GEB 3214/4930
Writing and Speaking in Business
Online Summer 2007
Assignments
GEB3213/4930 Syllabus
Summer 2007
GEB3213/4930 Assignments
Summer 2007
GEB3213/4930 Deadlines
Summer 2007
GEB3213/4930 Schedule
Summer 2007
GEB3213/4930 Gradebook
Summer 2007
Assignments, Learning Objectives and Evaluation Criteria
Schedule and Deadlines. The daily assignment schedule, along with assignment deadlines, may be viewed on our course webpage or through Vista. The Vista web address is http://lss.at.ufl.edu. You must have a student login and password to access this site. However, for this section of the course, please use this webpage as your definitive source for class information. If you have any questions, please email me at cmartin@english.ulf.edu with GEB4930 or GEB3214 in the subject line.
Turning in Assignments: Please submit all assignments via email to cmartin@english.ufl.edu as a .doc or .rft attachment. Please submit assignments via email instead of the Vista submission.
Quizzes. To ensure students complete reading assignments, students will complete weekly quizzes during the semester, drawn from course readings, video lectures, and activities, and will also take a mid-term and end-of-semester quiz online. Quizzes open at the beginning of the week and close at the end of the week.
Written Assignments. Instructors evaluate all written assignments according to the learning objectives for each assignment.
Please note: all assignments should be submitted in the required format.
Please note: you will not turn any "Activities" in for a grade.GEB 3214 – ASSIGNMENTS
ASSIGNMENT 1 – Resume, cover letter: 2 pages (100)
ASSIGNMENT 2 – Informative/Positive news memo: 1 page (100)
ASSIGNMENT 3 – Improving a financial aid form: 1 page (25)
ASSIGNMENT 4 – Negative message: 1 page (100)
ASSIGNMENT 5 – Persuasive message: 2 pages (100)
ASSIGNMENT 6a – Report Proposal: 1 page (50)
ASSIGNMENT 6b – Report: 6-8 pages (200)
ASSIGNMENT 6c – Report Progress Report: 1 page (25)
ASSIGNMENT 6d – PowerPoints (100)
QUIZZES – Ten weekly quizzes, and final (150)
DISCUSSION BOARDS — 1200 words (200)
Diagnostic memo — Pre and post-course: 1 pageTOTAL POINTS – 1150
GRADING SCALEPERCENT, POINTS, GRADE
90-100, 1035-1150, A
87-89, 1001-1034, B+
80-86, 920-1000, B
77-79, 886-919, C+
70-76, 805-885, C
67-69, 771-804, D+
60-66, 690-770, D
Below 60%, Below 690, E
ASSIGNMENT 1 – Resume, cover letter (700 words)
Worth: 100 pointsFor this assignment, you will need to locate a job opening in your field and compose a resume and cover letter tailored for the job you select. Both the resume and cover letter should conform to format, design, and standards discussed in lectures, class discussions, and textbook/handouts. You will need to turn in the job opening description (the ad) along with your cover letter.
Job opening
Find job openings in newspaper classified sections, trade/business journals, or at the Career Resource Center. You may also search for openings online at http://www.quintcareers.com/career_centers/ or at http://www.monster.comThe job you select should be appropriate for your major/major field and should be both professional and degree-appropriate or an internship that you are actually thinking about applying for. You should avoid applying for job that only require a high school diploma or job openings for wait staff, golf caddy, or summer camp counselor. You should also avoid applying for a job that you are not qualified for. Select the job classified carefully because you will be targeting your resume to this particular job.
Resume
Following guidelines discussed in Locker and in the course lectures, create a resume, targeting a specific job. Be sure to include the job description or ad in your Word file or as a separate document.Cover letter
Following the principles covered in both Locker and the course lectures, create a cover letter, targeting the same position you used for your resume. The cover letter must match the job opening and should be a letter tailored to the job and the company—not a form letter. You should also conduct research into the company or business to which you’re applying. Be sure to follow both lecture and Locker Chapter 18 guidelines for creating and completing your cover letter.Resume Rubric
-A resume/cover letter will be dropped one letter grade for one typo or spelling error. After three typos or spelling errors the resume/cover letter will receive a failing grade.
-A resume will be dropped half a letter grade for every consistency mistake.
