University of Sharjah

College of Arts, Humanities and

Social Sciences

Department of English Language &
Literature

GENERAL COURSE INFORMATION

Course title Technical Writing
Course number 0202207
Prerequisite (if any) English for Academic Purposes (0202112)
Co-requisite (if any) None
Type Students of Engineering, Sciences, and Computer Sciences
Credit hours 3
Semester/Year Summer 2015-2016
Teaching/learning
Lectures, presentations
methodologies
Course coordinator
Room

COURSE INSTRUCTOR
Instructor's Mutwakil Ismail
Office No. W3-202
Telephone 06-5053329
E-mail mismail@sharjah.ac.ae

Sun. Mon. Tues. Wed.

Office
Hours

COURSE DESCRIPTION
This ESP course is task-based and is intended for Engineering, Sciences, and Computer Science
students to increase their proficiency in managing technical data and writing for the workplace,
namely memoranda, letters, reports, applications, and research projects.

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 COURSE OUTCOMES
Learning outcomes Domain Assessment techniques
1. Understand the importance of Cognitive Quizzes
audience and purpose in technical
writing
2. Write a research report and make Cognitive/ Assignment
an oral presentation of the same Skills
3. Design documents using different Cognitive/ Quizzes and end of semester
page layout techniques Skills report
4. Write summaries and Cognitive/ Quizzes and end of semester
correspondence Skills report
5. Edit for clarity and concise style Cognitive/ Quizzes, and end of semester
Skills report
Course contribution to the program This compulsory course enhances the students
ability to communicate successfully and adapt in
their individual career needs. It provides them with
the knowledge and skills they need to become
effective and ethical communicators in the
workplace. Students should be able to develop
visual, written and spoken communication as well as
conduct research skills, write documents and give
oral presentations relevant to their chosen field of
expertise.

SUBJECT MATTER
Textbook(s) Pickett, N, Laster, A and Katherine Staples. (2014) Technical
English, 8th Ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.

Recommended readings/ Relevant handouts and other material will be distributed at the
references/supplementary instructor's discretion.
materials Recommended website(s)
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/18/

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3
 Syllabus
Week Topic Reference
1st Getting started,
Course overview and requirements
12-15/06
Preliminary investigation of technical problems to be
covered in the reports required to pass the course
Focus: Project Plan Sheet, pp. 559-561
Chapter 1: Technical Communication: What Is It?
[A Teacher's Presentation]
Chapter 2: Defining Workplace Readers: Who Are
They?
[A Teacher's Presentation]
13/06/2016 End of Drop & Add period
2nd Sunday: Project Plan Sheet is due Documentation:
Chapter 13: Reports: Shaping Information Blackboard
19-22/06
Focus: Qualities of Report Content supplementary
Focus: The Author's responsibilities material and a
Focus: Formats for Reports PowerPoint
Focus: Types of Reports Presentation
Documentation
Focus: Parenthetical Documentation: APA ONLY
Focus: Reference Lists
3rd Chapter 3: The Technical Communicators Tools:
Clear Language
26-29/06
Focus: Effective Sentence Patterns
Focus: Individual and Collaborative Activities
Tuesday 28/06: Progress Report Submission Deadline
(You may follow the model provided to you on page 562
of the textbook).
If time allows:
The Skills of Summarizing & Paraphrasing
[Handout(s) + Online Activities + Teachers PPT
presentation]
Chapter 12: Summaries: Getting to the Heart of the
Matter
4th (Extra material is used
Focus: Types of Summaries
03-04/07 for APA style 6th
Chapter 4: The Technical Communicators Tools: edition only)
Information Design
Focus: Designing Documents
[A Teacher's Presentation]
5&6 July 2016 Eid Alfitr Holiday
5th Continued Chapter 4
Chapter 5: Visuals
10-13/07
13/07/2016 Last day for dropping courses
without Grade F
6th Chapter 15: Correspondence: Sending and Responding to
Messages
17-20/7
Focus: The Author's Responsibilities
Focus: Types of Letters

4
 Wed. 20/07/2016 Deadline for report submission on
SafeAssign and a hardcopy of the report to the
instructor
7th 25 July: End of Classes
24-25/7 Revision and any unfinished matters
8th 26-28/7/2016 Final Examinations Period
30/07/2016: Grades Announcement

COURSE EVALUATION
Methods of evaluation Date Weight
Midterm Test TBA 25%
Final Exam TBA 45%
Quizzes Throughout the semester 10%
Course work
Technical report 20%
Total 100%

ADDITIONAL REMARKS
Attendance Policy: The official regulations on class attendance will
be strictly observed. The following rules will
apply:
3 absences: 1st warning
4 absences: 2nd warning
5 absences: Banned from taking final
exam and grade of F for the semester.
Late: You will be considered late if you are not
in class by the time the teacher finishes taking
attendance.
3 lates = 1 absence.
Grade structure 90> =A; 85-89 = B+ ; 80-84 = B; 75-79 = C+ ;
70-74 = C; 65-69 = D+ ; 60-64 = D; 59< =F
Plagiarism Plagiarism is presenting someone elses writing
as the student's own. If this student copies from
any source without giving credit to that source,
he/she is guilty of plagiarism. They will then
receive a zero for the assignment.