Time Required
5–6 hours, including reading time

Cutaway technical description of the Boeing 747-8 International Airplane This week we shift to the technical description assignment. Technical description is frequently paired with instructions and user manuals to tell readers background details on what they are supposed to do. You will also find technical description in white papers and reports, where they tell the reader about the related topics. For instance, a white paper or report on recycling normally includes details on what kind of recycling is involved by defining and describing it fully.

The technical description you compose will ultimately become part of your recommendation report, so you are ultimately working on two projects this week.

Optional Activities for Those Working Toward a Grade Higher than a B

The optional writing activities are available now. You have until April 30 to complete work on them to earn additional points.

For optional reading activities, check the “Canvas Announcements & Course Advice” on the Course Home. The posts show up in the Twitter feed for @HokieTengrrl, which you will find on the course home in Canvas. If you read them and watch the related videos, be sure to note the time in your Weekly Work Log. Also complete the self-assessment for optional readings from March 1 to 19.

Objectives for this Week

By completing this week’s activities, you address the following course objectives:

Analyze the rhetorical situation and determine the appropriate audience or users of written communication, considering the needs of global audiences and people with disabilities. [CLO 1]
Conduct research appropriate to workplace problem solving, such as literature review, evaluation of online resources, interview, and site inspection. [CLO 2]
Interpret research findings with understanding of ethical and human implications. [CLO 3]
Use conventions of various workplace genres, such as proposals, instructions, correspondence, reports, and slide decks, with understanding of how the genre conventions can be used as heuristics and as principles of arrangement. [CLO 4]
Collaborate with classmates in planning, researching, writing, revising, and presenting information. [CLO 5]
Apply principles of effective visual design for print and electronic presentation, including hierarchical, chronological, and spatial arrangements. [CLO 6]
Identify and apply the principles of effective style in the composing of usable, reader-centered written communications. [CLO 7]

Activities for this Week

Available Points: 50

Due Dates:

- Friday, March 19 at 11:59 PM: All activities due.
- Friday, March 26 at 11:59 PM: Grace period ends for all work.

🛌Spring Break Day, Wednesday, March 17 🍀 Happy St. Patrick’s Day 🍀

Take a break from this class this week. The work is light to be sure you can take some time off.
Because of the short work week, you will earn only 50 points, rather than the typical 60 points.
Dates are different as well:
- The university has asked not to have work due in the day after a Spring Break Day, but the work in this course is always due on Fridays.
- To lighten your load, the grace period for this week’s work is extended to Friday, March 26. Note however that you will have the work for Week 10 to do next week as well.
I will take Wednesday off as well. Look for responses to any email or Canvas messages that you send me Thursday afternoon or evening.

📚 To Read This Week

From Markel & Selber, Chapter 20: “Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions,” pp. 535–555, on “Writing Descriptions”
From Chapter 17 of Markel and Selber, “Writing Informational Reports,” pages 454–464, on “Writing Progress and Status Reports”
Optional Activities Overview (updated this week)
Optional Writing Activities Instructions

📝 To Write This Week

Complete the Technical Description Topic to tell me about your decisions for the project.
Write a Research Progress Report to tell me how much of the research you have done for your Recommendation Report and outline you plan for completing your data gathering.

💬 To Discuss This Week

No Discussing work since we have a Spring Break day.

📓 To Track This Week

Track and reflect on the work you have done for the week in your Work Log for the Week of 03/15, reviewing the Weekly Work Log Guidelines as needed.
Complete the Week of 03/15 Self-Assessment to claim the points for the work you have done this week. You have an unlimited number of times to complete the self-assessment. Your points will be recorded automatically when you submit your quiz.
Complete the Self-Assessment of Optional Reading Activities from March 1–19 to claim points for your optional reading.

Photo credit: Boeing 747-8 cutaway by manhhai on Flickr, used under a CC-BY-SA 2.0 license.