Assignments

Digital & F2F Participation:  The expectation for this hybrid course is that you participate in the various ways that we connect for class, whether that be in person, through Commons posts, with videos, etc. The most successful learning experience comes when students are engaged in the process.

Drafts & Peer Review: You will be asked to complete a first and final draft for each assignment. The first drafts will receive feedback from both myself and your peers.  You will complete peer edits based on a form provided to you. Drafting with peers allows you to collaborate with other classmates while also accessing your internal editor.  Often times editing someone else’s work with suggestions will inform your own draft.

Technical Report (Chp 19 Writing Lab Reports) 2000-2500 words

Depending on your field, you will write either a test, lab or engineering report.  This assignment is meant to build your fluency in scientific research and the way that these reports are expected in the field.

Based on your major and your academic interest or some past projects you have done with your engineering professors; choose the topic of your choice. Begin with a question that you want to answer, or a hypothesis/idea that you want to test. Begin some research about it. Find sources in credible journals and books. Use City College library database. Gather some information on the background of your topic and previous relevant research. You may re-experiment a past experiment for yourself, and you may get the same or different results. You want to add knowledge to the existing knowledge on your topic. Write about your methods, results, and limitations ethically. Use citation: both in-text and at the end in a bibliography.

In the past, students have created and distributed surveys, conducted a small-scale scientific experiment, etc. There is no assigned length for this assignment, as depending on your data and experiment, the report can vary widely in length. Essential components include: Hypothesis, Abstract, Introduction, Procedure, Results, Discussion, and Conclusion.

Lab Report guidelines – University of Sheffield

Technical Description (Chp 20 Writing Descriptions) 750-1500 words

Choose one artifact (technological item, entity, tool, object, process, mechanism, or principle) from any of our assigned videos, or an approved artifact from another multimedia source, and compose a detailed description of the artifact.

• A description will indicate clearly the nature and scope of said object, process, or mechanism
• A description assignment will introduce the object, process, or mechanism clearly
• A description assignment will provide appropriate detail
• A description assignment will end with a brief conclusion

Follow the sample descriptions listed on pg 548.  Include diagrams and photos if applicable.

RFP Response (Chapter 16) 2000-2500 Words

This is a group assignment.  You will find an RFP (Request for Proposal) in your field and respond to it as if you were going to submit a bid to the organization requesting it. As engineers, you will be required to convince potential clients that your strategy and idea is their best option.  In order to achieve this, a proposal must persuade its reader three things:

• A proposal will show that you understand the clients’ needs
• A proposal will show that you have already determined what you plan to do and that you are able to do it
• A proposal will show that you are a professional and are committed to fulfilling your promises

Most RFPs give a specific template for how they expect bidders to respond.

RFP Pitch (Chapter 21) 1000 word reflection due after the presentation

Imagine your RFP bid made it through the first round, and your client is inviting your group in to hear what you are planning to do in person. You will now give a group presentation based on the RFP Assignment, which will include some form of multimedia (PowerPoint, Prezi, etc).  This will be a formal presentation and the expectation is that you look the part. In addition to the oral presentation, each student will be required to write a 1000 word reflection on his/her contributions, involvement, and overall experience working in a group setting.  

Final Portfolio and Theory of Writing

The portfolio and theory of writing are in many ways the most important documents that you’ll create for this class.  Assembling the portfolio will help you to see your progress as a writer over the course of the semester; the self-assessment will give you the chance to evaluate that work based on your own criteria as well as the course learning outcomes.

The Self-Assessment will provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate that you’ve understood the rhetorical terms that we’ve been working with this semester and an introduction to your portfolio.  The portfolio should include, at a minimum, the technical description, the technical report, the RFP assignment, and the group presentation response.  You should also include freewrites, screenshots of group work, basically any and all proof of what you completed over the course of the semester.

The portfolio will be housed on a WordPress site. If you are concerned about privacy, consider creating an email account that you can use exclusively for course work.  It will be read by me, some members of this class, and other CCNY faculty and administrators.  You are, of course, free to share your portfolio with anyone else, but do not make it freely available. If you would like to opt out of creating a WordPress site, please let me know and we will arrange for you to make a portfolio elsewhere.  We will have one class time dedicated to creating your WordPress sites.  

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