http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Academic/Courses/Writing/Technical-Writing A listing of the most recently indexed works about Academic and Courses and Writing and Technical Writing in the field of technical communication (and technical writing). en-us Copyright (c) 2005-08 by the EServer. All rights reserved. tclib-editorial@eserver.org (TC Library Editorial Board) webmaster@eserver.org (Geoffrey Sauer) http://tc.eserver.org/images/newlogo.gif http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Academic/Courses/Writing/Technical-Writing http://tc.eserver.org/33497.html http://tc.eserver.org/33497.html Technical writing is nonfiction writing meant to make the complex simple. It informs, instructs, and persuades. And it can take many forms -- manuals, references, instructions, correspondence, reports, and proposals, among others. Whatever form is used, technical writing's focus is to ensure that readers can make informed choices, understand complex information, and follow complex procedures. In this class, technical writing is treated rhetorically: We will build on lessons of rhetorical analysis, organization, and style learned in previous classes, but we will apply those lessons to concrete real-world problems. http://tc.eserver.org/32613.html http://tc.eserver.org/32613.html This section will focus on both the creation and production of technical writing, particularly concentrating on how using a specific medium to convey information frames how the information is received by the intended audience(s). http://tc.eserver.org/32148.html http://tc.eserver.org/32148.html English 306 introduces you to the rhetorical principles and theoretical concepts that you will need as a professional writer. These principles and concepts will help you analyze and respond effectively to a variety of workplace writing scenarios. While the course will address some practical skills such as how to write memos, emails, and reports, we will focus most of our attention on theories of rhetoric, language, and information. We will learn how information operates in organizations, theories about information architecture, as well as rhetorical concepts that will allow you to effectively assess and approach any writing situation you might encounter. Additionally, the course will introduce you to the strategies and skills necessary for using various communication technologies in workplace contexts. http://tc.eserver.org/30999.html http://tc.eserver.org/30999.html We offer you Level 1 and Level 2 courses in technical writing, plus a workshop on writing system requirement specifications. We're constantly updating and restructuring our content. We also welcome your active participation in building and improving this learning community. http://tc.eserver.org/26018.html http://tc.eserver.org/26018.html This course will help those employed within technical fields (scientists, engineers, medical professionals, etc.), as well as those who address technical audiences, to effectively plan, research, write, and present technical information. http://tc.eserver.org/25988.html http://tc.eserver.org/25988.html This course is a variation of Utah State University's twice-annual Technology and the Writer Course. The Technology and the Writer course is based on research done in the 1990s to determine which writing professions demanded the best salaries and were most likely to survive overseas outsourcing. http://tc.eserver.org/24004.html http://tc.eserver.org/24004.html According to the university catalog, the subject matter of WRT 307, Professional Writing, is: professional communication through the study of audience, purpose, and ethics; rhetorical problem-solving principles applied to diverse professional writing tasks and situations. http://tc.eserver.org/23737.html http://tc.eserver.org/23737.html English 5373 covers the management and production of forms of print and online manuals, including software and hardware manuals, instructions, and performance support.  Students will learn how to manage projects, and how to address issues of user analysis, text design, graphics design, task orientation, and translation. Class activities will include exercises and presentations focused on student project work. http://tc.eserver.org/23529.html http://tc.eserver.org/23529.html This course provides an introduction to technical writing, which includes technical reports, instructions, proposals, letters of application, resumes, procedures, and manuals; this course is particularly appropriate for students in English, information resources, science, engineering, architecture, education, and other applied sciences, although it is open to students from any major. http://tc.eserver.org/23533.html http://tc.eserver.org/23533.html The first part of the course will help you acquire reading and writing skills needed in graduate school. Consider these survival skills as well as a way to get a competitive edge. In class, we will focus on the reading and analysis (written and oral) of academic writings in Computer Science and closely related fields. Most weeks you will be expected to read a journal or other technical article and report on it. You may be asked to make a short oral presentation to the class. http://tc.eserver.org/23317.html http://tc.eserver.org/23317.html English 421 helps students become better professional communicators through contextual research and analysis. The curriculum is informed by current research in rhetoric and professional writing and is guided by the needs and practices of business, the high-tech industry, and society at