Writing Homework

WRTG 3 94 stude nts, Your next writing assignme nt will be a background re vie w and synthe sis of the lite rature for the topic of your re se arch -base d re port. This assignment is designed to help you prepare for the final paper in WRTG 394. Keep in mind that y our final paper in WRTG 394 will be a report in which you do the following:  define a problem in your work place or community persuasiv ely and accurately  propose a solution or solutions to the problem or issue Steps to Take in Completing this Assignment:  Lo cate at least seven articles on your topic. At least four articles should come from scholarly journals or credible trade journals. You should use OneSearch through UMUC’s Library and Informatio n Services or individ ua l databases through the library for yo ur research.  Take notes, perhaps by applying the skills from your annotated bibliograp hy exercise, on each article.  Write a synthesis of the articles. The synthesis will be 1000 -1400 words. In your synthesis, you will group the themes of the articles. For example, if you have collected seven articles on the topic of paperless offices, you might find that three major themes emerge from your perusing of the seven articles: o common reasons for resisting the move to a paperless office o costs of transitio nin g to a paperless office o benefits of transitio ning to a paperless office Examples of Topics and the Role of this Assignment: You might write a report on any one of the following topics . Please note that these are examples of topics. You might not choose any of them. They are provided her e to help illustrate this assignme nt.  a report to your manager at work suggesting that more teleworking options be given to employees at your workplace  a report to your supervisor at work suggesting that email be used less frequently for communicatio n and that another applicatio n be used to improve communicatio n.  a report to your manager at work suggesting that your office become paperless  a report to the board of directors at your townhouse community to argue that the playground area in your community should be renovated  a report to the manager of your unit at work noting that recycling facilities in the workplace should be improved In any report of this nature, some background research is necessary. For example, consider the following strategies when collecting background research for the topics mentioned above :  For a report to your manager at work suggesting that more teleworking options be given to employees at your workplace , some research studies on teleworking would be very persuasive.  For a report to your supervisor at work suggesting that email be used less frequently for communicatio n and that another applicatio n be used to improve communicatio n, some scholarly literature or articles from credible trade journals on transitio ning to alternative electronic communicatio n would be beneficia l. In addition, articles that demonstrate the problems with email communica tio n would add to the argument.  For a report to your manager at work suggesting that your office become paperless , some scholarly literature on paperless offices would be effecti ve.  For a report to the board of directors at your townhouse community to argue that the playground area in your community should be renovated, some scholarly articles or trade journal articles on the benefits of playground areas for communities, the benefits of exercise for young childre n, the effect of such playground areas on home values, etc.

would be effective.  For a report to the manager of your unit at work argu ing that recycling facilities in the workplace should be improved, some scholarly articles or studies on the challenges of and benefits to imple me nting recycling facilities in organiza tio ns would be pers uasive. Of course, there are varieties of recycling programs. The articles you find would help define what type of recycling program you would propose. Length of your paper: As noted above, y our background review of the literature on your topic should b e 1000 -1400 words in length. The sources should be cited througho ut the paper in APA format and listed in a Re fe re nce s page at the end of the paper in APA format. Due Date: Your instructor will notify you of the due date. You will write a first draft, your instructor will comment on the first draft, and you will submit a second draft using the comments as your guide. You will find that your synthesis will be a helpful component of your final research -based report. In fact, if your synthesis is well written, you might be able to tak e whole parts of it and copy it into the final report. In any case, the sk ills and strategies you gain from writing the back ground rev iew and synthesis of literature will be v ery v aluable in writing y our final researc h-based report. Topics to Help You Come Up with Ideas on this Assignment: Some possible work place research topics are the following. These are ex amples to help you get started. Please contact your instructor to have other topic ideas approved .  Going to a wireless network  Going to a paperless office  Switching from Windows to Linux (or other similar switch)  Installing/up grad ing company firewall  Establishing a drug policy  Establishing an employee leave donation program  Establishing an equipment donation prog ram for used computers, etc.  Establishing a company recycling program (paper, etc.)  Education/retra ining for your employees  Establishing a program for mille nnia l workers (e.g., training on certain aspects of etiquette, on understand ing other generations, e tc.)  Designing a training program for workplace safety issues  Redesigning employee performance evaluatio ns  Developing a work -at-home (telecommuting) policy  Developing a flex -time policy  Establishing on -site day care or providing other child care benefits  Providing gym membership or creating an on -site workout facility  Creating or revising a charitable contributio n policy  Creating or improving a tuitio n assistance program  Accommodatio ns needed for employee/s with specific health issues (for example, migra ine s)  Establishing a Habitat for Humanity (or other group) chapter at your organiza tio n Some students hav e chosen topics outside of their work places, such as the following:  Starting a neighborhood watch program  Starting a mentor program at your place of worship  Getting additiona l lighting in the neighborhood  Changing traffic patterns around your child’s school  Starting a PTA website for your child’s school  Installing a tot lot in your neighborhood  Constructing a crying baby room at your place of worship  Offering ESL courses at your church  Increasing participatio n in a milita ry Family Support Group  Introducing a youth sports program to a school or community Assignment Rubric: Article found Excelle nt Good Fair Needs improve m ent Does not pass At leas t four articles come from credible s cholarly or trade journals 10 points 8 points 7 points 6 points 5 points Synthesis of articles Excelle nt Good Fair Needs improve m ent Does not pass The review introduces the s ynthes is with an introductory paragraph and thes is s tatement 10 points 8 points 7 points 6 points 5 points The review s ynthes izes the ideas of the articles and divides the articles into themes , rather than s imply reviewing each article in a lis t 20 points 16 points 12 points 10 points 5 points The review demons trates how the findings of one article relate to the findings of other articles 10 points 8 points 7 points 6 points 5 points The review us es s ignal phras es and parenthetical citations appropriately in integrating its s ources 5 points 4 points 3 points 2 points 0 points The review provides an effective concluding paragraph s ummarizing the findings of the res earch 5 points 4 points 3 points 2 points 1 point The review cites s ources in APA format 5 points 4 points 3 points 2 points 0 points Accurate grammar and punctuation is demons trated 15 points 12 points 9 points 6 points 4 points “References” page Excelle nt Good Fair Needs improve m ent Does not pass Lis ts at leas t s even s ources , and all s ources lis ted are cited in the paper 10 points 8 points 7 points 6 points 5 points Lis ts the s ources in APA format 10 points 8 points 7 points 6 points 5 points Ove rall Score Exce lle nt 90 or more Good 80 or more Fair 70 or more Ne e ds Improve me nt 60 or more Doe s not pass 0 or more