Teaching and Learning Films

To help those of you who are now teaching and learning online, I am sharing all of my films on writing as an engineer or scientist. You are more than welcome not only to view these films, but also to incorporate these films into your courses. 
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Tutorials
Writing Technical Reports  
Writing Job Application Emails 
Writing Research Papers
Making Presentations in Engineering or Science

Scientific Writing in General
Importance of Scientific Writing (1:14) 
Analyzing Audience, Purpose, and Occasion (5:07)
Goals of Scientific Writing (2:22)

Reports
Overview: Report Organization (3:57)
Titles of Reports (5:54)
​Summaries of Reports (1:58)
​Writing in Sections (5:29)
Incorporating Illustrations, Equations, and Abbreviations (7:50)

Language: Being Precise, Clear, and Concise
Being Precise and Clear (4:32)
Avoiding Ambiguity (4:30)
​Cutting Needless Words I (4:33)
​Cutting Needless Words II (3:10)

Language: Choosing Strong Verbs
Choosing Strong Verbs: Position in Sentence (5:16)
Choosing Strong Verbs: Allowing Inanimate Objects to Act (4:17)
​Choosing Strong Verb: Use the First Person (4:14)
Choosing Strong Verbs: Summary (4:52)
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Language: Making Connections
Connecting Ideas: The Problem (5:23)
​Connecting Ideas: A Strategy (2:16)
Transitional Phrases (4:07)
Connecting with Different Sentence Openers I (4:51)
Connecting with Different Sentence Openers II (4:11)
​Connecting with Different Sentence Openers III (5:09)
Connecting Ideas: Summary (2:33)

Grammar, Punctuation, and Usage
Why Grammar Matters (6:00)
Part I of Grammar: Writing Sentences, Not Fragments (5:30)
Part I of Grammar: Phrases and Dependent Clauses (5:47)
Part II of Grammar: Adding Phrases and Clauses (3:26)
Part II of Grammar: Writing Sentences, Not Run-Ons (8:53)
Punctuation: Periods and Commas (9:22) 
Punctuation: Advanced Punctuation (8:46)
Usage: Basic Word Choice (4:43)
Usage: Advanced Word Choice (3:20)
Usage: Verb Tense (4:28)
Usage: Expressing Numbers (4:40)

Research Papers
Overview: Organization of Research Paper (3:15)
​Titles of Research Papers (5:20)
​Abstract of Research Paper (3:31)
Introduction of a Research Paper (9:11)

Emails
Analyzing What the Audience Knows (2:04)
​Analyzing Why the Audience Is Reading (1:19)
​Analyzing How the Will Read (2:31)
Subject Lines (4:34)
Opening Paragraph (4:34)
​Writing the Middle (3:13)
Writing the Ending (1:15)

Online Class Period: Reports

Online Class Period: Connections

Writing Reports

On a single project, engineers and scientists write many reports. Examples would be reports to update the project's progress, to present test results, and to document the completed project. This section discusses common types of formal documents  and presents sample professional formats for you to use when the company or course has not yet specified one.

Writing Emails and Letters

Engineers, scientists, and technical professionals often write emails. In addition, they sometimes write other forms of correspondence such as letters and memos. In engineering and science, such correspondence is an effective way to make requests, submit small changes to a job, and deliver specific information. ​This section presents professional formats and student models.

Exercises 

This section presents short films and exercises to review the essence of grammar, punctuation, and usage in scientific writing. Acquiring this essence is important to help you avoid errors that can undercut your credibility. In addition, understanding grammar allows you not only to connect sentences in sophisticated ways but also to provide more precise reviews of documents written by others.

Online Class Period: Job Emails