Audience

The current programmers and app maintainers, the academic advisers, Professor Jared Grogan, and the students.

Step One (Incomplete)

Student course registration is difficult and inefficient. As a group, we'd like to explore solutions for improving the course registration application. By providing students with a course registration application that is more intuitive and helpful we believe that we can reduce student frustration and free up advisors' schedules. With a feasibility report, we can present the benefits that our improvements to the course registration application will provide and present them to key technical people at the university, such as the CIO. Although, we'd like to present this feasibility study to the student body and advisors as well, since they will be impacted by these changes and may be able to provide good feedback. Our feasibility study will also allow us to explore if our solutions are effective and if students will adopt or reject our ideas. Since the deployment of our application requires departmental involvement, we'll be able to explore departmental adoption. We will also be able to prototype the application to show it's feasibility. Lastly, a feasibility report will allow us to explore the cost of developing an application like this and how it may impact students financially.

(Old One)

The issue that we're attempting to propose a solution for relates to the current state of course registration at the university. At the moment, course registration takes students a lot of time between finding out which courses they need to take to meeting with their advisers for overrides and suggestions. We'd like to propose an application that will streamline this process using your course history to make suggestions and generate class schedules for you. A proposal is suitable for this topic because by proposing our solution to people like the CIO of Wayne State and the student body, it could help make this idea become a reality.

Step Two (Incomplete)

Purpose (Claudio)

We are writing a proposal for the improvement of the course registration system at Wayne State University. The proposal will outline the current issues with the course registration system here at Wayne State as well as a variety of solutions for these issues. The proposal will be targeted at key technical employees at the university, such as those who are currently in charge of the Class Schedule app at the university. It will also target the student body so that they can offer their input on the proposed changes and offer support if they approve of the improvements outlined in the proposal. Ideally, this proposal will lead to a discussion about the current state of the course registration app at the university and possibly incorporating the suggested improvements in the current course registration app or a new app altogether.

Creating a Useful Communication (Mohamed)

Creating a Persuasive Communication (Linzy)

Reader's Profile (Claudio)

1. Targeting a group of individuals with varying job titles. (Core Application Team here at Wayne State)

2. They will be very familiar with the course registration app, considering they manage it.

3. The application is in the reader's hands from an administrative standpoint, therefore, our reader's should have a strong understanding of the course registration application as well as the procedure, beyond our knowledge of the application. Since we're students, other students will likely understand basic non-technical discussion of the course registration app (considering they all use it).  

4. No direct relationship (except for me, Claudio) although, they are responsible for students' technical interests on campus, therefore, somewhat of an administrative relationship exists.

5. Technical minded readership when targeting technical staff, students and administration may not be as technically inclined.

6. No cultural differences, considering we're from the same region as our readership.

7. The student body as well as administrative staff, which may need to approve a budget for this and/or find resources for solving this issue.

Context (Jeshawn)

The context of our writing brings about pieces of information that are relatable to different people. Those that are and are not students of Wayne State both have the ability to decide whether or not the current scheduling system is anything short of frustrating, whether it is usability testing or scenario inspiring that is being administered. In short, the context of our writing is applicable to all and therefore allows for all sorts of feedback. People will read what has been written as something important due to its universal nature. Many feel that they know what a proper solution to this problem would be, hence an interest in seeing this discourse meet their expectations as to whether or not it would make sense to implement improvements or even come up with a new course registration executor.

The current registration system is there for a reason—it works and is worthy of praise, to say the least. However, some team of developers had to design what is currently the norm, and because of that they deserve respect. People also expect there to be a feasible solution to the problem, which means that any writing of the sort must be stated rather than implied. Nobody wants to read mere complaints about a system they’ve had the same complaints about; if such was the case there would be no need to write about a solution because people are happy to read about how frustrated with the current system other people are! On top of that, the context of our writing must keep any sort of blame for the topic away from any developers, as there was a time where it was accepted and deemed perfect for the university. Of course times have changed, but who’s to say that it’s somebody’s fault the registration portal isn’t up to date? It’s not an issue that most people are worried about until it’s time for registration.  

Ethical Treatment and Stakeholders (Ben)

The Stakeholders of our project are the students of Wayne State University and the Advisers at Wayne, both of whom would benefit from this project. This is because the web application that we will be proposing will make registering for classes easier and more efficient, with more capabilities in helping students work classes into their schedule. By proposing the web application and then possibly having it created, the advisers will get relief because less students will have to make appointments to see them during scheduling time, because the system will have the ability to send override requests, let the student know what still needs to be taken to complete their major, and more features. There is no person or group of people that will be hurt or will suffer because of the web application and therefore can only be a good thing for Wayne State to adopt.

