About this course: Engineering leaders must write extensively for their jobs, and their writing needs to be professional, reader-focused, and error-free. What leaders write in particular can affect productivity and the bottom line, so the written communication that leaders create must be clear and concise. In this course, you’ll learn essential writing skills that you can apply in your daily activities on the job as an engineering leader. You’ll learn key principles in • Approaching various engineering genres • Using the writing process to create quality documents • Making your writing structured • Making your writing clear and concise • Handling style, tone, and voice
Who is this class for: This course is geared toward practicing engineers who are early in their careers, especially those who are either in or approaching their first leadership role.
Created by: Rice University
Taught by: Gayle Moran, Lecturer in Professional and Engineering Communication
Rice Center for Engineering Leadership
Taught by: Beata Krupa, Lecturer in Professional and Engineering Communication
Rice Center for Engineering Leadership
| Basic Info | Course 3 of 3 in the Communication Skills for Engineers Specialization |
| Level | Beginner |
| Commitment | 5 weeks of study, 3-5 hours/week |
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
Specialization Introduction - Communication for Engineers
3 videos, 4 readings
- Video: Meet the Professor - Dr. Beata Krupa
- Reading: Course Icon Legend
- Video: Introduction to the Specialization
- Reading: Required Materials and Other Info
- Reading: Personal Communication Plan - Specialization Level Activity - Introduction
- Reading: Pre-Course Survey
Course Introduction - Writing Skills for Engineers
1 video, 6 readings
- Reading: General Course Information
- Reading: Peer Review Guidelines
- Reading: Discussion Forum Guidelines
- Reading: Accessibility and Accommodations Statement
- Reading: Resources
- Reading: Using, Editing, and Submitting Documents in This Course
Week 1: Things to Know Before You Begin
There are many components to good writing, and we'll focus on those that give you a foundation for building the skills that you are most likely to need in the engineering workplace. In this module, we'll talk about how to plan and begin writing, the importance of following the writing process, and formatting for readability. Then we'll look at the type of writing that engineers do every day: email.
8 videos, 4 readings
- Discussion Prompt: Introduce Yourself
- Reading: Think About It
- Video: Strategy Refresh
- Video: The Writing Process
- Video: Formatting for Readability
- Video: Figures and Tables
- Reading: "What to Use When" Template and Graphics Checklist
- Discussion Prompt: Pet Peeves About Email
- Video: Email: Thinking and Planning
- Discussion Prompt: Email Quality Discussion
- Video: Email: Writing Your Message
- Discussion Prompt: Tiger Oil Memos
- Video: Email: Finishing and Sending
- Reading: Resources
- Reading: Personal Communication Plan – (Course 3) Week 1: Diagnose Your Skills
Graded: Writing Sample - Baseline
Graded: Emails
Graded: Module 1 Quiz
WEEK 2
Week 2: Developing Paragraphs and Writing Reports
Paragraphs play an important role in your writing. If your paragraphs are poorly written, your readers can't follow your thoughts. In this module, we'll talk about what makes a powerful paragraph and how to develop your paragraphs so readers understand your ideas. We'll also talk about what goes in to writing good engineering reports.
9 videos, 4 readings
- Reading: Think About It
- Video: Topic Sentences and Unity
- Video: ABCs of Paragraph Development
- Reading: Map a Paragraph
- Video: Organizing Principles 1
- Video: Organizing Principles 2
- Video: Cohesion 1 (Echo Words, Transitions)
- Video: Cohesion 2 (Known To New)
- Reading: Review of Writing Sample
- Video: Paragraph FAQs
- Discussion Prompt: About Reports
- Video: Reports
- Reading: Personal Communication Plan – (Course 3) Week 2: Diagnose Your Skills
Graded: A Report or a Proposal
Graded: Module 2 Quiz
WEEK 3
Week 3: Clarity and Conciseness
You need to make sure that your writing is clear and concise so your readers can understand what you are saying to them. Clear sentences help engage readers. In this module, we'll talk about what makes good sentences: Strong verbs, specific information, choice of clear words, and active voice. We'll also talk about what goes in to writing good proposals.
8 videos, 3 readings, 1 practice quiz
- Reading: Think About It
- Video: Clear Sentence Structure
- Video: Using Strong Verbs
- Video: Vague to Specific
- Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz
- Video: Voice
- Video: Word Choice
- Discussion Prompt: Jargon and Acronyms
- Video: Wordiness
- Video: Proposals
- Reading: Review Writing Sample
- Reading: Personal Communication Plan - (Course 3) Week 3: Diagnose Your Skills
Graded: Module 3 Quiz
WEEK 4
Week 4: The Finishing Touches
It takes conscious effort and discipline to work through the writing process--to plan, write a draft, revise the draft to make sure your content suits your purpose and your audience, edit for conciseness and clarity, and finally to proof for quality. When you follow the process, your writing will be stronger. But there are still some finishing touches that will make your documents even better. In this module, we'll talk about writing introductions and conclusions, writing executive summaries, writing as a team, and writing for electronic media.
9 videos, 6 readings
- Reading: Think About It
- Reading: "What You Read Matters More Than You Might Think ..."
- Discussion Prompt: "What You Read Matters More Than You Might Think ..."
- Video: Writing Introductions and Conclusions
- Video: Executive Summary
- Discussion Prompt: Writing as a Team
- Video: Writing as a Team
- Video: Writing for Electronic Media
- Reading: TED talk
- Discussion Prompt: TED Talk
- Video: FAQs - Sentences
- Video: FAQs - Pronouns
- Video: FAQs - Punctuation
- Reading: Review Writing Sample
- Discussion Prompt: Writing Samples - Peer Feedback
- Reading: Personal Communication Plan - (Course 3) Week 4: Diagnose Your Skills
- Video: Course Completion!
- Reading: End of Course Survey
Graded: Module 4 Quiz
FAQs
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Coursework
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Rice University
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Pricing
| Purchase Course | |
|---|---|
| Access to course materials | Available |
| Access to graded materials | Available |
| Receive a final grade | Available |
| Earn a shareable Course Certificate | Available |
Ratings and Reviews
Strong contents. However, I felt this was a bit imbalanced towards the first two weeks, and not as satisfactory as the first two courses in this specialization. Was expecting more assignments in this one. But five stars to Prof. Gayle Moran's engaging lectures!
Learned a lot on how to build paragraphs and use active voice instead of passive. Little details really make a difference when communicating in writing.
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CK
A course for every one. Good representation of the different aspects of writing.