Assignment Purpose
This assignment gives you experience writing a detailed report of what you learn from doing some of the work you outlined in your Proposal. Completing this assignment will also give you experience in creating visual material and in following a professional format for presenting your work.
The tasks in this assignment outline the steps you need to take to produce a Background Technical Report.
This report genre provides information on a technical topic adapted for a particular audience that has specific needs for that information. If you choose to draft another kind of report, you will need to consult with me first.
Completing this assignment will help you build skills in the following:
Critical Thinking
You will identify and respond to the needs of a specific audience based upon an understanding of situational context and logical analysis of relevant information gathered in researching the topic in your proposal.
Communication
You will continue to build skills in clearly and effectively communicating information, ideas, facts, and perspectives with an audience who has less expertise than you in your topic area.
Tasks
1. Review my feedback on your Proposal. Prepare to address any conditions that I request in my comments to you.
2. Send me a Progress Report no later than Nov. 13. Your report should be in the form of a memo and use the elements of clarity and design that we’ve covered in class. Your memo should include:
• 2-3 sentences telling me the purpose of the memo and a reminder of your topic
• A section addressing any conditions for approval mentioned in my feedback
• A description of what your report will cover (use the checklist for Technical Background Reports (Links to an external site.)as a guide)
• A description of research gathered.
• An overall assessment of the project at the time of the memo, including work planned to complete a draft of the report as outlined in the Technical Report Criteria For Evaluation
3. Draft and submit your Technical Background Report by Nov. 20.
4. As a comment, include a brief description of one area in which you’d like me to focus my feedback to you that will be most helpful to you in revising your report and preparing a presentation on the information.
Formatting / Presentation
Follow Report design guidelines outline in the Chapter 10 of Technical Writing. You can also find the same design advice on the Report Design webpage. (Links to an external site.)
Criteria for Evaluation
The report you submit to this assignment on Nov. 20 should include at least some of the front material (the more the better!):
• Cover Letter
• Cover Page
• Abstract and Executive Summary
• Table of Contents
• List of Figures and Tables
The report should also include some material in each of the following sections:
• Introduction
• Body
• Conclusions
Your draft report should also have:
• At least one table, chart, or graph