large. http://tc.eserver.org/22470.html http://tc.eserver.org/22470.html English 413 presents principles of Web-based document design, creation, layout, editing, and posting to the Internet and on corporate intranets. http://tc.eserver.org/22347.html http://tc.eserver.org/22347.html To understand technical documents as audience-centered and write for a target audience. To realize that knowledge is socially constructed and that writing is determined to a large extent by context. To improve grammar, mechanics, and style. To write for the Internet and become familiar with the weblog as a writing genre. To design and test a set of instructions. To use software tools, simple design principles, and effective typography to create documents with superior readability and usability. To create a major report using multiple information-gathering techniques, including library research and interview. To learn the differences among various writing genres used in the workplace, including the memo, proposal, progress report, and research report. http://tc.eserver.org/22348.html http://tc.eserver.org/22348.html In this course, students will master two important aspects of technical communication: its genres and its process. Students will learn and apply several primary genres of technical communication, including the résumé and cover letter, the memo, the proposal, the abstract, the progress report, and the empirical report. Students will use these genres to document their research progress and results. Students will also learn and use the technical writing process. http://tc.eserver.org/22163.html http://tc.eserver.org/22163.html In this course you will learn the methodology of single sourcing and the technology of a help applications tool (RoboHelp Office X4). http://tc.eserver.org/22162.html http://tc.eserver.org/22162.html This course aims to prepare you for on-the-job writing. You will study and practice writing a variety of professional and technical documents such as emails, letters, resumes, instructions, proposals, presentations, and reports. http://tc.eserver.org/21971.html http://tc.eserver.org/21971.html This web site contains information about Chris Werry's section of RWS 503W Technical Writing. You'll find the syllabus, course description, on-line readings, assignments, and other course materials here. http://tc.eserver.org/20879.html http://tc.eserver.org/20879.html Applies principles of effective professional writing to the planning, production, and evaluation of computer user manuals and other writing tasks. http://tc.eserver.org/20559.html http://tc.eserver.org/20559.html ENGL 421 helps students become better professional communicators through contextual research and analysis. The curriculum is informed by current research in rhetoric and professional writing and is guided by the needs and practices of business, the high-tech industry, and society at large, as well as by the expectations of Purdue students and programs. Students learn effective strategies for communicating with other people about and with technology, particularly in networked workplaces and through usability testing. They learn how to collaborate with colleagues in project teams as they analyze writing situations and respond to them with informative and visually effective print and electronic documents. The course teaches the rhetorical principles that help students shape their technical writing to suit a range of readers, for multiple purposes, in a variety of professional situations. http://tc.eserver.org/20387.html http://tc.eserver.org/20387.html This web site is one of the online resources for English 271 students at MSU, Mankato. In addition, the instructor uses the gradebook feature in Ucompass Educator, our university's e-learning platform. http://tc.eserver.org/20377.html http://tc.eserver.org/20377.html Technical Writing is not a grammar class but an applied writing course in which you will learn to: write clearly, concisely, and accurately for intended readers; apply good writing skills to technical documents; write various technical documents common in business and industry; write as a member of a team; and use word processing, electronic mail, and graphics software applications on a personal computer. http://tc.eserver.org/20348.html http://tc.eserver.org/20348.html In this course we will explore the various forms and media by which working professionals convey technical information to both expert and novice audiences. As a student in this course, you will learn to write a variety of genres used in technical communication -- resumés and cover letters, memos, proposals, progress reports and final reports. http://tc.eserver.org/19651.html http://tc.eserver.org/19651.html Technical Writing introduces students to the world of technical and professional communication. The focus of this course is upon writing that you might use on-the-job. http://tc.eserver.org/19592.html http://tc.eserver.org/19592.html 503W is designed to help upper-level students develop the communication skills needed for successful professional careers. The course provides the opportunity to write in the variety of forms you are likely to encounter in your professional lives (that is, memos, manuals, proposals, etc.). http://tc.eserver.org/18472.html http://tc.eserver.org/18472.html Because the role of the modern technical writer and communicator is expanding rapidly and will continue to do so, the ethical scope of the technical writer's responsibility is comparably expanded too. The technical writer is now seen as an information developer in the formative stages of creating technical