Module Overview for Weeks of July 22 and July 29: Recommendation Report

Overview

As burgeoning professionals, you will more than likely have to make recommendations intended to solve problems and/or help make decisions at some point during your careers. Recommendation reports are, therefore, an invaluable part of the problem-solving and decision-making process.

The readings from the textbook and the examples provided will provide you with the material needed to (a) identify, define, and research a problem or opportunity and (b) learn how to compose a recommendation report.

At the end of this module, you will understand more about the kinds of problems and decisions that recommendation reports are intended to address. 

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Objectives for this Module

After completing this module, you will be able to

• Identify and define a problem related to the field of technical writing (or another specific problem according to your assignment’s directions) and review research articles related to this problem. (CLO 2)
• Generalize approaches to the problem from the literature and draw conclusions about the effectiveness and usefulness of those approaches. (CLO 3)
• Choose the most appropriate approach(es) for addressing the problem researched. (CLO 1)
• Produce a recommendation report that details the problem, evidence for solving the problem, and a specific recommendation for solving the problem. This includes describing how to implement the proposed solution. (CLO 4, 6)

Note that you can find the full text of the Course Learning Objectives on the Syllabus.

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Readings for the Weeks of July 22 & July 29

Please complete all readings before beginning the quizzes for this module. This material introduces concepts you will need to successfully apply the objectives stated above.

1. Markel & Selber, Ch. 6: “Researching Your Subject”
2. Markel & Selber, Ch. 7: “Organizing Your Information”
3. Markel & Selber, Ch. 17: “Writing Informational Reports”
4. Markel & Selber, Ch. 18: “Writing Recommendation Reports”
5. Markel & Selber, Appendix Part A: Skimming Your Sources and Taking Notes
6. Markel & Selber, Appendix Part B: Documenting Your Sources
   1. Why Use Documentation? (extra summary of information from the appendix)
   2. What Do I Need to Document? (extra summary of information from the appendix)
7. Daily Discussion Posts (DDPs) for the Week of July 22
   • #WeekendWatch: Making a Recommendation (available 07/20)
   • #WeekendWatch: Genre Analysis Process (available 07/21)
   • #TuesdayTutorial: Search Terms and Methods (available 07/23)
   • #WednesdayWrite: Citing Your Sources (available 07/24)
   • #ThursdayThought: Four Ways to Use Research in Your Writing (available 07/25)
   • #FridayFact: Informative Headings Help Readers (available 07/26)
8. Daily Discussion Posts (DDPs) for the Week of July 29
   • #WeekendWatch: Your Report’s Front and Back Matter (available 07/27)
   • #TuesdayTutorial: Adding Images to Your Text (available 07/30)
   • #WednesdayWrite: Examine the Structure of a Report (available 07/31)
   • #ThursdayThought: Ethical Use of Text, Images, and Other Media (available 08/01)
   • #FridayFact: Chunking Your Paragraphs Makes Them More Readable (available 08/02)

Activities for the Weeks of July 22 & July 29

Daily Discussion Posts Activities
(~3 hours—11 posts @ ~15 minutes each plus 2 self-assessments @ ~10 minutes each)

• For the week of July 22
  Contribute to any or all of the following Daily Discussion Posts (DDPs) in Canvas:
  • • #WeekendWatch: Making a Recommendation (available 07/20)
    • #WeekendWatch: Genre Analysis Process (available 07/21)
    • #TuesdayTutorial: Search Terms and Methods (available 07/23)
    • #WednesdayWrite: Citing Your Sources (available 07/24)
    • #ThursdayThought: Four Ways to Use Research in Your Writing (available 07/25)
    • #FridayFact: Informative Headings Help Readers (available 07/26)
  • Complete the DDP Self-Assessment for the Week of July 22 to report the work you did and record your score (114 points). Be sure to read the self-assessment at the beginning of the week so that you understand the expectations.
• For the week of July 22
  Contribute to any or all of the following Daily Discussion Posts (DDPs) in Canvas:
  • • #WeekendWatch: Your Report’s Front and Back Matter (available 07/27)
    • #TuesdayTutorial: Adding Images to Your Text (available 07/30)
    • #WednesdayWrite: Examine the Structure of a Report (available 07/31)
    • #ThursdayThought: Ethical Use of Text, Images, and Other Media (available 08/01)
    • #FridayFact: Chunking Your Paragraphs Makes Them More Readable (available 08/02)
  • Complete the DDP Self-Assessment for the Week of July 29 to report the work you did and record your score (100 points). Be sure to read the self-assessment at the beginning of the week so that you understand the expectations.

Writing Activities
(~20 to 30 hours, including time to research and write)

• Complete the any or all of the following Major Writing Project activities (2550 points total).
  • Research Activities
    • Complete an Audience Profile Sheet (200 points)
    • Identifying Useful Research Tools (50 points)
    • Making a Preliminary Research Plan (50 points)
    • Creating a GANTT Chart (50 points)
    • Checking for Variety in Research Sources (50 points)
  • Composing Work
    • Outline Your Project (200 points)
    • Identify Three Examples for Your Appendix (50 points)
    • Submit a Progress Report (if submitted by July 26, 200 points. 100 to 150 points otherwise. See details in the activity.)
    • Complete a Genre Analysis Form (200 points)
    • Create an Illustration or Graphic for your Report (50 points)
    • Submit Your Rough Draft (400 points)
  • Revising and Editing Checks
    • Check for Concise Phrasing (50 points)
    • Check Your Use of Visuals (50 points)
    • Check for Professional Design  (50 points)
    • Check for Citations and Documentation (50 points)
    • Check for Content Completion (50 points)
    • Submit Your Final, Finished Draft (800 points)

• Complete the Writing Activities Self-Assessment for the Weeks of July 22 & July 29 to report the work you did (other than your Progress Report, Rough Draft, and Final Finished Draft) and record your score. I will grade your Progress Report, Rough Draft, and Final Finished Draft, according to the expectations listed in the assignments.

Other Activities
(1 hour—4 quizzes @ ~20 minutes each, excluding reading time)

• Complete the Readings Quizzes.
  
  • These quizzes cover the readings shown above and are designed to assess your familiarity with concepts you will need to know to produce deliverables for this module. These quizzes are the following:
    • 6 Markel, Researching Your Subject (100 points)
    • 7 Markel, Organizing Your Information (100 points)
    • 17 Markel, Writing Informational Reports (100 points)
    • 18 Markel, Writing Recommendation Reports (100 points)
• Ask any questions about the course in the General Q&A Discussion (0 points) in Canvas.
  • Check the General Q&A Discussion for answers before posting.
  • Asking a question is not required. Use the Inbox tool in Canvas for questions about grades or personal information that should not be shared with the class.

 

 

Photo credit: Photo credit: All She’s Armed With Is Research. by Markus Binzegger on Flickr Links to an external site., used under a CC-BY 2.0 license.