Courses: Professional Writing Workshop

LAC 300

Description | Syllabus | Course Outline | Registration | Instructors

"It is clear that engineers who are adept at communications have a considerable advantage over those who are not."

Earl H. Dowell, Dean of Engineering, Duke University

Section 1: Thursdays 6-8:30 pm. September 18 -- October 23. Location TBA.

Description:

This seminar is for third and fourth year students only. It is a six-week course designed to help students improve their written communication skills in preparation for thesis writing, PEY, graduate school and job applications, and for the realities of communication in the professional world.

Upon successful completion of the seminar, students will receive a special notation on their transcripts.

Students who complete this seminar should expect to:

Gain a solid understanding of writing for varied audiences and purposes, ranging from supervisors to the media.

Improve organization and document drafting skills necessary for clear, direct transmission of information.

Learn to quickly and efficiently edit and revise their own documents in order to improve both information and style, as well as how to revise documents for different audiences and purposes.

Understand the proper use of graphics and visual information within text documents. This includes a thorough understanding of proper documentation and referencing, as well as how to avoid the pitfalls of lying with graphics.

Develop a sound understanding of effective grammar and style usage, as well as thorough knowledge of self-help resources such as style guides and on-line references.

Enrollment is limited!

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Syllabus:

Description The seminar will focus on issues such as defining audience and aims, document organization and style, basic editing techniques, as well as the proper integration of graphics and visual information into text documents. The ultimate goal of this seminar is to better prepare students for academic and professional writing situations that they are likely to face in their near futures.

Objectives By the end of the seminar, the student will:

Be aware of and appreciate the issues related to effective professional engineering writing.

Have a thorough understanding of how to create a well researched, well organized, and polished final document.

Have a portfolio that can be shown to prospective employers or used as a reference for future writing assignments.

Be better prepared for thesis writing, PEY, graduate school and job applications, and other professional endeavours.

Expectations
The student is expected to:

Attend all six sessions.

Complete all in-class and homework assignments. Students can expect to have approximately one hour of homework per week outside of the 2 and a half hour seminar.

Participate in classroom discussions and exercises.

Submit a final portfolio of work completed in the course.

Schedule
Classes take place on Wednesdays or thursdays from 6-8:30 p.m., location TBA.

Sept 11
Sept 12
Introductory Seminar
How and where does written communication fit into the engineering profession? Is it possible for an engineering student to become a good writer and communicator?
To answer the last question first - YES, engineering students can become excellent writers. Like engineering, writing is comprised of structural elements, and critical components; there are methods for creating a strong structure, and for avoiding design flaws. This introductory seminar provides an intense examination of several writing samples, and allows the students to learn how much they already know - and more importantly, how to apply that knowledge to their own writing. The aim of this first seminar is to provide the students with an opportunity to begin exploring the value of good writing versus the consequences of bad writing, and to provide a springboard for the rest of the course.

Sept 18
Sept 19 Audience and Aims
Who am I writing for? What is the purpose of this document? How can I be sure that what I write is appropriate for my intended audience? What are the consequences of writing something that is inappropriate for my audience?
These are all very real questions faced by most engineers at some point in their career, if not on a daily basis. This seminar will focus on the importance of properly identifying the audience and writing for their needs, as well as for the intended purpose of the document. Main aspects of the seminar will include determining the readers' interests, and revising one document for several different audiences and purposes by means of style modification.

Sept 25
Sept 26 Organization and Document Drafting
Where do I start?! Does it matter how my document is organized?
This seminar takes the audience and aims discussed in the previous seminar and adds to it issues of organization and drafting often faced by engineering students and engineers. Students will learn solid techniques for presenting their data or material in a logical, solid structure appropriate to their audience and purpose. Issues such as outlining, early-stage-editing, and initial drafting will provide the foundation for this session.

Oct 2
Oct 3 Revising Organization / Style Issues
How can I be sure my writing is clear and accurate? Can I learn to edit my own writing?
Contrary to what many writers practice, revision requires a great deal of time. A good method of revision helps provide a solid organization for a document, and ultimately allows for both clarity and concision in the final product. The difference between a document that has been thoroughly revised and one that has not can mean the difference between passing or failing marks on papers or success or failure in the professional world. This seminar will be devoted to the many aspects of document revision, including basic editing skills and some helpful stylistic issues. The student should expect to learn the difference between an unpolished piece of work and one that has been given both time and thought.

Oct 9
Oct 10
Graphics and the Polished Product
Now that the writing is done, how can I make sure my graphics work with the text? How do I properly document tables and graphs? Can good use of graphics really help polish the final document? The first part of this seminar will cover the proper integration of data and information in visual (graphic) form. Issues such as when to use what kind of visual, how to avoid "chart junk," and how not to lie with graphics will be covered, along with some basic information about how to avoid some common pitfalls with popular graphics software. The second portion of this seminar will serve as a review of the entire course, focusing on the finished product. By the end of this course, the student should have a thorough understanding of how to create a well researched, well organized, and brilliantly polished final document.

