First off, as it is the first case and everyone is just learning this stuff, note that the opening cases are worth a small amount of the final grade. So if you didn't do so well, learn from it and develop -- 95% of your grade is still out there.

Second, recognize from the explanation here that most of the projects are about the problem solving, but also about your documenting your problem solving. Many people had a rough time of this at first, which is to be expected, so I didn't take things down too much this time - but you'll all get better at the revision memos, because if you can't show/explain that you're learning you won't get full credit for it.

How Grades are Arrived at:

1. Is portfolio complete? - all the process docs - this always ends up hurting twice because it is the people who are thinking and trying through the process that end up doing better, because it is a process of development.
2. Look at the final document -
   • - is it attempting the purposes we've covered
   • - is the range of content there - effort shows - and so does its lack
   • - is it using the format features we've covered (talking heads - basic memo format - serif fonts for body text, sans serif for headings - bold for headings or things that should stand out)
3. Look at the revision memo -
   • - does it make a case for how the document developed according to changes in understanding of the situation, and
   • - relate those to the concepts we've covered - purposes, audience, format features and what they do - i.e. not just using talking heads, but why.

This page has this explanation at the top, examples next, the full portfolio explanation of what content was requested and its purposes, and then the grades. If you have concerns about your grade, take the time to look back over your portfolio compared to the examples and explanation here, and then set up an appointment to come and discuss it with me.

Good Examples from your Classmates

• Basic Background & Contact
• Major, Status & Progress in
• Work, Status & Progress in
• Other Knowledge Areas, Status & Progress in
• Example of "technical" communication experience in any of your knowledge areas

• State/Show Your Areas of Expertise & level of Development.
• Create Goodwill - show how you can make a connection between your experience and the course.
• Use of Formatting Concepts to make document easily read.
  

• Things/items first draft says/does - actual examples
• Why it says/does those things
• Things/items second draft says/does - actual examples
• Why it now says/does those things

• Make the Case that you applied Course Concepts, Reevaluating Audience, Purposes, and Design after testing and feedback.
• Show changes from draft to draft are consequences of change in understanding of situation. Remember to point out specific examples.
• Show how first draft is response to initial understanding of the situation -- how did you understand what the situation was, how did document respond to that? Remember to point out specific examples.

• Whatever data you thought to include

• Show initial thinking of what doc was supposed to do, how it would be used, or not

• Experience List - Classes taken, Jobs held, Extra-curriculars participated in
• Key projects and events in those things
• Key lessons learned, experiences

• Get you thinking back about the concrete experiences you've had working with people, and more importantly how much you learned, both in content knowledge and how to work with people or how you work
• The trend was for people's Resource Lists to be courses/jobs extracurriculars w/o any expressed events/projects, or concepts/experience from them. But a couple of people did get the idea. Example. To understand the value of having ready-to-mind your experiences and the conceptual experience you got from them, look again at the Interview Story in the Handouts folder.

• What you know about audience
• Examples from your Major or Work

• Got you started thinking about how to make a case, for a particular audience, by packaging or presenting data in a way suited to that audience