Progress Report Memo on Formal Report (Negative Effects of Sitting)

MEMORANDUM

To:                  Dr. Erika Paterson, English professor at the University of British Columbia

From:              Phillip Tellier, Student of ENGL 301 at the University of British Columbia

Date:               October 28, 2021

Subject:          Progress Report for Formal Report on the Effects of Long-Term Sitting

Dear Dr. Erika Paterson,

I have begun to plan and research for my formal report on the effects of long-term sitting. The audience for this report is primarily UBC computer science students. I am working with the computer science student society (CSSS) to create this report. Specifically, I will present my report to the vice president of volunteering services, Shubha Bhalla. He will help distribute the report to students interested in the findings via email and social media. Other potential readers are anyone besides students following CSSS social media and emails.

The report’s purpose is to raise awareness about what students can do to protect their health from sitting too long. This includes fixing misconceptions about solutions that actually do not work. It is important that students are well informed on risks to their health and possible fixes. If they are, students can be proactive and improve their future quality of life against problems like back pain and obesity.

My research process will proceed in this order:

• Compose a survey of the opinions of computer science students. The survey will gauge how much misinformation there is about sitting. It will also gauge the level of concern students have.
• Identify the problem at hand by administering the survey to students. I will aim for 25 minimum completed surveys. Donut charts will be created to display the results in my report.
• Explore research publications on health disorders caused by long-term sitting. I will also research exercise, standing desks, and better posture as potential remedies to the problem.

I have also planned a writing schedule for my work with these deadlines:

• Oct. 29: compose the survey
• Nov. 1: administer the survey to students
• Nov. 5: create informational graphics for and write about the survey results
• Nov. 12: research negative effects of sitting and possible solutions. Write the main body of the report
• Nov.16: rough draft of the formal report
• Nov. 26: finish editing and present the final draft

This amount of work is reasonable given the timeframe because I adequately narrowed the scope of the research. There is also no cost involved besides my labour. Please let me know if the survey conforms to the ethical survey standards that UBC has. This survey is linked below. If you need to, reach out with suggestions for my report writing and research process.

Enclosure: Survey for computer science students on the effects of long-term sitting