Fluent Essays

Week 2, Discussion 1 — Practice in Writing the Annotated Bibliography Must post first.Your response to this discussion is due by this week Friday at midnight Eastern Standard Time (EST).You are also asked to comment on at least one other students thread in the class on his or her response.Your comment to your classmate is due by this week Sunday at midnight Eastern Standard Time (EST)._____________Hi students!This discussion topic is designed to help you become familiar with how to annotate articles. In this discussion, youll read an academic article on teaching grammar and then write an annotation of that article. Heres how to get started:Step 1: Watch the video, How to Write an Annotated Bibliography. (Its in this weeks Content.) Step 2: Access and then read the article, “Teaching Grammar and Editing in Public Administration: Lessons Learned from Early Offerings of an Undergraduate Administrative Writing Course, by Claire Connolly Knox. This article is in the e-reserves section of your class. You can access the article by taking the following steps:click Contentselect Class Resourcesselect eReservesselect the icon for eReserves in the middle of your page.in the list of items that appears, locate the article and download it Step 3: Create an annotation of this article as if you were considering it for a source in a paper. Heres how:List the article in APA format, as the video describes. (Note: the publication date for this article is not listed. A quick Google Search of the article title will show you that the year of publication is 2013. Include this in your citation.)Write a 100-to-150-word summary/critique of the article in which you not only summarize the article but also note any strengths or weaknesses you find in it. In addition, mention whether it will be a possible article for an essay on the topic of teaching grammar in writing courses. (Note: you wont be writing about this topic for your own writing assignments.) Your annotation thus should include the following:Focus of the study (~ 1-2 sentencesConclusion(s) of the study (~ 1-2 sentences)Analysis of the study (e.g., any strengths or weaknesses? Any thing that was particularly remarkable/helpful?) (~ 1-2 sentences)Its relevance to research on teaching grammar in writing courses (~ 1-2 sentences)Please refer to the CSI at University practice annotation in this weeks Content for an example. Step 4: Post your response.Step 5: Comment on at least one of your classmates posts.Please note: Youre not writing about teaching grammar for your own writing assignments. However, this exercise is designed to help you become familiar with listing a source in APA format and with writing a critical annotation for it.Also please note that you will not be able to see other students responses to this discussion topic until you post your response.Week 2, Discussion 2 — Examining a Student Annotated BibliographyMust post first.Your response to this discussion is due by this week Friday at midnight Eastern Standard Time (EST).You are also asked to respond to at least one other student in the class on his or her response.Your response to your fellow student is due by this week Sunday at midnight Eastern Standard Time (EST).For this discussion, youll learn about the annotated bibliography, which will be the first assignment youll submit.For your WA #1, youll gather five (5) scholarly sources on the topic that youve chosen and write an annotated bibliography.An annotated bibliography consists of APA-formatted citations and written paragraphs that summarize, describe, and evaluate the referenced articles.In evaluating the article, youll ask questions like: Does the source seem reliable? Is it current? What limitations have you noted in the study? How does the material relate to your topic? Will you find the material useful for your work?For this discussion, heres what you need to do:Review the sample, student annotated bibliography attached here: Student A Sample Annotated Bibliography.Answer the prompts below. After reading the sample student annotated bibliography, choose one of the annotations and answer the following questions. If the annotation does not offer a clear answer to the prompt, be sure to state this in your response:(1) Identify the claim made by the author(s) of the article (1-2 sentences) (e.g., The authors claim that Chinas one-child policy...)(2) Identify the main strength(s) in the study, according to the student (1-2 sentences). (e.g., According to the student, the main strength is...) (3) Identify the conclusion(s) reached by the author(s) of the article (1-2 sentences) (e.g., The author determined that...)(4) Are there any limitations in the study, according to the student? (1-2 sentences) (e.g., The student states that the study was not current...)(5) Did the student find the source useful/not useful for his/her own work? Why or why not? (~1-2 sentences) (e.g., Its unclear if the student found the source useful...)