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.