• Time Required
• 8–10 hours, including reading time

 

Welcome to Week Thirteen of the course. This week you will continue work on your Recommendation Report. You will finish any work remaining on the body of your report and move on to the front and back matter.

 Transcript of Front Matter Image

Flowchart showing the items in the report’s front matter:

1. Letter of Transmittal: Introduce the primary readers to the purpose and content.
2. Title Page: List the title, author, and date as well as the recipient.
3. Abstract: Provide a brief technical summary for readers familiar with the topic.
4. Table of Contents: List headings and sub-headings with page numbers or links.
5. Executive Summary: Summarize the background, findings, and implications for management.

 Transcript of Back Matter Image

Flowchart showing the items in the report’s front matter:

1. References. List all of the sources for your report, using the style preferred by your field.
2. Appendixes. Provide any supplemental information that is too bulky to include in the body of the report.

If you work diligently, you should have a full draft of your report by the end of the week. After Break, you will complete your draft. The Grace Period for all open work in the course closes at 11:59 PM on Friday, December 6.

🦃 Thanksgiving Break 🦃

Thanksgiving Break is Saturday, November 23 through Sunday, December 1. I’ll check email for emergencies during break, but otherwise, I will reply to your messages on Monday, December 2.

Holidays & Events This Week

• Native American Heritage Month lasts for the entire month of November
• Guru Tegh Bahadur’s Martyrdom Day, a Sikh holy day , is observed on Sunday, November 24.
• Day of the Covenant, a Bahá’í holiday that celebrates the appointment of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as the Center of Baha’u’llah’s Covenant. It takes place on Monday, November 25.

If you observe these holidays or events and need me to adjust your due dates, send me a message in Canvas.

 

Objectives for this Module

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

• Identify and define a problem or subject related to your particular field (or another specific problem according to your assignment’s directions) and assemble and analyze research related to this problem. [CLO 1]
• Analyze the context of this problem or subject and determine appropriate audiences for the unit’s deliverables. [CLO 2]
• Practice workplace genres associated with a team-based research project: a research proposal, meeting minutes, a progress report, a recommendation report or an informational report for non-expert readers, a slide deck presentation of the report, and a video presentation. [CLO 3]
• Practice team and collaborative work in all phases of project management. [CLO 4]
• Design strategies for evaluating the overall effectiveness of the suggested approaches to the researched problem. [CLO 5]
• Illustrate the ethical and human implications of the solutions proposed for solving the problem. [CLO 6]

Activities to Complete

📚 To Read This Week

• Weeks 12–14 Open Textbook Readings
• Recommendation Report Criteria
• Documentation and Citations for Your Projects

📝 To Do This Week

• Develop the front matter for your Recommendation Report, using these resources:
  • Writing Your Letter of Transmittal
  • Writing Your Title Page
  • Writing Your Abstract
  • Creating Your Table of Contents
  • Writing Your Executive Summary
• Develop the back matter for your Recommendation Report, using these resources:
  • Writing Your References
  • Writing Your Appendixes
• Try out strategies from the course by submitting these activities:
  • Try-It #25: Checking for Common Report Errors
  • Try-It #26: Use of Images Review

💬 To Ask Questions (Optional)

• Optional ways to discuss class issues:
  • Post public questions in the General Q&A Discussion in Canvas if it can be shared with the class.
    
  • If you have a private question, send me a message with the Canvas Inbox.
  • Ask a question or make a suggestion anonymously with the Anonymous Questions & Suggestions form.

 

📓 To Check-In This Week

• Fill out the Week 13 Check-In Survey to let me know how you are doing in the course.