Ch. 14: Additional Case 5

Comparing Web-Based Instructions

Background

The director of your college or university’s writing center is interested in providing a link on the center’s website to web-based instructions for using Word’s Table of Contents feature. The director found several sets of web-based instructions by searching the Internet for “Word tutorial.” However, he does not know which one he should use. He has asked you to study a few of these sites and let him know which one to link to from the center’s site.

Your Assignment

To complete this assignment, perform the following tasks:

  1. Study Chapter 14, concentrating on the discussion of drafting effective instructions.

  2. View the web-based instructions on the following sites:

    • Florida Gulf Coast University’s “Table of Contents”

    • Worcester Polytechnic University’s “Creating a Table of Contents”

    • Microsoft Word Intermediate User’s Guide’s “Complex Documents in Microsoft Word”

  3. Study the different instructions. Consider the following questions:

    • Is the introduction adequate?

    • Are the step-by-step instructions simple, clear, and accurate?

    • Are appropriate graphics included?

    • Is the conclusion effective?

  4. Write a 1,000-word memo addressed to the writing center director that describes the strengths and weaknesses of each set of instructions and recommends which set to link to from the center’s website.