BIT Technical Writing

Unit 1: Why Technical People Needn't Fear Writing (3 Hrs.)

Writing in the Technical Workplace, Why Technical People Can Master Technical Writing, Attributes of Technical Writing, The Writing Process, Exercises: Writing in the Workplace

Unit 2: Technical Sentences Introduction (3 Hrs.)

Find the Real Subject, Find the Real Verb (Avoid Nominalizations), Edit for Conciseness, Edit for Clarity, Check for Inclusive Language, Check the Grammar and Mechanics, Exercises: Editing Technical Sentences

Unit 3: Emails, Letters, and Memos (4 Hrs.)

Letter Format, Memo and Email Formats, Email Etiquette ("Netiquette"), Professional Correspondence: Style and Tone, Exercises: Standard Correspondence

Unit 4: Short Reports, Proposals, and Technical Documents (4 Hrs.)

Report Structure, Documents That Report on Past Events or Completed Tasks, Documents That Report on Ongoing Tasks: Progress Reports, Documents That Recommend Future Actions, Documents That Define Standards: Specifications, Lab Reports, Engineering or Project Logs, Exercises: Informal Reports

Unit 5: Formal Reports (3 Hrs.)

Parts of a Formal Report, Formal Report Pagination, Exercises: Formal Reports

Unit 6: Intercultural Communication, Collaborative Writing, and Document Control (4 Hrs.)

Intercultural Communication, Writing in Teams, Document Sharing and Control, Exercises: Intercultural Considerations

Unit 7: Technical Graphics (5 Hrs.)

Types and Uses of Graphics, Putting Graphics into Reports, Rules for Incorporating Report Graphics, Avoiding Graphical Misrepresentation, Exercises: Technical Graphics

Unit 8: Technical Definitions and Descriptions (3 Hrs.)

Technical Definitions, Technical Descriptions, Exercises: Technical Definitions and Descriptions

Unit 9: Instructions, Procedures, and Manuals (5 Hrs.)

The Introduction, the Step-by-Step Instructions, the Conclusion, Notes, Cautions, Warnings, and Danger Alerts, Usability, Manuals, Exercises: Writing and Editing Instructions

Unit 10: Oral Presentations (4 Hrs.)

Planning the Presentation, Making Speech Notes, Using Presenter View, Designing and Using Slides, Practicing the Presentation, Overcoming Stage Fright and Answering Questions, Exercises: Oral Presentations

Unit 11: Ethics (2 Hrs.)

Ethics in the Professions, Ethics for Students, Ethics in Technical Writing, Exercises: Ethics

Unit 12: Job Application Packages (3 Hrs.)

The Myth of the Experience Trap, Résumés, Application Letters, Finding Job Openings, Exercises: Job Application Packages

Unit 13: Grammar and Usage (2 Hrs.)

Punctuation and Grammar, Mechanics and Conventions, Glossary of Commonly Misused Words and Phrases