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Due Date 15 Homework 2: The Final Cover Letter

May 6th, 2017

Professor Joel E. R. Smith

Lecturer of English

University of Arizona

Dear Professor Smith:

Over the course of the last 7 weeks, I’ve achieved a great deal. This course entailed 4 major projects, 45 individual homework assignments, and 41 assigned readings. Following the completion of this course work in a very short time frame, I firmly believe I have improved in the areas of work completion, collaboration with peers, and fluency in business professional writing techniques. In this cover letter I will discuss specific elements from the course as evidence to demonstrate this progress.

The first area of improvement I would like to discuss with you is related to time management and completion of course assignments. The short time frame of the course posed many challenges with regard to work completion. Only having 7 weeks to complete the course meant extra weekly workload and short breaks between major deadlines. In the beginning of the course, I struggled with time management and completing all the homework assigned by the assigned due dates. With an adjustment to my mindset, as the course moved forward I began to complete assignments ahead of their due date in my spare time in order to ensure maximum completion. In order to provide evidence of this improvement, I divided the completion of my homework assignments into two groups. One containing the first half of assignments (DD1-DD6) and one containing the second half of assignments (DD7-DD15).  Below is a chart and graph I created depicting the different completion rates of the homework assignments for the first half of the class and the second.  

In addition to improvement in the completion of my assignments, I also noticed a self improvement in my ability to collaborate as part of  a group for a major project. During the course, I had to collaborate with 2 other peers to compete a global communications project. In past courses, I have struggled with group projects usually due to an uneven workload and a lack of team cohesion and group ideas. To contrast, in the group project for this course my team members and I were all able to collaborate effectively despite difficult obstacles. For example, in person meetings were tough to schedule because this was an online course and our team members have busy schedules. My peers and I had similar but different academic backgrounds. The combination of liberty to choose our topic and our different backgrounds posed a challenge however, we were still able to to create a specific focus for our project. One way we accomplished this was by following guidelines for group collaboration as outlined in Technical Communication. I believe the Due Date 6 reading notes I completed on the importance of collaboration in a team strongly contributed to the success of our group to work together successfully.

The final area in which I wish to express my progress as a business writing student lies in my improved fluency in business professional writing techniques. What I mean by this is I feel much more confident in my ability to be able to apply for volunteer opportunities, internships, and careers I wish to pursue. Having a background in mostly science, I was unaware of the extent to which I was unprepared to apply for career opportunities. I did not know the ins and outs of cover letters or resumes. The completion of the job application packet as part of project 1 enabled me to expand my knowledge of writing techniques that would allow me to stand out as a application candidate. I was extremely invested in project 1 because the position I chose was an internship I was actually applying for.  I feel that the globalization component of the project, specifically the requirement to tailor the cover letter to the surrounding community/culture, made me a standout candidate. Without the guidance of this project, particularly the feedback from my peers, I might not have secured the position. I am pleased to advise that I am now preparing for an interview in July for the Epidemiology Intern position at Clinica Amistad in South Tucson for the Fall of 2017.

Taking business writing online was challenging because of the short time frame and the fully online aspect of the course.  Over the course of the last 7 weeks I have grown as a business writer in the areas of time management, collaboration in groups, and fluency in business writing techniques. This progress would not have been possible without the completion of project 1, project 2,  and the assigned readings and reading notes. There is still always room for growth professionally in the business world; and my progress as a business writer is not yet complete. However, I feel proud of the grade I will earn following the submission of my final portfolio. While the purpose of this letter is to provide evidence of my growth as a writer, I would like to thank you for your helpful feedback on assignments,  prompt responses to questions regarding the course and ultimately your role in helping me secure an interview for an internship position I am quite passionate about.

Best Wishes,

Caylee Carter

Link to Google Doc version with media included:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=16liiRb35DdmF_BY8r7elXy2p67ZThR4B0yg4EqtTrPs

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Due Date 15 Homework 1

For the media component of project 4, I decided to create graphs and pie charts to display my progress in time management and my improved completion of assignments throughout the course. I believe this accurately and effectively depicts my progress in completion of assignments as evidence for my argument in the project 4 cover letter. Since I created these myself, there is no citation for the media below.  A detailed explanation of the method of production of these graphs can be found in the cover letter itself. 

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Due Date 14 Homework 5

At first I thought it might be best to edit my current theme HTML manually by coding any changes I would like to make to the appearance of the blog. I quickly realized that it is much more simple to choose a theme close to what I want and customize it accordingly using the toggle functions in the editing interface. An example of editing the HTML of my theme can be seen below. 

I had a vision for my theme that was more Business Professional looking. I felt that this would more appropriately and professionally display my assignments and notes for the course as well as collaborate well with my final portfolio submission. This is why I decided to try out the theme “Atlantic” as it reminded me of the famous and well renowned news outlet. I learned that this was not as visually appealing as my original theme which more suitably displays graphics and photos.  

