Technical Writing Assignments and the Law

Technical writing students often misuse models given them for their writing assignments because they fail to distinguish between model and example and between different kinds of models. The results of this misuse are texts that contain inappropriate material and are unfit for their intended audiences. The approach to writing taken by these students is too narrow and rigid. This article details the problem and defines the models used in writing as partially abstract, analogous representations of social codifications of linguistic experience. Since models are social artifacts shared by both writers and readers, a clearer understanding of them should help writers produce texts appropriate for their audiences while giving the writers greater rhetorical flexibility.

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(139) Enhancing Professional Development of Graduate Students through a Scientific Writing Course

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.40.4.1043b ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 40 (4) ◽

pp. 1043B-1043

Author(s):

Kent D. Kobayashi

Keyword(s):

Professional Development ◽

Graduate Students ◽

Graduate Program ◽

Technical Writing ◽

Learning Experience ◽

Scientific Paper ◽

Scientific Writing ◽

Student Survey ◽

Master's Students ◽

Writing Assignments

How do we enhance the learning experience of graduate students in scientific writing, an essential skill in their professional development? A graduate course TPSS 711 “Scientific Writing for Graduate Students” was developed to address this need. Its objectives were to help students write, analyze, and revise parts of a scientific paper; critically evaluate their own writing and the writings of others; and become familiar with types of publications. The diverse topics included purpose of scientific writing; organizing your writing; parts of a scientific paper; data analysis and growth analysis; writing the content of a poster or oral presentation; newspaper articles and popular works; extension publications; technical writing for the general public; thesis/dissertation writing; a journal editor's perspective; and reviewing a manuscript. TPSS 711 had an enrollment of 11 TPSS master's students. Students were in their second through fifth semesters of their graduate program. A student survey showed no student had submitted a manuscript to a peer-reviewed journal, had a peer-reviewed article published, or had a newspaper, trade magazine, or popular work published. Only 9% of the students had a paper published in a conference proceedings or presented a scientific paper outside Hawaii, with only 18% having presented a paper in Hawaii. Writing assignments, in-class activities, and evaluations of the writings of others helped students gain intensive hands-on experience in scientific writing. As a course requirement, students submitted an abstract and presented a paper at our college's annual scientific symposium. Course evaluations indicated this course was important and valuable in helping enhance the students' learning experience.

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Laboratory Notebooks: Current Teaching Applications

Journal of Technical Writing and Communication ◽

10.2190/4vfj-121k-md6n-rmnj ◽

1982 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 213-217

Author(s):

Anne Eisenberg

Keyword(s):

Technical Writing ◽

Federal Regulations ◽

Laboratory Notebook ◽

Writing Assignments ◽

Record Keeping ◽

Recent Developments ◽

Patent Applications

The laboratory notebook, traditionally a primary document in patent applications, has recently developed additional importance in the wake of federal regulations designed to insure more stringent record-keeping in the testing of drugs. Compression of procedural detail in published reports to save journal space has also changed the function of the laboratory notebook, which now serves as a receptacle for detailed information omitted from published accounts. These recent developments in laboratory notebooks are discussed with application to possible technical writing assignments.

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Abstract Analysis and Revision Assignment Using MS Word Readability Statistics

Prompt A Journal of Academic Writing Assignments ◽

10.31719/pjaw.v2i1.20 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Julie Dyke Ford

Keyword(s):

Technical Writing ◽

Graduate Level ◽

Research Skills ◽

Writing Assignments ◽

Sentence Level ◽

Students First ◽

Writing Assignment ◽

Stem Students ◽

Level I ◽

Audience Awareness

In teaching technical writing for nearly 20 years, I have recognized the importance of including writing assignments focused on improving students' clarity and effectiveness at the sentence level. I present a writing assignment for STEM students ranging from freshman to graduate-level. Students first find a published abstract in their discipline and then use readability tools to analyze the abstract's style. They revise the abstract for better readability while maintaining professional tone. This assignment reinforces research skills, audience awareness, and reflection on sentence-level stylistic choices.

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Two Technical Writing Assignments

The English Journal ◽

10.2307/815630 ◽

1978 ◽

Vol 67 (4) ◽

pp. 65

Author(s):

William J. Lewis

Keyword(s):

Technical Writing ◽

Writing Assignments

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A Novel Structure for Measurement and Instrumentation Courses

Dynamic Systems and Control ◽

10.1115/imece2002-32074 ◽

2002 ◽

Author(s):

L. Ken Lauderbaugh Saunders

Keyword(s):

Measurement Problem ◽

Technical Writing ◽

Experimental System ◽

Measurement Technology ◽

Research Support ◽

Writing Assignments ◽

New Approach ◽

Measurement Systems ◽

Novel Structure ◽

Interest Level

This paper presents a new approach to the design of undergraduate measurement and instrumentation courses. Measurement and instrumentation courses are typically taught as a combination of lab procedures and measurement technology, with a bit of statistics thrown in. These courses are typically structured as a laboratory supporting a lecture course. A new approach to this course has been developed and implemented. In this new approach, a combination of lectures and independent research support independent laboratory experiments coupled with rigorous technical writing assignments. The new instructional design consists of a series of lectures conducted during the first half of the course. These lectures cover general topics needed for most of the laboratories. Students are given reading/research and homework assignments throughout the course to cover the “technology” of sensors and measurement systems. These lectures and assignments support the conducting of 11 open ended labs and a term project: each requiring an extensive lab report. This new approach is proving to be very effective. The interest level of the students has improved greatly. Instead of simply applying a known sensor to a given problem, the students are now able to identify a measurement problem, determine and research appropriate sensors, design an experimental system, document results and prepare a technical argument. A detailed discussion of this approach is included. Student feedback and anecdotal evidence are also included.

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