Assignment Guidelines

Assignment Guidelines
The course work will consist of reading assignments, in-class individual and team activities, some out-of-class activities, a number of writing assignments, and a collaborative research project. The due dates for the reading and writing assignments are listed in the “Calendar of Assignments,” above.

Reading Assignments
Carefully read the assigned readings (entries in the Handbook of Technical Writing and articles in Strategies for Business and Technical Writing) on time so that you can discuss and analyze the material in class, participate in activities, and be prepared for periodic quizzes.

Writing Assignments
A minimum of 6,000 words of original graded writing is required of students in all UWP 104 and 102 classes. To pass the course, you must submit all graded assignments, including the final exam. Please note that the 6,000-word requirement can be met only if you submit original work.

All of your writing assignments will require you to bring a polished draft to class for a grade or for “editorial review” on the days indicated in the “Calendar of Assignments.” You will also be required to submit electronic copies of a number of assignments to SmartSite (via the Assignments tool) for class discussion. All electronic assignments must be submitted as “.doc” or “.rtf” files; this means that you need to create your documents in either Microsoft Word or OpenOffice.org. Your peers and I may not be able to open or respond to your work if you submit it as another file type.

On “editorial review” days, editing partners will read and critique your draft and complete an “Editorial Response” that you will need to turn in for credit (participation points) with the final draft you submit for a grade. Collaborative assignments will not include an “editorial review”; however, they will require you and your team members to exchange ideas and edit document drafts via SmartSite (or some other transparent means). You will be asked to show evidence of your collaborative editing process.

Though specific formats will be determined for each document depending on its purpose and the audience for which it is intended, hard copy final versions must be typed and double spaced, and appropriate visual cues (e.g., headings, bulleted lists, hanging indents) should be used.

You will have the option of revising two already-graded writing assignments (with the exception of collaborative assignments) for the possibility of gaining a higher grade. Revisions will be due one week after the original piece of graded work has been returned to you. To submit a revised document for grading, you will need to include the following: (1) a memo addressed to me describing the changes you have made to the original document and why, (2) the revised document, and (3) the original piece of graded writing. To receive a significantly higher grade on the revised document, you will need to make significant improvements to the original version. The improved recorded grade will be the average of your first and revised final drafts.

File Naming Convention
During the quarter, you will be submitting a number of assignments to SmartSite (via the Assignments tool). To help me manage submitted files (remember, there are 25 of you, and one of me) and to help you keep track of completed assignments, please use the following file naming convention:

• Yourlastname_assignmenttitle_draftstatus

For example, if your last name is Li, name your persuasive letter draft thus: li_persuasiveletter_draft.doc. Not following this file naming approach will result in a reduced participation grade.