Learning Objectives:
By the completion of this assignment, you should master how to
- use standard resume and cover letter formatting;
- integrate work, volunteer experience, and extracurricular activities
into a
coherent framework;
- tailor specific details of experience to a particular job description;
- convey efficiently and clearly achievements on the job and potential
benefits
your experience can offer a prospective employer;
- formulate a cover letter that makes a persuasive argument for the
relevance of
particular elements of your experience to a specific job;
- compose a cover letter that clearly addresses the concerns, expectations,
- background of a specific audience;
- use “you”-attitude to address what benefits you offer the
company;
- write a clear, effective cover letter that uses your resume as a jumping-off
point for a convincing argument about your qualifications for a specific
job.
Grading Criteria:
This assignment should
- use standard business format for both resume and cover letter;
- use action-oriented verbs that describe actions, not responsibilities;
- adequately convey the scope of the writer’s experience as relevant
to the job;
- differentiate cover letter from resume;
- represent a strong fit for the job description;
- demonstrate careful revision, editing, and proofreading.
ASSIGNMENT 2 – Informative/Positive news memo (350 words)
Worth: 100 pointsComplete either Exercise 7.17 or 7.19 (Locker, pp. 177-178), following guidelines for both clear writing, as covered in "Writing CPR"'s Chapter 2 and in Locker, Chapter 7. Your memo should be a minimum of one page, two pages maximum.
Rubric: Check list on page 168.
Learning Objectives:
By the completion of this assignment, you should master how to
- employ standard business memo format and protocols;
- use “you”-orientation that foregrounds user benefits;
- write clear, jargon-free sentences that display action and avoid excessive
wordiness;
- use the optimal structure for conveying information or good news;
- recognize the differences between active and passive construction
and use
passive construction only rarely;
- choose the appropriate nouns and verbs, as well as sentence structure,
to make
your writing clear.
Grading Criteria:
This assignment should
- foreground and summarize information most relevant to readers;
- follow Locker’s structure for presenting informational and positive
messages;
- display a forthright “you”-attitude in addressing audience
interests;
- avoid entirely or only rarely use passive construction;
- rely on action-orientated verbs and concrete nouns for clearly written
sentences;
- use standard business memo format;
- show evidence of close revision, editing, and proofreading.
ASSIGNMENT 3 – Improving a financial aid form (350 words)
Worth: 50 pointsComplete Exercise 6.12 (Locker, pp. 146-7), following the guidelines for designing documents covered in Locker, Chapter 6. Be sure to think about both the information the Financial Aid Office seeks--and the uses to which it will be put--and about the way applicants will need to interact with this form.
Learning Objectives:
By the completion of this assignment, you should master
- the elements of good document design, including the placement of important
elements and uses of font, color, and other design elements;
- how to convey data and relationships by appropriately using the correct
visual
elements (maps, bar charts, pie charts, graphs, and tables);
- how to design a clear, effective, and user-friendly form that elicits
correct and
useful information from its audience.
Grading Criteria:
This assignment should
- use well-chosen design elements to elicit correct information from
its audience;
- be clear, efficient, and easy to use;
- provide adequate space for all audience feedback;
- provide clear and appropriate instructions to audience.
ASSIGNMENT 4 – Negative message (350 words)
Worth: 100 pointsChoose from Exercises 8.6, 8.7, or 8.10 (pp. 206-208) and write a negative new memo, taking care to handle negative news according to the principles covered in the video lectures and in Locker, Chapter 8. You should also ensure that your writing adheres to both clarity and continuity principles covered both in lecture and in Writing CPR.
Learning Objectives:
By the completion of this assignment, you should master
- how to present negative information in a way that minimizes resistance;
- how to use a buffer, rationale, alternatives, and the correct tone
for negative
messages;
- how to make your sentences hang together by using sequencing, transitions, and common subjects.
Grading Criteria:
This assignment should, in addition to the criteria for the preceding assignments, also include
- appropriate use of subject lines for negative news memos;
- correct use of a buffer;
- optimal placement of negative news;
- provision of both a rationale and alternatives or choices open to
readers;
- appropriate “you”-attitude;
- appropriate tone and awareness of audience;
- writing that adheres to principles for both clarity and continuity;
- correct usage, grammar, and punctuation;
- close proofreading and editing.
ASSIGNMENT 5 – Persuasive message (700 words)
Worth: 100 pointsChoose one of the persuasive memo assignments from Exercises 9.21, 9.22, 9.25, or 9.26 (Locker, pp. 249-251). Be sure to follow the principles for handling persuasive writing covered in both lectures and Locker, Chapter 9. You should also ensure that your writing adheres to the clarity, continuity, and concision principles covered in lectures and in Writing CPR.
