This week, you will continue working on the Analysis of Writing in Your Field Assignment project. I have some activities that will help you find more information you can add to your project.

Readings for the Week

Check these resources for information about your specific field, and read whatever is helpful:

• Writing for Specific Disciplines (Sacramento State)
• Writing for Specific Disciplines (Duke)
• Writing in the Disciplines (Tennessee-Knoxville)
• Writing in the Disciplines & Across the Curriculum (Montclair State)
• Tips and Tools, last column on the right (UNC-Chapel Hill)
• Writing in the Disciplines (Richmond)
• Resources for Writers and Presenters (Montana)
• Engineers on Writing (requires Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player, but it may be helpful if you’re an Engineer)

Tasks for the Week

1. By 11:59PM on Monday, September 25, submit your 09/22 Labor Log in Canvas, if you are using the grace period.
2. Ask any questions you have about the Analysis project in #general in Slack. Asking a question is not required.
3. Continue work on your Analysis project. Here are the relevant dates for the project:
   1. Wed, Oct 4 by 11:59PM: Post a draft of your project in the Group Feedback on Analysis of Writing Projects Discussion in Canvas.
   2. Fri, Oct 6 by 11:59PM: Post feedback on the drafts posted by your group members in the Group Feedback Discussion in Canvas.
   3. Mon, Oct 9 by 11:59PM: Submit your project in the Analysis assignment in Canvas.
   4. Thu, Oct 12 by 11:59PM: Submit your project in the Analysis assignment in Canvas, if you are using the grace period.
4. Consider the general categories of communication that occur in your field. Read the information on the Poster: Writing and Communication – WOVEN from Georgia Tech, and then add your replies to the WOVEN in Your Field Discussion in Canvas
5. Review the Readings for the Week for information that relates to your field. As you find relevant information add it to your Analysis table.
6. By 11:59PM on Friday, September 29, write your 09/29 Labor Log in Canvas. Specific questions for your log are included in Canvas. The grace period for your log entry ends at 11:59 PM on Monday, October 2.

Photo credit: Evernote ETC: My Field Notes by Brooks Duncan on Flickr, used under a CC-BY 2.0 license.

This is the post for the week of September 18, 2017.

This week, you will turn in your Professional Bio project and move on to the second major project, which asks you to consider the kinds of writing that people in your field do. This week there is a lot of prep work to do—primarily reading the pieces that will help you complete the different columns in your table. You will also need to conduct some research on writing in your field.

Readings for the Week

• Analysis of Writing in Your Field Assignment, including the Google Slideshow
• Audience Analysis: Primary, Secondary, and Hidden Audiences from Writing Commons
• Ethics in Technical Writing, Chapter 9 (9.1–9.6) of Technical Writing OR
  Business Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 2 (2.1–2.8) of Exploring Business
• Practicing Intercultural Communication from Writing Commons
• Worldwide Cellphone Etiquette Infographic

Tasks for the Week

1. By 11:59PM on Monday, September 18, submit your Professional Bio Statement in Canvas. The grace period ends at 11:59 PM on Thursday, September 21.
2. Read the Analysis assignment. You will create a table of the kinds of writing in your field. The project is due on Monday, October 9. The grace period for the project ends on Thursday, October 12.
3. Ask any questions you have about the Analysis project.  If you have any questions, check in #general in Slack to see if they have already been answered. If they have not, post your question there, and I will answer when I check in. Asking a question is not required.
4. Compose your Analysis project in Microsoft Word. Google Docs and Excel will not allow you to format the contents within the table cells in the same way.
5. Begin work on the Analysis assignment. Use the suggestions in Step 3 of the Analysis assignment (Research writing in your field) to begin work on your project. Your research can include looking at business writing and/or technical writing textbooks, thinking about things you have written during internships and other related jobs, and interviewing people in the field or professors who can tell you about writing in your field.
6. Read the relevant information that will help you with specific parts of your project:
   1. Find info to help with the Audience column in your project in Audience Analysis: Primary, Secondary, and Hidden Audiences (from Writing Commons). The missing image for Table 1 is available at http://writingcommons.org/images/Audience_Analysis.JPG. For additional information on audience, read the appropriate chapter below:
      • Business writing students can also read Chapter 3 of Business Communication for Success: Understanding Your Audience.
      • Technical writing students can also read Chapter 2 of Technical Writing: Audience Analysis.
   2. Find info on ethics. If you are focusing on ethics in your table, check out Ethics in Technical Writing, Chapter 9 (9.1–9.6) of Technical Writing, OR Business Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 2 (2.1–2.8) of Exploring Business. Choose the chapter that matches the course you are taking, though you are welcome to read through both if you desire. For either chapter, you need to click through to access all the sections of the chapter.
   3. Find info on intercultural and global issues. If you are focusing on intercultural and global issues in your table, check out Practicing Intercultural Communication from Writing Commons. The Worldwide Cellphone Etiquette Infographic demonstrates all the intercultural considerations that can go into something as simple as a business phone call. For additional information on intercultural and global issues, read the appropriate chapter below:
      • Business writing students can also read Chapter 18 of Business Communication for Success: Intercultural and International Business Communication.
      • Technical writing students can also read “Appreciating Different Cultures” from Wikibooks.
   4. Check any of the textbooks for information on the specific kinds of writing you will include in your table. The textbooks can especially help with describing the characteristics of kinds of writing.
7. By 11:59PM on Friday, September 22, write your 09/22 Labor Log in Canvas. Specific questions for your log are included in Canvas. The grace period for your log entry ends at 11:59 PM on Monday, September 25.

