Engaging undergraduate students in designing and executing original research should not only be accompanied by technique training but also intentional instruction in the critical analysis and writing of scientific literature. The course described here takes a rigorous approach to scientific reading and writing using primary literature as the model…

This paper details an assignment sequence that requires graduate students in an applied communication program to identify problems that clients may not be aware of. Good writing and good problem-solving are "inextricably linked to [a student's] ability to frame an issue, gather, and analyze information, and to structure a helpful response" (Musso,…

Designed chiefly for the growing number of technical and business writing teachers in two year colleges, this collection of articles helps teachers understand technology and business students so that they can teach courses that satisfy the writing needs of those students. Written by practicing teachers or writers, the articles offer viewpoints on…

Draft specifications for an undergraduate course in professional writing, designed to teach practical writing skills, are presented in this paper. The paper notes the need for such a course to prepare professional personnel for the writing they do in their jobs, and it suggests that the course be aimed at juniors and seniors in liberal arts,…

A course in advanced technical communication was developed at West Virginia University for upper-division students in engineering and the sciences and those planning careers in technical communication. The first four weeks of the semester are spent copy editing, with the students learning to use standard editing marks and keeping an editor's style…

The issues and problems confronted by a professor of literature when asked to teach a technical writing course for engineers are related in this paper. The first section of the paper explains how the professor was "recycled" from a teacher of literature to a professor of technical writing at his college. The second section describes some of the…

Describes a year-long collaboration to teach legal research and writing alongside civil procedure. In fall, civil procedure topics were used for writing assignments, in combination with simulation and demonstration exercises based on that case. In spring, students wrote briefs on motions to dismiss and motions for summary judgment in a second case…

A strategy for including writing of a research paper in a university's advanced intensive English course for students of English as a second language is described. The method consists of eight assignments given over the course of 11 weeks, resulting in a short research paper. The method is designed to minimize error by dealing with specific…

Students' verbatim comments reflect the enthusiasm toward writing which is generated by the course. The author discusses the course design, citing the texts used, including readings from master, technical report writers. Description of the curriculum leads progressively from textual analysis through the final phase in which students are urged to…

Two sequential courses in scientific and technical French developed as a supplement to third- and fourth-year college French, in response to expressed student and industry demand, had as their objectives to develop a general familiarity with products of the large French industrial companies and their United States affiliates and to develop means…

The two-term technical writing course at the University of Aizu (Japan) was developed to help computer science majors develop writing skills needed for academic and future career activities. The course was first organized and presented in 1994 and has undergone continuous evaluation and revision. During the first two years, it was presented in two…

The origins, development, and implementation of a course in oral presentation skills in English for graduate students in the sciences and engineering are described. The course was piloted at National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan to train students for presentation of technical papers. Background information is offered on English language…

Designed specifically for graduate assistants teaching composition at Michigan State University (MSU), this handbook provides a general information base for teaching assistants, offering practical advice and discussing various aspects of course design, classroom practice, and the logistics of teaching at a large public university. A section on…