The Professional Writing program at Virginia Tech offers courses in Technical Writing (English 3764) and Business Writing (English 3774).
3764: TECHNICAL WRITING
Principles and procedure of technical writing; attention to analyzing audience and purpose, organizing information, designing graphic aids, and writing such specialized forms as abstracts, instructions, and proposals. Junior standing required. (3H,3C)
Course Goals:
- Analyze the audience or users of the written communication, including knowledge, experience, and work environment; consider needs of global audiences and people with disabilities
- Conduct research appropriate to workplace problem solving, such as literature review, evaluation of online resources, interview, and site inspection
- Interpret research findings with understanding of ethical and human implications
- Select and apply appropriate ways of ordering information for specific effects, including hierarchical, chronological, and spatial arrangements
- Use conventions of various workplace genres, such as proposals, instructions, correspondence, reports, and slide decks, with understanding of how the genre conventions can be used as heuristics and as principles of arrangement
- Design visual representations of quantitative information to enhance accurate interpretation
- Manage writing projects by planning and completing tasks according to a schedule
- Collaborate with classmates in planning, researching, writing, revising, and presenting information
- Write accurately and clearly
- Apply principles of effective visual design for print and electronic presentation
- Present technical information orally
3774: BUSINESS WRITING
Extensive practice in forms of persuasive and informative writing such as memos, case analyses, reports, abstracts, and letters. Designed for students in all curricula. Junior standing required. (3H,3C)
Course Goals:
- Analyze the rhetorical situation and design documents according to audience needs, experience, background, and context, including the needs of global audiences and people with disabilities
- Write accurately, clearly, and concisely
- Understand the conventions of various workplace genres, such as proposals, correspondence, reports, and slide decks.
- Apply principles of effective visual design for print and electronic presentation
- Conduct research appropriate to workplace problem solving, such as case studies, surveys, interviews, and benchmark comparisons
- Interpret research findings with understanding of ethical and human implications
- Present evidence-based arguments in both written and oral form.
- Design visual representations of quantitative information to enhance accurate interpretation.
- Manage writing projects by planning and completing tasks according to a schedule.
- Collaborate with classmates in planning, researching, writing, revising, and presenting information