Revise the short report base on the feedback given by the professor to improve the report.
Writing Assignment #5
Short Report to Your Program Director
Summary of assignment
• Task: In this assignment, you will write a short report to the program director of your
major at UMGC. In the short report, you will suggest one of the following:
o a new class for your major
o a modification of a current class that is offered in your major.
You will conduct some research on your field in order to support this proposed change
in the curriculum.
• Length: Your report should be 1000-1500 words.
• Format: You will use APA 7th edition format in citing your sources and preparing a title
page for your report.
• Number of Sources: You will integrate three or more sources into your report.
Brief Description of the Short Report
In professional writing settings, individuals often need to write to an external audience to
persuade that audience to make a change. This could be a change in a government program, a
company policy, a law or regulation, or other step of action. In this assignment, you will write to
the program director of your major and propose a new or modified class for the major.
Some examples are as follows:
• You are majoring in Cybersecurity Management and Policy. You could write a short report to
the program director for that major to propose a class that is totally devoted to phishing, spear
phishing, and whaling. You would cite research showing that these types of social
engineering attacks are the most common methods for cyber breaches. You might argue that
managers in the cybersecurity field must be equipped to instruct and train employees in
thwarting these types of attacks and that the course you are proposing will improve the
curriculum by providing that background.
• You are majoring in Human Resources Management. You could write a short report to the
program director for that major to propose a class on bullying in the workplace. You would
cite research showing why this is a major issue in human resources today, noting why human
resource professionals need to have focused study and direction on it. You would make the
case that the course you are proposing will improve the curriculum by providing this
background to students.
• You are majoring in English. You could write a short report to the program director for that
major to propose a class devoted to prescriptive grammar. You would cite research showing
why a prescriptivist approach to grammar is needed among English graduates. You would
argue that the course you are proposing will improve the curriculum by providing students
this needed instruction.
• You are majoring in Homeland Security. You could write a short report to the program
director for that major to propose a class in report writing. You would cite research showing
that professionals in the field of homeland security will be asked to write reports frequently
to internal and external stakeholders. You could argue that a class devoted to report writing in
the homeland security field is necessary for students in that major and, therefore, that the
course you are proposing will improve the curriculum by providing this instruction.
How to Organize the Short Report:
Please include the following sections in your briefing paper:
• title page
• Memo to the Program Director (app. 80-120 words)
• Executive Summary (app. 100-150 words)
• The Problem (app. 400-600 words)
• The Solution: A New Class (app. 250-400 words)
• Recommendation (app. 75-125 words)
• References (the word count does not include the list of references)
In the Memo, you will address the program director using memo format. The memo should not go into
great detail, but rather should let the program director know that the following pages contain a report
proposing a new class.
In the Executive Summary, summarize your research and your proposed class in no more than 150
words. The executive summary should be a stand-alone document. It should be written in such a way that
a busy program director could read the executive summary and have an overall understanding of what the
report is about and what class is being proposed without actually reading the rest of the paper. You cannot
go into much detail in the executive summary, however. Please keep it to no longer than 150 words.
In the The Problem section, you will describe current trends in the industry and why the current list of
required classes for the major is not addressing these trends. For example, if you are majoring in
Cybersecurity Management and Policy and want to propose a class on phishing, spear phishing, and
whaling, you would show that cyber attacks through these methods are increasing and that companies and
organizations are becoming increasingly vulnerable to them. You also want to show why the current
curriculum for your major is not addressing this topic effectively enough. Perhaps these issues are being
dealt with in some of the current classes, but not thoroughly enough. You might argue that that is why a
class devoted to this issue is needed—a more thorough analysis of these issues is needed among
cybersecurity graduates.
In this section of the short report, your use of sources will be important. You should integrate research to
show these trends in the industry and why a class like the one you are proposing has the potential to
prepare students more effectively for the field to address these trends. If you can cite industry
professionals who mention the need for a class like you are proposing, this type of research will make
your your report even more persuasive.
In the The Solution: A New Class section, you will describe the class you are proposing. The more
specific you get about the class you are proposing, the more persuasive your report will be. You might
mention one or two assignments or tasks that students should complete in the proposed class, for
example.
In the Recommendation section, you will write a short paragraph that summarizes why students need to
be taught these trends and why the class you are proposing helps fill that need. This section serves as a
summary of the problem and restatement of the need for the proposed class.
In the References page, you will list your sources in APA 7th edition format. The assignment asks for
three sources, but you may integrate more than three sources if you would like to. Your sources should be
credible ones that highlight trends or needs in your field.
Due Date:
Your instructor will notify you of the due date. Your instructor will work with you on any
revisions he or she asks for.
