SAMPLE 1

ISSUE

Claim:  Technology should not replace all lectures; in fact, it can be used to enhance
many of them.

I.  When Technology Should Replace Lectures

A.  To reach billions of people, not hundreds
B.  Gives students ability to replay confusing sections and possibly submit questions
to experts
C.  Often encourages interaction and allows students to direct their learning

II.  Why Lectures Are Still Important For Instruction

A.  Opportunity to see a live expert model in-depth thinking on a topic and ask
him/her questions directly
B.  Speakers' ability to detect confusion or concern in the audience and address it
during the lecture
C.  Opportunity for live learning experiences that cannot be fully translated through a
computer

III.  How Technology Can Enhance Lectures

A.  Allows lecturers to ask large groups of students to answer questions by using
clickers or similar software programs during the lecture
B.  New opportunities to explore a topic through multiple modes of learning (e.g.
images, music, animation)
C.  Option to blend learning by posting live lectures online

ESSAY
Lectures are rarely a student’s ideal form of learning, but they were once an efficient
way for experts to share an omnibus of information, theories, or in-depth thinking
with hundreds of students at a time.  Now that recording information as a video clip or
blog post is simple, lectures may seem obsolete and less effective than online
learning. Before dismissing them, however, one needs to ask if they have any
potential features that an online video, post, or tutorial lacks. Can in-person talks
allow a speaker to engage and respond to an audience in ways that a screen cannot? If
so, there is no reason for one to completely replace the other; however, many lectures
can still be enhanced by technology.

     The Internet has given more students access to an expert teaching. It also provides
many different kinds of opportunities for users to apply the skills that they have
learned and/or respond to the content of each lesson. Rather than reaching hundreds of
students enrolled in one class, a lecture can now reach billions of people when posted
online. That gives anyone with Internet access the means to learn from a renowned
expert in a field. Each student can also choose to work through an online lesson in the
way that works best for him/her. They can replay a part as many times as they need to
and are often able to submit questions as well.  Apps, websites, and software
programs also encourage student interaction. The features require more engagement
than the slideshows and Power Points commonly used in lectures. When considering
these benefits, technology not only seems more efficient than lectures, but it also
allows each user to create a personalized learning experience. 

    Before banning lectures, however, the value of seeing a presentation delivered in
person needs to be examined. Lectures give each audience member the opportunity to
see an expert model in-depth thinking on a topic, and students often have the
opportunity to ask that expert questions about the topic just after the lecture or during
office hours. A student is then more likely to receive a direct and immediate reply
from the speaker, rather than a possible reply through a post on a social networking
site or email. At a live lecture, a speaker can also detect and respond to the needs of an
audience. He/she can often perceive confusion or concern within an audience and then
take time to clarify a point or further explain a position. The most memorable lectures
often include interactive experiences that a screen cannot deliver: speakers may pass
out artifacts for the students to study, and one beloved law professor even staged a
crime for his students to witness during his lecture. Watching that scene through a
screen would provide a safe distance from the action and dull its effect. Though a live
lecture may not be as efficient as technology-based learning, it is far more engaging
when an instructor turns it into the kind of in-person, interactive experience that
computers cannot provide.

     Rather than choosing one form of learning over the other, lecturers can now use
technology to encourage students to actively participate in class, rather than be
passive audience members.  Borrowing a technique from game shows, some
instructors now provide students with clickers or a computer program that lets them
register their responses to a question or poll on a screen as the professor speaks. That
opportunity increases engagement and can motivate students to pay attention to the
content. Lecturers can also set aside the slideshows in order to explore a topic through
multiple modes, including images, music, and animation. If they choose to do so,
instructors are also able to post recordings of their lectures online, giving students the
benefits of interesting live and online learning experiences. As it has done with
“tablets,” technology is now popularizing and transforming another archaic form of
communication.

