Preface for Instructors

Get the Most out of Technical Communication, Eleventh Edition

Printed Page ix-xi

Get the Most out of

Technical Communication, Eleventh Edition

The Eleventh Edition of Technical Communication lives not only in print but online, where you and your students will find an array of engaging resources to enhance your course. Bedford/St. Martin’s offers resources and format choices that help you and your students get even more out of your book and course. To learn more about or to order any of the following products, contact your Macmillan sales representative, email sales support (Sales_Support@macmillanusa.com), or visit the website at macmillanhighered.com/techcomm11e.

LaunchPad for Technical Communication: Where Students Learn

LaunchPad provides engaging content and new ways to get the most out of your course. Get an interactive e-book combined with unique, book-specific materials in a fully customizable course space; then mix our resources with yours.

Prebuilt units—tutorials, quizzes, and more—are easy to adapt and assign. Add your own materials and mix them with our high-quality multimedia content and ready-made assessment options, such as LearningCurve adaptive quizzing.
LaunchPad also includes access to a gradebook that provides a clear window on the performance of your whole class and individual students, overall and on individual assignments.
A streamlined interface helps students focus on what’s due, and social-commenting tools let them engage, make connections, and learn from each other. Use LaunchPad on its own or integrate it with your school’s learning management system so that your class is always on the same page.

LaunchPad for Technical Communication, Eleventh Edition, includes the following book-specific media materials:

Cases Previously located at the end of each chapter, these document-based cases now live online, making it easy for students to familiarize themselves with the case scenarios, download and work with related documents, and complete their assignments.
Document Analysis Activities The online equivalent of the Document Analysis Activities (formerly Interactive Sample Documents) included in the print book, these models introduce students to the kinds of multimedia documents that can exist only online—such as a recommendation report presented as a podcast and a definition delivered via video and animation. Each model is accompanied by a set of assessment questions to guide students in their analysis.
Downloadable Forms Students can download and work with a variety of forms discussed throughout the text, including an audience profile sheet, a team-member evaluation form, and an oral presentation evaluation form.
LearningCurve LearningCurve is an adaptive, game-like quizzing program that helps students master comprehension and application of the course material. Six LearningCurve activities cover material from the first ten chapters of the text (the first four chapters are covered in the activity “Understanding the Technical Communication Environment,” and Chapters 7 and 9 are covered in the activity “Organizing and Emphasizing Information”), as well as key topics for multilingual writers.
Team Writing Assignment Modules Based on Team Writing by Joanna Wolfe, these modules focus on the role of written communication in teamwork. The modules are built around five short videos of real team interactions. They teach students how to use written documentation to manage a team by producing task schedules, minutes, charters, and other materials and also provide models for working on large collaborative documents.
Test Bank Instructors using LaunchPad have access to a robust test bank which offers multiple-choice, true/false, and short-answer questions for each chapter.
Tutorials Engaging tutorials present digital tips and introduce students to helpful multimodal composition tools, such as Prezi and Audacity, providing guidance on how to best use them for projects. Documentation tutorials provide a fun new way for students to learn citation.
Full-Length e-Books The LaunchPad includes access to two e-books: Document-Based Cases for Technical Communication, Second Edition, by Roger Munger, and Team Writing, by Joanna Wolfe.

For a complete list of LaunchPad content, see the inside front cover of this book.

To get the most out of your course, order LaunchPad for Technical Communication packaged with the print book at no additional charge. (LaunchPad for Technical Communication can also be purchased on its own.) An activation code is required. To order LaunchPad for Technical Communication with the print book, use ISBN 978-1-319-00982-3.

Choose from Alternative Formats of Technical Communication

Bedford/St. Martin’s offers a range of affordable formats, allowing students to choose the one that works best for them. For details, visit macmillanhighered.com/techcomm11e/formats.

Bedford e-Book to Go A portable, downloadable e-book is available at about half the price of the print book. To order the Bedford e-Book to Go, use ISBN 978-1-4576-8849-2.
Other Popular e-Book Formats For details, visit macmillanhighered.com/ebooks.

Select Value Packages

Add more value to your text by packaging one of the following resources with Technical Communication, Eleventh Edition. To learn more about package options for any of the products below, contact your Macmillan sales representative or visit macmillanhighered.com/catalog/techcomm11e.

Document-Based Cases for Technical Communication, Second Edition, by Roger Munger, Boise State University, offers realistic writing tasks based on seven context-rich scenarios, with more than 50 examples of documents that students are likely to encounter in the workplace. To order the textbook packaged with Document-Based Cases for Technical Communication for free, use ISBN 978-1-319-00980-9.

Team Writing by Joanna Wolfe, University of Louisville, is a print supplement with online videos that provides guidelines and examples of collaborating to manage written projects by documenting tasks, deadlines, and team goals. Two- to five-minute videos corresponding with the chapters in Team Writing give students the opportunity to analyze team interactions and learn about communication styles. Practical troubleshooting tips show students how best to handle various types of conflicts within peer groups. To order the textbook packaged with Team Writing, use ISBN 978-1-319-00981-6.

Instructor Resources

You have a lot to do in your course. Bedford/St. Martin’s wants to make it easy for you to find the support you need—and to get it quickly.

Computerized Test Bank for Technical Communication, Eleventh Edition, is a new test bank that combines—and builds upon—existing assessment resources, including the self-assessment quizzes previously available on TechComm Web and reading quizzes. The test bank offers a convenient way to provide additional assessment to students. Instructors using LaunchPad will find the test bank material available in the “Resources” section, where they can add the items they wish to their units for the course. The test bank files are also available to download from the Bedford/St. Martin’s online catalog macmillanhighered.com/catalog/techcomm11e.

Instructor’s Resource Manual for Technical Communication, Eleventh Edition, is available in the “Resources” section of LaunchPad and as a PDF file that can be downloaded from the Bedford/St. Martin’s online catalog macmillanhighered.com/catalog/techcomm11e. In addition to sample syllabi, chapter summaries, and suggested teaching approaches, the Instructor’s Resource Manual includes suggested responses to every Document Analysis Activity, exercise, and case in the book. The manual also includes a unique series of teaching topics.

Additional Cases and Exercises for every chapter are available in the LaunchPad, and you can choose which ones you assign to students. Suggested responses to each case and exercise are also available.

Presentation Slides are available to download and adapt for each chapter.