College writing courses offer more practical guidance than ever, but they still fall short of business-and-industry needs. Missing in the main are writing mechanics tailored for communicating the who, whats, and whys involved in running an organization. A writing course aimed at reducing, if not closing, that gap has been in existance for some time now. Dealing with writing to prescribe, persuade or report, it is structured around the proper selection and arrangement of both what must be stated and the words with which to state it, and then stating it with reader ease. This article details the components within that structure.

Instruction in the writing of abstracts is of growing importance for technical writers, both as a valuable skill in its own right and for the beneficial side effects on other writing competencies. A proposed unit on abstract writing includes activities relevant to the abstract as a distinct writing form and assignments on writing an effective informative abstract.

A technical writing course can simulate the work situation and develop in students the uniquely human faculty of imagination. Whole-group effort is needed to sustain the fiction that the course is a job. Special presentation by the instructor of traditional assignments is essential. Such a course prepares students for demands made on the job. More importantly, the course, by emphasizing the act of imagining, enables students to progress from fitting facts into given formats to designing reports for specific communication situations. Because of this emphasis on imagination, the course is a humanities offering as well as a technical complement.

Since technical writing is changing from a course for the scientific elite to one with a much broader base, the need to diagnose in technical writing classes is growing too. The right diagnostic tools can allow the instructor to set class goals more effectively, structure the course more efficiently, and discover and deal better with student expectations. The diagnostic we have designed, asking students to compose a memo which discusses their projected needs as aspiring technical writers, yields useful information about the stylistic strengths and weaknesses of the students. But more important, the diagnostic provides guidelines for choosing among the flexible units of study at the instructor's disposal, and also reveals student attitudes, preconceptions, and prejudices — data which aid the instructor in laying the proper groundwork in the early phases of the course.

Effective use of graphics and skills in analyzing information are two topics that need to be covered in depth in the basic technical writing course. Many kinds of computer printouts can be understood by students from various disciplines. From these printouts, problems, like the ones described here, can be developed to teach graphics skills and analysis concomitantly. Using computer printouts to teach these two important topics has four specific advantages: 1. students become familiar with reading and interpreting computer printouts and learn to separate essential from nonessential data in defining a problem; 2. they learn to write analytic or information reports using computer data only; 3. they gain practice in determining what kind of graphic is best for a specific kind of information; and 4. they gain practice in correlating verbal discussion with visual presentation.

This article discusses an attempt to match the student characteristics in sections of technical report writing in a community college setting so as to determine if different teaching methodologies affected performance and/or attitudes. As many similarities as possible in the general characteristics of age, background field of study, and initial attitude towards the course were sought in order to measure the effect of a variance in presentation of material. The first class was taught by the traditional lecture technique; the second, by individual consultation.

This paper distinguishes Skill I, the ability to communicate with the lay audience, from Skill II, the ability to communicate with the technically expert audience. It also discusses the origins of the misunderstanding of the role of these two skills in the technical writing classroom and demonstrates how this failure works against an efficient and successful technical writing program. Some suggestions are offered to remedy this situation which, if followed, would not only remedy the existing problem but would form the base for a comprehensive technical communications curriculum.

The present confusion over what technical communication is or ought to be is a temporary condition brought on by challenges like those issued by Paul Anderson, John Brockmann, and Jack Selzer. They have raised important issues which challenge practices and assumptions which many of us in the field have accepted tacitly. However, the weaknesses they have identified in the disciplines of theory and pedagogy do not necessarily indicate the failure of those disciplines to come of age. Thomas Kuhn's concept of “paradigm” suggests that such criticism may actually indicate new growth in already mature disciplines.

As technical writing programs grow, English departments may alleviate the problems of the unprepared instructor by offering technical writing theory and pedagogy courses. Such courses should combine theory and pedagogy with assignments that are practical and introduce graduate students to the theoretical issues in the field. This article provides a syllabus and the reactions of students who completed such a course.

Many current teaching practices in undergraduate technical communications are insensitive to students' career needs because they are based on mistaken notions concerning writing and the process of communication. The specific problem areas in current teaching practices include: the lack of emphasis on rewriting and on the cooperative element of technical communication, the overreliance on proscriptive strictures in graphics instruction, and the undue emphasis on large-group oratory in oral communications. Academic teaching methods need to be better informed by the practices and procedures of professional technical communicators in order to correct their mistaken notions and to more effectively meet students' career needs.

Technical writing students need information about writing for the government: one out of every eight technical writers works in some level of government. Those who do not might become involved in writing for the government in some other capacity, such as writing industrial proposals to obtain grants and contracts, or preparing scientific reports or technical manuals to fulfill the requirements of those grants or contracts. Such writing requires a familiarity with government specifications and standards. Some colleges offer courses in government writing. Those schools that cannot might consider incorporating information about government specifications and standards into their basic technical writing course.