Lectures that do no more than a textbook or speech can accomplish should no longer
be delivered. Computer programs, websites, and applications give students the
opportunity to learn the same content through multiple modes and at their own paces.
Those vapid recitations, however, do not represent the whole medium. A great
speaker and instructor can use the format to engage students in ways that a computer
cannot by responding to their concerns, questions, and giving them the chance to take
part in live learning experiences. Rather than competing with technology, lecturers
can use new devices to build a community within a lecture hall and ensure that
everyone within that hall has the option to learn that information in the ways that
work best for them. While technology can set new standards for lecturers to meet or
outdo, it cannot take their place at the podium.
 SAMPLE 2

Should the dress code be adopted in college?

I believe that it would be beneficial for our schools to adopt dress codes. Although some may
argue that this action would restrict the individual student’s freedom of expression, I do not
agree. Our right to express ourselves is important, but in our society none of us has unrestricted
freedom to do as we like at all times. We must all learn discipline, respect the feelings of
others, and learn how to operate in the real world in order to be successful. Dress codes would
not only create a better learning environment, but would also help prepare students for their
future.
Perhaps the most important benefit of adopting dress codes would be creating a better learning
environment. Inappropriate clothing can be distracting to fellow students who are trying to
concentrate. Short skirts, skimpy tops are fine for after school, but not for class room. T-shirts
with risky images or profanity may be offensive to certain groups. Students should express
themselves through art or creative writing, not clothing. With fewer distractions, students can
concentrate on getting a good education which can help them later on.
Another benefit of having a dress code is that it will prepare students to dress properly for
different places. When you go to a party you do not wear the same clothes you wear to a place
of worship. Likewise, when you dress for work, you do not wear the same clothes you wear at
the beach. Many professions even require uniforms. Having a dress code in college will help
students adjust to the real world.
Lastly, with all the peer pressure in college, many students worry about fitting in. If a dress code
(or even uniforms) were required, there would be less emphasis on how you look, and more
emphasis on learning.
In conclusion, there are many important reasons our colleges should adopt dress codes.
Getting an education is hard enough without being distracted by inappropriate t-shirts or
dresses. Learning to dress for particular occasions prepares us for the real world. And students
have enough pressure already without having to worry about what they are wearing.
Analyze an Argument
SAMPLE 1

Develop the claim, outline the body paragraphs, and then start writing ...

Claim:  To make this argument's claim reasonable, this author not only needs to provide
evidence that low voter turnout makes Millhaven undemocratic, but he/she also needs to
prove that required voting will restore democracy to the town.

I.  Author needs to prove that a low voter turnout rate makes Millhaven undemocratic
A.  Assumes voter turnout rate from one election represents all elections
1.  Author needs to study the voter turnout rate for more than one past election
2.  If voter turnout rate remains low or decreases, the author has identified a problem
3.  If voter turnout rate is average or above-average, the data on this election is an outlier

B.  Assumes that voters do not represent a cross-section of the population, but an elite group
1.  Author also needs to prove that those who voted were from a privileged group in order to
compare the town to an aristocracy 
2.  If so, author can argue that the voters represent a select group of people
3.  If not, statement is unfounded

II.  Author needs to prove that the low turnout rate was due to the sentiments of eligible
voters, not other causes
A.  Assumes that eligible voters did not participate due to indifference or disagreement with the
issues/candidates/process

1.  Author needs to conduct a survey or poll to determine why voters did not participate in the
last election
2.  Author needs to consider alternative explanations
i.   Election held on inconvenient date?
ii.  Lack of publicity?
3.  If author can rule out alternative explanations and consider other elections, the stated
causes of the low voter turnout rate would be acceptable

III.  Author needs to prove that mandatory voting could restore democracy to the town

A.  Faulty Comparison: Jury selection process compared to mandatory voting 

1.  Juries are made up of a select group of people
a.  Those who will most likely be unbiased are chosen, and others are dismissed
b.  Selecting the most unbiased candidates to serve on a jury does not support the idea of
mandatory voting  
B.  Weak Supporting Detail: half of a line from Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address"
1.  Does not provide context for speech
2.  Does not clearly explain how this quote supports the author's argument
3.  More than half of U.S. residents not allowed to vote at this time

IV.  Conclusion: Author's own conclusion cannot be accepted until he/she provides more
evidence for it

A.  Review main ideas of each body paragraph

1.   Need to gather relevant data on more than one election
2.   Need to rule out alternative explanations for low voter turnout
3.   Prove that mandatory democracy will make Millhaven more democratic
B.  The Kicker:  (What should the reader take away from this essay?)  More research should
show readers whether mandatory voting would restore democracy or ruin it.

