COLEGIO DE SAN JUAN DE LETRANIntramuros, Manila

College of Liberal Arts, Sciences and EducationLANGUAGES AREASchool Year 2005-2006

2nd semester

I. Course Number : English 106II. Course Title : Technical Writing and Scientific WritingIII. Course Description :

The course is designed to introduce the students to the written conventions of technical writing and their applications in the field of education. Structured for students majoring in English, this course emphasizes the elements, methods, and format necessary for producing well-organized, clear and concise writings. Special emphasis is placed on techniques which technical writers employ and which Education students will find useful, both academically and professionally.

IV. Rationale :Writing is an essential activity that is required of both students and professionals. As a student, one finds writing as an indispensable tool for a majority of his learning tasks, such as note-taking, composition writing, research writing and many other writing activities. As a professional, one realizes that the ability to write effective correspondence and documents is not only a job requirement, but a plus factor as well. In either case, knowledge and skill in technical writing are both essential and beneficial.

V. Course Objectives :General Objective:

At the end of the semester, students are expected to have full comprehension of the fundamentals of technical writing and to be able to apply them in actual writing activities.

Specific Objectives:

Cognitive: Think through writing situations and create written reports and technical literature that will effectively present information to meet the reader’s needs.

Affective: Appreciate the values and significance of effective technical writing.Psychomotor: Apply the standards of good technical writing style in creating reports, documents and a variety of technical literature.

Specific Objectives Subject Matter Values Integrated

Strategies Teaching

Methodologies

Instructional Materials

Evaluation Time Frame

Expected Outcome

Understand the nature of technical writing.

Comprehend the basic principles on which good technical writing is founded

Determine the properties of technical writing and the ways of achieving them

Understand how the scope of technical writing is divided into two basic aspects

Definition and characteristics of technical writing.

Basic principles of technical writing.

Properties of technical writing.

Basic aspects of technical writing.

Awareness of the significance of technical writing in the field of education.

Appreciation of the principles on which technical writing is anchored.

Knowledge of the properties that characterize technical writing

Awareness of the distinction between the two basic aspects of technical writing

LecturesClass discussion

LecturesGroup discussions

Classroom activity

LecturesClass discussion

Reference book

Reference bookVisual Aids

Worksheets

Reference book

Written examination

Oral presentation

Oral examination

Written examination

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Understood fully the nature of technical writing

Comprehended the basic principles on which good technical writing is founded.

Determined the properties of technical writing and the ways through which they can be achieved

Understood the basic aspects of technical writing

Identify the different types of technical reports/ literature that are commonly required of teachers and education students

Develop skills that require particular attention in the preparation of technical papers

Clarify the problem of what should be defined in technical writing, methods of defining what needs to be defined and where definitions can be most effectively placed

A. Technical literature (end products of technical writing)

B. Skills needed in the preparation of end products1. Outline2. Organization1. Style2. Format3. Graphic aids4. Special

techniques

a. Definition- what to

define- method of

definition- rules to

follow- where to

place definition

Awareness of the different technical papers that are most commonly used in the academe

Skills in preparing technical reports/ literature

Competence in defining terms and expressions

LectureClass discussion

Oral reportClass discussion

Oral reportClass discussion

Samples of technical reports/ literature

Hand-outs

Hand-outs

Oral presentation

Written examination

Written examination

Week 5

Week 7 – 9

Week 10

Identified the different types of technical reports/literature common in the academe

Developed the skills on the accuracy and conciseness in preparing technical papers out of given data

Clarified the problem of what should be defined in technical writing, methods of defining what needs to be defined and where definitions can be most effectively placed

Understand the fundamentals and classifications and partition and identify the rules to follow in presenting a classification

Learn how to organize details of description, manner of presenting and the use of illustrations to reinforce textual description

Learn when to use Process I and Process II, how to present the description of the process and what style to use

Apply fundamentals and techniques of technical writing to actual process of writing and presenting technical

b. Classification and Partition

- when to use- rules to

follow- writing

procedures

c. Description - parts of the

presentation- principles of

organization- illustrations

c. Process I and Process II

- parts of the presentation

- Style (mood and voice)

Writing technical reports/ literatureA. Research paperB. Lesson plansC. ModulesD. Formal reports

Ability to analyze things in the environment using accurate bases for making judgments

Creativity in organizing and presenting details of description

Accuracy in giving instructions

Appreciation of the writing activities in the academe

Oral reportClass discussion

Oral reportClass discussion

Oral reportClass discussion

LecturesGuided writingActivities

Handouts

Handouts

Handouts

Reference bookSamples of technical reports/ literature

Written examination

Group writing activity

Graded board work

Output of writing activities

Week 11

Week 12

Week 13-14

Week 15-18

Understood the fundamentals and classifications and partition in presenting a classification

Learned how to organize details of description, manner of presenting and the use of illustrations to reinforce textual description

Learned when to use Process I and Process II

Applied fundamentals and techniques of technical writing with emphasis on organizatuion and

papers with emphasis on organization and mechanics

E. Business letters mechanics

References:

Magpayo, Erlinda et.al. Contemporary Technical English. Manila: Adamson Press, 1996.Mills, Gordon H. and John A. Walter. Technical Writing. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston Publishing Company, 1981.Nem Singh, Rosario P. and Jovita A. Calixihan. Fundamentals of Technical Writing. San Juan: MG Reprographics, 1994.Pauley, Steven E. Technical Report Writing Today. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1989.Romero, Perlita P., Violeta A. Llanes and Romulo M. Ricafranca. Techno-Business Report Writing. Quezon City: Katha Publishing Company, 1985.Vicente, Corazon, Wenceslawa Soria and Ernani Mogol. Technical Writing. Manila: Technology Supply Inc., 1976.Villamin, Araceli, et.al. Innovative Strategies in Communication Arts. Quezon City: Phoenix Publishing House, Inc., 1994.

Requirements:

AttendanceQuizzes and long examsClass participationOral reportAssignmentWriting activity reportModules

Grading System:

Midterm Grade: Pre-Final Grade:

Class Standing - 30% Class Standing- 30%Quizzes - 30% Quizzes - 30%Mid-term Exam - 40% Final Exam - 40%

100% 100%

Final Grade = (Mid-term Grade + Pre-Final Grade) / 2