Course Notes

Finding Course Readings: Library Electronic Reserves

From the ERes home page, http://eres.uwb.edu,
Enter your UW NetID and password
Click -> Electronic Reserves and Reserve Pages
Enter <professor's last name> or <course> (e.g., css 301)
Click -> Search
Click -> Your course
Click -> Accept  
Click -> File to open

Alternatively, click on our CSS301 course page and log in using your NetID

Technical Writing Process

The three-stage Technical Writing Process
Technical Writing Homework

Audience Analysis
Audience and Social Styles
Formal Audience Analysis

Brainstorm your ideas

Writing Compare and Contrast Papers (Assignment #1)

Requirements of C/C papers
Industry Example Comparison: Blackberry showdown (Video) (Note: Not objective)
Industry Example Comparison: Blackberry and Iphone (Paper) (Note: Not objective)
Integrating Tables

Writing Process vs. Instructions (Assignment #2)

Here's some extra rules of thumb for writing process and instructions.

Page Layout and Design OR CRAP Principles

CRAP Homework
Finding CRAP principles in earlier versions of Word

Integrating Graphics & Misuse of Graphics

Graphics Homework
Graphics In-Class Work
Graphics Lecture
Learn more about problem graphics at this ChartJunk link
Learn better ways to create visual information from the expert: Edward Tufte

Writing Position Papers (Assignment #3)

A Position paper -- not a Research paper
Requirements of a Position paper
How to Cite Sources in MLA format
Incorporating Quotes: Three Steps
Methods of Quoting Sources
Library -- Information Timeline
Library link to research your topic

Writing Problem/Solution (Assignment #4)

Problem/Solution Handout

Letters

Letter notes
Sample letter: rough draft ....... revisions noted ....... final revision

REAL WORLD EXAMPLE
Consider how a company announcement is similar to a letter:
(that is, it is written from inside a company to an outside audience)
In the following example...
Netflix announced changes in their company and billing
The changes were not explained well and one person helped them
(see "What Netflix Could Have Said")
So Netflix came back with a follow up explanation
These links are worth reading to see how important communicating to an unknown audience is.

Writing Summaries

Note: when you need to extract the important information from a document/article for a summary,
it may help to learn how x-raying a book/document can help.
Example article used in class: Generation E-waste

Here's some more summary practice:
Read the article. Write a summary. Read the sample summary. Compare. Learn.
Article: Recycling Program Keeps Computers Out of Landfills and summary
Article: Computers Pollute Our Groundwater and summary

Creating Resumes

Creating Resume Presentation
Sample -- CSS Resume
Sample -- Gaming Resume