ICS 139W Communications Skills for
Computer Scientists
Fall Quarter, 2007
Writing Instructions
Computer programmers write
instructions
for a living. But programming languages are simple and unambiguous, and
computers interpret them more reliably than human beings interpret
natural
language instructions. Writing instructions for human execution, then,
requires skills that programmers may not automatically possess.
This assignment:
Learn a simple math-based magic trick on Friday, October 5th. Each
student will be assigned a trick. Write instructions that explain how
to
perform the trick and why it works. Your target reader is a ninth
grader.
On
Wednesday, October 10, bring two drafts of your instruction
to
class and two of your classmates (assigned to different tricks) will
try
to follow your instructions. At the same time, you will be reading and
following someone else's instructions, so you will not be available to
answer oral questions about your instructions --your classmates'
success
will depend entirely on your writing.
Your instructions may not
have
any pictures or diagrams.
There is no required length for
these
instructions; take as much space as you need to get the job done, and
no
more.
Due dates:
- October 10: Bring two printed
drafts of your instructions to
class.
- October 15: A final revision
of your instructions is due at
the beginning
of class. As always, the edited previous versions should be included
with
your paper submission. It's a good idea to re-read the Writing
Assignment Requirements sheet before submitting this assignment.
The
Checkmate submission of the final draft is due at 1:00 pm. on Monday,
October 15.
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