Culminating Project Progress Report

Culminating ProjectProgress ReportMatthew MonroeIDS 493

Project will focus onTechnical comprehension Usability Instructional skillsDiagramming and explaining Technical Writing Concepts Project pertains to technical writing skillsProject relates to expansion of explanatory skills

Topic Selection

Develop a how-to guide on creating user manuals for Engineering students.Will incorporate visuals and steps in the creation of a guide.

Improve engineering students use of English in explaining technical concepts.

Be used as a guide for students seeking to learn more about technical writing skills

The Topic and Plan

Research has been conducted in both libraries and online databases.

Writing and Speaking in the Technology Professions: A Practical Guide by David F. Beer

Technical Writer's Handbook by Harry E. Chandler.

How To Write a Usable User Manual by Norman B. Sigband and Arthur H. Bell.

Research has focused on the history, style, grammar, and function of technical manuals

Research

History/ImportanceTimeline of technical writing from Industrial Revolution to present.Universities that promoted technical writing instructionTufts, University of Cincinnati, Princeton, MIT, University of KansasStyleCombing visual examples with textActive Voice is crucial in user manualsGrammarSimplifying grammatical rulesBasic Sentence Mechanics (The Clause)Prepositional phrases, verbs, and subject

Research Focus

Basic Outline of ManualIntroduction /History of Technical Writing

Grammar and Style in user manuals

How to Combine diagrams with text

Created WordPress Account to display manualCompleted Work

Creating cover page for projectFinish the Introduction on Technical WritingObtain interview from Professors in English and Engineering DepartmentsStyle WordPress site to conform to technical writing themeWork Still in Progress

Link to WordPress Site where I wish to publish my work.http://mmonr010.students.digitalodu.com/

Location

Sample

Laplante, Phillip A. Technical Writing : A Practical Guide For Engineers And Scientists. n.p.: Boca Raton, FL : CRC Press, c2012., 2012. Old Dominion University Catalog. Web. 4 Nov. 2015.Gibbon, Dafydd, Laurent Romary, and Alexander Mehler. Handbook Of Technical Communication. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton, 2012. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 4 Nov. 2015.Sigband, Norman B., and Arthur H. Bell. "How To Write A Usable User Manual." Journal Of Business Communication 23.4 (1986): 79. Business Source Complete. Web. 4 Nov. 2015.Works Cited

IntroductionThe importance of technical writing has expanded as the modern world continues to transform into a global society that places heavy emphasis on the advancement of technology. As technology continues to grow rapidly, the need for adequate communicators becomes necessary to communicate the ideas and the functions of new technology. This requires individuals who are skilled not only in the sciences and mathematics, but also the use of language to communicate the functions of new technology. This guide has multiple objectives that include informing engineering students on the history of technical communication, the style and grammatical functions of its foundation, and how these skills can be implemented to create user guides that bridge the gap between common people and technology.HistoryThe need for technical communicators has always been a necessity in the modern world. With the onset of the Industrial Revolution, the need for technical communicators became more important as new inventions were rapidly being implanted into society. While engineers and scientists at the time were familiar with the new technology, the masses needed the ability to adapt to its use. This required engineers and scientists to explain the processes of new inventions like never before. However, there was a key problem that became evident. Engineers often lacked the language skills to communicate their ideas to the public and put them into laymans terms. This led to the development of the first universities that incorporated technical writing programs which required engineering students to take English courses to supplement their science courses. The first universities to include a mixture of both disciplines was Tufts University, University of Cincinnati, Princeton, MIT, and the University of Kansas.