COM 2223 Scientific & Technical Communications

Lecture: Course Introduction

Lecture: Introduction to Technical Communication

Lecture: The Process of Writing Technical Documents

Lecture: Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose

Lecture: Writing Effective Sentences

Lecture: Numbers and Abbreviations

Outcomes

• Define technical communication and its role in their careers
• Distinguish between the two categories of people who produce technical communication
• List the four communication skills used by professionals in the workplace
• List examples of technical communication in business and industry
• Describe the six major characteristics of technical communication
• Explain the eight measures of excellence in technical communication
• Plan a technical document using the steps outlined in the chapter
• Draft a technical document using the steps outlined in the chapter
• Revise, edit, and proofread a technical document using the steps outlined in the chapter
• Apply the techniques and tools used by people who write technical documents
• Recognize the importance of analyzing audience and purpose when planning a document
• Classify readers into primary, secondary, and tertiary audiences
• Describe four techniques for learning about an audience
• Explain the impact of cultural variables on technical documents
• Choose strategies for communicating more effectively with multicultural readers
• Define the purpose of a technical document
• Know how to revise information for a new audience and purpose
• Write and format effective lists
• Describe the reason for placing new information at the end of the sentence
• Choose an appropriate sentence length given a document’s audience and purpose
• Write sentences with prominent real subjects and real verbs
• State the function of parallel structures in sentences and identify faulty parallelism
• Distinguish between restrictive and nonrestrictive modifiers
• Recognize misplaced and dangling modifiers
• Select an appropriate level of formality given a document’s audience and purpose
• Write clear and specific sentences
• Write concise sentences
• Recognize and avoid offensive language
• Define the concept of Simplified English
• Explain how to prepare text for translation

Lecture: Writing Collaboratively

Lecture: Communicating Persuasively

Lecture: Writing Letters, Memos, and Emails

Lecture: Preparing Job Application Materials

Outcomes

• Describe the advantages and disadvantages of collaboration
• Describe strategies for effectively managing a project
• Explain how to listen effectively
• Set the group’s agenda
• Conduct efficient meetings
• Explain how to critique a group member’s draft effectively
• Use the comment, revision, and highlighting features on a word processor
• Describe how to participate in a videoconference
• Identify gender differences and cultural differences they are likely to encounter when collaborating
• Identify and respond to an audience’s broader goals
• Describe common workplace constraints and their effect on technical documents
• Write a persuasive argument
• Recognize common logical fallacies
• Display a professional persona in technical documents
• Recognize the important role of graphics, design, and ethics in persuasion
• Project your attitude in correspondence for the working world
• Recognize and avoid letter clichés
• Identify and accurately use the elements of the letter
• Describe the purposes of the four types of letters most frequently used in the workplace
• Write common workplace letters effectively
• Write effective memos
• Explain how to follow the netiquette guidelines
• Write effective emails
• Plan an effective job search
• Describe the best ways to look for a position based on their field of study and experience level
• Describe the risks and benefits of using social-networking sites in the job search
• Design an effective résumé
• Choose content that is appropriate, honest, free of errors, clear, and specific
• Pick the most effective résumé format based on their circumstances
• Use tables to format a résumé
• Prepare four different kinds of electronic résumés
• Define the concept of selectivity
• Write an effective job-application letter
• Explain the steps to prepare effectively for a job interview
• Write effective follow-up letters
• Explain the purpose of an electronic portfolio and the steps to follow when creating one

Lecture: Researching Your Subject

Lecture: Organizing Your Information

Lecture: Writing Proposals

Outcomes

• Differentiate between academic and workplace research
• Choose appropriate research media based on topic and audience needs
• Use basic research tools such as online catalogs, reference works, periodical indexes, newspaper indexes, and abstract services
• Describe the strengths and weaknesses of using Web 2.0 resources to research a subject
• Employ paraphrases, quotes, and summaries as evidence in persuasive technical documents
• Evaluate sources found either in print or on the Web
• Describe the six major types of primary research
• Conduct an interview
• Collect data using a questionnaire
• Explain the basic principles of organizing technical information
• Describe the eight patterns typically used in organizing information
• Choose the best pattern of organizing
• Explain the difference between external and internal proposals
• Explain the difference between solicited and unsolicited proposals
• Describe the two major categories of proposal deliverables
• Describe the readers’ needs in different types of proposals
• Describe strategies to accommodate audiences from other cultures effectively
• Demonstrate their professionalism in a proposal
• Use storyboards to plan a proposal
• Explain the basic structure of a proposal
• Use proposal elements to persuade readers

