Course Syllabus

Technical Writing

Author: A.A. Kuchukyan

Reviewers: V.Sh. Melikyan, Sci.D., Professor
A.A. Gevorgyan

Introduction:
The course program on “Technical Writing” is assigned for undergraduate education of IC Design
specialization and is taught in the 6th semester (3 year’s 2nd semester).

Objective:
The main objective of the course is to teach technical and business writing, including skills for IC design
documentation creation.

Class Hours:
The course duration is 45 hours, lectures volume is 15 hours, laboratory works are 30 hours.

Homework and Exam:

Grades will be assigned on:
 Lectures (60 scores)
 Practice classes (20 scores)
 Laboratory works (20 scores)
 Final exam.

Prerequisites:
The course program is compiled taking into account that the following course had been studied in
advance:
 Computer Application and Programming.
Understanding of the course is the basis for further specialized subjects destined by the educational plan
of VLSI Design specialization.

Reference Materials:
To study the course the necessary list of references is given below.
1. M. Markel. Technical Communication. Bedford/St. Martin's; 10 edition; 2012
2. D. Reep. Technical Writing: Principles, Strategies, and Readings. Longman; 8 edition; 2010
3. K. Laan, J. Hackos. The Insider's Guide to Technical Writing. XML Press; 2012
4. S. Schwarzman. Technical Writing Management: A Practical Guide. CreateSpace Independent
Publishing Platform; 2011
5. R. Hardesty. Technical and Business Writing for Working Professionals. Xlibris Corporation; 2011
6. J. McCormack, J. Slaght. English for Academic Study: Extended Writing and Research Skills:
Course Book; Garnet Education; 2nd edition; 2007
7. http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au/onlib/quot.html
8. http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/presentations_abstracts.html

Grading:
This course will be graded according to Professor’s discretion.

Lectures (15 hours)

Academic Writing

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Course Syllabus

 Reasons that students write. Common steps. Types of assessment. Analyzing the task.
Introduction. Main body. Conclusion. Using evidence to support ideas. Selective reading.
Quotation. Summarizing. Way of summarizing. Structuring the project and finding
information. Background information. Structure. Reading for a specific reason. Finding
information. Hint. Journals. On – line. Analyzing web sites encountered. Acknowledging
sources. Reasons for referencing a source. Ways of referring to a source. Academic
conventions in referencing. Referencing internet sources. Developing your project. The
tutorial system. Feedback. Avoiding plagiarism. Reasons students plagiarize. Main
sections of the abstract. Characteristics of good abstract. Developing a focus. Choosing a
title. Developing a focus. Problems you may encounter. Requirement. Introductions,
conclusions and definitions. Introduction features. Conclusions. Conclusion features.
Definitions. Features of definitions. Incorporating data and illustration. Data and
illustrations. Captions. Data commentary flow. Preparing for presentations and editing
your work. Abstracts. Features of abstract. Conference abstracts. Presentations.

Laboratory Works (30 hours):

Topic 1 (5 hours) – LibreOffice Writer, Word Processor
Topic 2 (5 hours) – LibreOffice Calc, Spreadsheet
Topic 3 (5 hours) – Creation of Presentation
Topic 4 (4 hours) – The use of formulas in LibreOffice Math
Topic 5 (3 hours) – The use of graphics in LibreOffice Draw
Topic 6 (3 hours) – Design Documentation Design
Topic 7 (3 hours) – Creation of Paper
Topic 8 (2 hours) – Business Writing Skills.

Synopsys University Courseware

Copyright © 2013 Synopsys, Inc. All rights reserved.
Developed by: Vazgen Melikyan