Post on 22-Dec-2015
A Professional Memorandum Writing Workshop
Patricia Elliott, MPHCandidate for DrPH
Boston University Instructional Innovation ConferenceMarch 2, 2012
ContextCourse: Women, Children and
Adolescents: Public Health Approaches
Assignment: Craft a professional memorandum informing a decision maker of a health issue along with a programmatic or policy response.
Need for innovation: Students lack professional writing experience.
Goals of the Memo AssignmentSynthesize information
Present ideas clearly and efficiently
Build career related skills
Create a polished writing sample
Challenges for StudentsProfessional writing ≠ academic
writing
It is difficult to break successful habits
Short assignments are the enemy of procrastinators
Innovation: Memo WorkshopStudents need practice and
support to build new skills
Multifaceted skills-building workshop◦An interactive in-class session◦Students work with their own material ◦Uses lecture, individual, and group
work
ComponentsInstructional lecture
Individual brainstorming
Group collaboration
One-on-one instructor interaction
Class-wide group discussion of prepared examples
Section 1- Memo DissectionA close look at each memo
section:
The importance of being concise and direct
o Introduction
o Scope of the problem
o Current approaches
o Proposed
program/policy
o Major constituencies
o Conclusion
Instructional Lecture
Section 2- Partner Time
Practice being succinct and clearStudents turn to their neighbor
and must summarize in 60 seconds:◦The importance of
their health issue◦A brief description
of their policy or programmatic recommendation
Class discussion of challengesGroup Work
Section 3- The Art of WritingPresentation of the nuances of
professional writing with a focus on:◦Tone◦Formatting◦Content
General writing tips◦Active/passive voice◦Grammar◦Citations
Instructional Lecture
Section 4- Practice with Topic
Individual work ◦guided by a
handout Partner work
◦present ideas and ask questions to neighbors
Faculty work◦one-on-one
questions addressed by roving faculty and TAs Individual and Group Work
Section 5- Analysis of ExamplesExamples of each memo section
are displayed on-screen and in a handout
Class-wide discussion of strengths and weaknesses, followed by faculty analysis
Slides, with faculty analysis included, are posted to course website after class
Class-Wide Group Work
Application of InnovationDirect use in other courses
◦Any course that requires students to write a memorandum
◦Applications in public health, public policy, business sector, etc.
Expanded use for the format◦This multi-faceted format for skills
building can be applied across the curriculum to help student acquire a variety of new skills
BenefitsImproves students’ understanding of
the nuances of professional writing
Engages and challenges students to work through their own topic in a way that identifies hurdles and provides immediate support from peers and faculty
Offers flexibility for a range of audiences and educational goals