Portfolio One

Writing on the Job: Workplace Literacy

Requirements:

• Introduction Memorandum (thanks to Dr. Etheridge for allowing us to link to this sample)
  • Use the headings/format to help you develop an introduction to your own Portfolio One materials
• Career Writing Interview Memorandum
• Copies of sample documents you collect
• Checklist
• Career Related Document you produce
• Thank you Letter or E-mail Message of Thanks to Interviewee

Submit all materials for Portfolio One in a two-pocket folder. Place the documents you produced in the left-hand pocket (in the order above); place the copies of sample documents you collected in the right-hand pocket.

Objective:

Portfolio One gives you an opportunity to learn about your future career environment, the expectations established for employees, the responsibilities involved, and the role of written and electronic communication in meeting those responsibilities. You will decide what workplace you want to visit and whom you want to contact to discover information about that particular setting.

Assignment:

Once you have decided on a workplace and interviewee, set an appointment to visit that workplace and conduct the interview. A key part of the information you must obtain involves how the person uses written and electronic communication, the kinds of documents he/she produces, and the audiences for whom the documents are prepared. You'll find more information in the assignments for specific portfolio documents (click on the links above).

Mini-example:

A student wants to be familiar with the work at a child protection agency as she wishes to seek a job there after graduation. She gets in touch with a representative of the agency and schedules an appointment to learn about the person's duties, the types of written and electronic communication he/she produces, how he/she creates the documents, and the audiences involved. Furthermore, she gathers sample documents to illustrate the techniques involved in writing these documents, and then emulates 2-4 pages of documents.

Rubric:

All documents in Portfolio One will be judged according to how well they accomplish the purpose for the audience, how reader-oriented they are in structure and content, the ability to analyze the rhetorical situation and develop the document accordingly, and the overall impression made by the documents. This last criterion assumes a high level of quality in terms of grammar, sentence structure, etc. Specific qualities for individual documents and point values are listed below:

• Introduction memorandum (10 points): Demonstrates ability to analyze one's own work, to explain process and accurately evaluate the success of the documents
• Career Writing Interview Memorandum (50 points): Clearly and thoroughly explains role of writing in this profession. Shows ability to synthesize information into readable/usable rpoert that meets the reader's needs and expectations.
• Copies of Sample Documents collected from interviewee (5 points): Credit for including in portfolio. Documents should be representative examples of writing expected in this profession.
• Checklist (15 points): Should list multiple criteria (five is the absolute minimum) that are relevant and specific.
• Career Related Document that you produce (15 points): Should follow the rules of the checklist and demonstrate ability to produce reader-oreitned document as might be expected in this field.
• Thank you letter/e-mail: (5 points): polite, makes a positive impression.

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