubmit your project, and I will regrade your work.
3. If you did not submit your work at all
   It is too late. Be sure to turn in all the remaining projects if you want to pass the course.
4. If something else is going on
   Send me an email message or a private message on Slack with the details. I’ll see what I can do to help you.

Suggested Revision Dates

By 11:59PM on November 10, aim to submit your revision (so that I can get it graded before Thanksgiving break).

If you need more time, that is fine. The analysis project is open until 11:59PM on Wednesday, November 29. You do not need to contact me. Just work to submit your revision by the 29th.

Note: This infographic needs a text-based transcript. See the Optional Accessibility Transcript Activity for more details.

I have graded all of the Professional Bio projects. In this post, I’ll comment on how you all did and what you can do if you are not happy with your grade. Please read the information carefully and note the related dates.

Overall Feedback for the Class

• Complete bios: Most of you did a good job following the instructions in the assignment by including all of the required information and paying attention to document design.
• Missing project self-assessments: Unfortunately, most of you failed to include the project self-assessment. Because the error was so prevalent, I ignored it for this project. For future projects, it will be required. The self-assessment was explained in Step 6 on the Assignment page.
• Work on document design: Many projects could be improved with more attention to document design. In particular, review the information on using headings and subheadings create information-rich signposts for readers and on “chunking” text and visual elements.
• Help from the Writing Center: Remember that anyone can visit the Writing Center in the library for help with projects for the course. Writing Center tutors can help you strengthen your content as well as work on document design and issues with phrasing, grammar, or punctuation. You can read more about the Writing Center and make an appointment at https://lib.vt.edu/spaces/writing-center.html.

Revision Activities for the Analysis Project

I have reopened the assignment so that those of you who want to revise can improve your project. Follow the guidelines below to resubmit your work.

1. If I made a mistake
   Send me an email message or a private message on Slack with the details. I’ll fix it.
2. If there were problems with the content or design of your bio
   Revise your project to improve your work, adding whatever is missing or tweaking the design. Resubmit your project, and I will regrade your work.
3. If you did not submit your work at all
   It is too late. Be sure to turn in all the remaining projects if you want to pass the course.
4. If something else is going on
   Send me an email message or a private message on Slack with the details. I’ll see what I can do to help you.

Suggested Revision Dates

By 11:59PM on October 12, aim to submit your revision (before you leave for Fall break). It will help you to have the bio done before we dive into the second half of the term.

If you need more time, that is fine. The bio assignment is open until 11:59PM on Saturday, October 28. You do not need to contact me. Just work to submit your revision by the 28th.

Note: This infographic already has a long description, so a transcript is not needed.

Credits: Infographic was created on canva.com. Star icon from The Noun Project, used under a CC-BY 3.0 license: rating by Guilhem. Burruss Hall by joepyrek on Flickr, used under a CC-BY-SA 2.0 license.