Below will appear the text of the assignment sheet for the External Analytical Report (EAR), adapted for online presentation. This version is to be considered authoritative, superseding any previously published information regarding the EAR.
Per the course packet, the EAR offers the results of the project proposed in the IP to the client identified in the IP. Ideally, it should represent the group members as professionals making recommendations to other professionals that are likely to be reviewed honestly and considered seriously; it should be the kind of work worth listing on a resume or CV. Both individual and collaborative submissions will be required in the process of developing the EAR; the individual components are three progress reports, while the collaborative is the completed EAR. Details concerning each appear below.
Progress Reports
Progress reports on the work individuals and their groups conduct on the EAR help to ensure that the work is pursued diligently and that group members are appropriately rewarded for their contributions to the success of the group. Each should take the form of a standard memorandum, addressed to (and responsive to the readerly needs of) the instructor and no more than one page in length.
Each progress report has a separate required subject line and due date, noted below:
EAR Progress Report 1 should have the subject line “EAR Progress Report 1” and is due before the beginning of class time on 27 March 2015.
EAR Progress Report 2 should have the subject line “EAR Progress Report 2” and is due before the beginning of class time on 10 April 2015.
EAR Progress Report 3 should have the subject line “EAR Progress Report 3” and is due before the beginning of class time on 17 April 2015.
Each is to be submitted via D2L dropbox as a .doc, .docx, or .rtf file, and each will be taken as a 10-point daily assignment.
The content of each report should consist of three paragraphs:
The first is a detailed account of the work conducted on the EAR. EAR Progress Report 1 should discuss work completed since submission of the IP. EAR Progress Reports 2 and 3 should each discuss work completed since the previous report.
The second is a detailed plan of action to be taken before the next submission related to the EAR, whether the next EAR Progress Report (for EAR Progress Reports 1 and 2) or the completed EAR (for EAR Progress Report 3).
The third is a brief summary of what works well in the group, what works poorly, and any corrections that need to be made. If a group member is not contributing appropriately, this needs to be noted to the instructor. (The contents of specific progress reports will not be shared with other students.)
A copy of the grading rubric that will be appended to each EAR Progress Report when it is returned to the student is linked below. Scoring of each EAR Progress Report will be determined according to the following criteria:
Format (3 points)
Does the memorandum display appropriate type-face, interlinear and inter-paragraph spacing, and captioning and transmittal information as indicated in the course textbook? Does it conform to the length and distribution requirements expressed above? Is it submitted in one of the requested file formats?
Content (5 points)
Does the memorandum contain the requested information and distribution, as noted above? Is that content sufficient to address the needs of the reader (i.e., allowing the instructor to oversee collaboration and to ensure appropriate assessment of the completed EAR)? Is the required subject line in place?
Mechanics (2 points)
Does the memorandum adhere to the conventions of academic American English expressed in the course textbook and the project’s selected style guide and discussed during class time? Does it observe diction, register, and tone reasonably appropriate to professional discourse, such as can be reasonably expected of students in an upper-division English class?
Note that the progress reports are individual assignments; students are all expected to submit their own original work. Note also that while outside reference is not necessarily expected in the progress reports, any outside material must be appropriately attested; failure to do so will be investigated as provided for in course, program, department, College, and University policy and may have a detrimental effect on student grades.
Completed EAR
The completed EAR should lay out, clearly and convincingly, the results of the project proposed in the IP, directed toward the client identified in the IP (the instructor will read as a gatekeeper and possibly tertiary reader; the primary reader should be the client). All group members should be listed as authors on the document. The General Requirements articulated in the course packet (pg. 34) are in force for the assignment, with the exception of length; front and back matter may, depending on their complexity, count as part of the required length, and 1500 to 1700 words are expected from each student, rather than the packet-specified numbers of pages. Please note that all group members are expected to contribute writing to the project, as the class is explicitly a writing course.
The completed EAR is to be submitted via D2L dropbox as a single .doc, .docx, or .rtf file before the beginning of class time on 24 April 2015. It is a 250-point major assignment; normally, one grade will be issued to all group members.
Per the course packet (pgs. 34-35), the EAR should consist of multiple sections with some content items specified and some sections optional (noted below). Information in the course packet is in force for this assignment unless otherwise noted below. The order presented below is expected:
Front Matter
Letter of Transmittal- Unlabeled, the letter of transmittal should follow standard block letter format and should 1) introduce the EAR, 2) offer a brief summary of it, and 3) offer contact information for the group members. The recipient should be the intended client of the EAR, not the instructor. The letter should not be more than two pages in length, and it should not be factored into the page numbering of the EAR as a whole.
Title Page- Unlabeled, the title page should list the information indicated in the course packet. It should not display a page number itself, but it should be counted as page i.
