EN 3560 Technical Writing Fundamentals

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Welcome to Fundamentals of Content Development I look forward to meeting you Wednesday, September 4, the first day of class. What Is Technical Writing? Your ability to clearly communicate technical information is a critical skill for the long-term success of your career. Over time, you will be asked to define terms, describe concepts, write procedures, share your expertise, and respond to frequently asked questions. This course prepares you for these and other common communication situations in business. For a more complete definition of technical writing, click here

How Can this Course Benefit You?

If you're majoring in a business discipline, these skills will complement the ones you are building in other courses.

If you're an English, this course provides the foundation for more advanced courses in the field and helps you sharpen your skills in reading and writing practical content.

What Will You Learn?

Balancing theory and practice, this course introduces you to the basic principles and guidelines of technical writing, and shows you how to apply these principles in the situations you will encounter in the business world, such as definitions of technical concepts, how-to articles for the web, procedures, and responses to frequently asked questions.

Specifically, this is a project-oriented course and through these projects, you'll:

• Prepare a technical definition for fellow students
• Write and test a technical procedure
• Write a reference entry for a catalog or reference manual
• Prepare a how-to article for the web
• Write responses to frequently asked questions

You will also look at ways to improve the mechanics of your writing (such as grammar, word choice, and style), and the appearance of pages you produce.

Last, you will read several examples of technical writing produced by professional technical communicators, so that you can improve your reading of technical English and become familiar with the style of technical writing.

Before the Second Class Meeting

To help me best meet your learning needs, would you please complete the Student Information Form and return it to me by e-mail before the first class.

If you have questions before class begins, please contact me. (And if you'd like to check me out, click here.)

Saul Carliner

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