This assignment has two parts: the first is a set of interview questions that your group will design and administer, and the second is the analysis of the interview results. The first part you will write as a group, working together or dividing the work up in the way you see best. The second part you may write individually. (If for some reason you would like to write this as a group, talk to me about that.)

Drafting and format:
The interview portion of the assignment takes the form of a series of questions and a rationale describing what you want to find out to better understandwhat faculty in your department think about writing in your discipline. Look at the reading assignment on interviews for a better understanding of what interview questions should look like. A final draft of your questions and rationale should be turned in to me by before spring break. You may undertake your interview before I see these questions, however. Please do feel free to run questions by me if you'd like to. . .

Rationale–the rationale for your questions will probably consist of a paragraph or two in which you tell me what you don't know about what this group thinks about writing, what you want to know, and how you designed questions to get that information. While your questions for the survey had to be very specific and try to get at attitudes, these questions will probably ask for history. What have we done here? Does that strategy work for you? What part of that strategy works best? What parts seem less successful? Etc. Be very specific about what you don't know and how you think the questions you've designed will help you learn more.

The questions–Your interview will need to include two kinds of questions: reproduction questions and evaluation questions. The reproduction questions ask for short responses: How long have you taught at NDSU? What is your job title? How often do you teach first year writing? How many sections? Etc.

Evaluation questions ask for longer, more detailed responses. The wording of these questions is very important and will take several hours–you will have the rest of class today to begin this work, we'll work on it in more detail on Monday, but you will probably need time outside of class. This seems short and easy. It's not. If you take the short and easy way, you won't get the grade you want on this assignment. Look carefully at the handout and think about open/closed questions, primary and secondary questions, neutral/leading questions, etc. Craft the best questions you have and organize them logically so topics will flow easily from one to the next.

The paper portion of this assignment should look something like an interview write-up. You will each write up your own interview unless you talk to me about doing this as a group. Try to make the document pleasing and easy for your reader to follow. Sections like the following should help you organize the information and divide it up visually:

Introduction–a brief introduction to the assignment and the issues you hoped your interview would clarify. This will require significant thought before you write the interview questions. What are you trying to discover? In addition, this is where you can describe your interviewee–how did you choose and contact this person? Use the answers to the reproduction questions to help you describe a context for this person and the interview.

Interview Description– a discussion of the actual interview questions, which will be included as an appendix to your paper. This is really just your interview questions and rationale for them (from the first part of the assignment.)

Body–you'll probably want to do this in a question answer format. Note, however, that this is not a trascription of the interview. You are choosing and shaping and ordering the information. You need to focus on a few interesting topics to discuss in the paper. The interview may cover 30 topics. Your job is to choose a few and shape the interview around those. Your questions are a way to put your voice into this. You can tell what you were thinking, etc. Read the interview on line. It is carefully pruned to cover just a few related topics. You need to focus on the few most interesting things you talked about. A transcript is NOT interesting reading.

Conclusions–Finally, you draw conclusions about what you learned and whether or not you have a better understanding of your group's interests. What was unexpected? What was expected? What should the reader take away from this interview about how your interest group would be best served by a comp course or writing sequence?