Project: Instructions
100 points
(Minimum text length: 350 words)
For this project, you are to write a set of procedures for a task with which you are familiar. The instructions can relate to
- A past or current job
- An organization to which you now or previously have belonged (club, church, or some other affiliation)
- Your field of study at the University
- A special interest or hobby
Project Limitations
This exercise has serious restrictions that must be observed. Unless related to a specific problem our class is experiencing, computer-related tasks are taboo. So are ordinary, common tasks readily available in print or on the Internet. No household, auto, or sports related tasks will do, nor will such hackneyed stuff as CPR, body building, the Heimlich maneuver, or origami folds, nor any "high school" snickering tasks like brushing your teeth, tying your shoelaces or a tie, or making time with the opposite sex. In other words, write on a task that is not familiar to everyone and is not readily available on the Internet. Also, the task should be relatively complex, requiring materials and/or tools, and at least six steps to complete.
Whatever your choice, it must be something with which you are intimately familiar, something that you can relate to from personal experience
Furthermore, I must approve your topic, and you may not change it unless I authorize the change. In any case, I will only approve your topic no later than one class meeting before the project is due.
Document Structure
Study Chapter Eight before you begin. It would also be wise to use a worksheet to plan the project before actually writing the instructions. Allow for necessary transitions that will make the instructions flow smoothly. Remember, too, that instructions do not begin with the first step; you must provide a beginning, a middle (the instructions), and an end.
Point of View
As Chapter Eight makes clear, you write instructions in the second person. You are talking directly to your readers, as if you were standing behind them, watching them progress through the task. Alternatives to the second-person presentation are simply too stiff and formal, involving weak expressions such as “one must . . . .” or “next, one does . . . .” Also, you should identify your audience explicitly or by implication.
Text Enhancements
You must use at least three, relevant graphics.
You should also use other kinds of text enhancements, such as headings and ordered or unordered lists. These enhancements are virtually mandatory in instructions.
An important restriction is that you must either create your own graphics or give credit if you use graphics from any other source whatsoever. Above all, do not refurbish some set of instructions taken from a printed source or downloaded from the Internet. Making only minor, insignificant changes to someone else’s work is absolutely prohibited. You are ethically bound to create your own instructions.
Submission
You must print your instructions in both camera ready (c-r) and manuscript (ms.) form. Again, don't forget the cover sheet.
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