engineering

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Before-class Preparation: Technical Communication Use the following questions to guide your reading and preparation for the iRAT/tRAT in lecture.

1. Pre-lecture reading: read the Textbook Chapter 12 "Oral Presentations".

1) What are the four components that make up an oral presentation?

2) In terms of “Content and Organization”, what are the three main sections after the title slide?

How to use the simple rule of thumb “Tell them three times” in the three main sections?

3) What four types of information should you consider include in the main body part of your

presentation?

4) In terms of “Visual Aids”, how many slides should you prepare, say, for a 10-minute

presentation?

5) What are the four main objectives of the “Speaker”? Explain in one sentence for each. What

does “AMMA” stand for?

2. Pre-lecture reading: read the handout “Engineering: the Full Technical Report”.

1) What are the sections commonly included in a technical report?

2) What are the five principles you have to adhere regarding voice and tone in a technical report

(page 3, red box on the right)? Explain in one sentence for each.

3. Pre-lecture reading: read the handout “Style Guide for Technical Report Writing”.

1) To include figures in a technical report, where to put figure number and title? What to pay

attention to in terms of axis label?

2) To include tables in a technical report, where to put table number and title? What to pay

attention to if numerical data is provided?

3) Why “copy and paste” content from other sources to your report is not allowed? When citing a

paper or a book in your main text, do you use parenthesis or brackets to include the reference

number(s)? When formatting entries in the “References” section at the end of your report, do

entries follow the same format based on different types of sources (journal paper, conference

paper and book)?

4) How to format a standalone equation in terms of alignment, punctuation? How to number

standalone equations? Do you use parenthesis or brackets for equation reference number?

What are the rules for definitions of variables used in an equation? What are some examples of

unprofessional ways of writing equations that you should avoid?

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4. Pre-lecture homework: answer all questions above. First copy each question then write down the answer. Submit the homework to Blackboard and also bring in the completed homework to the RAT quiz to use as a cheat sheet.