Part 3: Researching Problems and Proposing Solutions

Part 3: Researching Problems and Proposing Solutions contains content that covers the third and fourth projects in the class: the Problem Primer and the Collaborative Grant Proposal. These projects are framed as a response to the UArk Cares Foundation Community Improvement Grant Request for Proposals (RFP), linked below. This document, from a fictional nonprofit organization, frames the rhetorical situation for your next two major projects.

You will begin work on this project by selecting a problem you want to investigate with a group, then doing both primary and secondary research on those problems. As an individual, you will create a problem primer report that details your findings. Then, you will come back together with your group and talk about which of your solutions you will write about for the collaborative grant proposal. As a group, you will create a proposal that responds to the UArk Cares Foundation RFP, then remix that information into a multimodal resource for your stakeholders. Finally, you will create a transmittal letter to accompany your project and discuss your process.

Part 3 contains the following sections:

• UArk Cares Foundation Community Improvement Grant RFP: This Request for Proposals document frames the work you will do for the next two projects in the course: the Problem Primer and Collaborative Grant Proposal.
• Project 3: Problem Primer: The assignment sheet for Project 3 describes the process of selecting a problem and gives an outline of the process for writing the primer.
• Chapter 7: Explore Potential Problems: This chapter explores the idea of technical writing as problem-solving and reviews processes for exploring a problem to solve with your group. Additionally, it gives details about the intermediate step of creating a community profile.
• Chapter 8: Research a Technical Writing Problem: This chapter discusses the process of secondary research for technical writing. It also explains the idea of information literacy, details note-taking for research projects, and explains how to create the project pitch on which you will receive feedback before starting your work.
• Chapter 9: Design and Run a Pilot Study: Chapter 9 explains how to construct a pilot study for your problem primer project. First, it details human research ethics, then research methods that you might use for technical writing projects. Finally, you will learn about the type of progress report you will write for this project, the research progress memo.
• Chapter 10: Synthesize and Report Research: Chapter 10 discusses the high-level research writing skill of synthesis, and explains how you will use those skills to create a problem primer. The chapter also explains what a report is, and talks through the style of report you will write for Project 3. Finally, you will learn about visual design for reports.
• Project 4: Collaborative Grant Proposal: The assignment sheet for Project 4 describes how to take the research you’ve done in the past few weeks and transform it into a grant proposal with your group.
• Chapter 11: Create a Grant Proposal: This chapter discusses the specific type of proposal you will write for Project 4. Additionally, the chapter explains the process of collaborative writing and gives you documents and tools to manage collaborative work. Finally, the chapter explains the type of progress report you will write for Project 4: the design memo.
• Chapter 12: Remix Research for a Public Audience: Chapter 12 describes the next step of Project 4: turning your research into a multimodal resources for the stakeholders who will be most affected by your project. You will learn about how to talk to a public audience, then about multimodal composition. Finally, the chapter closes with recommendations for a design process to help you design your remix.
• Chapter 13: Write a Transmittal Letter: This short chapter explains the correspondence subgenre you will write to finish Project 4: the transmittal letter. You will learn about the parts and contents required for this project, as well as how such documents are usually used in technical writing projects.