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

This is the post for the week of September 11, 2017.

Note for This Week

• Assignment change. I accidentally scheduled an assignment on the Friday of Fall Break. As a result, I have canceled the October 13 Labor Log. The October 20 Labor Log will cover both weeks, from October 7 through October 20.

Readings for This Week

• Professional Bio Statement assignment
• How to Write a Good LinkedIn Summary With Examples
• Watch Your Words in the Job Search
• Video from #WeekendWatch Post: Peer Review: Commenting Strategies (video, 5m4s)

Tasks for This Week

Here’s what you need to do for this week:

1. Review the resources that can help you improve your Professional Bio:
   1. The advice articles
   2. The examples
   3. The LinkedIn Summary article. Your professional bio, with light revision, can frequently do double duty as the summary for your LinkedIn profile.
   4. The Word Choice in the Job Search infographic. These same tips apply to your bio.
2. Finish the draft of your Professional Bio, using the examples and advice on the assignment as well as the readings (above) on this post.
3. By 11:59PM on Wed, September 13, post a rough draft of your bio to your Writing Group in Canvas in the Group Feedback on Professional Bios Discussion. Additional instructions are in the Discussion.
4. By 11:59PM on Fri, September 15, post feedback in Canvas to all your group members in the Group Feedback on Professional Bios Discussion. Remember to provide constructive feedback, following the advice on the Writing Groups page and the information in the #WeekendWatch video, Peer Review: Commenting Strategies. Additional instructions are in the Discussion.
5. By 11:59PM on Friday, September 15, write your 09/15 Labor Log in Canvas. The grace period for your log entry ends at 11:59 PM on Monday, September 18.
6. Revise your bio during the weekend and Monday, following the advice of the members of your group.
7. By 11:59PM on Monday, September 18, submit your Professional Bio and your Professional Bio Self-Assessment in the Assignment in Canvas. If you need additional time, submit your work by the end of the grace period, at 11:59PM on Thu, September 21.

Note: The infographic in today’s post needs a text-based transcript. See the Optional Accessibility Transcript Activity for more details.

This is the post for the week of September 4, 2017.

Happy Labor Day! Classes are cancelled today, so we all get a break. I am posting the work for the week anyway so that those who want to get started can do so.

Notes for This Week

• Assignments all loaded in Canvas. The five major projects, final exam, labor logs, and group peer review sessions are all set up in Canvas now. If you are a planner who likes to map out due dates, you can now find all the details in Canvas.
• Writing Groups set up. Everyone has been randomly assigned to a writing group in Canvas. You are in a group with others in the same course section as you.

Readings for This Week

• Professional Bio Statement assignment
• Writing Groups Overview
• Chapter 19: Group Communication, Teamwork, and Leadership from Business Communication for Success
  • 19.1 What Is a Group?
  • 19.2 Group Life Cycles and Member Roles
  • 19.3 Group Problem Solving
  • 19.4 Business and Professional Meetings
  • 19.5 Teamwork and Leadership
  • 19.6 Additional Resources

Tasks for This Week

Here’s what you need to do for this week:

1. Review the advice on How to Succeed in This Online Class, in the infographic above. In particular, set a schedule for getting your work done, just as you would for any other course that you take. Don’t assume that you can “fit it in.” That strategy doesn’t work out for most students.
2. Introduce yourself to your writing group by posting in the Getting Acquainted with Your Writing Group Discussion in Canvas.
3. Collaborate to set ground rules for your writing group. The primary work of your writing group is explained in the Writing Groups Overview. To help make your work together go smoothly, your group should make a set of guidelines, or ground rules, for how you will collaborate. The readings from Chapter 19: Group Communication, Teamwork, and Leadership will help you decide on the issues that are important and how to address them.

