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 COM 340 Slingshot Academy snaptutorial
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 COM 340 Slingshot Academy snaptutorial
COM 340 Week 1 DQ 2 The Value of Technical
Communication
COM 340 Entire Course
What Is Technical Communication? What is the
difference between technical communication and
technical writing? After completing your reading
assignments for this week, how would you define
each of these terms? Create your own definition
for technical communication and a separate
definition for technical writing. The Value of
Technical Communication. Why do we need technical
communication? What purpose does it serve?
Identify at least five types of documents or
other written materials that could be considered
technical writing that you engage in or see in
your home and/or workplace.
The Value of Technical Communication. Why do we
need technical communication? What purpose does
it serve? Identify at least five types of
documents or other written materials that could
be considered technical writing that you engage
in or see in your home and/or workplace.
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 COM 340 Slingshot Academy snaptutorial
COM 340 Week 2 DQ 1 Expert Opinion and Critical
Thinking in Research
COM 340 Week 1 Evaluation of a Health-Related
Website
Evaluation of a Health-Related Website. In July
1999, The American Telemedicine Association
(A.T.A.) issued the following advice to consumers
who use the Internet for health-related
information and services. A.T.A.s criteria for a
quality site include the following (Advisories
23) a. The site is sponsored by a reputable
healthcare organization (e.g., American Cancer
Society, American Medical Association, nationally
recognized medical college, or the like).
Information from a commercial interest such as a
drug company should include assurances that the
material is reasonable, balanced, and objective
and does not merely promote the companys own
products.
Expert Opinion and Critical Thinking in Research.
Review the information in Chapter Six of
Technical Communication about expert opinion.
Select a topic from science or technology on
which experts might disagree (e.g., possible
health hazards of cell phones, global
warming/global climate change, or the value of
vitamin supplements). Use the Internet to
research this topic and find one point on which
experts seem to agree, one point on which experts
disagree, and one opinion that seems to be
influenced by financial or political motives.
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 COM 340 Slingshot Academy snaptutorial
COM 340 Week 3 DQ 1 Defining Terms
COM 340 Week 2 DQ 2 Research Assignments
Research Assignments. Discuss what aspects of
conducting research are the easiest and the most
difficult for you and why you find these areas
easy and difficult. Include at least one ethical
issue from your reading of Chapter Five of
Technical Communication (assigned in Week One) as
one of aspects. Which types of sources do you
find most difficult to evaluate and why? What
specific idea did you learn from your reading
and/or assignments this week that will help you
in your future research?
Defining Terms. Explain the importance and
purpose of technical definitions. Select a term
you know the meaning of but others may not. Using
the guidelines presented in Chapter Eighteen of
the text, Technical Communication, create a
sentence definition and then expand the
definition using one or more of the expansion
techniques presented in the chapter. Post the
term, the sentence definition, and the expanded
definition.
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 COM 340 Slingshot Academy snaptutorial
COM 340 Week 3 Instruction Effective Use of an
Online Library Database
COM 340 Week 3 DQ 2 Proposals
Instruction Effective Use of an Online Library
Database. Using the information you have learned
from Chapter Twenty of the text Technical
Communication, write an instruction for feeding
an infant. If you have some personal experience
in this area, you may use this experience as a
source of information. However, you should also
conduct research to obtain expert opinions and to
be certain your information is accurate. Your
assignment must cite at least two scholarly
sources
Proposals. What is the primary purpose of a
proposal, and why must a proposal be persuasive?
Provide an example of a written (or oral)
proposal you have made. If it was successful,
discuss what elements, discussed in our text, you
used to make it successful. If it was
unsuccessful and did not achieve its purpose,
discuss what you could have done differently to
make it successful.
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 COM 340 Slingshot Academy snaptutorial
COM 340 Week 4 DQ 1 Using Visual Images
COM 340 Week 3 Planning Proposal Outline
Using Visual Images. Search the Internet and find
examples of each of the following a. A graph b.
A chart c. A graphic illustration Study the three
examples you found and compare each one to the
guidelines for using that type of visual, the
guidelines for incorporating color, and the
guidelines for fitting visuals with text and
usability of visuals found in Chapter Twelve of
the text, Technical Communication
Planning Proposal Outline. Submit a formal
outline for your research proposal that is due in
Week Five. Your outline must include a
descriptive title of the topic you will be
researching. It must also include sufficient
information to develop a two-page to three-page
written proposal, must be prepared using
appropriate alphanumeric notation, and must be
developed to at least two levels of detail. Your
paper should include title and references pages,
and be formatted according to A.P.A. style
guidelines. For information regarding A.P.A.
formatting, visit the Ashford Writing Center by
following the link under the Learning Resources
tab in the left navigation of the online course.
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 COM 340 Slingshot Academy snaptutorial
COM 340 Week 4 Process Mechanism Description
COM 340 Week 4 DQ 2 Effective Page Design
Process/Mechanism Description. Select a simple
process you routinely perform or a common
household or office object as the topic for your
process/mechanism description. Some examples of
common processes are brushing your teeth, combing
or brushing your hair, tying your shoes, eating
breakfast, etc. Some common household or office
objects for a mechanism description are
flashlights, nail clippers, retractable ballpoint
pens, scissors, staplers, or any other simple
mechanisms.
Effective Page Design. Find an example of
effective page design and an ineffective page
design in a magazine or on the Web. In your post,
describe each page design and why it is effective
or ineffective. Be specific in your evaluation.
With the ineffective page design, make specific
recommendations for improvement. Be sure to cite
all resources.
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 COM 340 Slingshot Academy snaptutorial
COM 340 Week 5 Final Paper
COM 340 Week 5 DQ 1 Course Summary
Focus of the Final Paper This paper should be an
objective evaluation of a situation or a problem
you or someone you know has experienced here at
the University or a suggestion for a change to a
university process or a procedure that could
improve a service the university provides to its
students. You will be required to do some
research to complete this paper. You should also
incorporate the persuasive techniques you studied
in this course. An outline of this proposal is
due in Week Three, and the proposal itself is due
in Week Five. Your proposal must be properly
formatted in A.P.A. style and must be two to
three pages in length (excluding title and
reference pages).
Course Summary. Over the past five weeks, we have
covered many subjects related to technical
writing. If someone asked you to prepare a
written summary of this five-week course, what
would you write? Summaries are often written to
make long documents quickly understandable.
However, as our text explains, we often have to
write summaries to report on meetings,
conferences, projects, or programs. Using the
information you learned in Chapter Nine of the
text, write a 200 250 word response that
incorporates the elements of a usable summary and
summarizes the essential messages of this COM340
course.
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