English paper
kingmarket
Purpose1.docxPurpose
This course uses a career focus, so this first assignment will be an informative report about your future career field. If you have not yet decided on a career field, this report can help you explore one possibility. Researching and writing the report should provide everyone with tools that you can use to determine whether a potential career is a good fit for you.
Please note that this is an informative report. You are not going to argue whether someone should or should not go into this field. You may well draw conclusions about the specific information, such as whether the career outlook is good or the qualifications are difficult to achieve, but the overall purpose is to inform and not to persuade.
Context
Your audience is a college student who is unsure of what to major in and so is looking for information on careers. Your report may thus be formatted as a fact sheet or brochure that could be handed out at a college orientation or in a Career and Placement Office. I've given the basics of a report format below, and you can build on that by including visuals or graphics. Your role is that of a researcher rather than a practitioner; that is, you have researched the career field but do not have work experience in it.
Requirements
The report may use visuals (photos, graphs, charts), but these are not required. If you use graphs or charts, you must create these yourself. If you copy a photo, document it.
You must use secondary research for the information. If you know someone in the field, you may also conduct an interview (primary research), as a supplement to the secondary research. The report must use a minimum of four sources, with at least three of these being secondary sources. Be sure to acknowledge where you got the information from, and if you use any direct quotes, use direct quotation format. Direct quotes should be only a small part of the report, though, if used at all. I'm looking for your ability to write up the information you find.
We'll cover formal documentation style in the next few weeks. For this report, we'll start with some basics:
Put all direct quotes of three words or more in quotation marks. This includes direct quotes that are part of a summary you do (retelling the information in your own words).
Document facts, statistics, and opinions taken from sources even if they are in your own words. The only exception is common knowledge (facts that any educated person would know) that you put in your own words.
For each quote or summary, state the author in an identifying phrase (such as "According to) before the secondary research material.
For each written source you use, at the end of the paper, give a citation that names the author, the title, the source (website or book or magazine) and the date it was copyrighted, if available. If you use an interview, give the name of the person you interview, the words "Personal interview," and the date of the interview.
Structure and Content
Begin with some background. You might provide needed definitions of the career field and perhaps some history of the field.
The report must then cover at least these three aspects. Do not structure the paragraphs as answers to the questions below; your paragraphs need to show a clear topic sentence and good integration of the research in a logical order.
1. Career outlook: This refers first to whether there are good prospects for getting a job in this field. For instance, do projections indicate there will be growth in the number of openings in this field? The average salary or salary range should be included. Consider also whether the field often leads to advanced positions such as management.
2. Conditions: What is it like to actually work in this field? On a daily basis, what are the environmental conditions like? Consider things such as whether travel is required, how much physical labor is needed, whether there are hazards associated with the field, and how much flexibility a person's schedule might have.
3. Qualifications: What basic qualifications do employers require new employees to have? What are the ideal qualifications for getting a job in this field? What personality traits might help a person succeed in this field?
The report should end with a concluding paragraph that addresses a central point about the field. I've given some possible approaches below. Use one of these or one of your own:
1. What type of person would enjoy this field? What personality traits fit or do not fit?
2. What is the value of this field to society?
3. How is this career field likely to change in the future?
Format
Give the introduction without a separate heading. Then use "Career Outlook, "Conditions," "Qualifications," and "Conclusions" as the major headings for the report. Center these.
Under each of the headings, give a few sentences that give the main idea or conclusion for that section. Then use at least two subheadings under each to give the information. (For instance, "Expected Growth in Job Openings" might be a subheading under "Career Outlook." For each subheading, give at least one paragraph that indicates the ideas and data. You usually want to have two or more paragraphs under a subheading when possible.
Grading
Please see the rubric below for the criteria that will be used in assessing the report. Please note that significant plagiarism will result in a zero on the assignment with no opportunity to redo the assignment or may result in an automatic failure in the course.
Rubric
1190 Informative Report
1190 Informative Report
Criteria Ratings Pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Organization
The paragraphs are unified and coherent. There is a logical division into the introduction, body, and conclusion. The order of ideas is clear and assists the reader in understanding the material.
20.0 pts
Above Expectations
16.0 pts
Meets Expectations
12.0 pts
Below Expectations
20.0 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Development
The amount of material provided is sufficient to explain and support the claims, both within the paragraphs and in the document overall.
20.0 pts
Above Expectations
16.0 pts
Meets Expectations
12.0 pts
Below Expectations
20.0 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Format
The use of visuals enhances the document, without being irrelevant for the purposes. Readers would be able to understand the purpose of the visuals easily. The formatting of the document makes it easier to read.
20.0 pts
Above Expectations
16.0 pts
Meets Expectations
12.0 pts
Below Expectations
20.0 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Use of Research
Information is taken from reliable sources. The balance of research material and student-composed material serves the purpose of the assignment well. Research material is documented correctly.
20.0 pts
Above Expectations
16.0 pts
Meets Expectations
12.0 pts
Below Expectations
20.0 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Editing
Major errors are minimal, if present at all. Minor errors do not detract from the content. There is no plagiarism.
20.0 pts
Above Expectations
16.0 pts
Meets Expectations
12.0 pts
Below Expectations
20.0 pts