   Use the Group Ground Rules Discussion in Canvas to work out your guidelines, which should cover all of the following:

   • If you want, contact information that group members can use to contact one another outside Slack and Canvas.
   • Group responsibilities (division of labor) for the project. For instance, do you want a leader? Who is responsible for making sure everyone gets feedback on drafts?
   • Group scheduling and due dates. For example, do you need group due dates for posting drafts to make sure you have time to give one another feedback?
   • Communication policies that account for how the group will deal with any issues that arise, such as someone being offline for a few days or someone disappearing without notice.
   • Revision strategies and plans.
4. (Optional) Participate in my AMA: Ask me anything discussion on Canvas. I set it up incorrectly last week, but it’s open now.

   Post any questions you have about me, my background, or the course. Read whatever has been posted. Add replies or follow-up questions as desired. Please keep the conversation classroom-friendly.

5. Read the Professional Bio Statement assignment, and ask any questions you have. If you have any questions about the assignment, check in #general in Slack to see if they have already been answered. If they have not, post your question there and I will reply when I can. Asking a question is not required.
6. Get started on your Professional Bio by jotting out things you want to be sure you include. We’ll talk about some example bios next week. Here are the relevant dates for the project:
   • Wed, September 13: Post a rough draft of your bio to your Writing Group in Canvas by 11:59PM.
   • Fri, September 15: Post feedback in Canvas to all your group members by 11:59PM.
   • Mon, September 18: Submit your Professional Bio Project by 11:59PM.
   • Thu, September 21: The grace period ends at 11:59PM.
7. By 11:59PM on Friday, September 8, write your 09/08 Labor Log in Canvas. The grace period for your log entry ends at 11:59 PM on Monday, September 11.

Image Credit: How to Succeed in This Online Class by Traci Gardner.

During the first week of classes, I will share some additional information about the course in my daily posts. I know that there was a lot to read in yesterday’s post, so the daily posts this week space some additional information out a bit.

Starting next week, Tuesday through Saturday, I’ll post additional resources on the course website every day. Today, I want to tell you more about how those posts work and how you can respond to them.

What I Will Post

During the week, I post advice articles, how-to webpages, relevant infographics, and other resources. The idea is to share additional readings that will help you in the workplace. These posts meet three goals:

• to give you information that relates directly to projects you are already working on.
• to cover topics important to workplace writing that we are not covering in the major projects.
• to share resources that help with writing generally (such as writing strong sentences or techniques for document design).

I organize these posts around a series of hashtags:

• #TuesdayTutorial
  These posts either demonstrate or tell you how to do something. It may be how to write a specific thing (like a memo) or how to revise something you have already written (like revising for concise phrasing).
• #WednesdayWrite
  Each post asks you to consider how you would handle a specific situation in the workplace. As an example, you might consider an ethical scenario and discuss the various options available.
• #InfographicInspiration (on Thursdays)
  Every post will present an infographic about communication and writing in the workplace. The infographic on yesterday’s post is a great example of the kind I will share.
• #FridayFact
  These posts will share a specific fact about writing in the workplace, which you can compare to what you know about your field. Usually these facts have an accompanying article that supports the fact.
• #WeekendWatch
  Every weekend post (usually on Saturdays) will share a video that presents something relevant to what we are covering in class or something else related to writing in the workplace.

There may be other kinds of posts, of course. Sometimes there will be announcements about something important or something that needs to be clarified or changed, for instance.

How Do These Posts Work With Grades

These additional posts supplement the projects that you are working on. I encourage everyone to read through them, especially when they relate directly to the projects you are working on. They’re short. I believe most of them will take 2 to 3 minutes tops. The one exception is the #WeekendWatch posts, which may have videos that take a bit longer to watch.

Reading and responding to these posts is completely optional. You decide whether to participate and how to participate. If you are working toward a grade higher than a B in the course, you can respond to these messages as part of the extra work you do to build community in the course and share ideas. They are just one of several options.

How To Respond to the Posts

Responding should be relatively easy. If you can comment on YouTube videos or Facebook posts, you will do fine responding to these posts.

What should you write in response? Respond with significant, well-explained comments. This is not the place for “yeah, I agree” or “me too” kinds of comments. Instead, aim to contribute ideas, engage with others, and extend the conversation.

