Intermediate Technical Writing

Course Name

Intermediate Technical Writing

Contact Hours: 30 (an estimated time frame devoted to a course of study from start to finish that can vary from student to student)

Course Description

This technical-writing course introduces you to basic page design such as headings, lists, tables, notices, and highlighting.

You`ll learn and be expected to use standard design, format, and style for these page-design elements in the documents you write for this course. These are much the same standards as those used in the technical-publishing industry today. After you study the page-design units, you will write a set of instructions in which you use these guidelines and of course the general standards for good writing as well.

You will e-mail these instructions to your instructor who will review, comment on, and send them back to you by e-mail attachment.

You`ll follow the same process for the recommendation report. The course is appropriate for people who have had some on-the-job experience as well as those who may have taken Introduction to Technical Writing for Industry. may be taken alone or as part of the sequence of courses leading to a certificate in technical writing.

Outcome

• Quizzes on headings, lists, notices, tables, and highlighting. Instructor review and acceptance of the instructions and recommendation report.
• Activities will include readings, exercises, and quizzes on headings, lists, notices, tables, graphics, highlighting; and then readings, exercises, quizzes, and examples focused on instructions.
• Activities will also include writing and revising (as necessary) a set of instructions and a recommendation report that apply the standards for design, format, and style covered in the units on headings, lists, notices, tables, graphics, highlighting, and instructions.
• Throughout the course students will receive in-depth feedback from the instructor on assignments and may discuss any issues related to technical writing with the instructor.

Assessment

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

• State good design practices for headings, lists, notices, graphics, tables, and highlighting.
• Recognize common problems involving headings, lists, notices, graphics, tables, and highlighting.
• Use standard design, format, and style of headings, lists, notices, graphics, tables, and highlighting in their writing projects.
• State the common design and structure of written instructions and for recommendation reports.
• Use headings, lists, notices, graphics, tables, and highlighting effectively in written instructions.
• Perform audience and task analyses in preparation to write instructions.
• Create instructions that focus on reader tasks, that explain actions clearly and that use an effective design enabling readers to accomplish their tasks.

Outline

BEFORE THE CLASS BEGINS

Introductions and start-up. To begin the course, you will fill out an online schedule and questionnaire, specifying your own due dates for the units included in this course. Doing so will generate your own web-page schedule with links to all the assignments, readings, exercises, and related information.

You`ll receive an e-mail introduction from your instructor and will then send e-mail introducing yourself.

1. Headings and lists. In more or less the first week of this course, you will study headings and lists, using the online textbook and other resources and then take quizzes on these two topics to ensure your understanding of them. Your instructor automatically receives your quiz results and is available by e-mail or chatroom to answer any questions you may have.
   
2. Special notices and graphics. In more or less the second week of this course, you will study notices and graphics, using the online textbook and other resources and then take quizzes on these two topics to ensure your understanding of them. Your instructor automatically receives your quiz results and is available by e-mail or chatroom to answer any questions you may have.
   
3. Tables and highlighting. In more or less the third week of this course, you will study tables and highlighting, using the online textbook and other resources and then take quizzes on these two topics to ensure your understanding of them. Your instructor automatically receives your quiz results and is available by e-mail or chatroom to answer any questions you may have.
   
4. Writing project: instructions. In the next two to three weeks of this course, you will put what you`ve learned about headings, lists, notices, graphics, tables, and highlighting to work in a set of instructions. You`ll use readings, exercises, and examples from the online textbook as well as other resources. Your instructor will be available to discuss your ideas and plans for the instructions project. You`ll send your instructions by e-mail to your instructor who will review, comment on, and send them back to you by e-mail. You will then revise accordingly, e-mailing your instructor if you have any questions. If all goes well, your instructor will approve your revised instructions (if any revision is necessary).
   
5. Writing project: recommendation report. In the final weeks of this course, you`ll write a recommendation report that gives you further practice with the concepts in this course. You`ll use readings, exercises, and examples from the online textbook as well as other resources. Your instructor will be available to discuss your ideas and plans for this report project. You`ll send your report by e-mail to your instructor who will review, comment on, and send it back to you by e-mail. You`ll then revise accordingly, e-mailing your instructor if you have any questions. If all goes well, your instructor will approve your revised recommendation report (if any revision is necessary), and you`ll have successfully completed the course.