Phoenix area personnel managers regarded all of a selected list of topics representing different aspects of writing as important; however, physical layout was judged to be the least important relatively. The most important problems in written communication were related to organization, contents, and spelling. Physical layout, typing, and punctuation were rated as least important. Formal procedures for assessing writing skill of potential employees were regarded as only moderately important for the recent college graduate and the experienced manager. The managers suggested that writing skill (or a lack of it) as revealed in the application blank is important in the hiring process, and that the degree of such skill manifested by managers after employment is very significant in the promotion process. Writing skill is assessed during performance appraisal in some companies, and most supervisors encouraged the development of employee writing skill.

The technical writing course has the potential to be one of the most valuable and relevant classes that a student takes, but before his rhetorical skills can improve he must overcome his reluctance to write. The formal technical report, the most challenging and the most rewarding assignment, offers the technical writing teacher a unique opportunity to bring his course to life and to enrich each class member's learning experience. The author has developed an approach to the major report that allows the student to assume the role of a consultant in his field while simultaneously permitting him to feel independent and creative. The inexperienced technical writer must create a realistic situation in which someone would require the technical information he wishes to convey. Placing the student in the role of a consultant makes him more aware of his audience and its needs. This problem-oriented approach effectively increases the writer's liberty to choose an appropriate topic and his responsibility to present it in a coherent and professional manner.

Liberal arts colleges that elect to introduce technical writing courses or programs into their curriculum face the dilemma of vocationalism vs. liberal education. This paper examines the philosophical differences between the two as well as their practical compatibility or incompatibility, and then argues for the union of technical writing and the liberal arts school while admitting certain reservations. The technical writing course at a liberal arts school should use a wider range of books and periodicals than should a technical school, should stress rhetorical theory and strategy, and should confront the moral issues resulting from technology.

Teachers are recruited from the technical professions and from advanced composition courses to instruct the new discipline: technical writing. Students in a single class major and work in diverse fields. As a common denominator, organization, research, and writing a major paper are emphasized. Classroom discussion, specialized workshops, and individual conferences are utilized. Quality is the key.

This annotated bibliography includes all articles published in the Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, 1971–1977, with each of the 233 articles appearing in one of the following five major categories: (1) The Profession, (2) Education and Pedagogy, (3) Preparation and Presentation of Technical Information, (4) Publication and Personnel Management, (5) Applied Theory in Technical Communication.

In this student paper, the author discusses technical writing with clarity as a major emphasis. It is suggested that the technical writing discipline can achieve more effective communication through the further development of writing skills.

This article concerns a survey made by the author to determine the importance of technical writing to prominent engineers. Specific items discussed are the place of technical writing in the engineering curriculum and what should be included in a technical writing course. The results of a lengthy questionnaire are given, with some individual comments.

Teachers new to technical writing must understand that “Technical Writing” is not one course. Rather it is a whole variety of courses distinguished from one another primarily by differences in objectives and only secondarily by differences in subject matter. To identify needed technical writing courses and to define coherent sets of courses, teachers of technical writing and program administrators need “a mapping procedure” to help them consider alternatives systematically in terms of objectives. This paper proposes such a mapping procedure.

A number of points for improving writing and speaking necessary for the world's work are discussed. One of these is the expansion of technical writing courses for managers, administrators, and company officials. Another point is concerned with the fact that most technical writing texts focus too much upon engineers and too little upon scientists. A third point deals with the necessity for paying more attention to graduate and professional programs. Other suggestions range through traditional English graduate programs, ways to reward effective technical writing teaching, emphasis on professionalism, and allocation of funding for the improvement of technical writing teaching. The author closes with a call for definite action.

The traditional view of rhetoric and science as sharply distinct has helped reduce the technical writing course to mere vocational training. Current thinking in rhetorical theory and philosophy of science supports the contrasting view that science is rhetorical. Salient aspects of the rhetoric of science are illustrated by Crick and Watson's discovery of the structure of DNA, as recorded in Watson's The Double Helix [1]. Analysis of the rhetoric of science suggests that the study of technical writing could be central to liberal education for a technological society.

This article describes a practical rationale for the use of documentation in technical or business reports and articles based on a definition of documentation which emphasizes its role in providing support for theses. Stressing the “evidential” aspect of documentation, and the importance of “verifiability,” the article shows how the concept of documentation is relevant to both primary and secondary research reporting. Advantages which follow from this approach are pointed out. The approach described is one formulated for and currently being used in technical and business writing courses at Auburn University.

Language in a technical writing course can be taught from the standpoint of its function in the student's papers. Three functions can be differentiated: generative—making later discussion necessary; substantive—giving supporting material from researched sources; and conclusive—making the author's conclusions clear and apparent.

Looking back to a time when he was a student in technical writing courses, the author discusses the importance to the practicing engineer of style and correctness in communication. He cites the characteristics of an effective style. This is followed by the problems of grammar and the ways to attain reader interest.

There are two opposing views towards technical writing courses and towards teachers of technical writing: one favorable, the other disdainful. Those who disdain technical writing seem to believe that it: 1) imposes restrictive and arbitrary forms upon creative individuals, 2) involves only the accumulation of factual evidence, 3) deals with things, rather than with people, and 4) is, like other practical arts, a second-class activity. The first three beliefs are mistaken, and it can be argued that the dissemination of technical and scientific information is just as humanistic as artistic writing.

