EGR 335 Technical Communications for Engineers and Computer Scientists Coordinator: Leo Finkelstein, Jr. Course Review

Course Content Topic: Technical Communication at an undergraduate CS/CEG level Focus: Producing quality, original technical documents on topics in CS/CEG. Scope: Component skills, technical proposals, and various formal report document types.

Topics in EGR 335 Ethics in technical communication –Plagiarism & image alteration Abstraction and clarity in use of language Description of a mechanism Description of a process –Mechanism in operation or conceptual process Formal and informal proposals Technical briefings Business communications –Various letters, resumes for CS/CEG jobs Formal reports

Topics in EGR 335 Types of formal reports –Formal proposals –Progress/status/activity reports –Feasibility/recommendation reports –Laboratory/project reports –Instructions/manuals –Research/state of the art reports Abstracts and executive summaries Documentation

Class Schedule Approach –Lectures with interactive discussions on a variety of topics –Student groups working on specific problems/exercises –Student formal presentations on their formal report topics

Class Schedule One lesson: Ethics in technical writing Two lessons: Mechanism description Two lessons: Process description Two lessons: Formal/informal proposals Six lessons: Formal report types, documentation, briefings and visuals, grammar and style Seven lessons: Research presentations

Assignments & Grading 10%: Mechanism description 10%: Process description 15%: Formal report proposal 45%: Formal report 15%: Technical briefing 05%: Instructor option

Desired Outcomes Be able to understand professional and ethical responsibilities related to technical communication Be able to describe the physical attributes of a mechanism and the process of its operation, and a conceptual process Be able to communicate effectively. Specifically, be able to do the critical thinking necessary to: propose, develop, and produce a significant formal project on a technical topic in the student’s major field develop, produce, and deliver a formal presentation on a technical topic related to the formal report May include developing research methods and statistical controls, as well as properly interpreting current research

Assessment No valid empirical way to assess this course Assessment done by performance on course projects-- i.e., quality of the student’s component skills descriptions, proposal, presentation, research report): Demonstrated critical thinking Demonstrated understanding of concepts Demonstrated quality of writing Validity of research methods used

Resources Textbook resources Leo Finkelstein, Jr., Pocket Book of Technical Writing for Engineers and Scientists, 3rd Ed., Boston: McGraw-Hill, REQUIRED Leo Finkelstein, Jr., Pocket Book of English Grammar for Engineers and Scientists, 1st Ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill, REQUIRED Web resources – –