Traci – English 3764 @ Virginia Tech

Dressing for Your Presentations

Traci — Wed, 04 Dec 2013 15:48:24 +0000

There's no need to dress formally for your presentations. The regular clothes you wear to class are fine. Just use common sense, and avoid anything that your be distracting or somehow undercut your credibility.

Here are 5 things not to wear:

Your Pajama Pants

Your tutu

Your Unusual Hat

Your Bacon Costume or Hulu Skirt

Anything Lady Gaga Would Wear

Oral Presentation & Recommendation Report Evaluation

Traci — Mon, 02 Dec 2013 18:43:48 +0000

I have added a document to the fourth assignment: Oral Presentation & Recommendation Report Evaluation. This document explains all the things that will go into your grade for the group project as well as the assignment for a self and group assessment writing that you need to complete by the end of the last day of classes.

Because this final assignment has many parameters and everyone's grade can be different, I didn't break the grade out into percentages. As an example, let's say the recommendation report is a B, but one member of your group was absent for half the classes and only contributed the title page. That student's grade would be different from a student who was in class every day and wrote 1/3 of the report.

Please review the document before the next class session (Wed, 12/4) and be prepared to ask any questions. Group work time is limited so I will not read the document in class. I'll just answer questions.

Logistics for the Assessment Writing
Feel free to get started on the self and group assessment writing as you have time, but you will not submit the information via Tests & Quizzes in Scholar until the last day of class (so that you will have had time to see all of the oral presentations). Just work in a word processor and copy your answers over into Scholar on that last day of class.

All In-Class Writing Graded

Traci — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 06:48:21 +0000

All in-class writing has been graded at this point, and the grades should show in the Gradebook. Take a minute to check the information. In particular, make sure that you have credit for Rough Drafts that you posted in the Forums. There is no easy way to ensure that I caught every draft.

Please check the grades and email me by Tuesday, December 3 if you notice any questions.

Final Exam Logistics

Traci — Mon, 18 Nov 2013 06:45:08 +0000

The final exam for this course will work as extra credit. I'll share more details on how it will count during the last week of class. For now, you need to know the following details:

The exam is an optional, extra credit assignment.
The exam is a take-home, online assignment due by the end of your exam period.
The exam will take you 15 to 30 minutes to complete.
The exam will open the last day of classes.

Here are the exam deadlines for both classes:

Final Exams:
CRN #97848 (11:15 MWF section): Due by 12:05 PM on Monday, December 16, 2013
CRN # 93093 (2:30 MW section): Due by 6:25 PM on Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Elements of a Typical Report

Traci — Mon, 18 Nov 2013 06:44:04 +0000

Table 13.1 from Markel, p. 320

At a minimum, your group's report should include the items in boldface.

Section of the report	Purposes of the section	Typical elements in the section
Front matter	to orient the reader to the subject to provide summaries for technical and managerial readers to help readers navigate the report to help readers decide whether to read the document	letter of transmittal (p. 323) cover (p. 323) title page (p. 323) abstract (p. 323) table of contents (p. 324) list of illustrations (p. 325) executive summary (p. 326)
Body	to provide the most comprehensive account of the project, from the problem or opportunity that motivated it, to the methods and the most important findings	introduction (p. 320) methods (p. 321) results (p. 321) conclusions (p. 322) recommendations (p. 322)
Back matter	to present supplementary information, such as more-detailed explanations than are provided in the body to enable readers to consult the secondary sources the writers used	glossary (p. 328) list of symbols (p. 328) references (p. 330) appendixes (p. 330)

Slideshow Presentation Tips

Traci — Thu, 14 Nov 2013 06:43:07 +0000

Take a quick read of 8 Tips to Power-Up Your Classroom Presentations for some simple ideas to help with your slideshow. The article is pitched to teachers, but you can easily apply the ideas to your work too.

Designing Web Sites and Pages Checklist

Traci — Wed, 13 Nov 2013 06:42:06 +0000

These are the starting analysis questions you can begin with as you create the checklist for your section of the DSA website. You’ll need to rephrase them, because they’re written from the perspective of someone making a site. You’ll probably end up adding some questions of your own as well.

Designing Web Sites and Pages

Did you

create informative headers and footers? (p. 169)
help readers navigate the site by including a site map, a table of contents, back-to-top links, and textual navigation buttons? (p. 170)
include extra features your readers might need, such as an FAQ, a search page or engine, resource links, a printable version of your site, or a text-only version? (p. 170)
help readers connect with others through links to interactive portions of your site and to social-media sites? (p. 172)
design for readers with vision, hearing, or mobility impairment? (p. 172)
design for multicultural audiences? (p. 173)
aim for simplicity in Web page design by using conservative color combinations and by avoiding decorative graphics? (p. 174)
make the text easy to read and understand by keeping it short, chunking information, and writing simply? (p. 174)
create clear, informative links? (p. 174)

From page 175 of Markel

Possible Audiences for DSA Websites

Traci — Wed, 13 Nov 2013 06:41:26 +0000

There may be other audiences, but these are the most likely options:

Students
Prospective Students
Alumni
Families of Students
Faculty & Staff
General Public

Tentative Presentation Dates

Traci — Wed, 13 Nov 2013 06:40:19 +0000

As you're planning your schedule for your group's project, you need to know tentatively when the presentations will be due in class. Here is the plan;

11:15 MWF class: Presentations will be Dec 6, Dec 9, and Dec 11.
2:30 MW class: Presentations will probably be Dec 9 and 11 only.

You'll be able to sign up for your presentation slot in class on Monday 11/18.

#4: Oral Presentation Project

Traci — Mon, 11 Nov 2013 06:39:04 +0000

The fourth assignment for the course is posted under the Assignments tab in Scholar, or under the Assignments menu above. Please be sure to read the entire assignment so that you are aware of all the documents your group needs to produce as well as the details on how the assignment will be evaluated.

Be sure that you review the details on the importance of being in class and working on the project from this point on in the term. If you are not in class, you cannot contribute to your group's work.

I'll answer any questions about the assignment in class on Wednesday, 11/13. Remember that from this point on in in the term, your group sets the schedule for what you work on in class. The remaining sessions in the course (from 11/11 to 12/6) will be in-class work sessions. The final week of classes will be dedicated to the oral presentations.