planning and organizing strategies
TRANSCRIPT
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Planning and Organizing Strategies
© Steve Whitmore
May 2018
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The Contract – My Responsibilities
I will treat you with respect
I will arrive at class on time
I will end class on time
I will come to class prepared
I will endeavor to make the classes interesting
I will be fair in my grading practices
I will grade assignments as promptly as possible
I will either answer questions that are posed, or I will suggest resources where you can find the answers
I will help you deal with personal and study problems whenever possible
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The Contract – Your Responsibilities
Meet deadlines (4)
Participate in class (2)
Learn course content (2)
Prepare for class (1)
Feedback to others (1)
Finish degree this year (1)
I note that several of you have also listed multiple responsibilities.
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Your Goals for ENSC 803 To attain better writing skills (3) ? ? ? (Too broad?)
Improve writing process (2) (“Process” lectures)
Increase speaking confidence (1) (Can be done – see me)
Improve organization and clarity (1) (“Informative” lecture)
Relearn “academic mode” (1) ? (Yes, but not needed?)
Increase vocabulary (1) ? (Difficult, time helps)
Fewer errors (1) (“Revising” lecture)
Improve style (1) (“Style” lectures)
The more specific and concrete your goals, the more likely you are to achieve them:
I will learn to write better.
vs.
I will learn to organize technical articlesso they are easily understood. (Organization and Clarity)
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Your Concerns about ENSC 803 Good, Fast, or Cheap -- you are only allowed two of
these in any engineering project (includes writing):
1. Fast + Cheap = Inferior
2. Good + Cheap = Slow
3. Good + Fast = Expensive
Skills (Quality: good vs. inferior) 4
Time/deadlines/conflicts (Speed: fast vs. slow) 3
Workload/difficulty (Cost: cheap vs. expensive) 3
N/A 1
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Your Questions about ENSC 803 How do I make writing classes interesting?
• I look for strange, interesting, contradictory, weird things about life and communication. I also look for simple strategies that everyone can learn to use. Some classes will be boring, nevertheless.
Favorite place in BC?• Fishing the Kitimat River? Exploring Cody caves? Climbing cliffs near
Nelson? Walking on Crystal Cove Beach in Tofino? I can’t choose :-)
Can we be friends? • I’m friends with some undergrads, many grad students, most of my
colleagues, and a few administrators. Of course we can be friends.
Do I play any instruments?• No, my manual dexterity and my ability to carry a tune approximate 0.
Have lunch and share my wisdom? I’m not sure I have much wisdom to share, but no doubt, it all depends upon the context for the discussion.
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More Questions about ENSC 803 How did I get a tenured position without a PhD?
• My position is non-tenured, but I am a specialist in the writing of Scientists/Engineers (among other things). Few have that skillset, which means I’m rather difficult to replace ;-) As well, I really quite like working with Engineers and Scientists.
Is the Discourse Analysis Exercise on-line?• Yes, the material is on-line, but you will discover that it is much easier
to learn and implement the principles when preceded by the relevant lecture and when you can consult me and your team-mates while doing the analysis. That’s why it counts for so much of the participation grade.
Should I be concerned about coming up with a novel approach to a problem or can I use a past paper?• You can do either, but if you choose to revise an older paper, I expect
you will submit a copy of the older paper, do more research into the topic, and significantly revise the paper.
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More Questions about ENSC 803 I like cats because they are clean, funny, like to play, and
like people?• I also do. Additionally, they cuddle, chase imaginary things
(hallucinations?), and do some of the goofiest things I’ve ever seen:
How did you get my sock stuck on your head? (Ralph)
When did you learn that you could catch field mice if you stayed upwind when I burned off a field of grass? (Tigger)
What made you follow me a mile to the post office and wait outside until I was finished, and then follow me home? (Boots)
Why did you beat up the dog across the street? (Boots)
How did I improve my communication skills in scientific writing?• I took graduate courses in Educational Psychology, in Statistical
Research, and in the Study of Rhetoric. I also read a lot of stuff.
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Learning Objectives
By the end of this module, you will be able to apply some
basic planning and organizational skills, including the
following:
Time management
Dealing with procrastination
Rhetorical issues and planning
Outlining papers effectively
Organizational patterns
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Planning Strategies
Begin as soon as possible
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Issues of Time Management
Length, complexity, and joint authorship make time
management all the more important!