(Screenshot taken from The Atlantic.com)

(Screenshot of Atlantic Tumblr theme)

I landed with my current theme titled “stationary” which has a streamline design that is easy to navigate and read. I customized it slightly to add more visual appeal and personalize it to me. I feel that it clearly defines the title of assignments from the body of information contained in the post which is helpful for viewers. I had some trouble uploading an avatar which I think adds an extra element that allows the work done by me to stand out and be remember through a face. I also added a section that describes who I am as the author of the blog which is my favorite part and I’m really excited about the way it looks! Something additional I will add will be a brief description of the blog and navigation instructions in time for the final submission. The final and polished look of the blog can be seen below.  

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DD12_HW1_ReadingNotes

Chapter 21 - Making Oral Presentations

The 4 types of presentations:

Impromptu - without advance notice 

Extemporaneous - Planned and rehearsed but also improved

Scripted - Reading a pre-prepared text

Memorized - Speaking without notes

Oral presentation provide a huge advantage over written because they allow for dialog between the speaker and audience. 

There are 5 types of audiences: 

Clients and customers - For products and Services

Colleagues and in organization - information to share within your organization

Fellow professionals at conferences - Research project or team projects

Gov Agencies - local federal or state officials

The Public - general 

The process for preparing for a presentation is as follows: 

Effective slide Characteristics:

Clear, well-supported Claim

Easy to see

Easy to Read

Simple

Correct

Tips: Use memorable language - involve the audience, Refer to people not to abstractions, Use interesting facts figures and quotations, humor is ok when appropriate, always rehearse and remain calm not nervous. 

Effective voice- Appropriate volume for audience, Important not to speak too quickly or slowly, do not use a flat pitch, Use good and correct pronunciation, Avoid meaningless fillers (Um, like, okay, so, alright). 

Body language - Natural jesters, Don’t block the view/screen, Control audience attention, Hire translator if necessary, Use effective graphics to reinforce points for people who do not understand your language. 

Sources:

Markel, Mike. Technical Communication with 2016 MLA Update (pages 386-419). Bedford/St. Martin’s. Kindle Edition.

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DD10_HW2_Ethical Considerations

After reading Chapter 2: Understanding Ethical and Legal Considerations, I can think of a few ethical considerations relating to project 2. I think that it will be very important to be careful with the research we conduct as a group. For example, if we do not use credible sources, we may mislead people to believe untrue facts about their health and wellness. In order to avoid this we will limit our sources to only medically sound and appropriate scholarly sources. While this will take much more time to add to our report, it will ensure the accuracy of our findings. Another thing to consider is plagiarism. Plagiarism is a tricky thing to avoid but is necessary. Reuse of information must be done with care and with appropriate citation. Keeping these things in mind will help to ensure our research is ethically sound to our employer and our customers as well as anyone else who reads our proposal.  

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DD10_HW1_ReadingNotes

Ethics - the study of the principles of conduct that apply to an individual or a group.

Rights - individuals basic needs and welfare.

Justice - How the costs and benefits of an action or policy are distributed among a group 

Utility - Positive and Negative effects that an action or policy has will have or might have on others.

Care - The relationships we have with other individuals

Obligations to your employer: Competence and diligence, generosity, honesty and candor (truthfulness), confidentiality, loyalty. 

Obligations to the public: treat customers fairly, safe and effective product

Obligations to the environment: Pollution

Distinguish plagiarism from acceptable reuse of information.  

Trademark law: word phrase name or symbol identified with a company. 

Express warranty: written or oral statement that a product has a particular feature

product liability law: manufacturer is responsible for injuries or damages caused by product

Social media - 

Keep private accounts private

Read term of service

Avoid revealing unauthorized info about your company

Avoid self plagiarism 

Avoid defaming anyone

Dont live stream without permission

Avoid impersonating someone else

Avoid false endorsement

avoid infringing upon trademarks by using protected logos or names

Abroad - 

Abide by countries trademark laws and other laws. 

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DD9_HW1_Reading Notes

Chapter 17 in Technical Communications: Writing Informational Reports 

Complex and extensive document require many smaller documents, which is why you might write a proposal before going to all the trouble. The 5 kinds of informational reports are as follows*:

Directive: explains a company’s new possible policy change and may describe info sessions that the company will offer to help employees transition to the new policy. 

Field Report: Presents the results of his inspection of something such as a building that has damage.

Progress Report: Explains what the team has accomplished in the first part of a project and gives details about the finishing time and budget and any unexpected obstacles. 

Incident Report: Describes an accident and the details 

Meeting Minutes: Written by a recorder in a meeting that ill become the official record of what was said. 

