An early step in the writing process (and most professional/technical projects) is developing a plan that captures your ideas, and it is common for stakeholders to request progress reports on the work. Project plans and progress reports promote transparency, accountability, and informed decision-making, ultimately leading to successful project outcomes. I expect documentation on your work so far- with actual progress being made- and a literal plan you can follow to complete the class with the grade you want/need. Your plan must include language, details, dates, and action items for the remaining projects you intend to complete. 

This voice note reflects on the expectations for a functional to very effective instructional eBooklet project. You were asked to create a digital booklet that guides your readers through the step-by-step process of completing your chosen task. The goal is to practice your technical writing skills by presenting clear, concise, and easy-to-follow instructions. Your digital eBooklet should be visually appealing, incorporating images, diagrams, and special tips/notes to enhance the learning experience. The eBooklet will be a comprehensive resource, providing detailed step-by-step instructions, relevant visuals, and a troubleshooting table.

The technical video project asked you to produce an informative video to teach your viewers any technical or writing-focused topic. ✅Please view the comments in the rubric and listen to the audio comment while you review your own work. ⏯️Watch the example video as a general baseline of what I was looking for you to accomplish https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdxTOvjBVZ4 😃Revisit the speed build with more commentary on the production process and expectation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJE4xYVyISo  The video must include narration/audio—so YOU verbally explain the topic—and various visuals to enhance understanding. Since you need to produce a video, you must create and upload your storyboard or shotlist to show your planning on the process. Your video must include some cuts and edits rather than a single take. The final video will be 3-6 minutes long and will be submitted as a link so I can view it on YouTube, Vimeo, Stream, etc. Do not upload the video to Canvas. 

✅Please view the comments in the rubric and listen to this audio comment while you review your work. I discuss the standards and expectations for each the requirements. ✨If you would like more specific feedback, schedule an office chat appointment. It is more productive for both of us to review your work in a meeting if you actually want and will use that level of feedback/learning/improvement. 

Hey associates, this lecture is an introduction to document design as part of your larger visual strategy when presenting technical information to the reader. The emphasis on the design–the overall layout, color, and font choices on a document–is one of the key qualities of “information design.” The lecture has three sections: defining what we mean by technical graphics discussing specific types ending with tools and best practices for using graphics. Read the Transcript/Chapter Use the Notes Guide

Hey associates, this lecture is an introduction to presenting instructions and various command-focused documents in technical writing. It is those step-by-step explanations of how to do things with strong, commanding verbs: assemble, operate, repair. Today's content focuses on building more useful, useable, and enjoyable commands and instructions for your readers to accomplish the tasks. Transcript Chapter Notetaking Guide

Hey associates, this lecture is about technical graphics used in professional, business, and technical documents. The lecture has three sections: defining what we mean by technical graphics discussing specific types ending with tools and best practices for using graphics. ⁠⁠Follow the notetaking guide⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Read the Transcript/Textbook Chapter

Notetaking Guide: Slide Deck Hey associates, this lecture introduces structure and editing for technical documents, especially when you need to describe content to specific audiences…which is our “thing” in technical, business, and end-user communication. Read the transcript as a book chapter.

Notetaking Guide: Slide Deck ⁠Textbook/Transcript Chapter⁠ Hey associates, this lecture concerns project management strategies and genres for technical, professional, business, and personal productivity contexts. I will talk about documents to capture, document, and provide direction: three essential verbs for staying productive and accountable in project and collaborative environments.

