Steve Bookman, Pace University March 2, 2017 Using the Resume Assignment to Teach ePortfolios: Beyond the Business Writing Classroom Steve Bookman, Pace University March 2, 2017 2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference

2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference Abstract Since resumes in general are typically one page, they cannot showcase class projects, research projects, and other documents in great detail. This is where ePortfolios can showcase students’ work experience and skills, which fill in the whole picture to a prospective employer. The presenter, who is also an editor, shows his unique approach on how he teaches his students, especially in his business writing classes, how to design and proofread ePortfolios coming from the editor’s perspective through various activities he uses in his classes. 2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference

2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference Agenda The Purpose of ePortfolios Theory and Methodology to Designing ePortfolios Designing ePortfolios Proofreading ePortfolios Class Activities Benefits of Having the Mindset of an Editor 2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference

The Purpose of ePortfolios 2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference

2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference Uses of ePortfolios Three general purposes for ePortfolios (Lievens, 2014) Way for students to engage more in the learning process Reflections (e.g., First-Year Seminar) (Brammer, 2007) Assessment through learning outcomes Showcase of learning outcomes General skills students acquire creating ePortfolios (Kryder, 2011) Web writing skills Design skills Technical skills 2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference

ePortfolios as Resumes The resume of the future may only be online (Okoro & Cardon, 2011; Worley, 2011). Students can showcase their experiences and skills employers look for (Brammer, 2007; Flanigan, 2012; Okoro & Cardon, 2011). Evidence of oral and written skills, and critical thinking Employers use the internet to learn more about prospective applicants (Brammer, 2007). 2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference

Theory and Methodology to Designing ePortfolios 2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference

2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference Three Traditions Shaping Thinking and Beliefs About Writing and Design (1) Craft tradition This tradition “cultivates knowledge of guidelines, principles, rules, and procedures that are needed in order to produce visual or verbal products” (Schriver, 1997, p. 55) The focus of instruction is on “mastering the fundamentals of style and technique” (Schriver, 1997, p. 56). Romantic tradition “Writing and design are successful when they express the inner vision of the writer or designer” (Schriver, 1997, p. 57). The focus is on intuition, not analyzing and teaching (Schriver, 1997). 2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference

2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference Three Traditions Shaping Thinking and Beliefs About Writing and Design (3) Rhetorical tradition Writing is teachable and does not have to be a gift from birth (Schriver, 1997). Three of the most important ideas include: audience, invention, heuristics (Shriver, 1977) Audience Everything needs to focus around the target audience. Invention Students research a subject, take “a point of view that is sensitive to the readers’ knowledge and beliefs” (Schriver, 1997, p. 58), and come up with explanations and arguments. Heuristics By using prior knowledge, people can problem solve, which can lead to new information about a problem. 2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference

2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference Audience (1) Relationships formed through document design ( Kimball & Hawkings, 2008) Clients Users Designers Three different ways to analyze audience Classification-driven audience analysis Creating profiles of target audience Demographics (e.g., “age, sex, income, and educational level”) (Schriver, 1997, p. 155) Psychographics (e.g., “values, lifestyles, attitudes, personality traits, and work habits”) (Schriver, 1997, p. 155) Problem with this method: limited overview of audience, which does not factor in diversity 2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference

2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference Audience (2) Three different ways to analyze audience (con’t) Intuition-driven audience analysis “mental construct of imagined readers” (Schriver, 1997, p. 157) Use human characteristics (e.g., curiosity, intelligence) Intended audience Ideal reader Strength of method Keep readers’ attention using words and pictures Weakness of method Little encouragement to compare with real readers 2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference

2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference Audience (3) Three different ways to analyze audience (con’t) Feedback-driven audience analysis Use real readers “engaged in the process of interpreting texts” (Schriver, 1997, p. 160) Two broad research traditions How people read and interpret texts in general (e.g., reading comprehension and discourse) How people read and interpret particular texts (e.g., professional and technical) Strengths Develop a very detailed view of how real readers interpret what they are reading Weaknesses “Gap between forming an image of the audience and taking action based on that image” (Schriver, 1997, p. 160) 2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference

2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference Ethics Intellectual property (Rude & Eaton, 2011) Copyrights Digital Millennium Copyright Act Fair use and Four-Factor Test (Rife, 2007) Trademarks Patents Trade secrets 2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference

Society for Technical Communication’s Ethical Principles Legality Honesty Confidentiality Quality Fairness Professionalism (Society For Technical Communication, 1998) 2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference

Plain Language (1) Plain language is defined as the “writing and setting out of essential information in a way that gives a cooperative, motivated person a good chance of understanding it at first reading, and in the same sense that the writer meant it to be understood” (Cutts, 2009, p. xi). “At its heart, plain language involves an ethical relationship between the reader and writer. As a writer, you must want to communicate with your audience clearly” (Graves & Graves, 2011, p. 71).

Plain language Plain Writing Act of 2010 by President Obama states that federal agencies are required “to demonstrate awareness of plain language, offer plain-language training, and write new public documents in plain language. Agencies must also post annual reports on their compliance with the Plain Writing Act on their websites” Willerton, 2015, pp. 8, 10).

