University of Wisconsin-Madison

Communicating Technical Information (CTI) focuses on communication skills for technical leadership. The course will contribute to your effectiveness as a communicator, your ability to deal with various audiences, and your strategies to successfully use technical information. CTI incorporates weekly conferences, forums on communication topics, readings in the textbook and study guide, and research materials from UW's Kurt Wendt Engineering Library. The weekly conferences will be seminar discussions including your presentations and occasional guest lecturers. Course topics will cover practical skills for advanced technical leadership.

Course Topics

• Audience Analysis: strategies for technical, non-technical, and mixed audiences
• Teamwork: strategies and electronic tools for collaborative work
• Business Communication: email, memos, letters; style, tone, diplomacy, political correctness
• Major Communication Projects: reports, proposals, project management
• Meeting Management: technical meetings in person and via teleconferencing
• Technical Presentations: online and live
• Research: traditional, library, database, Web resources; lifelong learning
  

Major Semester Project

A Complete Research Report or Proposal

CTI is your first opportunity to conduct research using Wendt Library plus other resources to complete a major project. Besides a written report or proposal, you will be required to deliver an oral technical presentation, videotape it, and submit it as part of your work for the course. Appropriate topics may grow out of projects you want to complete for your job or for your own professional development goals.

Minor Assignments

You will facilitate a CTI conference on the Web (usually 15 minutes); participate in peer reviews and collaborative work related to your major project; and assist in moderating a weekly discussion forum topic.

CTI Transition Assignment to Summer IRRAE

During the spring semester, you will identify your summer Independent Reading and Research in Applied Engineering (IRRAE) project; the final CTI assignment is a first draft of your IRRAE project proposal, including preliminary research, project description, scope and goals, and your own qualifications.