(6) Post a comment or question on one or two of your classmates threads.Thank you! teaching_grammar_and_editing_in_public_administration__lessons_learned_from_early_offerings_of_an_undergraduate_administrative_writing_course_knox__c.c..pdf sample_annotation_csi_at_university_391model.pdf writing_assignment__1_2020__2_.pdf rubric_discussion___wrtg_391_6367_advanced_research_writing__2205____umgc_learning_management_system.pdf annotated_bibliography_____wa_1___wrtg_391_6367_advanced_research_writing__2205____umgc_learning_manag.pdf Unformatted Attachment Preview Teaching Grammar and Editing in Public Administration: Lessons Learned from Early Offerings of an Undergraduate Administrative Writing Course Claire Connolly Knox University of Central Florida School of Public Administration ABSTRACT College graduates need to possess strong writing skills before entering the workforce. Although many public administration undergraduate programs primarily focus on policy, finance, and management, we fall short of a larger goal if students cannot communicate results to a variety of audiences. This article discusses the results of a national survey, which concludes that few undergraduate public affairs programs require an administrative/technical writing course. Based on pedagogical theories, this article describes the design of a newly implemented, undergraduate, administrative writing course. The article concludes with lessons learned, provides recommendations for programs considering requiring an administrative writing course, and discusses future research. Keywords: administrative writing, Plain Language Movement, discourse community, undergraduate course design “Administrators not only need to know about communications, they need to be able to communicate” (Denhardt, 2001, p. 529). Public administration undergraduate students learn the importance of communication within organizations in leadership, human resources, or organizational management courses; however, practical instruction in communication skills, such as effective, audience-centered writing, are lacking. Scholars (e.g., Cleary, 1990, 1997; Lee, 2000; Raphael & Nesbary, 2005; Waugh & Manns, 1991) have noted this lack of required communication and writing courses in public administration curriculum. The majority of administrative writing literature is from the late 1980s and early 1990s when universities began implementing Writing Across the Curriculum programs (i.e., JPAE 19 (3), 515–536 Journal of Public Affairs Education 515 C. Connolly Knox Londow, 1993; Stanford, 1992). The limited discussions and conclusions coincide with private and public sector trends—newly hired students’ writing skills are lacking (Hines & Basso, 2008; National Commission, 2005). A survey by the National Commission on Writing for America’s Families, Schools, and Colleges (2005) reported that approximately 80\% of public sector human resource directors seriously considered writing skills when hiring professional employees and assumed new employees obtained these skills in college. Increasingly, public managers require employees to attend writing and communication trainings, which cost governments approximately $221 million annually (National Commission, 2005). In fact, the public sector (66\%) is more likely to send professional/ salaried employees for writing training than the private sector (40\%; National Commission, 2005). Public, private, and nonprofit sector organizations certainly should continue providing education in writing, and scholars (e.g., Coplin, 2003; Hines & Basso, 2008; Quible & Griffin, 2007) agree that newly graduated students should enter the workforce with a solid writing foundation. For the past 30 years, statistics, policy, finance, and management remained the primary focus in many public administration undergraduate programs (Dougherty, 2011). Yet, we fall short of a larger goal if students cannot communicate program evaluation and policy analysis results to a variety of audiences. Researchers (i.e., Pincus, 1997; Raphael & Nesbary, 2005) have studied the lack of communication courses in Master of Public Administration (MPA) and Master of Business Administration programs, but undergraduate public administration program design and content has received less attention (Dougherty, 2011). This article adds to the literature in two ways: by continuing the limited discussion of writing/communication skill development among public administration students at the undergraduate level and by offering an administrative writing course design that mixes pedagogical approaches. Specifically, this article proposes that passage of the Plain Writing Act of 2010 and high costs for writing skills training for new employees support the need for these undergraduate programs to add a technical/administrative writing course in the curricula. The recommendation aligns with the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration’s (NASPAA) core competency accreditation requirement: “Development of communication abilities and skills—written, oral, and electronic” (1997, p. 6). This article briefly reviews the Plain Language Movement history and passage of the Plain Writing Act of 2010. The subsequent sections discuss survey results about writing requirements from NASPAA-accredited U.S. undergraduate public affairs programs, and grammar and writing pedagogical theories and best practices that informed and grounded the development of a newly designed administrative writing course. The conclusion provides pedagogically based recommendations for future changes to the writing course, and outlines future research. 