Grades on the Proposal Memo

Grade Distribution Bar Chart I have graded all of the Proposal Memo projects (aka The Correspondence Project). The average for the course was 427 points out of the available 500 points, which is approximately an 85 or a B on the standard VT grade scale.

How to See Comments on Your Draft

If you did not receive full credit for your Final, Finished Draft (that is, 500 points), you will find comment(s) on your submission that tells you why points were deducted.

Use this documentation from Canvas for help finding the notes on your drafts:

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 were most often incorrectly focused. Rather than proposing a kind of writing to examine in the Recommendation Report assignment, these projects proposed writing some other document. They were off-focus for the assignment. See the Question #5 on the Project FAQs & Tips page. Here’s an example:
- INCORRECT: Proposing to create instructional videos to accompany gaming software.
- CORRECT: Proposing to examine how instructional videos are written in order to recommend the best strategies for creating videos to accompany gaming software.
If your proposal memo was off-topic, be sure that you choose an appropriate topic for your Recommendation Report.
Use memo format correctly. Memos should have four specific headings (To:, From:, Subject:, and Date:). They do not have a title, an opening greeting (like “Dear Traci”), or a closing signature. Check the format in Chapter 14 of the textbook and in the #TuesdayTutorial: Characteristics of Memos.
Use a a specific subject line for the memo. The subject line of a memo should accurately reflect the purpose and content of the document. See the details in the Check for a Strong Subject Line and Information-Rich Headings and in Chapter 14 of the textbook (pages 377–378).
Use document design to help readers navigate your memo. Use the tips in the #FridayFact: Information-Rich Signposts Help Readers Discussion Post. You can also consult the resources in the Proposal Memo: Check for Professional Design Discussion.
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.
Help from the 360 Digital Studio: Anyone in the course can also visit the 360 Digital Studio Links to an external site. in Shanks 360 Links to an external site. for help with any assignment in this course. Find more details on the 360 Digital Studio Links to an external site. in the Course Manual.

Questions about Your Grade

If I made a mistake
Send me a message in Canvas with the details. I’ll fix it.
If there were problems with the content or design of your Proposal Memo
You cannot resubmit your work for a different grade. You can, however, earn additional points on other course activities to improve your grade in the course. Use the Points Totals by Week page to see how many points you should have each week in order to stay on track for the grade you have set as your goal in the course.
If you proposed an unacceptable topic for the Recommendation Report
Be sure that you choose an appropriate topic for your Recommendation Report by 11:59 PM on March 8, 2019. You can send me a message in Canvas that states your new topic and asks me to let you know if it is appropriate. You do not need to write a new proposal memo or revise the old one.
If you did not submit your work at all
It is too late. You will no longer be able to earn a B or better in the course. See the information on “Required Element for All Major Writing Projects Links to an external site.” for details.
If something else is going on
Send me a message in Canvas with the details. I’ll see what I can do to help you.