BUROC Model B: Bureaucratic U: Unfamiliar R and O: Rights oriented Long distance communication for policies and procedures U: Unfamiliar Jargon R and O: Rights oriented Affect individual choices C: Critical Make decisions quickly (Willerton, 2015)

2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference Viewing Documents Three perspectives of Documents (Kimball & Hawkings, 2008) Perception Visual-spatial thinking – physical cues Culture Meeting the expectations of the users Rhetoric The users’ lives and experiences Users’ responses to the document 2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference

Designing ePortfolios 2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference

Steps to Designing ePortfolios Audience Reason for ePortfolio Design/outline/layout Content Plagiarism Sentence structure and grammar 2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference

2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference Outlining (1) An outline is not just a writing tool to get students started, but it is a series of steps that develops any entire text into a rough draft in bullet form, using a formal outline structure (Bookman, 2012). Outlines, if they are used to their fullest potential, are complete rough drafts. Only one draft needs to be developed (Bookman, 2012). If students cannot envision the whole written text, they are not ready to write it. 2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference

2012 International Learning Styles Conference, Bronx, NY Outlining (2) A partial outline is the product of brainstorming and revising the thesis statement. It is not sufficient enough to envision the entire essay. A partial outline contains an unfinished introduction, body, and/or conclusion (Bookman, 2012). A complete outline is the entire essay in bullet form with each paragraph outlined separately (Bookman, 2012). 2012 International Learning Styles Conference, Bronx, NY

Proofreading ePortfolios 2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference

Theoretical Background to Proofreading Role of attention “Conscious attention to form in the input competes with conscious attention to meaning” (p. 296). Attention is limited and selective (Van Patten, 1990). It is impossible to pay attention to everything at the same time. Trade-off hypothesis Bridging content and form in the beginning frees up attention to form during proofreading (Skehan, 2007). By spending more time in the beginning with planning and outlining, more time can be spent on individual items in the end for proofreading. 2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference

Proofreading ePortfolios Audience Reason for ePortfolio User experience Layout of ePortfolio Outline of each page Content and background Plagiarism Typography and spacing Sentence structure and grammar 2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference

2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference Class Activities 2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference

General Observations with Student ePortfolios Not enough time to complete it in one semester (Okoro & Cardon, 2011; Worley, 2011). Students tend to wait until the last minute to complete them. Not enough relevant and quality information to add to ePortfolios Few, if any, work-related experiences weaken ePortfolios (Okoro & Cardon, 2011). Two categories of students (Okoro & Cardon, 2011) High-performing students produce ePortfolios of average quality. Low-performing students produce ePortfolios of poor quality. 2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference

Class Activities for Teaching ePortfolios Audience profile sheet Outline of each page Document design Layout Design 2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference

Benefits of Having the Mindset of an Editor 2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference

What do employers look for? (1) Soft skills – people skills (Strauss, 2016) Leadership skills Team player Critical thinking Problem-solving skills Paying attention to detail Interpersonal skills Communication skills 2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference

What do employers look for? (2) Hard skills – technical skills (Strauss, 2016) Writing proficiency Public speaking Data analysis 2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference

2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference Thank you for listening to my presentation. Handouts can be retrieved at https://eportfolio.pace.edu/user/view.php?id=19010. My email is sbookman@pace.edu. 2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference

2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference References 2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference

2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference References (1) Bookman, S. (2012, July 11). Complete outlines as rough drafts. Presenter at the 2012 International Learning Styles Conference. Bronx, NY. Braummer, C. (2007). Electronic portfolios: For assessment and job search. Proceedings of the 2007 Association for Business Communication Annual Convention. Cutts, M. (2009). Oxford guide to plain English (3rd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. Flanigan, E. J. (2012). ePortfolios and technology: Customized for careers. International Journal of Information and Communication Technology Education, 8(4), 29-37. DOI: 10.4018/jicte.2012100103 2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference

2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference References (2) Graves, H., & Graves, R. (2011). A strategic guide to technical communication (2nd ed.). Peterborough, ON: Broadview. Kimball, M. A., & Hawkins, A. R. (2008). Document design: A guide for technical communicators. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s Press. Kryder, L. G. (2011). ePortfolios: Proving competency and building a network. Business Communication Quarterly, 74(3), 333-341. DOI: 10.1177/1080569911414556 Lievens, R. (2014). A proposal: Mitigating effects of the economic crisis with career ePortfolios. International Journal of ePortfolio, 4(2), 157-168. 2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference

2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference References (3) Okoro, E. A., & Cardon, P. W. (2011). ePortfolios in business communication courses as tools for employment. Business Communication Quarterly, 74(3), 347-351. DOI: 10.1177/1080569911414554 Rife, M. C. (2007). The fair use doctrine: History, application, and implications for (new media) writing teachers. Computers and Composition, 24, 154-178. Rude, C. A., & Eaton, A. (2011). Technical editing (5th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc. 2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference

2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference References (4) Schriver, K. A. (1997). Dynamics in document design. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Skehan, P. (2007, September 20-22). Tradeoff and cognition: Two hypotheses regarding attention during task-based performance. Second International Conference on TBLT. University of Hawaii Society for Technical Communication. (1998). Ethical Principles. Retrieved from https://www.stc.org/about-stc/ethical-principles/ 2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference

2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference References (5) Strauss , K. (2016, May 17). These are the skills bosses say new college graduates do not have. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/karstenstrauss/2016/05/17/these-are- the-skills-bosses-say-new-college-grads-do-not- have/#653e7186596e. Van Patten, B. (1990). Attending to form and content in the input. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 12, 287-301. Worley, R. B. (2011). ePortfolios examined: Tools for exhibit and evaluation. Business Communication Quarterly, 74(3), 330-332. DOI: 10.1177/1080569911414558 2017 Rebundling Higher Education Conference