English 421, Community Web Project

Note: All class meetings are face-to-face (F2F) and will be held during our regular class time. You are responsible for attending all meetings; missing or arriving late to meetings can negatively affect your course grade. Please consult the course syllabus for additional information about attendance policies.

Project summary

The team will function as a consulting firm whose goal is to serve clients interested in revising World Wide Web pages. Your team will use an actual organization in the community. The team will research the client by gathering all the information locally and nationally, develop a usability study to be implemented in class, and write a recommendation report.. (Collaborative; 40% of course grade.)

Project goals

Course Goals

These are general course goals outlined by the Professional Writing Program.

Writing in Context

Analyze the invention, manufacture, and distribution of technologies in context and use writing to communicate these attributes in a variety of media and genres.

Write to the different levels of technical expertise of a range of audiences and stakeholders to foster technical understanding.

Understand the ethical implications of working within the nexus of technology and culture.

Project Management

Understand, develop and deploy various strategies for planning, researching, drafting, revising, and editing documents both individually and collaboratively.

Select and use appropriate technologies that effectively and ethically address professional situations and audiences.

Build professional ethos through documentation and accountability.

Document Design
Make rhetorical design decisions about technical documents including:

understanding and adapting to genre conventions and expectations of a range of audiences including both technical and non-technical audiences

understanding and implementing design principles of format and layout
interpreting and arguing with design

drafting, researching, testing, revising visual design and information architecture
ensuring the technical accuracy of visual content

Teamwork
Learn and apply strategies for successful teamwork, such as

working online with colleagues to determine roles and responsibilities

managing team conflicts constructively

responding constructively to peers' work

soliciting and using peer feedback effectively

achieving team goals

Research
Understand and use the research methods and strategies necessary to the production of professional documents, including

working ethically with research participants, subject matter experts, and technical experts

locating, evaluating, and using print and online information selectively for particular audiences and purposes

triangulating sources of evidence

selecting appropriate primary research methods such as interviews, observations, focus groups, and surveys to collect data

applying concepts of usability research, such as user-centered design

Technology
Use and evaluate the writing technologies frequently used in the workplace, such as emailing, instant messaging, image editing, video editing, presentation design and delivery, HTML editing, Web browsing, content management, and desktop publishing technologies.

Step 1: Community Project Proposal
Following the client criteria and the project proposal suggestions presented in class and in PWOnline, your team will select a local client with an existing web site. Your team will write a project proposal. Your written proposals are due in print on Feb. 22. (20% of your collaborative grade).

Step 2: Usability Test
You will research possible usability studies. The team will construct a usability test based on your client research. The team will administer the test to at least two other class teams and provide me with a print copy on March 3 (20% of your collaborative Project 3 grade)

Step 3: Annotated Bibliography due in print.
Your team will plan and conduct field research on your client context. Your team will collect documents from the client organization and, if there is a national organization, research that information. You must have at least three annotated research sources. Step 3 is due by March 21. ( 20% of your collaborative Project 3 grade)

Step 4: Final Written Report Your team will draft its written report addressed to your client. You must describe your client, review the usability study process and results, and formulate at least four recommendations for improvements to the web site. You should support your recommendations with at least six (6) different resources, three (3) visuals, and you should discuss any possible costs of the changes.You will have a draft prepared for peer review on April 2, and submit a draft to me for a pencil grade on April 4. The final written report is due in print to me by April 11. (40% of your collaborative Project 2 grade) Written Report

Resources

Grading

The Community Web Project Collaborative grade is worth 40% of your course grade. The breakdown for each of its components is as follows:

Step 1: Proposal

20 %

Step 2: Usability Test

20%

Step 3: Annotated Bibliography

20 %

Step 4: Written Recommendation Report

40 %

Grading Criteria

When I assign a grade to your project, I will measure your work against the models discussed in class and will pay particular attention to see whether your team has effectively adapted the documents to your client's needs. As always, the writing will need to be precise, accurate, and well-suited to that context and to the rhetorical problems you faced in this case. I will also use your collaborative project evaluation to determine individual grades.

Revision

Because the final draft of the report is due at the end of the semester, you will not have the opportunity to revise after receiving a grade. However, you're invited to submit a draft to me for review at any time during the project.