Academic Strategies for the Information Technology (IT) Professional
Unit 5 Reading
There are three items to complete in this reading area:
1. Reading
2. Challenge Activity
3. Powerful Words for a Powerful Vocabulary
I. Reading
Effective Writing
Although writing mechanics — spelling, word choice, sentence structure, subject/verb
agreement, and the like — are certainly important to conveying your messages well,
there is more to writing than just using correct English.
Everything that is written is done so with a purpose. You write a grocery list, so you do
not forget to buy what you need when you go to the store.
Memos are written to tell you about something important at work. A diary is written to
help the writer keep a record of the author’s thoughts and actions.
Becoming an Effective Writer
Writing is often a challenging and frustrating experience; however, the ability to express
your ideas clearly, carefully, and professionally will be important to you throughout your
college career and in your chosen career field as well. You will read about the elements
of effective writing, and you will learn how to construct powerful paragraphs. You will
also visit the university Writing Center and learn about the university's plagiarism policy
and how to avoid the pitfalls of plagiarism.
Purposes
Here is a list of some purposes you might have for writing:
Writing Purposes:
Inform Explore Explain
Entertain Describe a process Argue
Persuade Evaluate Analyze
Compare Problem Solve Express feelings
Share an opinion
Determine the Purpose
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When you are given a writing assignment for school, you should first determine the
purpose of the writing (other than to get a passing grade, another logical purpose).
Some papers will be designed for simple research, which may include informing,
explaining, describing a process, etc. Position papers require that you persuade, argue,
and analyze an issue. There can be more than one purpose for a paper. The more
focused your purpose is, the better you can directly communicate your intention to your
audience.
The Purposes or Modes of Writing
Narration ~ Narrative writing focuses on telling a story. Most of you have experienced
narrative writing at some point because storytelling is natural and enjoyable. A narrative
account will have a beginning, a middle, and an end.
Short stories, personal discussions about real-life events, and fictionalized accounts
generally use some form of narration.
Description ~ Descriptive writing focuses on presenting details. Much of your writing
involves some description because this is how you paint a picture for your reader to
see. Descriptive captions, personal journaling, and poetry generally include
descriptions.
Comparison and/or Contrast ~ Comparison and/or Contrast writing focuses on
relationships. Often, you might describe events or objects in terms of their similarities
and/or differences.
Quite often, people use the comparative and contrasting method to highlight how
something has changed or evolved over time. Essays, reports, and personal accounts
include some comparison and/or contrast.
Cause and Effect ~ Cause and effect writing focuses on the actions or events that
produce certain outcomes or effects. A writer can choose to begin with causes and lead
to effects or use the opposite approach by beginning with the final outcomes and tracing
these outcomes to their root causes. Essays, personal accounts, and many different
types of reports will likely include cause-and-effect writing elements.
Exposition (Definition and Classification) ~ Expository writing focuses on providing
explanations and information. Definition and classification are quite frequent
components of expository writing. Much of the written material you use for your college
classes would be considered expository writing. Encyclopedia articles, reports, course
textbooks, informative essays, and research papers might all use exposition and/or
definition elements.
Persuasion ~ Persuasive writing focuses on convincing the reader to accept a personal
opinion or stance on an issue. Many newspaper and magazine articles contain
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elements of persuasive writing. Effective persuasive writing contains many facts and
examples that support specific points. Editorials, advertisements, and reviews generally
use elements of persuasion.
Process Analysis ~ Process analysis writing focuses on the specific steps or actions
necessary to create certain final outcomes. Process essays, instruction manuals, and
recipes would all use elements of process analysis.
Please take time to read the following information regarding Modes of Writing (Purdue
University Global Academic Success Center and Writing Center, 2018a).
Audience
Your writing audience is the person, or persons, who will read what you write. It could
be a specific person, a general group, or people who fit a certain demographic (such as
Macintosh users, online students, or people of a certain age bracket).
For coursework, your audience might be your instructor.
There are three major categories of professional audiences:
The Lay Audience has no prior knowledge or experience with your topic. They tend to
understand the "human aspect" more than technical details.
The Managerial Audience tends to have some knowledge about your topic but may not
understand or care about too many details. They would like to know how the information
fits into the world around them.
