ü This short course introduces students to essential technical writing skills for proposals, technical reports, and process or requirements documents.
ü The course presents (1) a multi-step process for organizing, drafting, and writing documents, (2) techniques for creating figures, and (3), guidelines for creating clear and succinct technical prose.
ü All students will receive an AIAA Certificate of Completion at the end of the course.
Overview
This course is designed for engineers tasked to write technical reports, proposal technical volumes, and engineering process documents. The course techniques and guidelines were assembled by the instructor through his experience working on these types of documents during his career, and through the tutelage of technical document editors and proposal development consultants involved with these documents. The material is specific to writing needs of professional engineers. Almost half of the course is dedicated to learning a disciplined process for organizing and drafting documents and figures. The remaining portion consists of learning essential writing guidelines for efficient communication with a reader. Students spend course time practicing the techniques introduced in the lectures. Students must be able to use Microsoft Word, and experience in Microsoft PowerPoint is helpful.
Between classes, students will be encouraged to complete optional assigned exercises that simulate the process for organizing and drafting technical documents. The students will email completed exercises to the instructor for review among the class in the following session. At the last session of the course, students will also get the opportunity to review other students’ (anonymous) document drafts.
(Course held live in Spring 2022)
- Gain expertise in the multi-step process for organizing and creating a technical document
- Learn, through practice, essential technical writing guidelines that help the professional produce easily-read and clearly-understood technical writing
Outline:
- Class 1
- Introduction
- Lecture – The Technical Writing Process: Six-Step Process
- Exercise – Create a Module Layout
- Class 2
- Review Module Layouts
- Lecture – Creating Effective Figures
- Lecture – Big-4 Effective Writing Essentials w/ Mini Exercises
- Exercise – Create Sample Draft Figure and Module Bullet Statements Techniques for removing bias
- Class 3
- Review Figures and Bullet Statements
- Lecture - Guidelines for Clear and Succinct Writing w/ Mini Exercises
- Exercise – Create First Draft Text for Module
- Class 4
- Review others’ document drafts
- Final Exercise – Edit This Memo
- Summary
Paul Park is a retired Lockheed Martin engineer with over 40 years’ experience in advanced aircraft design. During his career he led preliminary design teams developing advanced fighters, bombers, rotorcraft, and hypersonic vehicles. He led the configuration design effort for the F-35 program, serving as Air Vehicle Integration Integrated Product Development Team Lead and subsequently Deputy Chief Engineer. Paul also led and authored major sections of proposal technical volumes and reports for the F-35, Joint Multirole Rotorcraft, National Aerospace Plane, Next-Generation Long-Range Strike, and Air Force R&D programs. Paul recently served as a consultant to Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems, and General Electric Global Research, and Wright Electric. Paul is an AIAA Associate Fellow and serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the AIAA Library of Flight series. He was a recipient of the 2002 AIAA Aircraft Design Award. Paul is the author of this short course, which he has taught to engineers at Lockheed Martin, Bell Helicopter, Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems, USAF, and engineering students at University of Texas at Austin, University of Texas at Arlington, North Texas University, Stanford University, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Classroom hours / CEUs: 8 classroom hours / .8 CEU/PDH
Course Fees (Sign-In To Register)
- Non-Member Price: $645 USD
- AIAA Member Price: $445 USD
- AIAA Student Member Price: $195 USD
Certificate of Completion
Receive an AIAA Course Completion Certificate upon viewing all course recordings. Please contact Lisa Le for a certificate.
Course Materials
Course slides and supplemental materials will be available for immediate download. Stream the video recordings anytime, 24/7.No part of these materials may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted, unless for course participants. All rights reserved.
Contact: Please contact Lisa Le or Customer Service if you have questions about the course or group discounts (for 5+ participants).
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