The Essay
In this passage, the author argues that voting in Millhaven should be mandatory and bases that
claim on data from one recent election.  When considering that election's low voter turnout
rate, the author jumps to the conclusion that the town can no longer be considered
democratic.  This bold statement is most likely meant to alarm readers and emphasize the
severity of the issue, but the author does not provide the evidence needed to make
the statement valid.  To solve this alleged problem, the author then proposes mandatory voting
in all elections.  The author compares that obligation to jury duty in order to prove that all
citizens need to maintain a democratic government.  However, this analogy does not prove that
all eligible voters need to participate in an election in order for the process to be democratic. 
To make this argument's claim reasonable, this author not only needs to provide evidence that
low voter turnout makes Millhaven undemocratic, but he/she also needs to prove that required
voting will restore democracy to the town.

      To draw the conclusion that Millhaven is no longer democratic, the author relies on data
from a single election.  In order to strengthen this argument, the author needs to consider
elections over the past five or more years.  Evidence of a consistently low or decreasing voter
turnout rate would give readers proof that there is an ongoing problem with voter
participation.  If the election with the seven percent voter turnout rate were an outlier,
however, the argument that the town is no longer democratic could easily be gainsaid.  When
the author refers to the government as "a form of an aristocracy, not a democracy," the author
also assumes that voters in the last election were made up of an elite group of people in the
town.  Although the author makes that accusation, he/she never proves that those who
participated in the election were part of one particular race, class, gender, or age group.  If the
author had added that each voter hailed from the highest tax bracket, he/she would then be
able to highlight the point that the seven percent represent a select group of people.  Without
that data, however, the author's claims about elitism are unfounded.  This evidence is crucial
for supporting the claim that Millhaven is no longer a democratic town. 

The author also needs to do additional research on causal evidence for the lack of voting. 
When referring to the latest election, the author assumes that most eligible voters did not
participate due to indifference or disapproval, but the author never rules out alternative
explanations.  He/she needs to conduct a survey or poll to determine why most voters decided
not to participate in the latest election.  After all, the voting may have been held on an
inconvenient date, or there may not have been enough information provided to residents
about assigned polling places, issues, or candidates.  If the author could rule out these factors
and consider more than one election, the residents' disengagement could be accepted as a
factor that contributed to the low voter turnout, and it would be reasonable to discuss ways to
address it.

     Even if the author adds enough evidence to prove that Millhaven is no longer democratic,
he/she still needs readers to agree that mandatory voting could restore democracy to the town.
In an effort to support this solution, the author compares voting to jury duty:  "Justice cannot
be served when juries are made up of a select group of people, rather than a cross-section of
the population.  In the same way, our town cannot consider itself democratic when a mere
seven percent of the voters determine our direction" (Brainfuse GRE).  Though citizens are
required to be present for jury duty, juries are actually made up of a select group of people
determined by each judge and teams of lawyers.  The most unbiased jurors tend to be selected
in order to make the trial fair while others are dismissed.  This selection process shows the
importance of finding citizens who are willing to make informed and unbiased decisions; it does
not support the idea that a democracy requires all eligible citizens to vote.  At the end of the
passage, the author also cites Abraham Lincoln's famous "Gettysburg Address" in an attempt to
support required participation in a democratic government, but he/she only clips a line from
the speech without providing context or explaining why a high voter turnout is essential to a
government "of the people, by the people, for the people."  After all, only white, male property
owners could vote at the time when the Gettysburg Address was delivered.  Thankfully, most
citizens now have the right to vote, but this passage does not prove that they should be forced
to use it.