Hey associates, this lecture is about technical writing and presentation as a form of communication. It is an overview of our field, and this class, focused on STEM, professional, and business writing contexts. The lecture has three sections: Technical Writing as a Discipline and the differences between that and essays or school writing you might be used to creating, the Styles of writing with a preview of the common genres, Ethics Follow the notetaking guide Read the Transcript/Textbook Chapter

Transcript: Report Podcast.txt

This is the biggest project of the semester and may take 10-15 active hours over the project cycle. You must conduct research, analyze sources, and write ~3,000 words of content (about 10-20 single-spaced pages total). Requirements List: Imagine you work for a think tank in your field (a collection of thought leaders and researchers tasked with solving problems). You are focused on comparing solutions to an issue with sustainability, equity, or economic impacts. You’ve found the leading TWO solutions and are researching the best option given the current technological, social, and economic climate.  You need to conduct primary (you generate data) and secondary research to directly compare the solutions on 3 standards (think effectiveness, costs, logistics, social perceptions, acceptability, etc.). You then write a formal recommendation report that details the results of your research, targeted toward decision-makers on the topic. You write a cover letter addressed to that stakeholder.

Full Transcript to Read Hey associates. This podcast episode reviews the common pieces of feedback across the eBook and Tutorial project. I want you to listen while you review your work and the feedback I marked. Check if you are doing what I’m describing–both the creative and effective elements and the developing aspects needing revisions. I will walk through the project pages in order, starting with notes on the memo.

Follow along with all the assignment details in Canvas while listening to this episode. I talk through the timeline, milestones, requirements, and group project grading.

Introduction (00:18), Milestone/Progress Assignments (01:27), Support Level Choices (02:40), Due Date and Revisions (03:55), Expectations (05:02), Requirements (08:15), Grading (13:20), Skills to Practice (15:35), Rubric Overview (18:15) It is due Feb. 18 and is worth 15% of your grade. Review Canvas for written details, supporting materials, and the rubric for this assignment.

This episode is the audio version/explanation of the recommendation report assignment sheet for TCID 2090 in the Fall of 2023. Your individual design challenge is to create a useful, useable, and enjoyable recommendation report about a sustainability, equity, economic, or technological issue (in a field of your choosing) and the existing solutions. You will need to conduct primary (you generate data) and secondary research to find if or which option is best positioned to solve the problem at hand.

This episode offers and audio version of the user e-book instructions. A user guide is a document or set of documents that provide specific instructions on how to use a product. It typically includes an overview of the product (remember from descriptions), step-by-step instructions for performing tasks, troubleshooting tips, and a reference section. User guides can be created for a variety of products, including equipment, software programs, and hardware devices. Your design challenge is to create a useful, useable, equitable, and enjoyable manual (e-book) for students about a Microsoft 365 app to help them succeed. You will design a digital booklet with at (around) ten steps and visuals to walk them through a process. The e-book runs between 5 to 10 pages with the headings, visuals, tables, bullet points, and other design features included. This is not a hard page count, just an outcome of solving the writing & design challenge. Your e-book should be highly visual to practice showing users what to do.

Hey associates. This episode provides step by step instructions for creating and sharing podcast content from the Spotify for Podcasters site. You can use this guide to capture lecture content, project instructions, portfolio reflections and more. Providing podcast options for your materials speak to universal design and choice in student learning as another, easy to produce, medium for students and peers to engage. You can find written steps and a video to follow along: 

This lecture covers the basic sections and considerations for instruction sets and user guides.   References Sway: https://sway.office.com/CEVaPzQsOkR1TRHt?ref=Link Slide Deck: https://pitch.com/public/be2ed5de-f9b3-4a24-8eec-ae4094f6403b

This lecture covers the basic sections and considerations for proposals, technical reports, and strategic documents.   References Sway: https://sway.office.com/7H8R2hHbv80FK3zN?ref=LinkSlide  Deck: https://pitch.com/public/215ac5bb-ab4b-4849-a854-8f261e04f3e4

This lecture introduces several common workplace and technical documents that document situations and direct future actions.   Reference Sway: https://sway.office.com/ch4FsbxsKV6tZshO?ref=Link  Slide Deck: https://pitch.com/public/3221b8cb-e324-4a40-b172-2fe0849eb3e6

This lecture covers the basics of document design for beginner business and technical writers.   Slide Deck: https://pitch.com/public/639928e4-f821-44e8-a73f-f95ac33233ce Reference Sway: https://sway.office.com/h8CXAuR4ySUJH7B4?ref=Link

This episode offers an introduction to basic research concepts for technical and professional writers. Reference Sway with resources and further reading

This episode covers the basics of structure and editing for success in my class.  Reference Sway:   Slide Deck:  

This episode explains the hiring packet project with a recommended roadmap and the grading explanation.