How do you respond? Just use the comment form at the bottom of the posts. You do not have to enter your real name. I understand that you may not want to have your name come up in a Google search. Do, however, use your vt.edu email address so that I can confirm you are a member of the course. Your email address will not appear on the site. Remember to keep track of your comments in your Labor Log.

When will your comment appear? The first time you post, I have to approve your comment before it appears on the website. After that first post, as long as you use the same name and email address, your comments will appear automatically.

Photo credit: Winn Army Community Hospital Pharmacy Stays Online During Power Outage by MC4 Army on Flickr, used under a CC-BY 2.0 license. Retrieved from Wikimedia Commons.

This is the post for the week of August 28, 2017.

This is the course website for these four courses, all taught by Traci Gardner at Virginia Tech during Fall Semester 2017:

• English 3764 (Technical Writing), CRN #83879
• English 3774 (Business Writing), CRN #83890
• English 3774 (Business Writing), CRN #83891
• English 3774 (Business Writing), CRN #83892

Information on all assignments, weekly activities, and related resources for these courses will be posted here. Check this site regularly for the details on what to do for the course.

Notes for This Week

• Mandatory Syllabus Quiz due today! The English Department requires that you complete an assignment by 11:59PM on the first day of classes. There is no grace period, and there is no extension possible. If you do not, you will be dropped from this course by English Department policy. Details are in the first bullet point under the “Tasks to Complete This Week” heading.
• Two Courses, One Site? It may seem strange, but yes, this site and the various resources we are using are for two different classes: Business Writing and Technical Writing. Why? The policies and general set-up for the courses are the same. The readings, activities, and assignments are sometimes different. Sometimes they do overlap. Basically, I would rather spend my time helping you than maintaining two nearly duplicate sites.
• Work Hours: Normally, I am online from late afternoon through early morning hours. I’m not a morning person. So look for responses from me during those hours.

Readings for This Week

• Syllabus
• Accessibility Information
• Course Logistics
• Requirements
• Labor Log
• Writing Groups
• Major Projects
• Final Exam
• Why Good Writing Is Needed for Better Jobs Infographic

Tasks for This Week

You will notice that there are a lot of tasks. I try to post everything that you need to do at the beginning of each week. In my experience, online students have to fit work for this course in around many other responsibilities. By posting everything at the beginning of the week, I hope that I give you enough lead time to fit the coursework around your other obligations.

Here’s what you need to do for this week:

1. Complete the Course Overview Module in Canvas. You will read the various course documents and then take a syllabus verification quiz.
2. Confirm that your notifications in Canvas are set the way you want them. Note that Canvas uses your notification preferences to determine whether to email you or text you (or not tell you at all) about information on the site. See the section "How do I adjust my notification preferences?" in the Student Getting Started with Canvas Guide for more information on setting up your notifications.
3. Add a professional profile picture to your Canvas account. Follow the Canvas documentation to add a profile picture in your user account. Since this is an online course, your profile picture helps me see you as more than just a name on the course roll.
4. Join our team on Slack and say hello in #general. Check out the information on the Help with Slack page for details on how to choose a username and how to use the discussion tool. You can also ask for help in #general—and if you see someone ask a question you can answer, please chime in. We will use Slack for informal discussion and real-time conversations.
5. Add a professional profile picture to your Slack account. Photos will help us all get to know one another and will personalize the discussion. Without photos, it’s just a list of names for your classmates. If you need help, check the Slack documentation on editing your profile.
6. Discuss writing in the workplace with your Writing Group in Discussions in Canvas. After reading the Why Good Writing Is Needed for Better Jobs Infographic, write a reply that explains five capabilities people in business fields or technical fields need to be successful. You should make one post by 11:59 PM on Wednesday, 8/30, then collaborate to build a group list of ten capabilities by 11:59PM on Friday, 9/1. The grace period for this activity ends at 11:59PM on Tuesday, 9/5 (you get an extra day because of the Labor Day holiday).
7. (optional) Participate in my AMA: Ask me anything on Slack. Post any questions you have about me, my background, or the course. Read whatever has been posted. Add replies or follow-up questions as desired. Please keep the conversation classroom-friendly.
8. Watch this site or Announcements in Canvas during the week for additional information about the course and the work that we will do together. There will be posts daily that give you more details..
9. By 11:59PM on Friday, September 1, write your 09/01 Labor Log in Canvas. Read more details on Labor Logs page. The grace period for your log entry ends at 11:59 PM on Tuesday, September 5 (again, you get an extra day because of the Labor Day holiday)

Image Credit: Why Good Writing Is Needed for Better Jobs from Grammarly.