This is not an analytic class where you succeed by recognizing skills in someone else's writing. Document design (how a document looks on a page) is important. Like it or not, readers make a first judgment of your resume, letter of job application, proposal, memo, or other document based on how it looks. Attention to detail is a watchword for this course. Tech writing differs from composition or analytic essay writing (that you may have done in literature classes) in several ways. Tech writing:

• Relies on explicit, formal organization by headings or a decimal outline instead of narrative development (telling a story). This means your writing in this course should be organized by topics identified by headings & subheadings.
• Is not author-centered writing that expresses your feelings & ideas. It is reader-centered to produce workplace information used by readers to solve problems.
• Integrates visual material, which in the sciences, is likely to be at least as important, if not more important, as the exposition.
• Is often produced by a team process involving SMEs (subject matter experts), graphic artists, editors, usability testers, lawyers, compliance officers, & others. Documents are not single-author controlled. The document belongs to the company, not you.