Technical and Professional Writing

Course Number: WR 227
Transcript Title: Technical/Professional Writing
Created: September 1, 2012
Updated: August 26, 2019
Total Credits: 4
Lecture Hours: 40
Lecture / Lab Hours: 0
Lab Hours: 0
Satisfies Cultural Literacy requirement: No
Satisfies General Education requirement: No
Grading options: A-F (default), P-NP, audit
Repeats available for credit: 0

Prerequisites

WR 121

Recommended

basic computer literacy and word processing skills

Course Description

Introduces technical and professional communications. Students compose, design, revise, and edit effective letters, memos, reports, descriptions, instructions, and employment documents. Emphasizes precise use of language and graphics to communicate complex technical and procedural information safely, legally and ethically. Recommended: basic computer literacy and word processing skills. Prerequisites: WR 121. Audit available.

Intended Outcomes

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

  1. Compose business and technical communications.
  2. Design effective business communication documents such as emails, letters, proposals and employment documents.
  3. Revise and edit documents to increase clarity and to create simple, effective documents.
  4. Compose documents and communications that are targeted to a specific audience and for a specific purpose.

Outcome Assessment Strategies

Assessments strategies could be final compositions (emails, proposals, business letters), oral presentations, online journals demonstrating comprehension of the reading.

Assessment tasks include the following:

  • Weekly or twice-weekly writing assignments
  • Attendance in class
  • Active, positive participation in class and in small group activities
  • Meeting assignment deadlines

Many instructors may have students submit a portfolio of the best revised versions of each of their written assignments at the end of the term for final evaluation. Oral reports, in-class interviews, or group presentations may also contribute to the final grade. Instructors may require in-class writing assignments and exams. Peer evaluation may be incorporated in the assessment process.

Course Activities and Design

  • The determination of teaching strategies used in the delivery of outcomes is generally left to the discretion of the instructor. Here are some strategies that you might consider when designing your course: lecture, small group/forum discussion, flipped classroom, dyads, oral presentation, role play, simulation scenarios, group projects, service learning projects, hands-on lab, peer review/workshops, cooperative learning (jigsaw, fishbowl), inquiry based instruction, differentiated instruction (learning centers), graphic organizers, etc.

Course Content (Themes, Concepts, Issues and Skills)

Themes, Concepts, Issues

  • Appropriate formats and writing styles for various types of technical and professional communications
  • Audience analysis
  • Communication with international audiences
  • Document design
  • Documentation
  • Dynamics of collaborative work
  • Editing
  • Incorporation of graphics
  • Interviewing
  • Legal and ethical issues in technical and professional communications
  • Readability analysis
  • Researching
  • Revision cycle
  • Safety Messages
  • Style guides
  • Summarizing
  • Usability testing