Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

All courses in the writing program teach writing as a process, requiring revision over multiple drafts; require 2 instructor conferences; and include principles of citation.

Upon completion of the course students should be able to:

1. ADAPT: Apply key rhetorical concepts through analyzing, designing, composing, and revising a variety of deliverable documents for technical/professional contexts
2. CONNECT: Engage in project-based research, applying appropriate methods of inquiry for clearly defined purposes (e.g., user experience research and client/organization research)
3. ADAPT AND CONNECT: Collaborate with various stakeholders to develop and apply flexible and effective strategies for managing projects
4. INQUIRE: Develop and adapt document design and composition strategies to meet the demands of diverse clients, organizations, and multicultural audiences
5. REFLECT: Examine and respond to individual and professional ethical responsibilities across organizational contexts

Assessment tasks include the following:  

• Weekly or twice-weekly writing assignments
• Attendance in class and at two instructor conferences
• Active, positive participation in class and in small group activities
• Meeting assignment deadlines

Many instructors may have students submit a portfolio of the best revised versions of each of their written assignments at the end of the term for final evaluation. Oral reports, in-class interviews, or group presentations may also contribute to the final grade. Instructors may require in-class writing assignments and exams. Peer evaluation may be incorporated in the assessment process.

Themes, Concepts, Issues

• Appropriate formats and writing styles for various types of technical and professional communications

• Audience analysis

• Communication with international audiences

• Document design

• Documentation

• Dynamics of collaborative work

• Editing

• Incorporation of graphics

• Interviewing

• Legal and ethical issues in technical and professional communications

• Readability analysis

• Researching

• Revision cycle

• Safety Messages

• Style guides

• Summarizing

• Usability testing

Competencies and Skills

• Reading, interpreting, analyzing, and evaluating complex technical and professional documents and visuals.

• Understanding the differences between and the appropriate audience and purpose for the most common types of technical and professional communication

• Composing, designing, revising and editing the most common types of technical and professional communications

• Researching primary and secondary sources, including the Internet

• Documenting sources

• Analyzing audience and purpose

• Incorporating audience feedback

• Selecting graphics appropriate for the targeted audience

• Selecting formatting options to create accessible, readable, ethical, and visually interesting documents for different audiences

• Understanding different types of graphics and appropriate uses

• Editing page layout, text and visuals for:

  • Conciseness

  • Preciseness

  • Clarity

  • Legal and ethical issues

  • Safety International audiences

  • Inclusiveness

• Working and problem solving with others to achieve a common communication goal, using collaborative techniques, respecting the work of colleagues, and meeting deadlines; listening and speaking reflectively.