516 Journal of Public Affairs Education Teaching Grammar and Editing BRIEF HISTORY OF PLAIN LANGUAGE MOVEMENT In the early 1950s, the U. S. federal government slowly integrated the Plain Language Movement with the goal of well-written, concise, and audience-centered documents. Advocates for this new movement became more vocal after World War II and stressed that overly technical writing was an impediment to a citizen’s understanding and participation in government goods and services (Law: Waging, 1978). Yet, it was not until after 1970 that the Plain Language Movement received federal and state government support through executive orders, memorandums, and legislation (Table 1). Two main reasons for this support are (a) the expanding size of the federal government, which consequently increased paperwork, and (b) an increasing national focus on consumer activism (Redish, 1985). Table 1. Brief History of the Plain Language Movement from Nixon to Obama Administrations Presidential Administration Year Action Nixon 1972 Formal request to use layperson’s language in the Federal Register with sentences written clearly and in the active voice. Carter 1978 Executive Orders 12044 and 12174 stated government regulations should be written clearly and without jargon. Reagan 1981 Rescinded the executive orders in Section 10 of Executive Order 12291. Clinton 1998 Presidential Memorandum for federal government documents to be written in layperson’s terms. Obama 2010 Plain Writing Act of 2010 created formal legislation requiring federal agencies to use an audience-centered approach and produce reader-friendly documents for the public. The Plain Writing Act of 2010 transitioned the Plain Language Movement from a voluntary to mandatory action. The act’s purpose is to “improve the effectiveness and accountability of Federal agencies to the public by promoting clear Government communication that the public can understand and use” (Plain Writing Act, 2010, ¶ 4). Section 3.3 of the act defines plain writing as “writing that is clear, concise, well-organized, and follows other best practices appropriate to the subject or field and intended audience” (Plain Writing Act, 2010, ¶ 7). Although this legislation provides no enforcement mechanism, agencies must designate a senior official as the Plain Writing liaison, explain new requirements to staff members and train them to comply with the new regulation, and design agency-specific implementation procedures and a plain language webpage whose web link is available on the homepage (Hasselkus, 2010). Journal of Public Affairs Education 517 C. Connolly Knox Overall, passage and implementation of this legislation stresses the increasing need to educate future public administrators to write more concisely while remaining focused on the document’s audience(s). The combination of public policy and workforce demands support the recommendation to require administrative or technical writing courses in undergraduate public administration curriculum. UNIVERSITY APPROACHES The challenge of improving undergraduate student writing skills is not unique to the public administration discipline; undergraduate programs across the United States struggle to incorporate writing assignments in their courses (Glenn, 2011). Some public administration, public affairs, and public policy programs have institutionalized solutions. The following section discusses results from a survey completed by NASPAA-accredited U.S. undergraduate public affairs program directors and coordinators. Undergraduate Program Survey A five-question e-mail survey was sent to academic coordinators in 72 undergraduate programs associated with member schools listed on NASPAA’s website (National Association, n.d.; see Appendix A of this article). The survey asked the undergraduate program coordinators to provide information about any administrative or technical writing course offered within or outside their department. Following Dillman’s (2007) approach, non-responsive programs received a reminder e-mail 1 week later and a phone call 3 weeks after the initial e-mail. Of the 72 programs, 53 responded, for a response rate of 74\%. Twelve undergraduate programs are no longer active, are suspended, or are listed incorrectly on the NASPAA website. Of the remaining 41 programs, 32\% (13 out of 41) required an administrative and/or technical writing course in the program; two programs have a designated writing course in the department, while 11 programs recommend technical writing courses in the English, Communications, or Business departments (Table 2). Ten programs (24\%) have modified existing core courses as writing-intensive courses (Table 3). Eighteen programs (44\%) did not require an administrative and/or technical writing course. These results alignwith Raphael and Nesbary’s (2005) study of communication courses in MPA programs. Should a public administration program offer an administrative writing course, or should the program refer students to technical writing courses in a Business, English, or Communications department? Concerns include evaluating the level of technical writing skills of public administration faculty and their ability to teach a writing course, as well as adopting a newly required writing course in an established program curriculum. Although 85\% of responding programs require technical writing courses outside the program (primarily in the English department), there are benefits to creating a discipline-specific administrative writing course and potentially hiring an adjunct instructor with a technical writing background. Grammar is constructed; it depends on the discourse community that you belong 518 Journal of Public Affairs Education Teaching Grammar and Editing Table 2. Required Writing Courses in Undergraduate Public Administration, Public Affairs, or Public Policy Programs University Writing Course in Public Administration Department Writing Course in Other Department Arizona State University ENG 216: Persuasive Writing on Public Issues Auburn University at Montgomery ENG 3050: Advanced Expository Writing California State University, Bakersfield COMM 304: Technical and Report Writing California State University, San Bernardino MGMT 306: Expository Writing Indiana University, Bloomington ENG-W 231: Professional Writing Skills; BUS-X 204: Business Communications Indiana University–Purdue University, Ft. Wayne ENG W232: Introduction to Business Writing; ENG W233: Intermediate Expository Writing Indiana University–Purdue University, Indianapolis ENG-W 231: Professional Writing Skills; BUS-X 204: Business Communications University of Central Florida PAD 3733: Administrative Writing in the Public Sector University of Maine PAA 390: Technical Writing and Communication for Public Service University of Maine at Augusta ENG 317w: Advanced Technical Communication University of North Dakota ENG 125: Technical and Business Writing University of North Texas TECM 2700: Technical Writing University of San Francisco INTD 307: Experience and Critical Writing; INTD 308: Advanced Expository Writing to and what the community considers acceptable usage (Northedge, 2003). Each discipline and field has its own discourse community (i.e., engineering, law, journalism, medicine, government, etc.). Although this type of course reviews different genres of professional writing (e.g., memos, reports, executive summaries, website evaluation), it also focuses on genres (e.g., grant proposals, press releases, federal rule evaluation) and characteristics unique to the public and nonprofit sector discourse community. Journal of Public Affairs Education 519 C. Connolly Knox Table 3. Writing Intensive Courses in Undergraduate Public Administration, Public Affairs, or Public Policy Programs University Writing Intensive Course in Public Administration Department College of William and Mary Major Writing Requirement in an Economics course Duke University PUBPOL 114: Political Analysis for Public Policy Making Florida Atlantic University PAD 4935: Senior Seminar (writing intensive); PAD 4933: Capstone Seminar in Public Management Georgia State University James Madison University Writing Intensive Course in Other Department PMAP 3311: Critical Policy Issues; PMAP 4051: Evaluating Public Policy PPA 420: Public Management Michigan State University Tier II Writing Course Pennsylvania State University at Harrisburg PUBPL 304W: Public Policy Analysis Rutgers University–Newark PAD 302: Global Urban Experience Stephen F. Austin State University PBA 305: American Public Policy; PBA 405: Policy Analysis University of Albany, SUNY RPUB 499: Senior Seminar Additionally, the course reinforces grammar, editing, and APA style rules and techniques, all of which aligns with best practices from the communications literature (e.g., Hines & Basso, 2008). The next section provides an overview of pedagogical theories that informed and grounded the development of the administrative writing course. DESIGNING THE ADMINISTRATIVE WRITING COURSE The School of Public Administration at a large university located in a southeastern, metropolitan city created a mandatory, undergraduate administrative writing course within the program curriculum. Faculty members, advisory board members, and local public sector leaders and employers identified writing deficiencies among current and former students: grammar (specifically incomplete sentences, run-on sentences, incorrect use of punctuation), wordiness, formatting and structure, plagiarism and improper use of APA style, and passive voice. To address many of 520 Journal of Public Affairs Education Teaching Grammar and Editing these writing