DISCIPLINE
Arts: Communication; Professional Writing

The learning design focuses on acquiring professional writing skills which are cross-disciplinary.

DURATION
The learning design forms Module 1 of the Writing in Organisation section of the Professional Writing Subject and is implemented at the beginning of the subject. This module prepares students to undertake Modules 2 and 3.

Students generally take 12 x 2 hour sessions to complete this work over three weeks.

ICT USED

• Website.
• Web browser needs Quicktime plugin installed and computer must have audio output.

DELIVERY CONTEXT
The delivery of the learning design assumes that no interaction between students is required. It is implemented totally online. Students have access to a web site (or CD-ROM if preferred) and are expected to complete the three activities in a self-paced, individual manner. Student interaction with content is online allowing integrated email messaging to their manager/lecturer. The design also provides for assistance from an industry-based mentor who the student can email from within the simulation.

Students could be isolated or in a computer lab.

The material could be used from a CD-ROM, with the actuation of messaging via a normal email client.

TARGET AUDIENCE
Undergraduate 2nd or 3rd year Communication students.

In terms of technical skills, these students are able to use a web browser and a general familiarity with computers and keyboard typing skills is expected.

COHORT
This learning design was originally designed for 20 students, but could be used with single students or classes of unlimited size if manager responses are shared among several tutors/lecturers.

The maximum number of students is dependent on the number of instructors available. An ideal student:instructor ratio is 12:1 because the individual attention required to students and quick turn-around of email response becomes difficult with larger groups.

BROADER CONTEXT
This learning design is implemented as Module 1 in a Professional Writing subject titled: Writing in Organisations.

The subject aims to allow students to become more skilled in

• finding information in a business context;
• researching writing topics that are of interest in the business community;
• synthesising information from different sources to make decisions appropriate to the situation.
  

The subject is delivered as a combination of an online component and face-to-face lectures and each module has a separate aim in developing the students’ understanding of writing in organisations.

In Module 2 students conduct a research assignment which involves critiquing relevant literature based on a selected topic.

Module 3 involves students being given a scenario which has a problem to solve. In order to solve that problem, students need to draw upon all the information gathered from the other two modules, plus have access to a real-life industry mentor.

This learning design aims to:

1. Sensitise students regarding the contextual nature of professional communication, so that they are more aware of hierarchies, responsibilities, authority, audience, tone and purpose.
2. Facilitate student awareness of the nuances involved in making appropriate writing choices in a professional context, especially as they involve the structure of the organisation and the personalities involved.

IMPLEMENTATION OF ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES
The reports and memos produced by the student within the environment (as an organisational intern) are the assessable items for this section of the subject.

IMPORTANCE OF ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES USED
The assessment is integrated into the work tasks of the intern in the illusory office, so the students are required to articulate their learning in the language of the writing society and as an authentic activity of that professional group.

WHY ICT IS USED
Through industrial experience, Professional Writing students learn about the contextual nature of professional communication and practice making appropriate writing choices in a professional context.

Industry experience offers authentic engagement in the workplace but it is difficult to monitor, especially for students geographically distant from the university campus. Students find it hard to apply writing theories as they struggle with a new environment with which they will have only brief contact.

• Case studies can give students the impression that there are easy-to-find and universally correct responses.
• Academics' stories of their own experiences as professional communicators relegate students to a passive role, rather than being 'experiencers' in their own right.
• Guest lecturers can be used, but integration with the normal course is difficult and their contact with students is brief due to the need for the guest to be absent from their normal worksite.

HOW ICT USE HELPS
Students can gain experience of the working environment while still receiving daily support and without disruption to other subjects they may be enrolled in.

The multimedia environment is more authentic than an equivalent textual one, and the student must engage with the environment to proceed through it, rather than just turning pages.

MOST IMPORTANT ICT CONTRIBUTION TO LEARNING DESIGN
The non-textual environments (graphical and audio) engage the students' emotions while the content engages their intellect.