MASTER COURSE OUTLINEDEPT:ENGL

Big Bend Community CollegeNO:109

Date:March 2008(Formerly: ENG 112)

COURSE TITLE:APPLIED TECHNICAL WRITING

CIP Code:23.9998Credits:3

Intent Code: 21Total Contact Hours Per Qtr:44

Program Code:897Lecture Hours Per Qtr: 22

Lab Hours Per Qtr: 22

Distribution Desig.:General ElectiveOther Hours Per Qtr:

PREPARED BY:Fred M. Rhodes, Instructor

COURSE DESCRIPTION:The course will prepare technical/vocational students, and others, for successful careers in their respective fields by developing skills in written communications commonly used in the workplace.

Teaching strategies will address reading, interpreting, planning, organizing, composing, and word processing technical writing as applied in business and industry.

PREREQUISITE(S): ENGL 098 or placement test

TEXT: Workplace Communications,Searles, George J., first edition.

COURSE GOALS:To prepare students for success on the job by improving their technical writing skills.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

  1. Define technical writing and the properties that differentiate it from other writing;
  2. Understand the purpose of various commonly-used technical documents;
  3. Understand what makes technical writing effective in fulfilling its purpose;
  4. Apply proven strategies and techniques to develop the content of technical documents;
  5. Write clear, accurate and concise technical documents;
  6. Locate, extract, comprehend, evaluate, and apply information on the internet; and
  7. Use a personal computer for word processing and accessing the internet.

COURSE CONTENT OUTLINE

1. Instructions

Students will be able to:

  1. Analyze a procedure to determine the steps necessary to perform it;
  2. Write formal instructions, simple and more complex, and informal instructions; and
  3. Write instructions that effectively enable the reader to perform the procedure.

2. Process Descriptions

Students will be able to:

A. Analyze a process to determine the discrete steps in it; and

B. Write a description of a process so that the reader can understand how it is carried out.

3. Definitions

Students will be able to:

  1. Analyze a mechanism to determine what it does and how it works; and
  2. Write a description of a mechanism so that the reader can understand how it works.

4. Proposals

Students will be able to conceive and write a proposal that the reader can evaluate and

use as a basis for deciding whether to accept or decline.

5. Reports

Students will be able to:

  1. Make an investigation of an incident to determine the facts surrounding it by interviewing other students who will play roles simulating the incident;
  2. Evaluate the facts to conclude the root causes and contributory causes of the incident;
  3. Formulate recommendations, based on the conclusions of the causes, to prevent recurrence of the incident; and

D. Write a report presenting the foregoing material.

  1. Resume & Letter of Application

Students will be able to:

  1. Identify their employment goals, long and short term, through introspection; and
  2. Write a resume and letter of application that will lead them to their goals

EVALUATION METHODS/GEADING PROCEDURES

Writing Assignments50%Mid-Term Test10%

Class Participation20%Final Examination20%

Class participation requires attendance. Attendance at word processing laboratory sessions, which comprise about half of the class time, is recommended regardless of whether the student has access to a computer elsewhere because elaboration of text material and hands-on coaching is provided there. Some material presented in the classroom is not on the text, so attendance is necessary to obtain this material. Basic skills in word processing are needed; students who do not have them may acquire them during the course with extra effort.

PLANNED TEACHING METHODS/LEARNING STRATEGIES

X Lecture ___ Small Group Discussion ___ Special Project

X Laboratory Computer___ Audiovisual ___ Other (List)

__ Supervised Clinical___ Individualized Instruction

______

Division Chair Approval