Technical Writing

Course Content:
Four communication skills in the workplace, interpretation of audience and purpose in academic and
workplace settings, application of the ethical standards of rights, justice, utility, and care in thinking,
increased emphasis on the writing process, using internet to research your audience, using Web resources to
research a subject, analyzing evidence in an argument, enhancing coherence in writing titles, headings, lists,
and paragraphs, enhancing coherence through design features, revising for conciseness and simplicity,
designing Web sites effectively, planning graphics in light of the writer's purpose and the readers'
experience, revision techniques, usability evaluations, and usability testing, writing letters, memos and emails,
writing effective emails, writing proposals, writing Informational reports, writing recommendation reports,
writing reports with the main purpose of presenting recommendations, writing definitions, descriptions, and
instructions, defining and describing complement instructional writing, making oral presentations, approach to
writing presentations that uses the claim-and-support structure

a. Specific Course Learning Outcomes:

The students will be able to:
 Develop skills in using formal technical communication conventions found in the workplace.
 Demonstrate knowledge of the theories informing professional communication.
 Develop an ability to assess your audience and provide a clear purpose in your written and oral
communication.
 Develop skills in writing and working collaboratively with a team.
 Demonstrate professionalism in all of your communication in this course--with the instructor as well as
with peers.
 Develop skills in effective presentation of quantitative data in a graphic format.
 Demonstrate knowledge of conventions in preparing communication for an audience of a different
culture than your own.
 Demonstrate an understanding of the standards of excellent technical communication through personal
observation and peer review.
 Analyze and reflect on the ethics involved in selecting and presenting content to an audience.

Brief list of topics to be covered:

Introduction to Technical Communication 1 week
Understanding Legal and Ethical Considerations 1 week
Writing Technical Documents 1 week
Writing Collaboratively 1 week
Analyzing your Audience and Purpose 1 week
Researching your Subject 1 week
Communicating Persuasively 1 week
Writing Coherent Documents 1 week
Designing Documents and Websites 1 week
Creating Graphics 1 week
Reviewing, Evaluating and Testing Documents and Websites 1 week
Writing Letters, Memos and emails 1 week
Writing Proposals 1 week
Writing Information Reports 1 week
Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions 1 week
Making Oral Presentations 1 week

Class meets for 3 hours per week.

Recommended Texts:
1. Management, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coultor, 11/e, Prentice-Hall