information, as a communicator in disseminating information, as an interpreter in explaining information, and as a usability expert in guiding the application of information. As a result, ethics becomes in involved in technical writing in many ways both traditional and new, obvious and non-obvious. In this course we will study the role of ethics in technical writing and communication at various levels. Ethics is the study of what is right and good, whether as abstract theories or as concrete actions, usually involving deciding a course of action in a dilemma offering several possibilities. Ethics here is understood broadly as encompassing both conventional theories of ethics and values and value systems. http://tc.eserver.org/18412.html http://tc.eserver.org/18412.html Technical writing is a growing and dynamic field. Technical writers work in scientific, medical, and technological contexts, and because of that, need to be both good writers and active learners: they need to learn how to understand technologies and scientific concepts; they need to learn how to analyze and understand work and workplaces; they need to learn to write for and with audiences; and they need to learn how to conduct research. http://tc.eserver.org/18428.html http://tc.eserver.org/18428.html There are several facts of contemporary business or technical communication that are now nearly universal: the acts of writing or managing any project occur in group settings; directions from employers are goal-oriented and the responsibility for development is left to a team (usually either external or internal to the assigning agency); organizations possess and frequently reassess corporate personae; and communication occurs with multiple audiences, with varying levels of knowledge. The purpose of this course is to give you practice in all of these skills. In addition, I intend to explore at length an issue far too rarely considered today: the ethical considerations of business and technical communication. For all these reasons, the design and specific requirements of the course are unusually (and, you should note, very intentionally) ambiguous. Given some goal, and composition into small teams of four to five people each, you will design and implement your own instruction in technical writing. Operating under certain requirements, constraints, and limitations, groups will propose, design, test, and recommend a specific solution to a particular need. I will base evaluation upon a percentage that reflects how well the groups (and individuals in them) achieve set criteria. http://tc.eserver.org/15040.html http://tc.eserver.org/15040.html In this course, we will explore the various forms and media by which working professionals convey technical information to both internal and external audiences. As a student in this course, you will learn to write a variety of genres used in technical communication -- résumés and cover letters, memos, proposals, progress reports, and final reports. To facilitate production of such documents, you will also learn to use several types of desktop software, such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, as well as others. http://tc.eserver.org/15011.html http://tc.eserver.org/15011.html Course goals: to prepare you to communicate effectively, ethically, responsibly, and professionally in a business environment; to provide you with skills, strategies, and conceptual knowledge to help you address a variety of communication tasks; to help you understand the symbiotic relationships among form and content, and audience and purpose; and to give you practice in collaborating with other professionals in managing and completing group projects, and to improve your own individual communication and management skills. http://tc.eserver.org/14978.html http://tc.eserver.org/14978.html English 504 introduces students to varying perspectives about the design and implementation of instruction in business and technical communication—with primary attention to academic classroom instruction but some attention to workplace training. http://tc.eserver.org/14905.html http://tc.eserver.org/14905.html English 2309-Technical Communication-is an introductory course to the kinds of documents produced and used in business, industry, and technology. The assignments and the way they are evaluated reflect different audiences and purposes than those normally addressed in English 1301 & 1302. However, you should be reasonably proficient in the writing skills normally acquired in these two courses. We are a community of writers from various disciplines sharing our work and insights about writing with one another. This course is designed to create an environment in which you can develop and exhibit professional work habits. These habits include meeting deadlines, satisfying all assignment criteria, and attending class on a regular basis. http://tc.eserver.org/14904.html http://tc.eserver.org/14904.html The course emphasizes practical knowledge of technical communications techniques, procedures, and reporting formats used in business and industry.  