201E W22 Forrester | English Language and Literature

ENGL 201E - Genres of Technical Communication

University of Waterloo

Department of English Language and Literature

Instructor: Dr. Clive Forrester

Virtual Class times: Every other Wednesday 1:00-2:20pm via Microsoft Teams Individual consultation: By appointment

Course Description

This course is designed to equip participants with the foundational knowledge needed to conceptualize and prepare different styles of technical documents. Since technical writing is far more process-oriented than “regular” academic prose, it is more frequently used in sectors such as business, IT, and publishing. We will draw on examples from these areas and use activities such as role playing and workshopping to design progressively complicated technical documents. Throughout the course, participants will work in groups to design a prototype for a product/service using the technical writing skills developed over the duration of the term.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course, participants should be able to:

Understand the environment of technical communication
Design a “technical brief” for any kind of technical documentation
Create a prototype for a client centred service
Edit and revise technical writing in a professional manner
Convert technical documents for presentation online

Module	Week	Topic	Readings/Assignments	Prototyping Projects
Introduction	1	Course Introduction What is technical writing The technical writing environment Designing a technical brief	Tech Writing for Success: Chapter 1, pp. 7-14
Introduction	2	Team roles Team duties and schedule Technical brief continued Audience/reader awareness	Tech Writing for Success: Chapter 1, pp. 15-19
Procedural Genre	2	Overview of procedural technical writing Task based information Different types of procedural documents Components of procedural documents	Tech. Writing 101: Chapter 3, pp. 47-52	Health & Wellness
	3	Designing a product manual Audience analysis Manual presentation	Tech. Writing 101: Chapter 3, pp. 52-59
	3	Designing a “how to” document Incorporating graphics and tables Adding notes & cautions	Tech Writing for Success: Chapter 6, pp. 138-145 & 145-149
	4	Document testing workshop Document trial Editing and revising	Draft of product manual

Reference Genre		Overview of reference technical writing Information organization Indexing and database usage	Tech Writing for Success: Chapter 2, 23-29	Interpersonal Connection
	5	Creating a glossary of technical terms Deciding on writing style Presenting the glossary	Tech Writing for Success: Chapter 2, 30-35
Reference Genre (cont’d)		Creating a FAQs document Anticipating questions Drafting answers and suggestions
		Document testing workshop Using glossary/FAQs in a real simulation	Draft of glossary and FAQs sheet
Conceptual Genre	6	Overview of conceptual technical writing Persuasion in technical writing Analyzing audience expectations	Tech Writing 101: Chapter 5, pp. 74-80	Productivity
		Drafting a product ad Presenting tech specs and features in ad format Capturing audience interest	Tech Writing 101: Chapter 5, pp. 80-85
	7	Designing ad graphics & interactivity Optimizing ad for social media Articulating ad concept
		Document testing workshop Ad copy display	Draft of ad copy
	8	Overview of interface technical writing Designing context-sensitive manuals What goes into the “Help” guide	Tech. Writing 101: Chapter 9, pp. 147-151
		Preparing troubleshooting manual Anticipating end-user difficulties Incorporating graphics	Tech. Writing 101: Chapter 9, pp. 152-159	Skills Exchange

Interface Genre	9	Designing help tutorial/guide Preparing instructional information Converting information to video format	Tech. Writing 101: Chapter 9, pp. 160-164
		Document testing Trial troubleshooting scenario	Draft of helpguide & troubleshooting document
Finalizing the Prototype	10	Putting it all together Maintaining consistent style among multiple contributors	Compiling contributions from all groups
		Preparing project for digital format Using interactive elements in technical writing	Editing and revising contributions
Conclusion	11	Group consultations with instructor and final submission of all material	Editing and revising continued
			Project finalization

Prototyping Projects

The main assessment in this course is centred around the conceptualization, design, and completion of a prototype for a service/product in consultation with a client. All members of the course are assigned to a Team, and each team will be assigned one of the four projects to act as a designer (the Team members will design the prototype), and another project for which they will be a client (the Team members will request the prototype be built for them). In this way, each Team member will get a chance of experiencing both sides of a technical writing project - as a client requesting a service, and as a technical writer designing the user experience for the service. The finished prototype will resemble the “front end” of either a traditional website or app (or a hybrid depending on what the client wants). No coding knowledge will be needed here since the assignment only requires that Teams design a suitable user experience and interface for the service.

Remote Delivery

This course is taught entirely remotely. We will have synchronous meetings via Microsoft Teams on alternate Wednesdays. Attendance at synchronous meetings is recommended but not mandatory. The week, when we do not have our class meetings, should be used for group meetings.Assessment Breakdown: (Detailed instructions and submission guidelines for each assignment can be found on LEARN)

In-class exercises (20%) [Graded individually]: For each module, short in-class exercises will be assigned. These exercises may either be drawn from the course readings or related to a problem in one of the areas we are covering.
Participation in document testing (20% - 5% x 4) [Graded individually]: An important aspect of being a technical writer involves being able to work collaboratively. Throughout the course, participants will work in their Teams to create drafts of various aspects of the project prototype and test them with their clients. This is a pass/fail mark that is dependent on your attendance at the document testing exercise. Team members will decide on a meeting time at their convenience.
Completed Prototype (60% - 15% x 4) [Group grade]: The service prototype is the main assessment for the course. It should conform to the request of your client as closely as possible, and should contain at least the following documentation:
1. A product manual
2. A glossary and FAQ sheet
3. A sample ad copy
4. A help guide and troubleshooting document

Recommended Texts:

(chapters for readings are uploaded to the course LEARN website)

Benyon, David. Designing User Experience: A Guide to HCI, UX and Interaction Design. Harlow, United Kingdom, Pearson Education Limited, 2019. Luecke, R. (2010). Best practice workplace negotiations. American Management Association. USA.

Pringle, A. S., & O’Keefe, S. S. (3rd edition). (2009). Technical writing 101: A real world guide to planning and writing technical content. Scriptorium Publishing Services, Inc. Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.

Smith-Worthington, D. & Jefferson, S. (2011). Technical writing for success. South-Western Cengage Learning. Mason, OH.

Keeping in Touch With Me

The easiest (and recommended) way to contact me is to send me a message via the course MS Teams platform. If I am available, you could likely get a reply in minutes, and we could have a conversation about your question. You should use this medium like you would with email - start with a salutation, such as “Hello Dr. Forrester”, ask your questions, and attach a file if you need to. If for some reason you can’t come to the scheduled office hours, we can make an appointment to meet virtually via Microsoft Teams. Most importantly, do not wait until you feel completely overwhelmed to seek help. Let’s start talking as early as possible.

Academic Integrity

In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo community are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. See the UWaterloo Academic Integrity Webpage (https://uwaterloo.ca/academic-integrity/) and the Arts Academic Integrity Office Webpage (http://arts.uwaterloo.ca/current-undergraduates/academic-responsibility) for more information.

Discipline

A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity to avoid committing academic offenses and to take responsibility for his/her actions. A student who is unsure whether an action constitutes an offense, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offenses (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about “rules” for group work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course professor, academic advisor, or the undergraduate associate dean. For information on categories of offenses and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71, Student Discipline (http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy71.htm). For typical penalties check Guidelines for the Assessment of Penalties (http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/guidelines/penaltyguidelines.htm).