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. For those of you who are students, I sincerely hope that the insights of these films help you improve your documents. For those of you who are faculty, you are more than welcome to assign these films to students in 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 Writing of Engineers and Scientists (1:50) 
Why the Study of General Writing Is Not Enough (2:00) 
Analyzing Audience and Purpose (3:22)
Analyzing Occasion: Length and Format (5:57)

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)
​
Language: Making Connections
Connecting Ideas: Overview (6:06)
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: Conclusion (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
Knowing Your Audience (2:55)
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)
I have taught writing to engineers and scientists in seventeen countries. Sites include the University of Illinois, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, United Technologies, Simula Research Laboratory (Norway), Penn State, SPIE,  the European Space Agency, US Army Corps of Engineers, Sandia National Labs, University of San Paulo, University of Texas, ​Qatar Gas, Panjab University, University of Barcelona, and Virginia Tech.

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.

Writing as an engineer or scientist requires skills beyond what general writing courses teach.

Sample writing film: Connecting your ideas. For more information on how to make connections, see other films on Making Connections (left column).

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.

Sponsors and Editors

Sponsors
     Leonhard Center, College of Engineering, Penn State
​     National Science Foundation, NSF EAGER Award  1752096

​Editors
     Michael Alley, Teaching Professor, College of Engineering, Penn State
     Justin Bardy, B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, 2021, Penn State
     Mikayla Detwiler, B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, 2020, Penn State
     Alexus Eicher, B.S. in Computer Science, 2020, Penn State
     Jake Grant, B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, 2022, Penn State
     Alexander How, B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, 2021, Penn State
     Carrie McCartney, B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, 2020, Penn State
     Alyssa Peretin, B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, 2020, Penn State
​     Roman Pero, B.S. in Chemical Engineering, 2021, Penn State
     Kaitlyn Pigeon, B.S. in Industrial Engineering, 2021, Penn State

Film Editors
     Richelle Weiger, College of Engineering, Penn State
     Casey Fenton, College of Engineering, Penn State
​     Elaine Gustus, College of Engineering, Penn State