WHP Schedule: Summer 2009

This document is an almost complete list of things to do, in roughly chronological order,
instead of a strict schedule. I encourage you to take the responsibility to do this course
based on a schedule that makes sense to you, but I am also suggesting what I think is a
reasonable pace for the work that needs to be done.

I have listed some items as “optional,” but you are also welcome to decide other items are
“optional.” If you think you can successfully complete major assignments without doing
some of these exercises, some of these building block steps, you are welcome to do so. I
recently read a study, however, that found students in online classes who do what we
teachers call “the scaffolding” perform much better on assignments than students who
chose not to do the scaffolding.

I may suggest additional readings or activities that are not on this list if I find material
that is interesting and relevant, or if I simply noticed that I have forgotten something that
I think is important.

Unit 1: Health Literacy Recommendation Report

June 16-21st
1. Introduce yourself on Bb. The usual (major, year, hometown), what you are doing
this summer (and where you are doing it), plus tell us a “health communication”
story from your life. This story could be about excellent communication, terrible
communication, or a bit of both. Include a picture (doesn’t have to be of you, but
that would be nice) in your post so you learn how to attach images and files in Bb.
2. Complete the “first day” assessment document. Save the file as
“Lastname_Assessment.doc” and use that formula with all files you send to me
(lastname_assignment.doc). Email the assessment document to me as an
attachment.
3. Join the writing in the Health Professions Facebook group (optional). Can be a
good place to get to know others in class, communicate if necessary.
4. Complete the course contract document and email that to me
(lastname_contract.doc).
5. Read major assignment #1, the Health Literacy Report. Pay attention to how all
the next steps will help you with this assignment.
6. Read assigned chapters of Helen Osborne’s Health Literacy and take good notes.
See the Helen Osborne file in Bb for assigned chapters; see the “Personal Fact
Sheet” assignment so you get a sense of how you will use your notes at the end of
the semester.
7. Research and post to Bb a short report on “Health literacy in your field.” Find
other posts in your field and major, compare notes, and comment (compare and
contrast what you have found).
8. Research and post to Bb a short report on “Citation systems within your field.”
Find other posts that use the same system, make sure you all agree, figure out if
somebody has the information right or wrong.
9. Work ahead if you complete all of this before June 21. Start your personal fact
sheet now; you can always delete information later.

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June 22-28th
1. Visit a health facility; take notes, take pictures, ask questions. You will see some
pictures from the spring semester on the Facebook Group; feel free to add yours
there and get some feedback.
2. Use the “feng shui” checklist to analyze the space; use the “plain language” check
list to analyze the document.
3. Perform a SMOG analysis of the document you are analyzing.
4. Complete additional short writing assignments in order to help you with your first
assignments: practice description, evaluation, use of criteria, etc. (optional).
5. Ask questions about the assignment. Do so by sending emails to me; I will reply
to you and the rest of the class if the question is relevant.
6. Draft your report.
7. Take the general tutorial “Designing Documents with a Word Processor.”
http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/techcomm/content/cat_030/designWP/1_home.html
This tutorial can help you with some of the design features of a professional report,
and it will help you next unit as well.
8. Work with somebody else in class; peer review each other’s work. Read the
“Sideshadowing” document; insert comments, or sideshadowing notes before you
do your peer review.
9. Read Writing, Speaking, and Communicating (WSC) Chapter 2. “Grammar Tips
for the Information Age.” Make a post to the discussion board; which tips did you
find most interesting, relevant, and/or useful? Use this chapter to help you with
the revising of your report.
10. Try out the “paramedic method of editing”
11. Read the Portfolio Assignment in Bb and start an electronic portfolio at
Wordpress.com (Word Press will ask you if you want to start a blog; say “yes.” I
am asking you to use blogging software, but you don’t need to blog. Just collect
your course work there). I’ll put up an instructional video to help you with this.
12. Post your completed Health Literacy Report to your Electronic Portfolio.
13. Email me when you have done this; include the URL of your Electronic Portfolio
in the email. I will download your files from there.

Unit 2: Health Information Documents (HID)

June 29th –July 5th
1. Read the “Health Information Document” (HID) assignment.
2. Revisit your location and/or communicate with “gatekeeper.” Identify the
information needs and genre + medium for delivering information at this location.
3. Do research on your topic. I am asking for at least three sources to be identified in
your letter and on the HID.
4. Ask questions about the assignment by email to me; I will reply to you and the
rest of the class (if appropriate).
5. Read WSC’s chapter 14, “Business Writing.” Make a post to the discussion
board; which tips did you find most interesting, relevant, and/or useful? Think
particularly about the letter you are writing, but you can also think about revisions

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 you might make on your report.
6. Do some web searching for additional suggestions / tips on how to write a
business letter if you need additional advice.
7. Write a draft of your letter; sideshadow it, get feedback, revise.
8. Submit letter to me and your gatekeeper for approval. Please use one email with
both of us included so I can communicate with your gatekeeper if necessary.
9. You may revise the letter once, immediately upon receiving feedback. Because
this letter functions as a proposal, it would not make sense to revise it after you
have completed your HID.
10. Post your final, revised (if you revise) letter to your Electronic Portfolio.
11. Practice the paramedic method of editing when you get your Unit 1 report back
(see Short Writing Assignments documents). Optional.