Lecture: Writing Coherent Documents

Outcomes

• Write coherent titles
• Write effective headings
• Write coherent lists
• Describe the difference between body paragraphs and transitional paragraphs
• Structure effective paragraphs by using a topic sentence followed by support
• Use coherence devices within and between paragraphs
• Revise documents using a top-down approach
• Recognize the value of headers, footers, and typography in enhancing coherence

Lecture: Writing Informational Reports

Lecture: Writing Recommendation Reports

Lecture: Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions

Outcomes

• Explain the process for planning, drafting, and revising informational reports
• List the four basic formats for informational reports
• Describe the purpose of the five types of informational reports discussed in the chapter
• Write an effective progress or status report
• Write effective meeting minutes
• Use the problem-solving model for preparing a recommendation report
• List the kinds of questions a recommendation report addresses
• List the three kinds of questions a feasibility report answers
• Apply the steps discussed in the chapter to preparing a recommendation report
• Develop required and desirable criteria
• Organize the elements of a typical report effectively
• Include appropriate and persuasive content in a report’s introduction, methods, results, conclusions, and recommendations
• Explain the role of definitions and descriptions in various kinds of technical communication
• Use an understanding of a technical document’s audience and purpose to select effective kinds of definitions and descriptions to write
• Write effective parenthetical, sentence, and extended definitions
• Write an effective description of an object, mechanism, or process
• Describe the role of instructions in the workplace
• Explain the importance of assessing audience when writing instructions
• Write clear safety information
• Introduce and conclude instructions effectively
• Write clear and accurate step-by-step instructions

Lecture: Designing Documents and Websites

Lecture: Creating Graphics

Lecture: Reviewing, Evaluating, and Testing Documents and Websites

Outcomes

• Evaluate technical documents using the principles of proximity, alignment, repetition, and contrast
• Plan the design of a technical document based on audience needs and expectations
• Explain how to choose effective sizes, paper, bindings, and accessing tools
• Explain the principles of chunking, queuing, and filtering
• Use columns, page grids, and white space to design a document’s page layout
• Define common typographical elements
• Apply principles of typography to design an effective document
• Design titles and headings so that they are visually distinct
• Describe the uses of rules, boxes, screens, marginal glosses, and pull quotes in technical documents
• Apply effectively the five design principles discussed in the chapter to create or evaluate a site and its pages
• Explain techniques for designing sites for readers with disabilities
• Explain techniques for designing sites for multicultural readers
• Discuss ethics and copyright law as they relate to the Web
• Describe the functions of graphics
• Use the six characteristics of an effective graphic to assess graphics in technical documents
• Integrate graphics and text effectively
• Explain the process for creating graphics
• Discuss how to cite graphics used in technical documents
• Describe each graphic discussed in the chapter in terms of its purpose and what it does best
• Choose an appropriate graphic based on a document’s audience and purpose
• Create graphics for multicultural readers
• Create basic graphics using graphics software
• Describe three strategies for improving the usability of a document or website
• Describe the three factors to consider when deciding whether to test or evaluate a draft
• Discuss the review a document or website
• Conduct a usability evaluation
• Conduct a usability test

Lecture: Writing Lab Reports

Lecture: Ethical and Legal Consideration

Lecture: Making Oral Presentations

Outcomes

• Describe the role of persuasion in lab reports
• Describe the process of writing lab reports
• List the eight basic elements of a lab report
• Describe the role of science and engineering articles in the workplace
• Write a lab report
• Explain why technical communicators and technical professionals need to understand basic ethical and legal principles
• Explain how the ethical standards of rights, justice, utility, and care can be applied in thinking through ethical conflicts in the workplace
• Explain the basics of four different bodies of law relevant to technical communication: copyright law, trademark law, contract law, and liability law
• Analyze a code of conduct
• Define whistleblowing
• Explain the basics of communicating with cultures with different ethical beliefs and communicating with countries with different laws
• List the nine principles of ethical communication and use these principles to meet workplace obligations
• Discuss the role of oral presentations in the workplace
• List the four basic types of presentations
• Deliver a presentation designed for a specific audience and purpose
• Manage their time effectively during a presentation
• Select appropriate media for a presentation
• Design effective presentation graphics that use the claim-support structure
• Use effective language
• Rehearse effectively
• Describe strategies to calm their nerves
• Describe strategies to use their voices and bodies effectively
• Discuss how to respond to common question-and-answer situations
• Evaluate an oral presentation

Lecture: Connecting with the Public

Outcomes

• Describe the role of persuasion in connecting with the public
• Describe elements of effective documents such as newsletters, brochures, white papers, and podcasts to present information to the public
• Use electronic tools such as discussion boards, blogs, and wikis to effectively communicate with the public