The Expert Audience already supposedly knows the basics, so you can use more
specific terminology in your explanations. When in doubt about which kind of audience
you must target for an assignment, you should ask your instructor.
Form
To help you achieve your purpose and reach your audience, you must determine the
most appropriate form. Different forms include, but are not limited to, lists, paragraphs,
essays, reports, presentations, letters, memos, and e-mails.
Your choice of form is often determined by what is expected. A wedding invitation, for
example, may not be well accepted if sent as plain text in a bulk e-mail, and presenting
your final draft of a major project scribbled on restaurant napkins is not likely to earn you
a passing grade.
The Writing Process:
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Writing is not just a product; it is a complete process that involves prewriting, drafting,
revision, and editing (Purdue Global Academic Success Center and Writing Center,
2018b):
Prewriting: In the prewriting stage, you should begin to think about your Assignment,
determine your purpose and topic, analyze your audience, and begin brainstorming to
generate ideas.
Drafting: In the drafting state, you should begin to put your ideas into paragraph or
essay form. Think about ways to connect ideas and begin supporting main ideas with
specific examples, illustrations, facts, etc.
Revising: In the revision stage, you should take another look at what you have written.
Think about ways you might make your writing better, stronger, and clearer.
Editing: In the editing stage, you should double-check your spelling, punctuation, and
sentence structure. Your main focus here should be careful proofreading.
Need Help with Writing? The following steps will help you see how to organize your time
and energy in the writing process.
1. Start early and plan your time.
2. Carefully read directions: Read and re-read the assignment directions. Think
critically about what is required, and ask questions if it is unclear.
3. Pick your topic: Will you have enough resources to do it well, or is the topic too
wide and would be too hard to do?
4. Determine audience, purpose, and form
5. Research and evaluate resources: ensure that they are appropriate to use.
6. Stay organized: The following steps will help you see how to organize your time
and energy in the writing process:
○ Take notes carefully: Write them in your own words right away. If you see
something that looks like a good quote, write it down carefully, indicate
that it is the author’s words, and note exactly on what page it appears.
○ Organize your information with an outline.
○ Complete a rough draft: Write or type a "rough draft" following your
outline. Do not assume your first version is your last.
7. Proofread three ways:
○ Writing mechanics: "Look at spelling, grammar, and sentence variety.
○ Overall organization: "Use your outline as a guide. Is this the best
presentation, or do you need to make adjustments?
○ Formatting: "Did you follow APA rules or other directions your instructor
gave?"
8. Review Plagiarism Guidelines and check for proper in-text citation and reference
entries.
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Other Writing Considerations
● Strong paragraphs begin with a topic sentence to introduce the reader to the
information contained in the paragraph.
● An occasional quote is fine, but writing your own words is always stronger.
● Do not add your opinion inside a summary or paraphrase; make it clear where
the original author's thoughts end and yours begin.
● Sentence variety includes typically avoiding writing two sentences in a row that
begin with the same word or words.
● Avoid adding unnecessary words or repeating information in different ways.
● If your paper is not long enough, revisit your outline and notes to see if another
major section could be added. You may also have to do more research.
● Remember that all statistics, numbers, quotes, summaries, and paraphrases
require in-text citations.
● Read comments from your instructor when you receive your grade, as you will
learn much more from comments than the number of points earned.
Helpful Tools When Writing with Technology
One of the great things about using technology to assist you is the handy tools available
in many popular word-processing programs.
Use the tools wisely to get help with spelling, grammar, and vocabulary. Just make sure
to read your writing out loud or have a friend proofread it for you.
Spell Check
The spell-checker found on your word processor is a great tool, but like most tools, a
writer needs to use it carefully. In Microsoft® Word®, misspelled words are shown with
wavy red underlines, and you can right-click these words to find suggested correct
spellings. The tool, however, will not catch misuse of “their” and “there” or the
differences in meaning between “incite” and “insight” — some suggestions lead to
words with different meanings.
Using your critical thinking skills when making spelling choices while spell-checking is
important.
Here are some examples of misspelled words in Microsoft® Word®:
“a grat tool”
“wavy red underines”
Grammar Check
Another great tool is Grammar Check.
