Chapter 1 Instructor Resources

Ch. 1: Additional Exercise 1

The Syllabus as Technical Communication

It’s the first day of class. You have before you a document that exemplifies the characteristics of and the measures of excellence for technical communication. It’s the course syllabus. Whether it is a paper document or a web page, chances are good that it exemplifies most of the characteristics of technical communication—and all of the measures of excellence. Be prepared to share with the class your responses to the following two prompts:

Study the textbook’s discussion of the characteristics of a technical document. Be prepared to explain how your course syllabus exemplifies three of the characteristics.
Study the textbook’s discussion of the measures of excellence in technical documents. Be prepared to explain how the syllabus exemplifies at least three of the measures.