In this first week, find out the course and get going on the first unit, which is resumes and application letters. You can start this week getting ready to write the resume and application letter.

Introductions & startup. Let's find out who we are and what this class is all about.

Resumes & application letters. The following activities get you ready to write an application letter and a resume. To get credit for them, you must complete and send them to your instructor before the due for the related project.

Instructions, headings, lists, notices, illustrations. This and next week, we focus on the style, format, and organization of instructions. You'll get some practice formatting instructions and reformatting text to include headings, numbered and bulleted lists, and notices (warnings, caution, danger) and also learn some ways to acquire illustrations and incorporate them into your technical documents.

Instructions, headings, lists, notices, illustrations. We'll continue what we started last week.

Final-report planning. This week, study technical reports, types of reports, topics for reports, report requirements; look at example reports; and start thinking about your own report project, which is due toward the end of the semester. Specifically, pick a topic, and invent or find a real or realistic audience, purpose, and situation.

Proposals. Now that you've planned a formal, researched technical report, picked a topic, and invented or found a real or realistic audience, purpose, and situation, you're all set to learn about proposals, and plan and write a proposal in which you propose to do write the report you have just planned. This week, learn about proposals, practice formatting and revising proposals, brainstorm proposals in relation to report topics, and see how people have proposed to write the reports they've planned.

Final-report & proposal planning. We'll continue what we started last week.

Complaint letter. This week, learn about complaint letters, review business-letter format, format and revise a letter or two, and then plan a complaint letter about a bad product or service.

Recommendation reports, tables, information-searching, documentation. In these next several weeks, study recommendation reports, format and revise examples, and write one of your own. Learn about how to design tables, find information, and cite the sources of information you borrow—all of which you'll need in your recommendation report.

Recommendation reports, tables, information-searching, documentation — continued.

Catch-up or get-ahead time! Catch up and/or catch your breath! But don't forget . . . the recommendation report is due this week, and the final report is on the near horizon.

Final technical report. For the remainder of the semester, do a variety of activities in class to get you ready to write your final report: look at examples of technical reports, format and revise technical reports, practice writing the executive summary, and more.

Oral reports. This week, review the requirements for the oral report, and then start planning for a 7-minute oral-report script on your formal-report project or some other topic.