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Similarly, grammar check has its limitations. Grammatically incorrect phrases and
sentences are underlined with wavy green lines (some versions of Word might use dark
blue). Still, it has been found that the grammar suggestions made too often change the
meaning you intended to present. Use your critical thinking skills when deciding whether
something indicated by green underlines needs to be changed.
Writing the Paragraph
Writing can be intimidating for many college students, especially adult learners who
have not had to write essays or papers in quite a while. No matter what you are writing
— a paper for class, a short story, or even a grocery list — you are putting pieces of
your world together in new ways.
The paragraph is a basic building block to good writing. Knowing how to construct well-
written paragraphs can help you answer that Discussion topic or write a final project.
Here is one formula for writing a paragraph that you may find helpful.
To find out more about paragraphing, go to the Challenge Activity.
Types of Sentences
As you write paragraphs (Purdue Global Academic Success Center and Writing Center,
2018):
● Make sure, to begin with a clear Topic Sentence (a sentence that clearly
indicates the main idea or topic of your paragraph)
● Include several Supporting Sentences and Details (sentences that develop the
main topic and give examples and illustrations.)
● Concluding Sentence (a final sentence that summarizes the main point of the
paragraph and clearly ties back to the topic sentence/main idea)
Topic sentence-
The main idea of your paragraph
Example: Studying online provides many benefits to students.
Supporting Sentences and details-
Gives more information/details about the topic sentence
Examples:
One of those benefits is that students can study and learn at their own pace. (Detail)
Courses are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Another benefit would be that no travel time or gasoline cost is involved in getting to
class.
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Concluding Sentence- Summarize the paragraph Example:
These two benefits, among many others, make online learning a great option.
Types of Sentences
Now, look at all types of sentences together.
Studying online provides many benefits to students. One of those benefits is that
students can study and learn at their own pace. Courses are available 24 hours a day,
seven days a week. Another benefit would be that no travel time or gasoline cost is
involved in getting to class. These two benefits, among many others, make online
learning a great option.
You can diagram this as:
1. Topic sentence: Main idea of the paragraph: Studying online benefits students.
2. Supporting sentences: Gives more information/ details about the topic. One of
those benefits is that students can study and learn at their own pace. Courses
are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Another benefit is that there is
no travel time is no travel time or the cost of gasoline involved in getting to class.
3. Concluding sentence: Summarize the paragraph: These two benefits make
online learning a great option for many students.
Make sure to include all three types of sentences in the paragraphs you will be writing
for this unit’s assignment.
A Visual Strategy for Writing a Strong Paragraph ~ The Hamburger Model
For each person’s visual learning style, here is a great way to remember the important
components of a strong paragraph, as illustrated by the picture of a hamburger:
● The top of the bun represents your topic sentence.
● The burger and fixings represent your supporting sentences.
● The bottom of the bun represents your concluding sentence.
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A Visual Strategy for Writing a Strong Paragraph ~ The Hamburger Model
(continued)
Remember, you cannot hold a burger in your hands to enjoy its complete experience if
you do not have the top or the bottom bun. Ensure you start your paragraph with a topic
sentence to alert your audience to what they will be reading, give them the info, and
then seal it all with the concluding sentence.
Paragraph Development: Beyond the Basics
Now that you have a clear understanding of the basic elements of a paragraph, it’s time
to start thinking about moving beyond the basics. There will be many occasions in your
academic and professional careers when you will need to write for different purposes.
Frequently, you will need to develop paragraphs that are more detailed and specific. In
these cases, you will want to understand how to develop your ideas in more depth
clearly.
Eleven Sentence Paragraph Outline
I. Topic Sentence:
A. Supporting Sentence: First reason or example that supports the main topic.
1. Detail Sentence:
2. Detail Sentence:
B. Supporting Sentence: Second reason or example that supports the main topic.
1. Detail Sentence:
2. Detail Sentence:
C. Supporting Sentence: Third reason or example that supports the main topic.
1. Detail Sentence:
2. Detail Sentence:
II. Concluding Sentence:
Revising Questions:
● Is the topic sentence broad enough to include all of the supporting sentences?
● Does each supporting sentence relate directly to the topic sentence?
● Do the detail sentences provide clear details about the supporting sentence?
● Does the concluding sentence sum up the paragraph?
