Artificial Intelligence Contribution to Computer Science

WRIT 307 Project 2 Assignment Technical Report Point Value 175 Length / Format 1,400 words (max), 1,200 words (min); word count does not include title, abstract, table of contents, appendix items, citations, etc. Use the standard citation format for your major discipline. Required Sections • Title Page / Abstract • Table of Contents (coded) • Introduction • Main Sections / Sub-Sections (coded; 2 levels of headings required; avoid “stacked” headings) • Conclusion / Recommendation • References/Works Cited • Appendix Items (at least 2) Required Resources You will need to reference at least five sources for this project (make sure that they fit in line with “research expectations” discussed in class). Goals / Description (AKA “What you’re getting out of this”) There are some goals for PRO 2: • Develop a strong understanding of how to be more concise in sentence-level writing and editing, and demonstrate an application of this understanding to your writing. Spend some time in the revision process – long enough to understand how to use this time to be more concise, clear, and direct with your writing. It’s the reason why we’re starting with your PRO 1 draft. You don’t get to look at writing this way too often in your academic careers, so embrace the opportunity. • To think about how research works rhetorically as well as literally, and to apply this understanding to your writing. • Understand and correctly use basic components / structures of a technical report. Topic Specifications Cut the word count down from PRO 1, without eliminating any significant chunks of content (i.e. cut back – mostly – at the sentence level through sentence-level revision). Utilize techniques and structures emphasized in class. I am expecting at least a 400-500 word cut with sentencelevel content (other reductions can be more content-related). Commented [M1]: This is a pretty generic term for PRO 2 – technical reports take all forms of shapes and sizes (assessment reports, progress reports, ESA and EIS statements, lab report results, etc.) – but the basic building blocks that we’ll learn in this unit transfer over to various types of reports. Learning this basic report structure will provide a strong foundation for future reports. Commented [Office2]: “Sentence-level” means that you are changing the sentence structure of your writing to be more clear and concise. Content-related editing can also take place in the form of deleting unnecessary sentences/paragraphs, focusing content, etc. 2 Cautionary Note I am looking at change in your sentence-level writing ---- so that it is more concise and active. When grading, I compare progress you’re making from your PRO 1 draft. Some of the changes you make will feel awkward and weird (it’s kind of like changing the way you swing a golf club). If you’re not making sentence-level changes, you’re missing the point of PRO 2. Some examples of the ways in which you will be more concise: • Eliminate informal pronouns (“I”, “you”, “our”) • Eliminate passive voice, make more active (not “the mountains were mapped” but “the survey team mapped the mountains”) • Avoid unnecessary prepositional phrases (not “in order to review” but “to review”) • Use shorter words when appropriate (not “utilize” but “use”) • Eliminate unnecessary adverbs by using stronger verbs(not “the fluid moved quickly” but “the fluid flushed” • Be verb oriented – avoid nominalizations (not “seek an investigation” but “investigate” • Paraphrase instead of quote except when quotes are more appropriate Evaluation Criteria / Learning Outcomes (AKA “What I’m looking for”) Keep in mind criteria from PRO 1 (clear intro / thesis / topic sentences / subordinate development / paragraph structure / quotation and paraphrase / citations, etc.) – those are the building blocks of solid writing, and they’re still in play for PRO 2. Grading Rubric Objective Comment Grade Does your project meet the goals of the assignment (word count, topic development, research, citation style)? Does PRO 2 sufficiently address comments made by me in PRO 1? Does your project provide a sufficient title, abstract, table of contents? Does it contain appropriate headings and subheadings? Does it contain 2 appendix items w/ correct integration? Does your project contain a clear introduction with a quantifiable problem or opportunity? Are your paragraphs structured around main ideas, and are these paragraphs fully developed (i.e. thorough and sufficient research, subordinate rather than coordinate)? Is layering of content (in spots) used for additional paragraph development? Is information paraphrased instead of directly quoted (except for when quotation necessary)? Is the research correctly integrated and layered (i.e. paraphrased, cited)? ***Does PRO 2 show evidence of stylistic revision from PRO 1? (i.e. prepositional phrase / weak verbs / active voice). Is the writing free of errors? Overall 3 Classroom Schedule for PRO 2 9/13 Intro PRO 2 (Formal Technical Report) Cognition and Design / Style (Layout) / Audience Awareness Headings / Subheadings / Table of Contents / Introductions / Appendix 9/16 Cognition and Design / Style (Layout) / Audience Awareness Footnotes and Bookmarks and Cross-References / Titles / Abstracts / Intros PRO 1 Due 11:00 PM 9/18 LIB 218 9/20 Research and Rhetoric 9/23 Conciseness and Word Count / Writer’s Diet / Prepositional Phrases / Weak Verbs 9/25 Conciseness and Word Count / Writer’s Diet / Prepositional Phrases / Weak Verbs 9/27 QUEST 2 9/30 RDW 10/2 Intro PRO 3 (Career / Grad School) 10/4 PRO 2 Due 11:00 PM No Class – Happy Fall Break!