English 308, Spring 2001 -- Description or Instructions Assignment

Due: February 20, in class

Length: 2-4 pages (1000-2000 words), professionally formatted and printed out on a decent printer. Add a separate short note describing your audience/users in a few sentences.

Objective: to give you practice in creating a professional technical description or set of instructions

Choose ONE of the two options below.

Instructions:

Read exercise 5 on page 606 and find a partner with whom you can observe and exchange drafts. Choose one of the options in the exercise, or think of another process for which you can write instructions. If you choose an option not in the book, you need to clear the topic with me (I want to protect you from taking on too big a project!). You may also choose to write instructions on one of the topics in exercise 10 on page 248, but follow the directions from exercise 5, page 606.

Use the information in Chapter 20 and the Instructions Revision Checklist on page 605 as your guide to doing a thorough job on your set of instructions. Be sure to:

• Title and properly introduce your instructions (who should be able to do what at the end of the instructions, using what tools and other skills?)
• Provide some sort of graphic elements to aid users (Be neat and label everything, but I will not be grading on your artistic abilities)
• Format your instructions for maximum readability and usability
• Number the steps and avoid skipping any steps
• Use direct, active, and accurate words and phrases
• Use the imperative form
• Include a final step that allows users to check whether they have completed the process successfully

Description:

Choose one of the processes or objects from page 248, numbers 8-10 that you did NOT do for lab on February 8 and create a detailed description following the instructions on that page. Be sure to:

• Use the appropriate definition, object, or process description revision checklists on pages 245-246 as guidelines for thorough coverage
• Make your description at least 1000 words long
• Title and properly introduce your description
• Include at least a brief definition of the process or object
• Provide some sort of graphic elements to aid users (Be neat and label everything, but I will not be grading on your artistic abilities)

• Use direct, active, and accurate words and phrases

• Format your description for maximum readability and usability

Please be sure to ask questions of me if you are not sure what to do or how to do it. You will probably be more successful if you team up with another partner for peer-review and usability testing.