Process Memos

The word memo comes from the more proper term, memorandum, which means a short note used especially for internal written communication in business settings. Memos may be print or electronic.  Email messages are electronic memos.   They are perhaps the most important kind of documents written today because they are used so widely for so many different purposes, audiences and contexts.

In many assignments here at the WWWriters' PLACE, you may be required to submit a process memo as a separate file along with your main assignment.  This process memo serves as a cover letter to your teacher about your experiences with the project.  Sometimes the assignment will present questions that you should answer in your process memo. These memos are an important part of the on-going conversation you and your teacher will have about your writing throughout the course.

Many studies have been done to investigate how students learn, how well they retain what they learn,  and how often they transfer knowledge from one college course to another as well as to real life situations.  When students are required to write a description of what they have learned, their retention and ability to apply the learning improves significantly.  This is one reason why process memos are important.  In these memos you are asked to describe what you have learned by doing this assignment so that you will remember this learning and be able to apply it in future writing situations.

Often we do not think about how we write.  We just want to get it done -- whether it's a school assignment or email to a friend, we just want to get the message written and SEND!  However, if you want to improve your writing, then you need to become aware of how you write.  What is working?  What isn't working?  What new strategies are you learning in this course that are helping you write more effectively?  When do you seem to get stuck?  What do you do to get unstuck?  These are the kinds of questions you should address in your process memos.