deficiencies, the course design used a blended pedagogy with multiple grading mechanisms (i.e., exams, online modules, peer editing, group work, and individual writing assignments). The course also incorporated professional technical writers as guest speakers (e.g., the county’s communication director, the city’s public information officer, a local government website designer, and a federal grant writer/ reviewer) who provided students with writing examples from their organizations. Stanford (1992) provides some best writing practices for MPA programs: incorporating many short writing assignments instead of one lengthy research paper; writing for multiple audiences; setting clear writing goals and competencies for students in the course; evaluating students’ writing and providing feedback; and handling students’ writing workload, which can overwhelm writing instructors. The next sections discuss these best practices, as well as some pedagogical theories for grammar and writing, in more detail as they relate to the undergraduate administrative writing course design. Grammar Review Although not discussed by Stanford (1992), the course began with a brief grammar review. Hines and Basso’s case study stresses the need for grammar review in communication/writing courses: “At the heart of all written communication remains the proper use of the rules of English Grammar. … Incoherent sentences and ambiguous thoughts doom writing to fail at its most fundamental and important level, communicating ideas” (2008, pp. 294, 297). The grammar review incorporated a mix of the rules-based and content-based approaches. The rulesbased approach to teaching grammar (also known as deductive approach and traditional school grammar approach) is a teacher-centered approach focusing on grammar definitions and rules, and then requiring students to apply those rules to specific isolated exercises (Weaver, 1996). Examples of this approach include diagramming sentences and memorizing definitions (e.g., predicates, fragments, subordinate clauses). The content-based, or inductive, approach gained popularity in the 1960s and applies grammar definitions and rules to students’ writing (Quible & Griffin, 2007). Through this student-centered approach, students discover grammar rules, concepts, and exceptions while writing or editing their assignments. Weaver (1996) advocated for the content-based approach for teaching grammar and citied many studies (i.e., Calkins, 1980; DiStefano & Killion, 1984; Harris & Rowan, 1989; Noguchi, 1991) conducted on elementary through college-aged students. Specifically applicable to the design of the administrative writing course is Harris and Rowan’s (1989) study of undergraduate students’ understanding of grammar concepts. The authors concluded that students needed the application of grammar concepts in their writing, in addition to knowing grammar rules and definitions. Specifically, students in the study could define a sentence, but failed to differentiate between a fragment or run-on sentence and a grammatically correct sentence (Weaver, 1996). Journal of Public Affairs Education 521 C. Connolly Knox Scholars (i.e., Hartwell, 1985; Kolln & Gray, 2009) note that teaching grammar out of context largely has no impact on improving students’ writing. Although the debate between rules-based and content-based approaches to teaching grammar continues (Quible & Griffin, 2007), this article recommends a combination of the two approaches, especially when there is a mix of students from different generations and with varied learning styles. The course design included the combined approaches because feedback on student deficiencies from faculty indicated the need for a grammar rules review before applying the rules to writing. For the first 2 weeks of the course, I created grammar and editing assignments based on the rules-based approach (e.g., separate grammar exercise worksheets on specific rules), which provided the needed foundation for future writing assignments. Students requesting additional instruction in grammar rules received sources for self-study.1 After the grammar review, the class reviews the American Psychological Association’s (APA) writing and formatting style. This style is required in every public administration core course in our school, yet few students had received formal training. The students were mostly familiar with the Modern Language Association writing style, which the Liberal Arts commonly use in English courses. I reviewed common differences between the two styles and taught APA style in more detail, and then required students to complete an interactive APA online module offered through the university’s library Obojobo system.2 The module is easily incorporated into any course with the website link provided in the syllabus, and the system grades the concluding quiz. As discussed later in this article, including a university’s library or writing center online grammar, writing, or editing module helps overcome the large amount of time requ ... Purchase answer to see full attachment