Technical Writing
EPW 311

 
Dr. Kristi Siegel
Associate Professor - English
Mount Mary College

EPW 331 accelerated - Wednesdays: 6:00 - 9:50 pm
NDH 249
Office Hours: Wednesday, 4:00 - 5:50 pm and by appointment
(414) 258-4810
preferred contact: siegelkr@mtmary.edu
general website: www.kristisiegel.com


Clutter is the disease of American writing. We are a society strangling in unnecessary words, circular constructions, pompous frills and meaningless jargon…But the secret of good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest components…Clear thinking becomes clear writing: one can’t exist without the other. —William Zinsser, On Writing Well


 
 

Materials and Text:

  • Burnett, Rebecca. Technical Communication. 5th Ed., Heinle, 2001
  • Folder to store my (endless) handouts
  • A few blank diskettes

Note Regarding Online Syllabus:

I've linked to my own Word documents throughout this syllabus; if you miss class (don't!) or lose a handout, they are all available here.Your assignment descriptions are located in the week in which they are assigned. General handouts (e.g., the Word shortcut manual [32 pages], the web publishing manual [37 pages]) are located in the Handouts section below. The Links section provides links to supplementary websites on subjects such as writing mechanics, technical writing, design, and web publishing.

Course Objectives:

  • to understand the purpose and process of technical writing;
  • to create clear, accurate, and succinct content;
  • to produce documents reflecting different types of technical communication such as technical descriptions, proposals, reports, web pages, and instructional manuals;
  • to use mechanically and grammatically correct language in written and oral communication;
  • to learn how to adjust technical content to meet the needs of a specific target audience;
  • to appreciate principles of document design and how they enhance meaning;
  • to give a professional oral presentation on the final project (web site).

Grading

    In-Class Assignments 10%
    Instructions, Manual, Progress Report 30%
    Proposal 15%
    Oral Presentation 10%
    Participation 10%
    Final Portfolio 10%
Before Week One
  • Read (skim) Chapters 1, 2, and 8; focus particularly on definition and types of technical writing, methods for achieving clarity, and determining audience
  • Be prepared to discuss reading for first class (Jan 15)
  • Fundamentals of Document Design - excellent website on design

Assignment:

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Week One - January 15
  • Orientation and Introductions
  • Discussion of syllabus and scope of course
  • Definition of technical writing and types of technical writing
  • “Chopping block” of tech writing: clarity and audience
  • Basic word processing shortcuts and techniques
  • Design principles – in class exercise
  • Layout and Design Principles - website
  • Layout and Design - website

Assignment:

  • Read Chapters 13 and 15
  • Bring in example of good technical design and example of poor technical design for next class (be prepared to explain why examples are good or poor).

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Week Two - January 22

  • Visual design and Graphics – in-class work and assignments
  • Narrative strategies for writing technical content (in-class exercises and assignments)
    • How to Put Your Reader into a Coma without Really Trying - handout
  • Lego Block assignment explained - handout

Assignment:

  • Read Chapter 17
  • Lego Block assignment due on Jan 29

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Week Three - January 29

  • Lego block presentations and task analysis
  • Principles of technical descriptsion and instructions (in-class exercises and assignment)
    • Structural-Fuctional Technical description assignment
    • Effective technical descriptions - handout
  • Instructional Chapter/manual assignment explained - in-class work and discussion - handout
  • Writing Effective Instructions
    • Tips for Creating Effective Computer Instructions - website
    • How to Write Instructions for Busy, Grouchy People - Dr. Dennis Jerz website (an excellent resource)
  • Progress/Status report explained and assigned - handout

Assignment:

  1. Read chapters 7 & 16
  2. Complete Report on Instruction manual - Feb. 5l
  3. Instructional Manual/Chapter due Feb 12

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Week Four - February 5

  • Types of reports explained and discussed (in-class exercises and assignments).
    • Online Technical Writing - Progress reports (make sure to look at the example) - website
    • Tips for Writing Short technical reports - website
  • In-class work on Instruction manuals
  • Principles of proposal writing
    • Online technical writing - Proposals website
    • A Practical Guide to Writing Proposals website - Alice M. Reid, M.Ed.
  • In-class work on Web site Proposal - handout
  • Status Report on Instructions' Manual collected
  • Sign up for GeoCities web site

Assignment:

  • Read handout on website design.
  • Manual on using Yahoo! PageBuilder and FrontPage - handout
  • Website - Creating a Basic Website Using FrontPage (Dr. Dennis Jerz)
  • Read Internet links on website design and construction (below)
  • Instruction manual due next class (Feb 12)

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Week Five - February 12

  • WEBSITE ASSIGNMENT - <-- Did that catch your eye? handout
  • Proposals and Grants (cont.)
  • Instruction Manuals collected
  • In-class exercises and assignments
  • In-class work on Website Proposal· In-class work on Web pages – design, techniques, and writing effective web text
  • Oral Presentation assigned

Assignment:

  • Web site proposal due Feb 19
  • Read suggested Internet Links

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Week Six - February 19

  • Website Proposal collected and discussed
  • In-class work on webpages
  • In-class work and discussion on presenting effective oral communication – film on effective oral presentations - handout
  • Explanation of Final Portfolio (handout)

Assignment:

  • Read Chapters 9 & 18

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Week Seven - February 26

  • In-class work on websites
  • In-class work on oral presentations
  • In-class work on final portfolios

Assignment:

  • Complete website, oral presentation and final portfolio for Mar 3

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Week Eight - March 3

  • Oral Presentation on Website
  • Assessments of Oral presentations
  • Task Analysis
  • Final Portfolios collected
  • Course evaluations

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Links:

  • How to Build Lame Websites - Charlie Morris
  • Society for Technical Information - STC
  • Professor Charles Darling's Guide to Grammar and Writing - excellent information and interactive quizzes
  • National Writers Union - job information and articles for freelance writers
  • Webopedia - Online Dictionary of Computer and Internet terms - decode the jargon!
  • Writers Write - comprehensive resource on books, writing, and publishing
  • Hotjobs.com - enter "technical writer" as a search term and get some idea of the high demand for this profession.
  • Web Clip Art - tons of links to free clipart and other web graphics - don't get carried away!
Handouts:

 

Homepage

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