The Long and Short of Technical Writing Courses

Abstract

Courses in technical writing available to management for updating the writing skills of practicing scientists and engineers range from one-day in-house lectures to one-year college courses, including a variety of short courses. This paper presents their comparative advantages and disadvantages as seen by the author, who has taught most of them at one time or another during the past 20 years. High in providing motivation, the one-day lecture reaches the greatest number of students at one time, but quickly loses its effectiveness if students do not practice. The long courses allow time for writing and rewriting, but classes must be smaller and attendance is a problem. The eight-week short course is a good compromise and there is a three-day cram course that has been well received. In every class the students must be carefully screened, while the instructors can be either in-house editors or imported specialists. From among the many variations, management can select the best course to suit its specific needs and its available funds.