This episode explains the project roadmap for the Thought Leadership Proposal for TCID 2080. See Canvas for the milestone details, inspiration, and grading rubrics.

This episode explains the research project to investigate the history, outcomes, and value of dei-related workplace policies for 2080.

This episode explains the finals portfolio project for TCID 2090. Use Canvas to find more details, the templates, and the grading rubric.

This episode explains the big picture for the recommendation report project. See Canvas for the milestone details, grading, and specific instructions.

This podcast explains the big action of the instruction set project for TCID 2090 in Spring 2023. See Canvas for the specific milestone rfps (instructions) and grading rubrics.

Your homework this week focuses on understanding the class goals, structure, and general context for professional communication. This episode overviews my general classroom policies, offers the foundations for technical communication and information design, and suggests 5 tips for writing this semester. I want to be a collaborative work-leader who empowers you to grow. I value student self-efficacy—your belief in your abilities—and skill applicability in my classrooms, which is why I enjoy teaching strategic and technical communication. I also love creating courses that feel like a workplace (in a good way!). The assignments, activities, and grades reflect a combination of classroom best practices and my own experiences in content marketing, public relations, technical editing, professional development, and general office workplaces. I promise to help you feel confident sharing information for business and administrative contexts. I got you!

Project Scenario: You work for a research consultation firm (2080 Solutions) and need to cultivate new clients. Your supervisor asks you to create a research proposal to persuade a company of interest to pay for your research services. https://coda.io/d/_dWSWttQyZ75/Research-Proposal_su6dG

Associates in Technical Writing and Presentation will work in teams to create a user-guide for a technical task.

For the Technical Writing and Presentation course: audio lecture about definitions, descriptions, and instructions to frame the week's readings and video materials.

Teams of 2080 Business Writing Students will research a DEI topic related to a business process and create a workshop to teach their classmates.

The 2090 Technical Writing associates will down and revise a poorly designed report.

The 2080 Associates will analyze a piece of thought leadership published in the recent year about an industry they are interested in pursuing. 

2090: Teams of students will research the audience for several UCCS technical documents and assess the usability of the products. Students who complete this activity will demonstrate their ability to create usable content by adopting rhetorical communication strategies. This project requires research techniques and a grasp of how different audiences interact with content. This assignment assesses nine (9) departmental learning outcomes. 1: Develop rhetorical communication strategies that enable end user to take action 2: Hone writing process strategies to enhance communication 4: Develop basic skills in communication tech and the effects 6: Demonstrate knowledge of best practices for specific rhetorical situations 7: Demonstrate empathy of diverse audiences 8: Demonstrate critical consideration of ethical issues in decision-making 9: Collaborate productively in group writing projects 10: Strategically use technology to collaborate productively 11: Research library and online sources

This episode is the recorded lecture from 4/25/2022 for Public Relations Techniques.

This episode is the recorded lecture from Wednesday April 27, 2022 for the Public Relations Techniques course.

Recording of lecture from 4/22/2022

Recording of lecture on Wednesday 4/20/2022

Recording of class on Friday 4/15/2022 with a discussion and brainstorming of how to handle different PR scenarios (from real examples).

Recording of the lecture from 4/13/2022 discussing some elements of ethics, creativity, and leading teams in PR.

The audio is much dimmer on this episode because I didn't have the regular mic set-up. I also needed to cut out segments with videos we watched, linked in the slides below. Slides

A recording from lecture on Friday, April 8 where we workshop and consider common interview questions.

This episode is the recording of lecture from April 6, 2022. We review tips and strategies for writing resume entries.

Recording from lecture on Monday 4/4/2022. https://www.unco.edu/career/students/find-your-path/