   This argument's conclusion cannot be accepted as sound until the author provides more
evidence for the reasoning behind it.  To prove that this town's electoral process is not
democratic, the author needs to gather data on more than one election in Millhaven.  When
researching the records, the author should also study the voter turnout rates, compare the
populations of voters and non-voters, and determine what factors are making people decide to
avoid the polls.  If the electoral process does prove to be undemocratic, then the author still
needs to show readers that a mandatory vote would restore democracy, rather than ruin it by
forcing people to make a decision. 
 SAMPLE - 2

The following appeared as part of an editorial in an industry newsletter:

“While trucking companies that deliver goods pay only a portion of highway maintenance costs and no
property tax on the highways they use, railways spend billions per year maintaining and upgrading their
facilities. The government should lower the railroad companies’ property taxes, since sending goods by
rail is clearly a more appropriate mode of ground transportation than highway shipping. For one thing,
trains consume only a third of the fuel a truck would use to carry the same load, making them a more
cost-effective and environmentally sound mode of transport. Furthermore, since rail lines already exist,
increases in rail traffic would not require building new lines at the expense of taxpaying citizens.”

Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion be sure to analyze the line of
reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what
questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples
might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the
argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything,
would help you better evaluate its conclusion.

Understand the argument

In an editorial in an industry newsletter, a writer claims that the government should lower the property
taxes levied on railroad companies. The primary reason for this claim is that trucking companies use
highways and pay only a part of highway maintenance costs but no property tax on the highways, while
railways incur a cost of billions to maintain and upgrade their facilities. Another supporting premise
given by the writer is that trains use only one-third of the fuel that a truck would use to carry the load
carried by the train. So, the writer tries to prove that railways are more cost-effective and better for the
environment than trucks. The final piece of support is that even if more people start using railways to
transport their goods, no new rail lines will need to be built because they already exist.

Faulty assumptions

 Railway services are comparable to trucking services. The goods transported by trucking
companies can easily be dealt with by railways
 The goods transported by the trucking companies need to be delivered only to places that are
within the reach of railways
 No other entity uses highways as considerably as trucking companies

Missing evidence
 Details about the quantity of goods transported by trucking companies
 Specifics about the destinations serviced by trucking companies and whether railways are
available to transport to those points
 Details about the use of highways and what proportion of that use is by the trucking companies
Counter-examples

 What if the trucking companies’ use of highways makes up a very small portion compared to
other entities’ uses, but the companies pay a bigger chunk of taxes?
 What if the railways don’t transport to the destinations serviced by the trucking companies?
 What if the people who employ trucking companies to transport goods have only small
quantities to be transported at any one time, but to multiple destinations?
 What if it is cheaper for people to transport goods via trucks than it is via railways?

The essay

A writer for an editorial in an industry newsletter suggests that the government reduce the property
taxes levied on railways. The writer provides numerous pieces of evidence in support of this claim. While
the suggestion may seem to carry weight, the flawed assumptions and lack of substantiation have left
the argument difficult to heed.

To begin with, the chief support employed by the writer to claim that the government should reduce the
property taxes levied on railways is to point out that trucking companies seem to have it easy. The
writer states that trucking companies don’t have to pay property taxes and have to pay only a portion of
highway maintenance costs and so railways that spend billions upgrading and maintaining their own
facilities should be exempted from property taxes. Before making this claim, the author should have
established the comparability of trucking and railroad companies in this particular aspect. In fact, the
trucking and railroad companies have to pay different amounts of tax precisely because the nature of
their use is different. Trucking companies should have to pay only a portion of highway maintenance
costs because they do not have exclusive access to highways; however, railroad companies lay their rail
lines and use the lines themselves or lease them to another company, but either way, use is private and
exclusive. Further, the trucking companies should not have to pay property taxes because they do not
build any immovable structures on the highways they use; in contrast, the railways should have to pay
property taxes because these companies lay rail lines on land and property, rendering the property
unusable for almost any other thing. Considering these aspects, it is preposterous to suggest that the
government should reduce the property taxes levied on the railways because the trucking companies
don’t have to pay property taxes and have to pay only a portion of highway maintenance taxes.

