Module Overview for Week of July 9: Introduction to Technical Writing

Asian woman reading text on an iPadTechnical writing is any kind of writing you might be called upon to produce for an audience in your particular workplace, whether you are training to be a technical writer, computer scientist, an electrical engineer, a biochemist, a financial consultant, or something else. The term refers not only to complex, lengthy, heavily-illustrated documents like reports and user guides, but also to shorter pieces of writing like memos, letters, and progress reports.

The Society for Technical Communication Links to an external site., a professional society to which many professional and technical writers belong, defines such writing as

  • Communicating about technical or specialized topics, such as computer applications, medical procedures, or environmental regulations.
  • Communicating by using technology, such as web sites, help files, or social media sites.
  • Providing instructions about how to do something, regardless of how technical the task is or even if technology is used to create or distribute that information.

Technical writing tasks might extend—depending upon your career—to designing user documentation, producing white papers for a product or service, or setting up and maintaining web sites, from text to visuals to code.  Technical writing is anything you do as a writer in your field, regardless of whether you are a scientist, an engineer, an architect, or a high school teacher. 

This module introduces you not only to the concept of professional writing in general but also to several foundational principles upon which your writing for this course should be built: the characteristics of technical communication, audience analysis, and ethics.


Objectives for this Module

After completing this introductory module, you will be able to

  • Analyze the intended audience for your written communication. (CLO 1)
  • Determine rhetorical strategies for persuading your intended audience. (CLO 1)
  • Evaluate the ethical implications of your communications. (CLO 1, 2)
  • Explain and apply the principles of plain language to your written communications. (CLO 1)

Note that you can find the full text of the Course Learning Objectives on the Syllabus.


Readings for the Week of July 9

Please complete all readings before beginning the quizzes for this module. This material introduces concepts you will need to successfully apply the objectives stated above.

  1. Analysis of Writing in Your Field (Major Project Assignment)
  2. Markel & Selber, Ch. 1: “Understanding the Technical Communication Environment”
  3. Markel & Selber, Ch. 2: “Understanding Ethical and Legal Considerations”
  4. Markel & Selber, Ch. 3: “Writing Technical Documents”
  5. Markel & Selber, Ch. 5: “Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose”
  6. Daily Discussion Posts (DDPs)

 

Activities for the Week of July 9

Time Required: 12–16 hours, including reading time
Available Points: 1400
Due Dates:

  • Thursday, July 11 at 11:59 PM: Rough Draft due for those who want individualized editing or revision feedback.
  • Friday, July 12 at 11:59 PM: All activities and drafts due.
  • Monday, July 15 at 11:59 PM: Grace period ends for all work. 

Daily Discussion Posts Activities
(75 minutes—4 posts @ ~15 minutes each plus self-assessment @ ~10 minutes)

Writing Activities
(~9 hours, including time to write)

  • Complete the Writing Activities Self-Assessment for the Week of July 9 quiz to report the work you did (other than the rough draft and final, finished draft) and record your score. I will grade your Rough Draft and Final, Finished Draft, according to the expectations listed in the assignment.

Other Activities
(80 minutes—4 quizzes @ ~20 minutes each, excluding reading time)

 

Photo credit: null by Beryl Chan on Flickr Links to an external site., used under public domain.