Oct 16
Oct 17 Final Meeting and Resume Clinic
The seminar series will end with a brief meeting to submit the final portfolio and wrap up any loose ends. A Human Resources expert will take students through a seminar on creating a winning resume. Bring your resume for a professional critique.

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Registration:

The cost for LAC300 is $75.00. This includes all handouts and readings for the course. In order to register, students must send the information requested below to writing@ecf.utoronto.ca in a message with the subject "LAC300" and deliver a cheque or money order, payable to the University of Toronto, for the course fees to Rob Irish at the Engineering Communication Centre, SFB670. You will be considered registered after we have received a cheque or money order. IMPORTANT NOTE: Registration is first come, first served.

Enrollment is limited to 20 students.

Name

Student Number

Year of Study (please say if you're on PEY)

Program

E-mail

Telephone

Preference for Wednesday or Thursday sections

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For questions about the course and registration, please contact Dr. Robert Irish: irish@ecf.utoronto.ca
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Last modified . Site designed and maintained by Engineering Communication Centre Staff.

Sept 11 Sept 12	Introductory Seminar How and where does written communication fit into the engineering profession? Is it possible for an engineering student to become a good writer and communicator? To answer the last question first - YES, engineering students can become excellent writers. Like engineering, writing is comprised of structural elements, and critical components; there are methods for creating a strong structure, and for avoiding design flaws. This introductory seminar provides an intense examination of several writing samples, and allows the students to learn how much they already know - and more importantly, how to apply that knowledge to their own writing. The aim of this first seminar is to provide the students with an opportunity to begin exploring the value of good writing versus the consequences of bad writing, and to provide a springboard for the rest of the course.
Sept 18 Sept 19	Audience and Aims Who am I writing for? What is the purpose of this document? How can I be sure that what I write is appropriate for my intended audience? What are the consequences of writing something that is inappropriate for my audience? These are all very real questions faced by most engineers at some point in their career, if not on a daily basis. This seminar will focus on the importance of properly identifying the audience and writing for their needs, as well as for the intended purpose of the document. Main aspects of the seminar will include determining the readers' interests, and revising one document for several different audiences and purposes by means of style modification.
Sept 25 Sept 26	Organization and Document Drafting Where do I start?! Does it matter how my document is organized? This seminar takes the audience and aims discussed in the previous seminar and adds to it issues of organization and drafting often faced by engineering students and engineers. Students will learn solid techniques for presenting their data or material in a logical, solid structure appropriate to their audience and purpose. Issues such as outlining, early-stage-editing, and initial drafting will provide the foundation for this session.
Oct 2 Oct 3	Revising Organization / Style Issues How can I be sure my writing is clear and accurate? Can I learn to edit my own writing? Contrary to what many writers practice, revision requires a great deal of time. A good method of revision helps provide a solid organization for a document, and ultimately allows for both clarity and concision in the final product. The difference between a document that has been thoroughly revised and one that has not can mean the difference between passing or failing marks on papers or success or failure in the professional world. This seminar will be devoted to the many aspects of document revision, including basic editing skills and some helpful stylistic issues. The student should expect to learn the difference between an unpolished piece of work and one that has been given both time and thought.
Oct 9 Oct 10	Graphics and the Polished Product Now that the writing is done, how can I make sure my graphics work with the text? How do I properly document tables and graphs? Can good use of graphics really help polish the final document? The first part of this seminar will cover the proper integration of data and information in visual (graphic) form. Issues such as when to use what kind of visual, how to avoid "chart junk," and how not to lie with graphics will be covered, along with some basic information about how to avoid some common pitfalls with popular graphics software. The second portion of this seminar will serve as a review of the entire course, focusing on the finished product. By the end of this course, the student should have a thorough understanding of how to create a well researched, well organized, and brilliantly polished final document.
Oct 16 Oct 17	Final Meeting and Resume Clinic The seminar series will end with a brief meeting to submit the final portfolio and wrap up any loose ends. A Human Resources expert will take students through a seminar on creating a winning resume. Bring your resume for a professional critique.

Description	The seminar will focus on issues such as defining audience and aims, document organization and style, basic editing techniques, as well as the proper integration of graphics and visual information into text documents. The ultimate goal of this seminar is to better prepare students for academic and professional writing situations that they are likely to face in their near futures.
Objectives	By the end of the seminar, the student will: Be aware of and appreciate the issues related to effective professional engineering writing. Have a thorough understanding of how to create a well researched, well organized, and polished final document. Have a portfolio that can be shown to prospective employers or used as a reference for future writing assignments. Be better prepared for thesis writing, PEY, graduate school and job applications, and other professional endeavours.
Expectations	The student is expected to: Attend all six sessions. Complete all in-class and homework assignments. Students can expect to have approximately one hour of homework per week outside of the 2 and a half hour seminar. Participate in classroom discussions and exercises. Submit a final portfolio of work completed in the course.
Schedule	Classes take place on Wednesdays or thursdays from 6-8:30 p.m., location TBA.