Another flawed assumption on the part of the writer is the suggestion that railways can completely
replace trucking companies in moving goods, and can do so in a cheaper way for comparable amounts of
load. While this may be true theoretically, in practice it is difficult to implement. There are many points
of difference to consider before evaluating this claim. The first point is the destinations serviced by the
trucking companies. The trucks will deliver goods from point A to point B, but trains will only deliver
goods from the railroad station near point A to a railroad station near point B. From the station to the
actual destination, the transporters will need to hire trucks. The second point to consider is the quantity
of goods usually transported by people who employ trucking companies. Such people usually have
smaller loads meant for different destinations all over the States. Using trains for smaller loads meant
for different destinations is an inefficient use of resources. The upshot is that trains are the best means
of transport for those who are looking to transport bigger loads to a fixed destination, and trucks are the
best way for anyone looking to move smaller amounts of goods to different destinations. To merely
compare the amount of fuel consumed by trucks and trains for a certain amount of goods is not the
correct way to determine the cheaper mode.

To conclude, the writer should have provided a case for railways without trying to force a comparison
between the trucking and the railroad companies. If he wished to compare the two, he should have
taken into consideration the factors discussed above. Had he done so, his argument would have been
far stronger than it is now.
 Structure of Strategy Document
This document recommends a communication plan in response to a specific event or circumstance
facing a company or organization. It briefly summarizes the details of the event/circumstance; discusses
their implications, importance, or probable outcome; and provides a specific list of actions taken and
actions recommended.

Background

In this portion of the document, you have to briefly but completely review the facts of the case. This
paragraph will contain historical data, information that is a matter of public record, and facts that are
relevant to the recommended communication strategy.

 Crisp, tightly expressed sentences set apart from the main paragraph by bullet points are often
used in highlighting factual information
 This paragraph does not include assumptions, suppositions, or speculative information. Nor
does it include gratuitous references in the first person singular, such as “I think…”, “In my
opinion…”, or “I feel….”
 If a specific source is available for each piece of information in this paragraph, you should
consider embedding it directly in a sentence (i.e., “2000 Census figures reveal that…”). Another
approach is to list a source in parentheses following the information you provide (i.e., “Mead
Corporation’s Stevenson, Alabama, mill has an annual production capacity of 400,000 tons of
corrugated containerboard [Mead Financial Fact Book, Mead Corp., 2005, p.5].”).

Discussion

In this portion of the document, you expand on the implications of the facts cited above. In the
discussion, you explain to the reader what those facts mean and why they matter. The discussion
section often becomes the basis for the recommendations that follow. If the discussion is extended or
complex, you should use separate paragraphs, subheadings, and bullet points to highlight various issues.
The discussion block is frequently the longest and most complex section of a strategy document.

Recommendations

In this section, you should lay out each recommendation in specific terms. Where possible,
recommendations lead with a verb, are separated from one another with white space, are underlined or
printed in boldface type for emphasis, and are either numbered (if you recommend more than three
actions) or bullet-pointed. You can also use table format as explained in class. For example:

1. Sign the attached letter of apology to the customer. The letter not only apologizes for the flaw
discovered in our shipment of July 1 but offers a 2 percent discount on the shipment and a full
replacement of all defective parts. (Action: President)
2. Forward the defective parts to Quality Control of examination. When the QC report is
complete, copies of their findings should be shared with Sales & Marketing, Customer Service,
and members of the Senior Management Team. (Action: Customer Service)
 3. Contact the retailer who sold the equipment to review return/refund procedures. We must
make certain that each retailer handling our products fully understands his/her obligation to
accept customer returns and to provide full refunds, if appropriate. (Action: Sales Manager)
4. Follow up with the customer to make sure she is satisfied with our actions on her behalf. This
account is particularly large and, even though each customer is important to this company,
some customers are more important than others. Direct, personal to assure customer
satisfaction, followed by an after-action report for company files is essential. (Action: Customer
Service)

Other issues

On occasion, the preceding paragraph will be labeled “Actions Recommended” and followed by a
paragraph labeled “Actions Taken”. The difference is a matter of authority in the organization. As the
strategy document writer, you clearly have authority to take certain actions on your own and to brief
the supervisor or manager by means of this document. You may propose actions for your superiors or
for other divisions/agencies in the company that the reader is asked to agree to. It’s always useful for
the reader to know what tasks have already been done and what tasks he or she is being asked to
approve.