{"id":18984,"date":"2019-01-09T14:05:33","date_gmt":"2019-01-09T19:05:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/community.macmillan.com\/community\/the-english-community\/bedford-bits\/blog\/2019\/01\/09\/a-short-proposal-assignment"},"modified":"2019-02-22T19:04:24","modified_gmt":"2019-02-23T00:04:24","slug":"a-short-proposal-assignment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tengrrl.com\/blog\/2019\/01\/09\/a-short-proposal-assignment\/","title":{"rendered":"A Short Proposal Assignment"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Typing<\/a>The last three assignments in the Incubator series of assignments<\/a> \u00a0that I have designed for my technical writing courses are directly related to one another. Students write a Short Proposal for the White Paper and the Research Poster projects that they will complete during the second half of the term. In today\u2019s post, I will share the assignment for the Short Proposal.<\/p>\n

Because I want them to focus their energy on the major report (the white paper), I ask for a short, memo-based proposal, rather than a longer document. The assignment gives students very specific guidelines to follow so that the more in-depth coverage from the textbook does not lead them to do more than they need to. My underlying goal for the activity is two-fold: I want them to learn to write a proposal, but just as importantly, I want to spot-check their topics for the white paper and research poster before they get too far into the project.<\/p>\n

As with previous assignments in this series, the assignment below has some minor changes to remove specific information that is relevant only to the students in my classes. References to \u201cMarkel & Selber\u201d in the assignment refer to chapters in the class textbook Technical Communication<\/em><\/a> by Mike Markel and Stuart Selber.<\/p>\n

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Background<\/h2>\n

You will write a short proposal that presents the topic you will explore for your white paper and poster presentation. Your proposal should explain not only what the topic is but how it relates to your company (and therefore your career field and major) and the incubator goal of public outreach and education.<\/p>\n

The Scenario<\/h2>\n

Today, you received the following memo, asking you to submit a proposal for a white paper and related poster presentation:<\/p>\n

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\"Ut<\/a> \u00a0Ut Prosim<\/em> Incubator<\/h3>\n

1872 Inventors Way, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Interoffice Memo<\/strong><\/h4>\n

To: All Incubator Companies<\/p>\n

From: Traci Gardner, Ut Prosim<\/em> Director<\/p>\n

Subject: RFP: White Papers and Poster Presentations for December Publication<\/p>\n

Date: October 1, 2018<\/p>\n

Our Public Outreach Office is requesting proposals for white papers and research posters that will inform non-expert readers about a technical topic relevant to the work and mission of your company. These documents will share what we do and why we do it with the university, alumni, and local community. Your documents will also contribute directly to our goal of public outreach and education by adding to our growing library of documents that inform website readers about how science, technology, and engineering work.<\/p>\n

As an objective white paper, accepted documents will either provide knowledge or information about a subject relevant to your company or provide solutions to a problem or challenge that relates to your company\u2013or even a combination of both goals. These white papers will also be the basis of a presentation that will be part of the quarterly poster session we sponsor for the local community in December. As an extension, additional investors and clients also attend the session, so you have the potential to make critical connections for your business.<\/p>\n

These white papers and poster presentations are due by November 26 [Portfolio 2 due date] and will be published in the December 2018 release on the Incubator website.<\/p>\n

White Paper Expectations<\/h3>\n