Learning Objectives:
By the completion of this assignment, you should master
- the various structures for presenting information (comparison/contrast,
pro/con, problem-solving, etc.);
- the distinction between causation and correlation in analyzing information;
- how to craft logical arguments;
- how to link claims to evidence;
- the appropriate patterns and uses for persuasive messages (direct-request,
problem-solving);
- the use of directed-subject lines in memos making a request;
- how to create persuasive memos suitable for a specific audience and
purpose;
- how to organize memos and paragraphs using coherence principles.
Grading Criteria:
This assignment should, in addition to the general criteria for the preceding assignments (standard business formatting, correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar, evidence of proofreading and editing), also include• an appropriate, efficient subject line
• appropriate direct-request or problem-solving framework for persuasive
message;
• “you”-attitude that addresses readers’ interests and concerns;
• logical argument, based on claims and evidence;
• relevant information and evidence adequate to support claims;
• appropriate tone;
• correct use of clarity, continuity, coherence, and concision principles;
• appropriate tone for audience and subject matter;
• a persuasive argument that overcomes any reservations or objections readers
might initially entertain.
ASSIGNMENT 6 – Team report
Worth: 375 points total
Components of Assignment 6:
6a: Proposal memo – 50 points (350 words)
6b: Progress report – 25 points (350 words)
6c: Report – 200 points (2100 words)
6d: PowerPoint – 100 pointsProposal: Choose one of the report assignments from Exercises 14.6 (choose from 1-7), 14.9.2, 14.9.4 or 14.9.6 (pp. 437-440). Write a Project Proposal memo, following the guidelines discussed in Lecture 10.3 and in Locker's Chapter 13 on pp. 355-6. Be sure your writing adheres to clarity, continuity, concision, and coherence principles as discussed in video lectures and in Writing CPR.
Progress: Complete a 1 page progress report, detailing the work you've already done on your Business Report Project, the work remaining to be completed, and the challenges you foresee prior to its completion. Follow the guidelines discussed in Lecture 12.3 and in Locker on pp. 362-365. Be sure that your writing also adheres to all 4Cs: clarity, continuity, coherence, and concision.
Report: Write a 5-6 pp. report on the topic you chose for the Project Proposal memo, following the guidelines mentioned in Lecture 11.2, and the Locker principles covered in chapters 13 and 14. Be sure that your writing adheres to all the Writing CPR principles: clarity, coherence, continuity, and concision. If necessary, review the relevant lectures and Writing CPR chapters prior to submitting your work.
Learning Objectives and basis for grading criteria for 6a and 6b:
By the completion of this assignment, you should master
- how to write a clear proposal that argues for the need for the study,
its
objectives, methods, and anticipated outcomes;
- creating progress reports that emphasis the value to the client of
what has already been accomplished, rather than the actual effort involved;
- “you” attitude that addresses readers’ interests and
concerns;
- logical argument, based on claims and evidence;
- relevant information and evidence adequate to support claims;
- appropriate tone;
- correct use of clarity, continuity, coherence, and concision principles;
- appropriate tone for audience and subject matter;
- a persuasive argument that overcomes any reservations or objections readers might initially entertain.
Learning Objectives for 6c:
By the completion of this assignment, you should master
- how to organize a long business report, using persuasive argument,
visuals,
and data;
- use of headings and subheadings to guide readers;
- how to present arguments that clearly reflect or anticipate audience
concerns,
- interests, objections, and reservations to a proposal;
- how to write a clear, efficient, and effective executive summary;
- how to research, incorporate, and document relevant information in reports.
Grading Criteria for 6c:
This assignment should, in addition to the general criteria for the preceding assignments (standard business formatting, correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar, evidence of proofreading and editing), also include
- standard contents for long reports: cover, table of contents, executive
summary, introduction, body, conclusion, recommendations, references,
appendices);
- effective use of logic, persuasion, claims, and evidence;
- effective use of all 4C’s;
- clear, effective headings and subheadings;
- visuals and references to clarify and document sources;
- correct use of formatting for report, summary, headings, and references;
- comprehensive coverage of all aspects of report relevant to its audience.
Learning Objectives for 6d – PowerPoint presentation
By the completion of this assignment, you should master
- adapting messages to specific audiences;
- handling the presentation of graphic information;
- organizing and efficiently delivering the central points of your report;
- anticipating, answering, and overcoming audience objections;
- using PowerPoint or other visuals to enhance or clarify points.
Grading Criteria:
This assignment should include
- PowerPoint or other visuals to clearly convey main points;
- construction of PowerPoint visuals and overall presentation according
to
criteria included in semester’s oral communication lectures;
- use of language, evidence, and visuals appropriate to audience.