Introduction for Technical Writing Essentials Instructors

Technical Writing Essentials is an introductory level course for students who are considering careers in research or business areas where knowledge of science and technology is expected. Some students will only take this course from the offerings in Business and Technical Writing. Others will take this course as the starting place for a technical writing certificate. All who take the class will have the opportunity to learn writing skills that have very practical applications in workplace settings.

When they began their studies at the university, students in this class completed their composition requirement in order to be ready to take on the writing demands of college course work. In those classes, students learned about concepts such as audience, logic, authority, persuasion, organization, argument, revision, and timeliness. Those ideas and skills will all be used now to help students develop technical writings. While these writings don't look like the academic essays from composition classes, they are founded on the same principles. It's a good point to make at the start of the semester. Students may be surprised to find the connection between their composition and technical writing classes, but the realization will definitely help them with the writings they will now be asked to do.

In Technical Writing Essentials students review the basic elements of written communication that are involved in technical writing tasks. They then apply those skills as they develop documents that typify what technical writers routinely do. Similar to the research or business workplace, students work alone on some tasks and in collaborative groups on others. By the end of the course, expect students to have improved their reading, writing, speaking, listening, and thinking skills, particularly as these skills apply to scientific and technical workplace environments.

Using the links to the left, you can see how the course can be organized and how work can be graded. Because this course is a relatively new offering, there is need for each instructor to evaluate the assignments, the manageability of the schedule, and the effectiveness of the point system for grading. Thoughts about the course are sought. Also, as you develop strategies for teaching various aspects of the class, consider doing some writing that can be placed on the "Things that Work" page. With input from all instructors, the course can be revised as needed in order to best meet the needs of the students who register.