Technical Writing

Learn to write clear lab reports, test procedures, and specifications. Employers consistently rank documentation among the top skills for technician hires.

Course outline

Lectures, virtual labs, and graded assignments — completed in your browser.

01Audience, purpose, and technical stylelecture

02Sentence clarity, concision, and voicelecture

03Describing processes and mechanismsassignment

04Lab report structure and results reportingassignment

05Tables, charts, and figure captionslecture

06Specifications and requirements languagelecture

07Instructions and proceduresassignment

08Midterm writing portfolioassignment

09Summaries, abstracts, and executive briefslecture

10Email, tickets, and incident reportsassignment

11Research, sourcing, and citationlecture

12Editing, review cycles, and version controllecture

13Presenting technical workassignment

14Final documentation packageassignment

Syllabus

# Technical Writing (ENG 101)

**Credits:** 3 | **Term:** 2 | **Contact hours:** 3 lecture hours per week
**Prerequisites:** None
**Delivery:** Fully online. Lectures on demand, weekly live office hours, and browser-based virtual labs with simulated instruments.

## Course description
Lab reports, specifications, and documentation for engineering teams. This 14-week course develops practical competence in technical writing and documentation through weekly lectures, virtual lab exercises, and graded assignments.

## Learning outcomes
On completion of this course the student will be able to:
1. Explain the core principles and vocabulary of technical writing and documentation.
2. Perform the analysis, calculations, and procedures introduced each week.
3. Use virtual instruments and software tools to build, measure, and verify results.
4. Diagnose faults and explain discrepancies between predicted and measured behavior.
5. Document work clearly in lab reports that meet industry documentation standards.

## Weekly schedule
Fourteen weekly modules are listed under Lessons, each pairing a lecture with a virtual lab or assignment and a short knowledge check.

## Grading
- Virtual lab work and reports: 35%
- Weekly assignments and quizzes: 20%
- Midterm exam or practical: 20%
- Final exam or project: 25%

Grade scale: A 90-100, B 80-89, C 70-79, D 60-69, F below 60. A grade of C or higher is required to advance to any course that lists this one as a prerequisite.

## Course policies
- Weekly work is due Sunday at 11:59 PM local time; late work loses 10% per day up to five days.
- All submitted work must be your own; simulation files are individually seeded and checked.
- Students needing accommodations or an extension should contact the instructor through the portal before the due date.
- Instructors reply to portal messages within one business day.