Sample 11- Sentence Paragraph
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1) The lives of online college students can be quite complex and challenging.
2) One of the first complexities online college students face is how to juggle school,
work, and personal responsibilities.
3) There is no classroom that provides a separate environment for study, so online
students must make sure to set strict boundaries at home.
4) Careful scheduling, prioritizing, and a firm commitment to educational success
are all critical.
5) Yet another challenge many online students face is mastering the technical
requirements of online education.
6) Although most students are familiar with computers, quite often, the technical
demands of the online environment can be overwhelming.
7) In order to be successful, online students must find ways to quickly gain the
technical skills they need in order to perform well in their courses.
8) A final challenge that many online students face is motivation.
9) Of course, it’s easy to be motivated at the beginning of a term, but it can be hard
to stay motivated and committed as the weeks go by.
10)Therefore, online students must be prepared to work extra hard to keep the
momentum going by constantly refocusing and reenergizing themselves.
11)Although online students must deal with many different challenges and demands,
online education is well worth all the work that goes into it.
Read about Plagiarism
Knowing what plagiarism is and is not is very important as you write your Discussion
topic responses, project responses, and papers. Go to the Academic Tools area in the
course and select the “Writing with Integrity” document. Then, choose and read
Plagiarism FAQs (Purdue Global Academic Success Center and Writing Center,
2018c).
Check your knowledge by taking a plagiarism self-test (this is not graded):
The Writing Center (see Academic Tools, then Academic Success Center) can help you
with all sorts of writing questions and instruct you about how to avoid plagiarism.
The Writing Center offers four types of support: you can chat with a live tutor online,
submit a question to a tutor, visit the writing reference library, and submit a paper for
feedback. Keep these valuable resources in mind as you receive Assignments in
classes for which you might need help. Visit the Writing Center link to find out when the
Writing Center is open for service. You will return to these pages throughout your
education as they provide valuable material on many aspects of the writing process.
II. Challenge Activity
The university’s Writing Center is an amazing support for you as a student.
Read about Paragraph Development.
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Search for the strategies that you find most helpful to your learning and thinking
processes. Begin to use them over and over because, through repetition, you will
establish habits of success. Do not forget you may always share your thoughts in the
Virtual Office or the Discussion Board.
III. Powerful Words for a Powerful Vocabulary – 7 words in 7 Days
Effective communication is not only an essential academic strategy; it is fast becoming
one of the top skills employers are looking for as they screen potential employees.
However, how do you become an effective communicator? The answer to this question
is actually quite simple, yet it involves some serious commitment on your part. You have
to practice and make a firm commitment to equipping yourself with the many different
“tools” that you will need in order to express your ideas clearly and effectively in both
written and spoken communication. This is where a powerful vocabulary can make a
world of difference for you because words are the building blocks of communication.
Therefore, the more words you are able to use, the more creative, convincing, and
powerful you will be as a communicator. What if you could add just one new word to
your vocabulary each day? Think about the progress you would make in a week, a
month, or even an entire year.
Vocabulary Enrichment Resources
Access Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day (n.d.).
Vocabulary
Assiduous: Unremitting; constant.
Guileless: Honest, straightforward, not sly.
Indolent: Lazy; sluggish.
Pragmatic: Practical; realistic; sensible.
Maladroit: Clumsy, bungling.
Mundane: Worldly as opposed to spiritual; commonplace, everyday
Recalcitrant: Stubbornly resistant to and defiant of authority or restraint.
Activities:
● Practice with the vocabulary
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References
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.merriam-
webster.com/word-of-the-day
Purdue University Global Academic Success Center and Writing Center. (2018a).
Modes of writing. Retrieved from
https://kapextmediassl-a.akamaihd.net/IST/CS114/2405E/readings/U5_modes_o
f_writing.pdf
Purdue University Global Academic Success Center and Writing Center. (2018b). The
writing process. Retrieved from https://campus.purdueglobal.edu/article/the-
writing-process
Purdue University Global Academic Success Center and Writing Center. (2018c).
Writing with integrity: Expectations for academic research and professional
writing. Retrieved
from https://kapextmediassl-a.akamaihd.net/business/CS113/1805c/writingwithint
egrity.pdf
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