IT skills for nurses

I've enjoyed reading proposals for A3. I saw a few issues amongst them that I thought was worth sharing with the whole class:

1. Many of you neglected to consider design into your proposal. Even though the proposal asked for you to address contrast, purpose, repetition, and proximity, student struggled with this. This is just a reminder to the class that part of the evaluation of this assignment will be its document design. That is why we spent all of week 9 studying visual rhetoric and design principles. As you read student examples this week, notice how the design of the document is an integral part of its argument.

2. Choosing an existing publication can help inform your design. If you read a number of feature articles from The Atlantic or Dental Town, you will notice that the design has consistencies, even if it varies a bit from article to article. Don't reinvent the wheel; consider the publication's signature design before creating your own.

3. Citations are ways of noting where you received your information. This was a requirement of the proposal, and one which clearly confused students. Some styles call it a works cited page, some call it a bibliography; either way, your assignment will need to include both in-text citations and a list of referenced works at the end of the document. The image you include must also be cited, unless you created it yourself. Sources for help with citations.

As you read the example student essays this week, keep in mind that the assignment they were writing was a bit different than the feature article you are writing now. Some students chose to only focus on an interview in their feature article, because they produced additional documents (like brochures and websites, etc.). Since A3 for you only includes the feature article, all of your research on your career and major must be included-this can, of course, include an interview if you chose to use that research method.

A3: Researching your Major/Career

The third assignment for COMP 1500 will be a feature article that presents research that you have done regarding your chosen (or intended) major/field of study. This project incorporates many of the same strategies and components of a "traditional" research assignment (using sources, supporting arguments with evidence, communicating a message to an audience, etc.), but it asks you to present your findings in the form of a feature article, common to magazines and newspapers that are written for a general, non-academic audience.

Phase 1: You do Research

1. Decide on Research Question(s)

Before you do anything at all, it is important that you have a clear focus from your research. This focus is often referred to as a research question and this question will help you find your research method, e.g. primary and secondary research. For example, in order to answer "What types of training is required in nursing?," you will probably use multiple methods. You could interview/observe nurses in practice (primary research); you could find primary sources of actual testing questions or find information from books, articles, and websites (secondary research).

2. Conduct research about your major/career

Your initial research will be through sources you and your colleagues gather and share via Forum 7. You may, however, need to continue conducting research beyond these sources as your write you proposal and begin drafting your article. Dr. Scanlon will post a few sources to get students started.

Phase 2: You Write a Feature Article

1. Audience

Your feature article should target a real audience that is reached by an existing publication. For example, you could choose a more popular periodical like TIME Magazine, or a scientific periodical like Cosmos. Both appeal to a general audience, but Cosmos is trying to target those interested in science more than the general human-interest focus of stories in TIME.

2. Feature Article Proposal

After you have considered your publication/audience, you will be asked to write a proposal for what you will write as the final product of your research. The proposal is under Assignments and is worth 50 points.

3. Draft Response

Rough drafts via Blackboard. Dr. Scanlon will respond to full drafts.

4. Final Product

The final product will be a polished, well-designed feature article between 1,500 and 2,000 words. The product's specific visual design and textual style will depend upon the publication you chose to write for and the audience you are targeting. Overall, however, your feature article must cite at least 6 sources and include at least 1 visuals of your choice.