Purposes of this Assignment
One major purpose of this assignment is to show and apply what you have learned about writing and designing for the online environment in general and writing and designing an online tutorial in particular. Another purpose is to have you focus on the strengths and weaknesses of a published tutorial in preparation for the tutorial you must write and design as the last major assignment for the course.
A Note on Your Tutorial Choice
First, be sure to review the “Tutorial Overview
Download Tutorial Overview” handout. Note, in particular, the discussion of five common types of tutorials: the guided tour, the demonstration, the quick start, the guided exploration, and the instruction manual. And note the additional discussion about the instruction manual type of tutorial at the top of page 3 of the handout as well as the illustration on page 4.
Second, the tutorial you choose for your critique must besubstantial(containing more than just a few pages with just a few simple design elements and just brief content). Unless you can find a substantial guided tour, demonstration, quick start, or guided exploration, you should choose to critique an instruction manual (ideally, one with elements aimed at novices).
Third, yes, it can be difficult to determine the differences between theinstruction manual type of tutorialand a common user guide or procedures manual. Theinstruction manual type of tutorialoften contains at least some of the elements discussed on page 4 of the “Tutorial Overview” handout. And auser guide or help filetypically has fewer of these elements; typically has the content elements of overviews, step-by-step procedures, suggestions and tips or notes, descriptions of fields and screens, pop ups, and screens; typically establishes a more formal or distant relationship with the user; and typically is more in depth.
Fourth, because of the difficulty discussed above, you may choose to critique a user guide or help file for this critique assignment if you cannot find a suitable clearly distinct tutorial.
Before Getting Started
Format requirements
- You must use a memo template from Word.
- Your memo must beat least two detailed pagesnot including selections (sample text or sample illustrations) from the document you are critiquing.
- Single-space within the paragraphs and skip a line between paragraphs.
- You must use headings above the paragraphs where appropriate and space between any headings and the body text.
- Use 10, 11, or 12 point type, nothing larger or nothing smaller for the body text.
- Use the due date of the assignment for the date line, address the memo to me, and just write “Tutorial Critique” for the subject line.
Content requirements
In theIntroduction
(typically one or more detailed paragraphs):
- Provide an overview of the various tutorials you considered for your critique and discuss why you chose your particular tutorial for your critique.
- State your one-sentence argument concerning the overall effectiveness of the content, design elements, and illustrations, and any weaknesses or shortcomings.
- Then provide a one-sentence preview statement of what the remainder of the memo report will cover.
- Quote brief support from the reading so far this semester where appropriate in the introduction.
In theBody
(don’t use the wordbodyfor a heading; the term simply refers to the middle section of the memo report)
- In at least several detailed paragraphs, discuss the appropriate sections of the tutorial that best demonstrate or support your argument for the strengths and weaknesses of thecontent and prose style. Quote brief support from the reading so far this semester where appropriate. Also be sure to include and display examples to illustrate your points.
- In at least several detailed paragraphs, discuss the appropriate elements of the tutorial you have chosen that best demonstrate or support your argument for the strengths and weaknesses of selecteddesign elements. Quote brief support from the reading so far this semester where appropriate. Also be sure to include and display examples to illustrate your points.
- In at least several detailed paragraphs, discuss the appropriate elements of the tutorial you have chosen that best demonstrate or support your argument for the strengths and weaknesses of selectedillustrations(for example, screen captures). Quote brief support from the reading so far this semester where appropriate. Also be sure to include and display examples to illustrate your points.
- Make a convincing case for the overall effectiveness or overall shortcomings of the tutorial throughout the body of your memo.
- Note: No Works Cited page is required for any quotes you cite. Simply providing an introduction or context for the quotation at the beginning and the author’s last name or an abbreviated title at the end of the quotation will suffice.
In theC
losing
- Provide a summary of your view of the major strengths and weaknesses of the content, design, and illustrations of the tutorial, and discuss the value(s) of critiquing a tutorial in this way. In other words, what did you learn from this in-depth critique of a professional tutorial and about the tutorial genre in general?