Instructions ProjectENGL3359: Technical Writing, Martin, Spring 2013

Instructions Project Overview

The mid-semester project for this course is a set of instructions that you will author

These instructions should be focused on providing a specific audience with information on how to complete a specific task

What you choose to write on is your decision and can include a number of things (more on this later in this slideshow)

In addition to the actual instructions, you will also need to complete a proposal outlining your project and intended audience (this is due at the end of this week)

What to keep in mind

Next week we will be going over Chapter 20: Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions in the textbook. This chapter will provide you with a number of guidelines for completing this project

This slideshow will work to give you a brief outline of some principles and practices to keep in mind when thinking of what to write

What are Instructions?

As per the course textbook, “A set of instructions is a kind of process description, almost always accompanied by graphics, intended to enable a person to carry out a task. You could write a set of instructions for laying a brick patio or for making a playlist for your MP3 player” (Markel, 2012, p. 564).

Consider when thinking of your topic

What do you know well? Try to focus on a process that you are very familiar with. You should be focusing on the writing, not learning a new process to write on.

Who will you write this for? You should have a specific audience in mind. This will help you gear your language and descriptions to their understanding and needs.

How will your reader use your instructions? Will they be used outside? Indoors?

Specific Requirements

Your instructions need to adhere to the following guidelines:

A cover page

An introductions to what will be covered

A Table of Contents

The process itself

A Conclusion

An Index

A minimum of 25-pages of the instructions (this does not include the cover page, table of contents, or index)

What makes a good topic?

As mentioned earlier, try to think of something you know well. This can be a video game that you will provide a walkthrough of a specific level, a software program and how to complete a specific task (i.e. How to optimize your digital photos in Adobe Photoshop CS 5.5), or how to to a specific maintenance task on a specific vehicle.

Make sure to think of what will be included in the instructions and what the audience will need to know

Keep the amount of information you need to complete a full 25-page set of instructions. It helps to begin with the Table of Contents so that you can brainstorm on what will be included

Plan on making use of images and diagrams. This SHOULD NOT be a purely text-based document. Images and diagrams are required and should make up a large part of your document

The Proposal

The next section of this week’s module will have an assignment sheet for the proposal as well as a sample proposal for you to follow

Make use of the specific format of the sample proposal. DO NOT use a pre formatted template from a word processing program. The format we will be using is the Internal Proposal Format found on page 457 of your textbook

The Proposal Continued

Please use the following headings for your composition:

Purpose: What is the purpose of the documents you are submitting. Not the purpose of your Instructions, but rather the purpose of the proposal

Overview of the Project: This is where you should provide the details of what process you would like to use for your Instructions, why you feel this choice will allow you to successfully complete the assignment, what specific portions of the process you intend to use for the project, and how you plan to compose this. You should also work to provide an overview of who your intended audience is and what their familiarity with the topic is

Task List: This section should detail what tasks are necessary to complete the project. What do you need to do in order to complete this project?

Schedule: This is where you will provide a detailed schedule of when you will be completing the tasks for the task list. Think of your schedule and when you have time to work on this project and plan on when you will be completing each task. The Instructions Project is due on March 22, 2014 by midnight. Keep this in mind and plan accordingly.

References: Please provide a brief (2-3) references that you can use as a source of information for your project. Think of where you can get information that you may not have or when you need more details for the project. A URL for these sources is adequate.

Proposal Requirements

2-3 pages, single-spaced, Internal Proposal Format (see p. 456 for details).

Your name and e-mail address in ‘From’ section

1-inch margins, Helvetica, Times New Roman, or Georgia 12-point typeface

PDF document

DUE DATES

Instructions Proposal due: MARCH 1, 2014 BY 11:59 PM ON BLACKBOARD

Instructions Project due: MARCH 22, 2014 BY 11:59 PM ON BLACKBOARD

Please keep these dates in mind as this project is one of the two major projects for this course.