Course Description:
This course is designed for students to enhance their skills for workplace writing. It helps them in the process of „listening, researching, planning, composing, revising, and editing‟ documents for use in business, science, hi-tech, and other practical fields. Technical Writing for Success provides students with practical approach to producing their own proposal content, manual instructions, informative briefs, news releases, and other pragmatic documents. Abundant in sample documents, critical thinking questions, and insightful writing advice on style and voice, this textbook prepares students for successful technical writing.
Course Objectives:
Enable students to identify the importance and characteristics of technical writing and produce some quality technical pieces of workplace writing.
Course Contents:
Unit 1: What Is Technical Writing (3 Hrs.)
Introduction; You Are a Technical Writer!; Characteristics of a Technical Writing; How Technical Writing Compares to Other Writing
Unit 2: Audience and Purpose (3 Hrs.)
Introduction; Meeting the Audience‟s Needs; Planning Your Document‟s Purpose, Scope, and Medium
Unit 3: Writing Process (4 Hrs.)
Introduction; A Process for Technical Writing; Planning; Drafting and Revising; Copyediting and Publishing; Writing Collaboratively
Unit 4: Brief Correspondence (4 Hrs.)
Introduction; Introduction to Text Messages; E-mails; Memos, and Letters; Audience; Prewriting; Formatting; Composing the Message
Unit 5: Document Design and Graphics (4 Hrs.)
Introduction; Designing the Document; Who Reads Graphics?; Designing Graphics; Constructing Graphics
Unit 6: Writing for the Web (4 Hrs.)
Introduction; Getting Started on Web Pages; Organizing and Designing Web Pages; Writing Text for the Web; Special Web Pages
Unit 7: Information Reports (5 Hrs.)
Introduction; Getting Started on Informative Reports; Summary and Abstract; Mechanism and Description; Periodic Reports; Progress Reports; News Releases
Unit 8: Employment Communication (5 Hrs.)
Introduction; Getting Started on Employment Communication; Formatting and Organizing Resumes; Types of Resumes; Composing Resumes; Composing Employment Letters
Unit 9: Presentations (5 Hrs.)
Introduction; Getting Started on Presentations; Planning; Organizing and Composing; Preparing; Rehearsing; Presenting; Organizing a Group Presentation
Unit 10: Recommendation Reports (3 Hrs.)
Introduction; What Is a Recommendation Report?; Starting a Recommendation Report; Formatting and Organizing Recommendation Reports; Composing Recommendation Reports
Unit 11: Proposals (3 Hrs.)
Introduction; What Is a Proposal?; Getting Started on Proposal; Composing Informal Proposals; Composing Formal Proposals
Unit 12: Ethics in the Workplace (2 Hrs.)
Introduction; What Is Ethics?; Creating a Culture of Ethics; What Do you When Faces with an Ethical Dilemma?; Why Is It So Difficult to Behave Ethically? Inside Track (Ask students to go through the ideas discussed in this section as they make much sense to writing. Explain if necessary.)
Inside Track
(Ask students to go through the ideas discussed in this section as they make much sense to writing. Explain if necessary.)
Text Books:
- Smith-Worthington, Daelene and Sue Jefferson. Technical Writing for Success. 3rd ed. USA: Cengage Writing, 2011.
Recommended Books:
- Anderson, Paul V. Technical Communication: A Reader-Centered Approach. 7thed. USA: Wadsworth Publishing, 2010.
- Markel, Mike and Stuart A. Selber. Technical Communication. 12th edition. USA: Bedford Books, 2017.
- Tebeaux, Elizabeth and Sam Dragga. The Essentials of Technical Communication. 4th ed. London: Oxford University Press, 2010.