Table of Contents- Labeled appropriately as a first-level section, the table of contents should list all sections and subsections, as well as the pages on which they appear. The first page of the table of contents should not itself display a page number, but it should be counted as page ii. The second and subsequent pages of the table of contents, if needed, should display page numbers beginning with iii.
Table of Figures- Optional and labeled appropriately as a first-level section, the table of figures should list all figures (graphs, charts, tables, images) presented in the text, as well as the pages on which they appear. It is to be included unless all figures are gathered in a single appendix labeled appropriately to that purpose. The first page of the table of figures should not itself display a page number, but it should be counted as the next page after the table of contents. Second and subsequent pages of the table of figures, if needed, should display page numbers in sequence.
Abstract- Labeled appropriately as a first-level section, the abstract should correspond to the dictates of the course packet and textbook. It should be no more than one page in length. It should also not itself display a page number, but it should be counted as the next page after the tables of contents and figures in sequence.
Main Sections
Introduction- Labeled appropriately as a first-level section, the introduction should follow the directives of the course packet. Its first page should not display a number itself, but it should be counted as page 1. A second page, if required, should display a page number: 2. The introduction should not run for more than two pages.
Methods- Labeled appropriately as a first-level section, the methods section should follow the directives of the course packet. Its first page should not display a number itself, but it should be counted as the next page in sequence. Subsequent pages should display page numbers in sequence. Subsections will possibly be useful.
Results- Labeled appropriately as a first-level section, the results section should follow the directives of the course packet. Its first page should not display a number itself, but it should be counted as the next page in sequence. Subsequent pages should display page numbers in sequence. Subsections will likely be useful.
Discussion- Labeled appropriately as a first-level section, the discussion section should follow the directives of the course packet. Its first page should not display a number itself, but it should be counted as the next page in sequence. Subsequent pages should display page numbers in sequence. Subsections will likely be useful.
Conclusion- Labeled appropriately as a first-level section, the conclusion section should follow the directives of the course packet. Its first page should not display a number itself, but it should be counted as the next page in sequence. Subsequent pages should display page numbers in sequence. Subsections will possibly be useful.
Back Matter
References/Bibliography/Works Cited- Labeled appropriately as a first-level section, the section should list the resources used (quoted, paraphrased, summarized, or referenced) as specified by the style manual selected for the project in the IP. The label should also be appropriate to that style manual. The first page of the section should not display a number itself, but it should be counted as the next page in sequence from the conclusion section. Subsequent pages should display page numbers in sequence.
Appendix/Appendices- Optional and labeled appropriately as a first-level section or sections, the appendix or appendices contain information relevant to the report but not appropriate for inclusion in the main sections. Examples can include the set of figures referenced in the main sections (if not contained in them), equations or programming blocks through which calculations informing the main sections are made, surveys offered, and information about group members. The first page of each appendix offered should not display a number itself, but it should be counted as the next page in sequence from the preceding section. Any necessary subsequent pages should display page numbers in sequence.
As a note, “Front Matter,” “Main Sections,” and “Back Matter” should not appear as explicit labels in the text. Regard them as zeroth-level headings, used for discussion purposes only.
A copy of the grading rubric that will be appended to the completed EAR when it is returned to the group is linked below. Scoring of the EAR will be determined according to the following criteria:
Format (75 points)
Does the EAR display appropriate type-face, interlinear and inter-paragraph spacing, and captioning and transmittal information as indicated in the course textbook and above directions? Does it conform to the distribution requirements expressed above? Is it submitted in one of the requested file formats?
Are the required sections and subsections labeled appropriately? Are the required graphics? Do the labels call sufficient attention to themselves to facilitate easy navigation without being obnoxious, offensive, or distracting?
Are any necessary subsections labeled appropriately and in a way that indicates their relative subordination to higher-level sections?
Content (125 points)
Does the EAR contain the appropriate transmission information, including authors and recipient?
Does the EAR contain each of the sections listed above? Does each section contain the requested materials?
Are the required graphics in place? Are they easily read and understood? Are they accompanied by appropriate text?
In a general sense, does the EAR have sufficient heft (i.e., does it reasonably meet the expressed length requirements, and does it do so without obvious padding / empty prose)?
Mechanics (50 points)
Does the EAR adhere to the conventions of academic American English expressed in the course textbook and discussed during class time? Does it observe diction, register, and tone reasonably appropriate to professional discourse, such as can be reasonably expected of students in an upper-division English class?
Note that the completed EAR is a collaborative assignment; one member from the group should submit on behalf of the group its own original work. Note also that outside reference is likely to occur in the completed EAR, and any outside material must be appropriately attested; failure to do so will be investigated as provided for in course, program, department, College, and University policy and may have a detrimental effect on student grades for the group as a whole.
Copies of the grading rubrics are here.
A sample of student work on the EAR is available here.
More information may be forthcoming. Check back for updates.