Defining Communication Goals (Revised)

     The first communication goal we need to achieve is to define our purpose. First off, we need to provide a clear explanation of what we are writing.  We are writing a proposal for the improvement of the course registration system at Wayne State University. From there, we need to state our desired outcome. The proposal will outline the current issues with the course registration system here at Wayne State as well as a variety of solutions for these issues. The last piece of information necessary to successful define our purpose is to describe who the readers will be. The proposal will be targeted at key technical employees at the university, such as those who are currently in charge of the Class Schedule app at the university. It will also target the student body so that they can offer their input on the proposed changes and offer support if they approve of the improvements outlined in the proposal. Ideally, this proposal will lead to a discussion about the current state of the course registration app at the university and possibly incorporating the suggested improvements in the current course registration app or a new app altogether.

                Another goal is to make our communication useful. There are a few steps we will take in order to ensure this goal is successfully completed.  First off, we will define our tasks. Simply put, our tasks will help make the reader ascertain the classes that they will need to take. The second step we will take is to look at the situation from the reader’s perspective and consider what information they are most interested in obtaining. We will figure out what kinds of questions they will ask. A few we have already brainstormed are “how will this app make my scheduling more easily rather than meeting with an adviser?’, “why can’t I just go online and look for my required classes?”, and “why shouldn’t I just register the same way for classes as I have been for the last couple years?” After, we will establish how the reader will search for the information.  We have concluded that the student will begin to search for information by plugging in a few basic details, such as their major. This will result in the creation of a customized list of classes that is tailored to the reader’s specific preferences. The last step we will take in order to strengthen the usefulness of our communication will be to define how the reader will use the information they obtained. The main differences between HSSE and the old tradition way of registering for classes is that HSSE is simpler and much more efficient. This is because this app will do most of the planning and searching for you. HSSE will make school scheduling significantly easier for the reader, especially for transfer students who are unaware as to what credits are transferable. Also, it’s extremely helpful for incoming freshman students who have little experience on how to register for courses.

                The next goal we set is to make sure that our communication is persuasive to the readers. We can achieve this by first looking at the reader’s attitude toward our subject, our organization, and each group member separately. From there, we then have to ask ourselves what we want the reader’s attitude to be. If the reader’s attitude is initially positive toward the subject, we want it to continue to stay positive. Therefore, we will present positive points about the subject and not bring up any negative points. Now if the reader’s attitude is initially negative toward the subject, we want to persuade them into having a positive perspective toward the subject. Showing evidence of the positive points can do this. Overall, we would like all reader’s to have a positive outlook on the subject. When looking at our organization as a whole, the readers can have a positive or negative reaction. Our group would love if the reader’s had a positive outlook on the organization from the beginning, but if the reader does not then we would have to express and address the negative points that the reader communicated. Therefore, by addressing the issues that the reader holds, hopefully their attitude toward the organization would reverse. Lastly, when we look at the reader’s attitude towards specific individuals in the group, their attitude could also be either negative or positive. We hope it would be positive because the reader’s attitude towards each individual plays a huge role on how they view the subject and organization. If the reader’s attitude is negative, I would hope that our team would be able to find the issue that the reader holds. Then after that we would be able to persuade them in a positive way.

     The people reading our study will be varied and will have different criteria that we must meet in order to persuade the most people possible that our solutions will work. Specifically we will be targeting the technical team in charge of maintenance of the current application, the CIO, Dr. Grogan, the Advisers at Wayne, and also the students. Our readers will need to understand the problems with the current application (which will be outlined) and be not only told but shown how our app will fix one, a few or (thinking ambitiously) all of them. The terms and word choice used in the study will be easy to understand and will not use technically intense language so that all of our readers will be able to read and comprehend the study without problems. Since we and our readers are located in the same region, although they may not have originated here, there will be no cultural differences, and if there are then they will be understood as such. The department in charge of finances at Wayne would have to approve a full scale project due to the ensuing costs and time associated with implementing a new app.

     Our readers will also have to understand the context in which this study is being written and conducted in. The context of our writing brings about pieces of information that are relatable to different people. Those that are and are not students of Wayne State both have the ability to decide whether or not the current scheduling system is anything short of frustrating, whether it is usability testing or scenario inspiring that is being administered. In short, the context of our writing is applicable to all and therefore allows for all sorts of feedback. People will read what has been written as something important due to its universal nature. Many feel that they know what a proper solution to this problem would be, hence an interest in seeing this discourse meet their expectations as to whether or not it would make sense to implement improvements or even come up with a new course registration executor.