When will you do any necessary research?
How long will it take to draft the document?
Will the document go through a peer or client review
(generally a slow process)?
How long will it take to prepare and duplicate the final
document?
How much time is required to deliver the document?
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Time Management for Reports
Planning guidelines for 4 Environmental
Engineers writing a 50 page technical
report (some “boilerplate” text available)
Organization and research 5 days 25%
Drafting 3 days 15%
Peer review 1 day 05%
Revising and editing 5 days 25%
Formatting and duplication 2 days 10%
Delivery by courier 1 day 05%
Contingency 3 days 15%
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Time Management
Example of a Simple Gantt Chart
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Deliver Report
Format Report
Final Editing
Revise 1st Draft
Create Figures
Write 1st Draft
Research Topic
Weeks
For lengthy reports written by multiple people, consider
using scheduling software such as MS Project.
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Procrastination
The consequences of procrastination
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Procrastination
Common reasons for procrastinating?
Hard work
Dislike writing
Uncertainty about where to start
Perfectionism
Apprehension about audience’s criticisms
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Dealing with Procrastination
Recognize that procrastination makes it harder in the end
Overcome a dislike of writing by focusing on positive goals
Deal with the uncertainty of starting by asking questions
Replace a desire for perfection with a quest for excellence
Deemphasize potential criticism by viewing your drafts as
provisional (temporary)
Distinguish between procrastination and incubation
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Rhetorical Issues and Planning
Consider audience, purpose, and tone
Use standard forms when required
Determine an appropriate perspective:
Perspective Possible Uses
1st Person (I, We, Organization) Letters, memos, reports, proposals
2nd Person (You) Manuals, procedures, letters
3rd Person (She/He, They, One) Reports, legal documents
No Person (Passive Voice) Scientific reports & articles, specifications
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Organizational Strategies
Creating outlines
Using organizational patterns
Writing introductory paragraphs
Creating graphics
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Topical Outlines
1. Fiber Optics in Telecommunications
1.1. Architectures
1.1.1. Active Pedestal
1.1.2. Double Star
1.1.3. Star Bus
1.2. Materials
1.2.1. Fiber Types
1.2.2. Strand
1.2.2.1. Core
1.2.2.2. Cladding
1.3. Applications
1.3.1. Residential
1.3.2. Commercial
1.4. Advantages and Disadvantages
1.4.1. Cost
1.4.2. Flexibility
1.5. Installations
1.6. Computer Simulations
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Computer Outlines
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Mind Maps
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Taxonomies (Top-Down) Deductive
Fiber Optics in Telecommunications
Architectures Strand
Applications Advantages
Disadvantages
Star Bus Double Star
Active Ped.
Core Cladding
Residential Commercial 1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
1.
2.
3.
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Brain Storming
(Bottom-Up)
Inductive
Mike’s Process
(MindStorm)
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Mike’s Process (MindMap)
Mike’s Process (Outline)
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. . . . . .
Could then be entered into
MS Word “Outline View” and
expanded into the paper.
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Patterns of Organization
Pattern Description
Chronological Sequence of events through time, as for describing a process.
Spatial According to physical relationships, as for describing an object.
Comparison/Contrast Explanation of similarities and differences, as for comparing old
and new designs.
Order of importance From most important to least important, as determined by
audience and purpose.
Problem solving Explanation of problem, method, and solution followed by
recommendations.
General to specific A general point followed by a more detailed explanation
and/or specific examples.
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More Organizational Patterns
Place the obvious before the remarkable
Place the presentation before the refutation
Place the explanation before the complication
Place the solvable before the unsolvable
Place the agreement before the disagreement
Place the likely before the speculative
Place the rules before the exceptions
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Introductions & Graphics
Some writers like to “perfect” the introduction prior to
starting to work on the rest of the paper.
• Useful for papers where the structure or conclusions
are unclear
• Recognize risk of perfectionism and procrastination
Experienced Engineers sometimes create all the
graphics for a document and then fill in the blanks.
• Useful for papers with a high visual content
• Recognize risk of insufficient explanation and
transition
Building from PowerPoint An alternative to starting in a document is to start with
PowerPoint and then transfer the material to MS Word:
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Conclusion
Reflections: How much do you procrastinate and why?