*See source for sample research reports

Sources:

Markel, Mike. Technical Communication with 2016 MLA Update (pages 386-419). Bedford/St. Martin’s. Kindle Edition.

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DD8_HW1_ReadingNotes

Writing Recommendation Reports

Most Recommendation reports discuss Questions of Feasibility which measure the practicality of a course of action.

Feasibility Report - Answers these kinds of questions:

Questions of possibility

Questions of Economic Wisdom 

Questions of Perception 

Problem Solving Model for Recommendation Reports 

Writing Process is similar to the process for other technical communication reports 

Planning

Drafting

Revising

Editing

Proofreading

Problem solving model:

Recommendation Reports Breakdown:

Front Matter purpose:

Orients the reader to the subject

Provides summaries

provides navigation

Front Matter Components:

Letter of transmittal

Cover

Title Page

Abstract

Table of contents

List of illustrations

Executive summary 

Body Purpose:

Provides most comprehensive account for the project, methods, important findings. 

Body Components: 

Intro

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Recommendations

Back Matter:

Present supplementary information, detailed explanation

Back Matter components: 

Glossary 

List of symbols

References

Appendices  

Sources:

Markel, Mike. Technical Communication with 2016 MLA Update (pages 386-419). Bedford/St. Martin’s. Kindle Edition.

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DD7_HW1_ReadingNotes

Proposal: an offer to carry out research or provide a product or service. 

Writing a proposal requires planning drafting, revising, editing, and proofreading. 

Internal Proposals are submitted to the writer’s own organization, where as external are submitted to another organization. 

External proposals can be unsolicited or solicited. Meaning they can either be submitted by request by the receiver or not. 

Collaboration is critical in large proposals because no one persona can carry out all the work. Working together efficiently is very important. 

In a research proposal you are saying you will do research and then provide a report on it. 

Goods and services proposal present an idea or product that they think would suit a company’s needs.

Proposals are arguments - use persuasive writing but demonstrate professionalism by remaining honest. 

Structure:

Summary

Introduction

Proposed Program

Qualifications and experience

Budget

Appendices 

Task Schedule (table, bar chart, network diagram)

Description of evaluation techniques

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DD6_HW3

Purdue OWL. https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/. Accessed April 3, 2017.

The Online Writing Lab by Purdue University has many resources available for writing and communication needs. They are most known for their sources on citing in the various styles (Ie: AMA, MLA, APA etc). They also have resources in other area such as subject specific writing and english as a second language. Its main goal is to assist students and teachers with writing projects in and out of the classroom at all levels. 

Professional Writers Association. http://www.prowriters.org/. Accessed April 3, 2017.

The Professional Writers association strives for its users success as a professional writer. It places focus on business professional life through communication techniques. You must become a member to use their services. They have writing focus in publicity writing, copywriting, freelance writing, travel writers, magazine, newspaper writing and many, many more aspects of professional writing careers 

(AMA style citations) 

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DD6_HW2_Rhetoric

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DD6_HW1_Reading Notes

Collaboration

Advantages to collaboration:

Wider knowledge Base 

Wider Skills Base

Give a better idea 

Improves communication among employees

Helps to acclimate new employees

Motivates employees to expand growth within an organization

Disadvantages to Collaboration:

Takes more time

Promotes conformity and leads to inferior work

Disjointed documents

uneven work loads

Reduces an individual's motivation

Can lead to interpersonal conflict

Managing Projects:

Break it down into smaller tasks

Plan it out

Maintain a schedule

Write down decisions

Monitor progress

Distribute and Act on Information Quickly

Be flexible with schedule and responsibilities

Conducting Meetings: Listening Effectively

Pay Attention to the Speaker

Listen for Main Ideas

Don’t be emotional

Ask clarification Questions

Provide Feedback when Appropriate

Setting an Agenda:

Define the team’s task

Choose a Team Leader

Define individual Tasks

Establish procedures

Create a Stylesheet

Establish a Work Schedule

Create Evaluation Materials

Communicating Diplomatically:

Listen without interrupting

GIve everyone a turn to speak

Avoid personal remarks and insults

Don’t overstate your position (be diplomatic rather than overbearing)

Don’t get emotionally Attached to your ideas

Ask Pertinent Questions 

Pay attention to body language

Critiquing a Colleague’s Work:

Start with a positive Comment

Discuss Larger Issues first

Talk About the Work Not the Writer

Sources:

Markel, Mike. Technical Communication with 2016 MLA Update (pages 386-419). Bedford/St. Martin’s. Kindle Edition. 

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DD5_HW1_Reading Notes

In Chapter 10 of Technical Communication, Markel stresses the importance of grammar with regard to credibility. Particularly important is grammatically correct sentences, sentence structure, and using the right words and phrases for your purpose. The chapter focuses on nine relatively simple principles for using accurate and technically correct grammar. Within each of these principles there are guidelines for executing them. 