The current registration system is there for a reason—it works and is worthy of praise, to say the least. However, some team of developers had to design what is currently the norm, and because of that they deserve respect. People also expect there to be a feasible solution to the problem, which means that any writing of the sort must be stated rather than implied. Nobody wants to read mere complaints about a system they’ve had the same complaints about; if such was the case there would be no need to write about a solution because people are happy to read about how frustrated with the current system other people are! On top of that, the context of our writing must keep any sort of blame for the topic away from any developers, as there was a time where it was accepted and deemed perfect for the university. Of course times have changed, but who’s to say that it’s somebody’s fault the registration portal isn’t up to date? It’s not an issue that most people are worried about until it’s time for registration. 

     Finally we need to be sure that any and all stakeholders are taken into account, and that they are treated ethically. The Stakeholders of our project are the students of Wayne State University and the Advisers at Wayne, both of whom would benefit from this project. Also the technical team in charge of the web applications would be included because they'd have to maintain and switch the system over to the new app. The web application that we will be proposing will make registering for classes easier and more efficient, with more capabilities in helping students work classes into their schedule. By proposing the web application and then possibly having it created, the advisers will get relief because less students will have to make appointments to see them during scheduling time, because the system will have the ability to send override requests, let the student know what still needs to be taken to complete their major, and more features. The technical team might also see some relief if a new, better system is implemented because there would be less troubleshooting and maintenance could also end up being easier because of the updated system. There is no person or group of people that will be hurt or will suffer because of the web application and therefore can only be a good thing for Wayne State to adopt.

Sources in APA Style 

Accountability

     During our time as a group, each member will be held accountable for their actions and participation in the group.  If a member is continually late or absent to meetings then there will be consequences. If they know that they are going to be late we expect a notification to inform us. If a member has a legitimate excuse for not being able to attend a meeting, they need to read the meeting minutes and are still expected to have their contribution ready for next meeting. If absences and tardiness is a continuous thing and is not being responsible about the situation, then this member will be kicked out of the group.  If a member is not able to finish his/her work then we would require that they communicate to the group and we will find a solution to help finish the work. If the work that a member submits is poor quality then as a team we will decide to have another member redo it or have the same member redo it. If the reasoning of the poor quality work is because of confusion, then we would hope that they bring this to the group so we could help come up with a solution. If the same member continues to produce poor quality work then they will be kicked out of the group.

Research and qualification paragraphs

Linzy:

     I am researching how people view the current scheduling system at our university. I am conducting a survey to research how it can be improved and to prove that it is in serious need of updating. I am qualified to do this because I am organized, contain people skills, and have knowledge of surveys. These skills will help conduct a smooth survey with the most accurate results possible.

Matthew:

     I am taking the responsibility of looking into other colleges’ websites. I am qualified for this role because I have a lot of experience with navigating websites as well as using the internet to research topics. The ones I decided on are relatively close to Wayne State. I’m going to be researching Central Michigan University, University of Michigan, Michigan State, and Western Michigan University. I’m going to navigate through the pages, where I will compare and contrast their features to our own.

Ben:

     I will be reviewing Wayne State University's current web application for registering and scheduling classes, I will also be assisting Claudio with the prototype of the web application for the project. My qualifications include: Computer Science classes at Wayne, online (on my own time) basic classes with computing and programming, and due to web surfing and having to use the current web app to apply I will be able to describe and point out key problems, and also minor issues with the current application.

Claudio:

     I will be researching the technical feasibility of a new course registration tool. At first, I’ll be researching the technical feasibility by researching other tools used for course registration and the technical hurdles that may have to be overcome to solve specific problems with the course registration tool. Then, I will be attempting to create a simple a simple prototype of the new course registration tool, to demonstrate it’s feasibility as well as demonstrate some of the modifications that we discover in our research. I am qualified for this because I have a technical background in writing web applications. I’m also a computer science student and an employee C&IT at the university, so I have some understanding of the technical environment at the university.

Mohamed:

     I am researching on how students at Wayne State like the current scheduling system and what changes can be made to make it better. My task in the group is to create a final survey that students will be taking regarding the schools current scheduling system. I am qualified create the survey, because I’m able to communicate with people easily and can be very persuasive. I also have some prior knowledge on surveying during my high school years.