• Time Required
• 7–8 hours, including reading time

This week, we finish up the bulk of our work on secondary and primary research for the recommendation report. After this module, you should have all the resources you need (more or less), your finished Research Description, and your finished Instructions.

Connections to the Recommendation Report

The primary and secondary research you conduct will support your report in these ways:

• The research will be used throughout your report, as appropriate to explain and support your recommendation.
• The research description will become a graphic organizer for the Methods section of your report.
• The instructions will be described in the Methods section of your Recommendation Report.
• The instructions will be included as an Appendix in your Recommendation Report.

 

What You Will Learn & Practice

• How to analyze your audience and purpose so that you can choose supporting material that is convincing to your readers and decide the best way to present information clearly and effectively. [CLO 1]
• How to find and evaluate ethical evidence in secondary sources, such as books, articles, podcasts, and videos, and through primary research, such as observation, inspection, experiment, and interview, that supports your position, that supports your position. [CLOs 2 & 3]
• How to write documents you may encounter in the workplace, such as letters, memos, instructions, proposals, reports, and presentations. [CLO 4]
• Collaborate with classmates in planning, researching, writing, revising, and presenting information. [CLO 5]
• How to use colors, layout, and formatting that make your documents understandable and easy to read and how to take advantage of design principles, including contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity, to communicate your ideas effectively. [CLO 6]

 

Activities to Complete

📚 To Read This Week

• Markel & Selber, Chapter 20, “Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions,” pp. 555–575
• Markel & Selber, Chapter 20, “Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions,” pp. 569–587
• Research Description Criteria
• Instructions Project Criteria
• Additional Resources from Module 4 and 5, as Needed

📝 To Write This Week

• Assess your Research Description with the Research Description Self-Check to see your progress.
• Add a draft letter and submit your Research Description Best Draft.
• Assess yourself with the Instructions Self-Check to see your progress.
• Add a draft letter and submit your Instructions Best Draft.

💬 To Discuss This Week

1. Post any questions you have about the course projects below (optional). You can also check these Discussions for answers.
   1. Questions about the Research Description
   2. Questions about the Instructions
   3. Questions about the Recommendation Report
2. Complete your participation in the Feedback Discussions from last week:

   Instructions Feedback Discussion

   • Feedback is due in the Instructions Feedback Discussion by 11:59 PM on Wednesday, September 29.

   Second-Chance Feedback Discussion

   • If you needed more time to write your Instructions draft, follow the directions in the Second-Chance Instructions Feedback Discussion.
   • After peer review partners are assigned (Thursday, September 30), read drafts from your classmates and offer feedback on how to revise. Feedback is due by 11:59 PM on Monday, October 4.

📓 To Track This Week

• Track and reflect on the work you have done for the week in your Work Log for the Week of 09/27, reviewing the Weekly Work Log Guidelines if needed.

 

 

Photo credit: Research process by Raul Pacheco-Vega on Flickr, used under a CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0 license.