Modern technical writing often suffers from its tendency toward jargon. Technical writing courses should include units on grammar as it relates to stylistics in technical writing. Transformational-generative grammar offers an effective and useful approach to train technical writers to communicate more effectively and to avoid the problems inherent in an impersonal style. One way of organizing a discussion of transformational-generative grammar is to consider its application to sentences and clauses, phrases, and individual words.

This paper describes how members of the technical writing class at Rice University handled a major writing assignment that stimulated student interest and integrated many of the skills taught in the course. Phases of the assignment dealt with preparing of a memo describing the problem or question, the writing of an investigative report, organizing feasibility studies, and choosing the right audiences. Some of the feasibility studies attacked problems concerning the university. Others concerned community problems and summer job experiences. Included in the assignment were videotaped oral presentations.

Richard W. Schmelzer, the author of this article on the first textbook written for technical writing classes, knows his subject from firsthand experience. He was one of the first teachers assigning The Preparation of Reports to future engineers. In this paper he pays tribute to Dr. Ray Palmer Baker, an early authority on modern technical communication and the author of The Preparation of Reports.

Case problems based upon believable circumstances can improve instruction in technical writing in college courses and industrial seminars. Such case problems give students and trainees realistic tasks, carry them through the various stages of writing a report, and reflect the systems approach to technical writing. This article explains the usefulness of case problems, suggests ways and criteria for their preparation, and offers a brief example of a case problem.

External examiners drawn from industry and from other universities have been used in a course in technical writing. The evolution of this scheme is described and other teachers of technical writing are urged to adopt it.

The use of cassette tape recorders in evaluating technical reports is spreading in college technical writing classes and may have application outside the classroom as well. The technique, which enables instructors to make more effective critiques of student papers, meets with favorable student response and need not be expensive. This report describes the use of cassette grading at the University of Idaho and makes suggestions for those who wish to try the method themselves.

Most technically orientated students are never exposed to lessons in effective technical writing skills. Yet, knowing how to express oneself properly is a necessity in today's technical world. The technical writer must use correct grammar and exact language in his descriptions of precise, technical subjects. He must learn how to adapt his personal style to the impact he wants to make. In addition, he must also learn how to communicate to various levels of audiences, for not all of his readers will possess the same knowledge about a subject. Also, he must learn to use graphic aids in the presentation of an article.

Technical writers and editors can organize and teach an effective course in technical writing if they are briefed on the criteria and receive the support of management.

Of graduating seniors, businessmen assume basic writing skills. Graduates of business administration curriculums are assumed to have, additionally, not only basic language competence but also some expertise in report writing. Experience, both in the classroom and with personnel in formal organizations, bears out that neither students nor practitioners have a real grasp of organization, rhetorical techniques, and reader devices. Consumerism in Communication suggests what is being done in the College of Business Administration's undergraduate communications course to prepare students to meet realistically, confidently, and competently the expectations of their employers. Based on both research and experience, the course design pragmatically aims at reducing frustration on the part of employers who are dismayed at the verbal deficiencies of college graduates.

The use of subjective testing as the only method for testing writing ability is questioned in this paper. Even a collaboration between engineers and specialists in English gives highly debatable results. The author of this paper, a well known British educator, has been experimenting with a type of objective testing. He invites readers to take one of his tests and to discuss the results with him.

Many composition courses do not fit the specialized requirements of students engaged in professional programs. The author states a case for the publishing of special composition texts and the use of special audiovisual material. A third suggestion deals with the instructor using specific resource books to acquire the vocabulary of the profession itself.

Much like a sentence or paragraph, the table of contents for a technical report can be designed systematically on the basis of a logic and rhetoric developed from experience. Being true to technical subject matter requires a full use of four basic logical techniques normally employed in scientific problem solving: classifying, partitioning, causally subordinating, and comparing. The logical approach that uses these techniques for the division and subdivision of topics is necessary, but not sufficient, for structuring the outline of a report. As can be shown in a typical library research report, the logical approach must be supplemented by three other approaches to the problem of topic arrangement that are more distinctly rhetorical: the conventional approach that depends on the convenient habituation rendered by standard format, the pedagogical approach that depends on the effective methods and order of technical presentation suited to the reader's level of comprehension, and the empathic approach that depends on the need to keep the reader from enduring topics of excessive length or complexity. These four approaches together provide for a strategy of topic outlining.

In a technical writing course, students analyze the classics of engineering literature, prepare annotated bibliographies of articles concerning engineering writing, write an in-depth technical report on a civil engineering topic, and analyze the various articles in science and engineering magazines. To acquaint the students with the different magazines to which they may submit manuscripts, they also analyze a professional magazine. In this way, they are prepared for publication. After having reviewed science books for children, the students prepare their own manuscripts of science literature and submit them to consultants at the Writers' Conference held annually at Newark College of Engineering during April.