July 6 – 12th
1. Start on HID as soon as you can; there are things you can do even before you get
feedback.
2. Re-read design suggestions in Osborne’s Health Literacy. Be particularly aware
of writing and designing your document for the appropriate reading level.
3. Continue / complete research on topic.
4. Ask questions about the assignment by email to me; I will reply to you and the
rest of the class (if appropriate).
5. Search for a webpage, website, or even a book (great time to use the Non
Designers Design Book if you picked up this recommended text) that will give
you some advice on “how to design X,” how to design the genre that you are
working on (e.g. poster, brochure, booklet) or take the general tutorial “Designing
Documents with a Word Processor” again (reviewing material is a great learning
strategy).
http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/techcomm/content/cat_030/designWP/1_home.html
6. Use the Discussion Board to post a short report about what you have found. What
do you like about it; what could others learn from it. Link to the web page if
possible. Compare and contrast resources you have found, especially when
somebody finds a source that is useful to you.
7. Include information from this research and this assignment on your personal fact
sheet.
8. Draft and design your document.
9. Use the SMOG analysis to test reading level before you get a review.
10. Instead of a peer review, get your gatekeeper to review it.
11. Post your finished product to your Electronic Portfolio and email me with the
direct URL so I can grade it.

Unit 3: From Medical Report to Media Story

July 13 – 19
1. Read the assignment sheet for “Medical Report to Media Story.”
2. Ask questions about the assignment by email to me; I will reply to you and the
rest of the class (if appropriate).
3. Read Health News Review (HNR) websites. Be sure to read at least three reviews

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 plus the original stories: a 5 star review and story, a 3 or 4 start review and story,
and a 1 or 2 star review and story. Also read their criteria for reviews: you will be
using these same criteria in this assignment.
4. Look at the sample of collected items in Bb: 3 media stories, 3 medical stories all
about “happiness.”
5. Read “Surface Web, Deep Web for the Health Professions,” available in Bb.
6. Conduct a “surface web” search for news articles on a topic relevant and
interesting to you. Try to find 3-5; you will need to use 3.
7. Practice a HNR-style analysis (i.e. use their criteria, give your story a rating) and
post that review to Bb. This work will significantly help you with your analysis
paper.
8. Find at least one medical report referred to in the news stories. You will likely
find these medical reports in the deep web, although some will be searchable via
Google or other search engine.
9. Read WSC Chapter 1: “Reading the Medical Literature.” See also the guide to
Chapter 1 handout in Bb.
10. Apply chapter 1 to the medical report you have found. Write up an analysis of
one medical report and post that to the Discussion Board. This work will
significantly help you with your analysis paper.
11. Completing these three tasks (reading the HNR, applying criteria to a story you
find, locating and analyzing a medical report) will take time and be challenging,
but if you get done with them this week, by all means keep going or complete
additional short writing assignments (5, 6, or 7).

July 20-24.
1. Complete research for this assignment. Please note that you need to work with at
least three medical reports (although one is your anchor report, the other two are
support or dissenting views), and three media stories, and that it is unlikely that
the first six sources you find will work for this assignment. Be prepared to give
the research a significant amount of time.
2. Ask questions about the assignment by email to me; I will reply to you and the
rest of the class (if appropriate).
3. Read Chapter 3 in WSC “The Scientific Journal Article” (70-90). Add notes to
your personal fact sheet.
4. Draft your paper, sideshadow it, and continue working with a classmate or
classmates to get a peer review.
5. Revise based on peer review.
6. Conduct paramedic editing session on your own paper.
7. Post your work to your Electronic Portfolio and send me an email with the URL
when the document is available.

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Unit Four: Revisions, Portfolio, and other documents.
July 25-Aug. 2.
1. Read (or re-read) the Electronic Portfolio assignment.
2. Complete SWA #8 (optional).
3. Revise any of your documents.
4. Complete the reflective introduction exercise on Bb: get practice making a claim
and supporting it with specific details.
5. Draft and revise a reflective introduction for the portfolio (see assignment sheet).
6. Compile a Personal Fact Sheet (re-read assignment sheet).
7. Write class participation memo (read the memo instructions).
8. Complete all of this work by August 1 if you’d like to work on the Job Unit,
complete it by August 4th if you do not want to wok on the job unit.

Final week: The Job Unit. (optional!)

Aug. 3-Aug. 7

1. Read WSC, Chapter 7, Dynamic Job Search Materials.

2. Read the Job / Internship assignment materials.
3. Find a potential job and research company; write up a research memo.
4. Draft resume and seek feedback from me or peers.
5. Draft a cover letter and seek feedback from me or peers.
6. Do a Facebook makeover. (An optional component within this optional
assignment)
7. Write a self-evaluation of cover letter and resume, particularly reflecting on how
you tried to write for this particular company or organization and job.

You might be thinking, “Can’t I just write a letter and resume and be done with this
unit?” The additional steps are really important for you and for me. You need to develop
the habit of researching your potential employers—every person I have ever been
involved in hiring has researched the heck out of NDSU. I need to know about your
potential employer / intern host in order to be able to give you feedback. I need the
reflective memo in order to understand your choices.

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