04-801-U3 Technical Writing and Communication Skills
Location: Africa
Units: 6
Semester Offered: Spring
Course description
This course aims to improve students’ ability to produce clear and accurate technical texts such as lab reports, scientific papers, process flows, knowledge-based articles, as well as giving technical presentations.
Note that this course is intended to only be offered & taken PASS/NO PASS.
Note that this course is intended to only be offered & taken PASS/NO PASS.
Learning objectives
- Students will gain an introduction to technical writing and be able to plan and create technical communication.
- They will become aware of genre requirements such as: arrangement, emphasis, clarity, conciseness, tone and ethos.
- They will become aware of the process of technical writing, i.e.: audience profiling; user task analysis; information architecture; content development; technical and editorial reviews; formatting and publishing (publish the document).
- They will be able to produce good quality technical reports that meet the requirements of their brief.
- They will also be able to deliver more impactful presentations.
Outcomes
Students will be able to produce a range of technical documents to a high professional standard, showing an awareness of audience, purpose and context.
They will be able to apply these concepts to both written and oral communication.
Content details
- Critical thinking
- Academic writing skills
- Presentation skills
- Seminar discussion skills
Prerequisites
For CMU Africa students only. Not suitable for students studying 04-606 in the same semester.