Discusses the function of technical writing in the two-year college and outlines goals and suggested content for a two-year college technical writing program. (GW)

"Engineering Report Writing," a required course in the Civil Engineering Department at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, combines both pragmatic and innovative assignments that teach the techniques of technical writing. Course design and success are discussed. (LBH)

Describes an assignment in which freshman technical writing students gathered information from community businesses in order to write process analysis papers. Includes the list of assignment topics, instructions for the assignment, and evaluation questions for obtaining student reactions to the assignment. (GW)

Discussed are the areas where biology teachers can cooperate with teachers of other disciplines. Specific ways in which biology and English teaching can be combined are given, as well as ways to relate the social sciences to biological concerns. (MA)

This second change sheet for its publication manual states the American Psychologist Association's policy on sexist language in its journals offers some general principles for journal authors to consider, and suggests some ways to avoid sexist language. (Author)

Provides job skills needed by a PACT (Programmed Audio Cassette Training) course writer, a PACT course development flow chart, example frames and script, and discusses objectives and an evaluation of a PACT course. (TA)

Describes an editing assignment in which senior engineering students use their knowledge of non-finite clauses (both restrictive and non-restrictive) to achieve concise mature writing. Explains the linguistic background provided to students before the assignment, gives details of the published "answer guide" and the exercise, and…

Describes an assignment that allows each student to write a proposal for funding and submit it to management. (NKA)

Presents a process-oriented method for teachers of stylistic editing workshops that allows them to (1) focus on individual students, (2) start with students basic repertory of responses and build from there, (3) work with freely emitted behavior, (4) ensure frequent and brief responses, and (5) achieve desired behavior through sequential steps.…

Describes an effective method for having business writing students work together on a writing project. (JC)

Several online vendors address the issue of RFPs (requests for proposals) for library systems, discussing the documents' style, technical standards, library expectations, liabilities associated with using this procedure, factors in the decision to bid, and the need for a standardized document and national clearinghouse. (CLB)

Recommends a four-part structure for retrospective internship reports: (1) introduction, (2) narrative, (3) analysis and evaluation, and (4) appendix. Advises teachers to present the report form to the student before the internship begins to add structure to the internship experience. (SKC)

Recommends teaching about the uses of humor in technical writing classes by using computer user manuals. Suggests that humor has a place in technical communication, particularly in computer manuals, where new users' apprehension must be reduced, heavy technical points need clarification, and warnings and cautions should be reinforced. (SKC)

Diagnostic memos written by students in a general technical writing class reveal that students need (1) to know that strong communication skills are desirable beyond immediate job prospects, (2) information about and practice in team-writing tasks, and (3) to understand that graphics are an integral part of the technical communication process.…

Details a data-based study exploring the relationship between grammatical proficiency and a number of variables in an introductory business communication course. Suggests that there is a small, but significant correlation between grammatical proficiency and overall performance in the course, and that grammatical competency is a predictor of…