TU Chemnitz |
The main goal of this course to help you develop your writing and communication skills so you can use them as functional and persuasive tools in your chosen career. Of course, learning to understand how the meanings of functional and persuasive can radically differ from document to document will be a significant part of our discussions. Therefore, each writing project will not only stress the broader concerns of writing (such as, clarity of purpose, development of ideas, invention and sentence strategies), but will also introduce you to strategies of document design, audience accommodation, and visual rhetoric.
Tuesdays 13:30-15:00
Reichenhainer Straße 39, Room 233 (Note: the first class meeting may be elsewhere)
Online reading quizzes are available for most of the chapters in the online textbook. You can get extra credit for doing the quizzes that are related to the assignments as long as your instructor receives the quiz before you hand in the related assignment.For a look just at the due dates, see Due Dates: Quick Reference.
- First, you plan a technical-report project, the details of which you provide in a memo to the class. Use the technical-report planner to guide you through the steps of this planning process. This memo is due midnight April 23.
- After you plan the report, you write a proposal in which you propose to write that technical report. Use the proposal planner to guide you through the planning steps for this project. The proposal is due midnight May 8.
- For the next two weeks, you study instructions as well as headings, lists, special notices, and graphics--important elements you'll need to incorporate in your instructions. Use the instructions planner to guide you through all the phases of this project. This project is due midnight May 21.
- This week, start working on the recommendation report. Use the recommendation-report planning guide to to prepare this report. (This project features information that you research and then use in your report, making sure to document it properly.) This project is due midnight June 5.
- This week, begin on working on the progress report, in which you summarize the status of your technical-report project. See the progress-report planning guide. This project is due midnight June 18.
- To complete your final report, use the final report project guide to guide you through all the steps necessary to produce the final copy. Remember that you can send a rough draft for a quick high-level review. (Also remember that your final report must contain carefully written descriptive and informative abstracts (which together count as a separate grade); be sure to go through the abstracts planning guide.) The final report is due midnight July 9.
How to Submit Assignments(All due dates are midnight of the date indicated.)
Writing Project Due Date Project 1: Report-project plans April 23 Project 2: Proposal May 8 Project 3: Instructions May 21 Project 4: Recommendation report June 5 Project 5: Progress report June 18 Project 6: Final report (including an abstract) July 9
Useful LinksThe preferred method for getting assignments to your instructor is to send
them by e-mail attachment. Save your files as Word documents or as .RTF (Rich Text Format).
Before submitting an assignment please read how to deliver your writing assignments.
Make sure you name your file using your "handle," the assignment number,
draft level, and extension. See the information on file naming for details.
Suggested ReadingMain-entry page for Online Technical Writing Table of contents for the Online Textbook Online Technical Writing site search facility TC@MTU. A site for students and teachers of technical communication at Michigan Technological University. TECHWR-L, the Internet forum for technical communicators STC, Society for Technical Communication: technical communication resources
Technical Communication, 2nd Edition, Mary M. Lay, et. al. (not available in Chemnitz)
Dynamics in Document Design, Schriver, Karen A.