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Skills: Research, Critical Thinking and Analysis, Collaborative Writing
Genres: Proposal, Brief or Routine Report, Oral Presentation
Collaborative Presentation Project
[Assignment courtesy of Cheryl Rauh]
The goal of this 3-part assignment is simple: I would like your group to propose, research, and present to
the class on a topic related to written communications for the workplace. What follows is a description
of the collaborative project’s 3 major components and how these documents will be evaluated.
The Project Proposal
This assignment is the first in a series of sequenced assignments for the collaborative presentation
project. For this assignment, your group is being asked to write a 2-3 page,(excluding the bibliography)
single spaced memo outlining your group’s research interest. I will be the audience for this proposal.
Your purpose for writing is to convince me that your group has a solid plan for a well-formed, relevant
topic as well as to provide you with experience in writing proposals. This assignment will also help your
group understand what you need to do in order to write your research findings report on time and with
quality. Be sure to include the following boldfaced headings to organize the sections of your proposal:
Introduction: What is the purpose of this memo? Introduce the proposal itself, identify your group’s
purpose, and give a brief overview of the content of the proposal.
Project Description: What topic is your group proposing to research and present to our class? Provide
an overview of what your group will cover with in your project; be specific. Justify why this topic is
relevant and important for your group to research and present to your peers. This should be the longest
section and needs to include your preli
minary researc
h on the topic (and pr
operly cite both in-text and
in the bibliography) and discuss how this initial research fits into our course’s focus on writing in the
workplace. Be persuasive in demonstrating the relevance of your topic to our course objectives.
Important note: when choosing your topic, avoid general or broad topics such as “technology in the
workplace.” Instead, narrow your focus to a more specific aspect of technology related directly to
written communications; for example, “Writing for Web: Rhetorical Principles for a Diverse Medium.”
Proposed Research Questions: Here you get more specific in terms of what questions your group’s
findings memo intends to investigate (and ultimately answer) and what your group’s presentation will
deliver. Here, you will list the 4-6 research questions your project plans to answer—with each question,
be sure to also include a justification explaining why each question is important to your presentation’s
audience. Why are they important questions to address? Keep your presentation audience in mind as
you consider these answers. What is your purpose?
Methods: Describe what your group needs to do in order to produce a quality findings report and
ultimately design and deliver your group presentation. What will your group do first? Search
professional writing websites? What will your group do second? Interview people? What will your group
do third? Be specific and thorough. I expect to see all your research questions/report contents be
accounted for here, i.e., if you stated that your group was going to answer a certain question or include