Technical Writing

Course Description

The purposes and practice of expository writing in the professions, with particular emphasis on writing related to each student’s major. Topics include audience analysis, communication ethics, collaboration, information design, technical editing, and major kinds of documents (letters, memos, instructions, proposals, and reports).

Course Goals and Objectives

Technical communication is the process of creating, designing, and transmitting technical information so that people can understand it easily and use it effectively and efficiently. This course will enable students to produce professional documents that are written clearly, concisely, and correctly.

Students will practice and demonstrate

• skill in correct usage and clear and concise sentences through exercises, quizzes, and assignments
• critical thinking and collaborative project management
• research and presentation skills on a topic of your choosing
• use of communicative and collaborative technologies that are critical in today’s global electronic environment

Each skill set and corresponding assignment will be based on rhetorical principles such as audience-analysis, organization, and style, and on concepts of document design.
Click here to view English Department Goals and Objectivesaddressed in this course.

Assignments and Point Values                                                                                       

This class will use the following grading system:

A  90-100

B  80-89

 C 70-79

D  60-69

 F  0-59

1. Formatting in Technical Writing is a matter of design, and most of your assignments will follow specific design principles according to the type of document it is (letter, memo, report). Unless the assignment specifies otherwise, documents are to be single-spaced in size 12 font with 1-inch margins on all sides.
2. Compose and save all assignments in Microsoft Word. Early this semester we will practice using several tools in MSWord 2007, so if you don’t have this version on your home computer, you should download a free trial version. If you do not have access to MSWord for an assignment you are submitting, you must save all documents as RTF files. See me the first week of class if you don’t know how to do this. Keep an electronic copy of all the work you turn in.
3. Name your assignment files with the assignment number (A1 through A7) and your last name, as in this example: "A3henson." If you are submitting a revision of an assignment, it must include “rev” at the end of the file name.
4. Submit assignments in WebCT Assignments.

Part of your grade is based on submitting assignments on time. If a problem arises preventing you from submitting an assignment on time, e-mail me before the due date explaining the problem and indicate when I should expect the assignment. Then, email me with your assignment attached following the email conventions explained below. Errors in file naming and email conventions will cost up to 5 points off in your grade. The absence of the email will cost you a half grade per day (A becomes an A-, B- minus a C+). The greatest incentive for submitting assignments on time, however, is that this class moves quickly. Late work inevitably leads to more problems down the line. Therefore, work will be accepted late only in exceptional cases. 

Attendance on campus is required the first two Mondays of the semester. Subsequent meetings will take place via WebCT chat. Attendance includes chat meetings and asynchronous Discussion posts. This course is designed to be a bridge between the academic and professional worlds; therefore, you are expected to cultivate a professional presence in the class and online. Please be on time, be prepared with the day’s readings and assignments, and be ready to actively engage the instructor and your classmates in class discussions and in the discussion forum. Three assignments in this course will include collaboration: A2, A4, and A6. Leaders in business, industry, and government understand the importance of collaboration and expect university graduates to have the skills and experience collaborating with people from various backgrounds, disciplines, and cultures. 

 

Communication and Email Guidelines

• Please communicate with me via this email address: hensonmsu@gmail.comusing your MSU email account. In addition to being a “professional” address and offering protection from spam and viruses, an advantage of the MSU email is the ability to recognize the sender. I will not open any emails if I do not recognize the recipient.
• Read the section on email netiquette in Ch. 14 (p. 354)
• Observe these guidelines:
  • Include in the subject line the class/section you are in (Engl 3203-X20) and a descriptive phrase such as "introducing myself" or "memo revision."
  • Include a salutation. Although it is not necessary to write ‘Dear,’ in emails, do use appropriate formality when addressing someone, such as "Mrs. Henson" or "Professor Henson."
  • State the purpose of your email early in the body of the message and whether you have attached a document.
  • Include a closing and “sign” (type) your email with your name. Don't just stop after finishing your message.
  • Use standard American English, including correct spelling. Avoid chat room style expressions such as CUL8er, unnecessary acronyms, or fragmented speech. Even though e-mails are somewhat informal, they should be correct.
  • Unless you are responding to a specific communication from me, always use "Compose Mail" instead of replying to a random email I sent. This is important because gmail creates threaded messages, and it is easy to lose a student's email which is buried in an older thread.

Writing Proficiency

In this class, you will practice editing documents according to Standard English and Plain Language guidelines. Because this is an upper level course, you should have mastered English grammar by this point in your academic career. Early in the semester, you will have an opportunity to brush up on your writing and grammar skills; however, after that, we move on to more challenging elements of style. Therefore, if you have difficulty with particular aspects of English usage, please consult Part C of the appendix of the textbook, Technical Communication, and take advantage of the online grammar and writing resources linked in this wiki. Two particularly useful web sites for writing and grammar exercises are the Guide to Grammar & Writing and Exercise Central. A few hours of dedicated study will often clear up grammar problems in your writing