Welcome to WRIT
2201!
While we are waiting
to start, take a look at
this sign.
What does it tell you?
Plan and key learning goals
1.
Get to know the teaching team and one
another
2.
Answer your questions about the course
3.
Understand why writing and research are
core skills for ITEC professionals
4.
Intro to Assignment 1: Analysis of strategies
used to communicate information effectively
Core concepts and capabilities:
• (Re) think how you understand ‘writing’ and
‘research’
• Genres – writing as a social action to get things
done, using recognizable patterns (content,
structure, language)
• Analyze examples to identify and apply
strategies that help communication ‘work’
Detail of FAA aviation map
1. Get to know us…
The teaching team
Your colleagues
Meet some colleagues…
• Take a moment to think about your answers to these questions. Jot
down (or draw or voice record) your ideas:
• What did you notice when you looked at the York sign?
• When you read it, what does the way it is written suggest about York and it’s
attitude toward people on campus?
• Introduce yourself to people sitting near you. Find out how your
colleagues answered these questions (5 minutes)
Welcome to WRIT
2201!
While we are waiting
to start, take a look at
this sign.
What does it tell you?
2. Introduction to the course
How the course works – key things to know
Course outlines as a kind of writing that does work - an introduction to
understanding and analyzing genres
Course outlines - an
example of writing
that gets work done
‘We don’t write writing, we write
something… that we hope will have
an effect…’ Paré)
What do you expect a
course outline to tell
you?
What do you expect
them to be like in
general (sections,
appearance,
language…)?
Course outlines - a genre
that gets a specific kind of
work done
What do you want
to know about
2202?
Did you find it?
Work with a partner to find
answers to any other questions
Still can’t find out? Ask me!
What did you notice about
the outline for 2202?
Aspects of content/presentation
that were as you expected?
Anything unexpected or missing?
Things that were helpful/unhelpful
Key concept:
research and
writing that
works makes
things
happen!
‘We don’t write writing, we write
something… that we hope will
have an effect…’ Paré)
To get the effect we want, we need to:
• Understand how writing works
• learn how to put that together
• find out how it comes across to our intended
reader!
ITEC knowledge and
problem solving
Writing knowledge
and problem solving
Clarify the
problem or
task
Communicate
Find info.
Thinking
Analyze,
synthesize,
apply
writing in
ITEC
Evaluate
info.
Organize
info.
Adapted from
Atkins, 2016
Reflection: Has the discussion changed the way
you think about research and writing?
• Use the forum on the course website to tell me about how your ideas
about research and writing have changed and which research/writing
skills you now feel you need to develop the most for your career
Overview of Assignment 1
Find out more about what makes writing work, and find out about our partner,
iFixit.com
Key steps
• (Finish answering the Tell me about yourself questions)
• Find out about iFixit and the SEO Writing Project
• Join a team (create your iFixit account)
• Follow the directions to write and add your personal profile to your iFixit
account
• Review the iFixit info about the organization and how to start your project
to analyze what makes the writing ‘work’ effectively
• Use what you learn about effective writing to revise (rewrite) your answers
• Add notes or comments to identify and explain your changes.
Deliverables:
Files to be uploaded to the assignment portal:
1. Completed Questions about yourself form (save and upload file from
the online Google Form)
2. File containing:
a. The link for your profile on the iFixit website
b.Your answers to the remaining assignment questions and tasks.
FYI: ‘Deliverable’ refers to something produced as a result of a task or project – it
describes the ‘products’ or ‘services’, including written information such as project
charters, updates and reports. The term is used in project planning and
management.
Background references– more about key
concepts and approaches used in the course
“… we don’t write writing”; we write about something, in some setting, for some reason,
and to some specific set of readers.” (p.4)
Paré, A. (2009). What we know about writing, and why it matters. Compendium2, 2(1).
For the quote above, see also:
Paré, A. (2017). The once and future writing centre: A reflection and critique. Discourse and
Writing/Rédactologie, 27, 1-8.
Relationship between research and writing skills and problem solving:
The relationship and skills we work on in the course are based on six ‘facets’ of the
Research Skills Development Framework (RSDF) (modified version for Optimizing Problem
Solving by Mechanical Engineering staff at the University of Adelaide).
Willison, J., & O’Regan, K. (2007). Commonly known, commonly not known, totally unknown: A
framework for students becoming researchers. Higher Education Research and Development, 26(4),
393-409.
The Optimizing Problem Solving pentagon and other research and information about the RSDF are
available at https://www.adelaide.edu.au/melt/the-models-of-melt
We’ll be ready to take off as soon as everyone is on board!
Welcome to WRIT 2201!
While we are waiting to start, get to know some of
the colleagues who are sitting close to you
‘In the Air’: Photo by Alexander Schimmeck on Unsplash
Welcome to
WRIT2201!
Photo by Alexander Schimmeck on Unsplash
Goals
Photo by Maksim Tarasov on Unsplash
1.
Get to know one another
2.
Answer your questions about the
course
3.
Think about research and writing
as activities and skills that help us
to solve problems
4.
See connections with roles and
responsibilities in your future
career
5.
(Understand why we still have a
writing course instead of AI)
6.
Intro to Assignment 1: Learn
about our partner organization,
iFixit, and about your first
research and writing project.
Research and
writing work
together to
help us solve
and share
solutions to
technologyrelated
problems
Adapted from the Optimizing
Problem Solving Pentagon
We write for real people who need our information
Key
concepts:
Work in small steps
Test how it works
Make it work even better!
Introductions
Let’s get to know one another a bit and answer any questions about the course and
how it works…
Meet some colleagues…
Take a moment to think about your answers to these questions:
• What do research and writing mean to you?
• How do you use research and writing in your everyday life and work (if you
have or have had a job)?
• Introduce yourself to people sitting near you. Find out how your
colleagues answered these questions (10 minutes)
• Working in a small group, focus on either research or writing – share
your ideas on the board and be ready to report back to the class
Report back: understandings of research and
writing
Research…
Writing…
Report back: how are class members using
research and writing outside University?
Research
Writing
How some previous students use research
and writing at work
Research
• Finding info on google / filters
• API – for programming
• Databases – (finding articles & info)
• How to carry out process / conditions
– planning and finding info
• Find out about platforms,
compare/evaluate, plan how to
implement it
• Evaluate/plan – organizing&
presenting information (SWAT etc)
• Product research, pricing, marketing -
Writing
• Emails – professional (formal,
informal)
• Reports
• Orders
• Planning – roadmap, issues…
• Presentations –
• Training docs, knowledge bases