     1. Avoiding sentence fragments - incomplete sentences that is missing a verb or independent clause. 

          -Introduce a verb

          -Link the fragment

     2. Avoiding comma splices - two independent clauses joined by a comma.

          -Use a comma/coordinating conjunction

          -Use a semicolon

          -Use a period or another form of terminal punctuation

     3. Avoiding run-on sentences - similar to a comma splice, this is when 2 independent clause sare fund together in a sentence without any punctuation. The same strategies apply as above.

     4. Avoiding ambiguous pronoun references - Pronouns (such as he, she, it) do not reference the correct noun.

          -Clarify the pronoun’s antecedent

          -Clarify the relative pronoun, such as which, introducing a dependent clause

          -Clarify the subordinating conjunction, such as where, introducing a dependent clause. 

          -Clarify the ambiguous pronoun that begins a sentence. 

     5. Comparing items clearly

          -Communicate the relationship between two things clearly and avoid overly simple comparisons. 

     6. Using adjectives clearly

          -Use commas to separate coordinate adjectives.

          -Use hyphens to link double adjectives.

     7. Maintaining subject verb agreement - agreeing in number like in Spanish. 

     8. Maintaining pronoun-antecedent agreement - agreeing in number again

     9. Using tenses correctly - Present vs past perfect tenses.

Writing that is succinct and graceful gets the message across well. This is especially important in technical and business settings. Focusing on the following will allow for properly structured sentences:

     1. Emphasizing new and important information

     2. Choosing a sentence length that is neither too long nor too short 

     3. Focusing on the correct subject 

     4. Focusing on the correct verb

     5. Using parallel structure or being consistent within sentences

     6. Effectively using alternate words or phrases to describe other parts of the sentence (Restrictive and nonrestrictive modifiers). 

There are four key principles that ensure proper use of words and phrases. Selecting an appropriate level of formality is important and parallels knowing your audience from previous chapters.  Being clear and specific seems both obvious but difficult. Its helpful to avoid “fluff” in terms of rambling and using unnecessary jargon. Being concise by again avoiding obvious statements fancy words and unnecessary prepositional phrases will allow your writing to be more credible to the reader while helping it to remain clear.  As part of retaining professionalism, use of inappropriate, sexist, and offensive language should always be avoided. 

Sources:

Markel, Mike. Technical Communication with 2016 MLA Update (pages 386-419). Bedford/St. Martin’s. Kindle Edition. 

http://www.tonymorris.org/aasu/Engl3720/units/Markel%209e%20Ch10CE.pdf

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DD2_HW1_Reading Notes

In today’s world, your reputation on social media, and the internet in general, is just as important as in person. Mat Honan in a Gizmodo article explains that social media accounts will likely be checked in any interview process you will undergo for a job. This may seem unfair but the reality is once you post something publicly anyone can view it and who you portray on your social media is likely an accurate depiction of your choices and decisions. An important factor in online reputation is search engines. Since search engines are constantly searching websites for keys words it's easy for anyone to find anything. It’s important to never post anything you wouldn’t want your grandparents seeing or a future employer. It is also especially valuable to be aware of your privacy settings and who has posted videos or photos of you. Your online reputation will be checked and being on top of this will help to ensure you get whatever job you apply for. 

Beyond social media reputation, Mike Markel in Technical communications details academic involvement in the job application process. He places particular emphasis on technical communication skills by writing “looking for professional work is the first non academic test of your technical-communication skills (386). Being able to write your own resume for a position is a strength. Also important is proper preparation for an interview and following up with your interviewer. Details such as body language and arrival time are inherently important.  Interview preparation takes many hours to properly prepare. Following an interview, a letter of appreciation can set you apart from the crowd because so few candidates will actually take the time to do this. Based on this reading I believe overall effort and initiative are what will set you apart from other candidates. 

Works Cited

Honan, Mat. "I Flunked My Social Media Background Check. Will You?" Gizmodo. Gizmodo.com, 07 July 2011. Web. 21 Mar. 2017.

Markel, Mike. Technical Communication with 2016 MLA Update (pages 386-419). Bedford/St. Martin's. Kindle Edition. 

Sachilefever. "Protecting Reputations Online Explained by Common Craft (VIDEO)." Common Craft. Common Craft, LLC., 25 Sept. 2016. Web. 19 Mar. 2017.

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Introduction: Due Date 1 - Homework 2

My name is Caylee Angela Carter. I am a 21 year old junior attending the university of Arizona to study Public Health. In most of my free time I train for and play soccer. While most work space settings can be found indoor such as in a library or coffee shop, I much prefer to do my homework or reading outdoors when the weather is nice. In Arizona, this is often. To see my face, click the three horizontal bars in the upper left hand corner of this page.  

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