Technical and Professional Communication

Spring 1997 Midterm Examination

This is not an "exam" in the standard sense you might expect, in that you will be permitted to take it "open net." Use any and all of the resources available to you; the only rule in this exam time is no talking -- not even to me. During the exam time, I will be online in MediaMOO in case you have any questions. Don't hesitate to telnet in and ask, using the commands and protocols we learned in class last month. I will also be checking my mail frequently in case you would prefer to send me questions for clarification via that route. There is a lot here. Use all your resources to complete the entire task.

The exam will be graded on a 100 point scale, though you will have the opportunity to earn as many as 140 points. Your score will be factored into your participation and attendance score on the grade node; for instance, if you receive a 118 on the midterm, you will essentially be earning 18 extra credit points. If you earn a 63 you will essentially be losing 37 points from your 300 base.

Though the original announcement of this exam said you would have only 45 minutes to take it, I have decided to give you nearly the whole class period; we will finish at 3:30. I expect you to turn in your answers both electronically and on paper; this means you should print them out and give them to me before you leave today. You can either send me the electronic version via email, or for those of you comfortable with HTML, put it upweb in your own RCS space.

It is possibly -- perhaps likely -- that one or more of the computers in class today will freeze or crash. Be prepared for this to happen; if it does, don't complain or panic -- simply relocate, reboot, and incorporate a brief explanation of what happened and how you dealt with it into your exam answers.

Good luck -- and have fun (seriously!) ... while part of the grade for this exam will examine formatting and SMUG correctness, where appropriate, I also encourage you to be creative and forthright. In many cases, I am asking for opinions and arguments -- don't tell me what you think I want to hear, write what you think you can and should defend. You do not have to answer these in order; however, please clearly label your answers by number so I can follow along easily.

1. Provide reasonable definitions of the following terms: ethos, pathos, logos. How do the ideas these terms represent -- if not the actual words -- relate to the concept of making an argument in a professional setting? (25 points)

2. Situation: you are in your third year working at a position where you have been reasonably successful, and never had any complaints about your work. You have noticed, however, that every single promotion in the organization has gone to a white woman. You overhear the executive assistant saying that women work harder and more efficiently due to the traditional discrimination against them, and it's about time they were rewarded; that men are generally lazy and don't deserve half the compensation that women do; and that the company has to promote whites to the top positions because minorities, even when qualified, are treated with less respect in the marketplace and therefore hurt the actual bottom line of business.

Take one of two options: either write a formal memo discussing the situation to the executive assistant, cc:'d to her superior; or compose a formal letter to her informing her that you heard her opinions and outlining any concerns you have. These are both types of professional communication, though quite different. Consider carefully your actual audience. Remember that a piece of professional correspondence should ideally offer not only information but suggestions for action. (35 points)

3. Find a Professional/Technical Communications class offered at the undergraduate level at another American or Canadian university. Based on what you can tell from the information provided about the class upweb, what are the primary differences between that class and this one? Compose a brief, unofficial (yet professional) electronic mail message either to the instructor of that class or to me offering a suggestion for expanding or changing the class based on what the other one is doing. (This mail need not be sent; simply format your answer as if you would be sending it via email. Don't forget to include appropriate introductions and contact information.) (30 points)

4. In Siering's webtext about "Informed Linking," we were introduced to several concepts which affect technical communication only in electronic environments. The Chauss webtext discusses several elements of design and presentation which seem to apply in paper environments as well, but which might have to be viewed somewhat differently. Name one element of communicating in electronic environments -- web, mail, MOO, whatever -- that never had to be considered in papertext communication and give a reason why it is important now. If possible, give a specific example. (25 points)

5. Situation: Your superior at work is going to ask each person to make an oral presentation about the demands of their particular job and how that job should be described in the new formal company Job Descriptions document. Since she has seen you make an oral presentation and was very impressed with your skills, she has asked you to write a brief memo to everyone in the office outlining 5-10 key points in making an effective presentation. Write the memo. (25 points)