Topics include methods of describing devices and processes, as well as the proper use of standards manuals, guides, specifications, and interpretations of data in report format. http://tc.eserver.org/14906.html http://tc.eserver.org/14906.html English 2309, Technical Writing, will introduce you to some of the types of documents that you will be likely to write in your careers. We will study audience-centered writing and writing as a series of recursive steps through which a writer moves in preparing a final draft. The students in this section will participate in the Texas Tech University Computer-Based Research Project by meeting class in the Macintosh Computer Classroom located in the English building (324A). The course will be VAX-based, but students do not need any prior knowledge of computers or computer skills. Because the course is computer-based, students will have to find time outside of class to work on a computer. http://tc.eserver.org/14899.html http://tc.eserver.org/14899.html ENGL 202C, Technical Writing, serves students who are preparing for careers in the sciences and applied sciences (particularly engineering). This advanced course in writing familiarizes students with the discourse practices prized in their disciplinary and institutional communities—and helps them to manage those practices effectively in their own written work. In this way the course teaches those writing strategies and tactics that scientists and engineers will need in order to write successfully on the job. http://tc.eserver.org/14842.html http://tc.eserver.org/14842.html Effective communication skills in the workplace can prevent problems, streamline production, and determine who gets promoted and who doesn'ï¿t. This course will develop your use of several genres of scientific and technical writing, as well as teach you planning, drafting, and revision strategies that will dramatically improve the quality of your communication. A significant part of this course will be devoted to exploring new communication technologies, such as web design and presentation software and hardware. Graphics and document design have always been important elements of technical communication, but new technology has made them required features of workplace communication. In short, technical communicators are both writers and designers. As such, you must also regularly confront a range of ethical questions ï¿ from the political implications of the language you use to the decisions you make about the appropriateness or appeal of particular images. Throughout the semester, weï¿ll consider the ethical implications of what often seems to be (but isnï¿t) a straightforward, value-free form of communication. http://tc.eserver.org/14851.html http://tc.eserver.org/14851.html This course offers an overview of the field of technical communication and provides practice in the composition of traditional technical writing forms, especially letters and memorandums, interim reports, feasibility studies and formal proposals. http://tc.eserver.org/14570.html http://tc.eserver.org/14570.html This course is designed to provide you a theoretical and pedagogical foundation for teaching an introductory undergraduate course in technical communication. http://tc.eserver.org/14181.html http://tc.eserver.org/14181.html This course is designed to strengthen your understanding and mastery of language in the context of technical and professional communication. This involves exploring the concept of rhetoric and the various rhetorical options available for a given professional writing task. The truth is, you already know what rhetoric is in an instinctive way. Without knowing it, you use rhetoric in conversation and personal letters. The aim of the course, however, is to raise your rhetorical awareness to a more conscious and effective level when you sit down to write in the workplace. http://tc.eserver.org/14049.html http://tc.eserver.org/14049.html The aim, or purpose, of this course is to prepare you for a variety of job-related writing tasks. Success in technical writing, however, requires that you first know for whom you are writing and why. Consequently, this course will stress audience awareness and purpose in written communication. The course will also help you select the appropriate materials for a writing assignment and arrange the material in a logical and appropriate sequence. Additionally, you will learn to evaluate your products (and those of others) before submitting them for approval. In other words, you will develop your writing processes, much as you are developing other problem-solving tools necessary for success in your career. You will learn to anticipate the needs of your audience, to select materials and their arrangement to best meet those needs, to prepare the final product, and to analyze and revise until you achieve professional-quality work ready for submission to your audience. http://tc.eserver.org/14006.html http://tc.eserver.org/14006.html Este curso presenta algunas estrategias generales básicas para la redacción de informes técnicos, tesis, comunicaciones a conferencias y artículos en revistas científicas. El curso está destinado a investigadores en ciencias básicas y aplicadas, estudiantes en las mismas áreas, e ingenieros y otros profesionales de orientación técnica. http://tc.eserver.org/13955.html http://tc.eserver.org/13955.html CSIS 500, Technical Communication, Graduate Programs in Software, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota. The fundamentals of technical communication as practiced in industry are presented, emphasizing clarity and organizational skills. Students engage in exercises that focus on technical writing, editing, public speaking and graphic design, and apply their skills across a broad range of activities, including critique of presentations and writing of proposals, reports, memoranda, user manuals, instructional modules, and specifications. Techniques presented are intended to assist an understanding of the structure of the language, and an appreciation for format and content, to better prepare students for project documentation.