Technical Communication Today, 6th Edition

Dynamic content designed for the way today's students read, think, and learn brings concepts to life

• Integrated within the narrative, interactives and videos empower students to engage with concepts and take an active role in learning. Revel™ uniquely presents media as an intrinsic part of course content, bringing the hallmark features of Pearson's bestselling titles to life. The Revel media interactives have been designed for quick completion, and videos are brief, so students stay focused and on task.

• Located throughout Revel, quizzing affords students opportunities to check their understanding at regular intervals before moving on.

• The Revel mobile app lets students read, practice, and study — anywhere, anytime, on any device. Content is available both online and offline, and the app syncs work across all registered devices automatically, giving students great flexibility to toggle between phone, tablet, and laptop as they move through their day. The app also lets students set assignment notifications to stay on top of all due dates.

• The Revel writing functionality, available in select courses, enables educators to integrate writing — among the best ways to foster and assess critical thinking — into the course without significantly impacting their grading burden. Self-paced Journaling Prompts throughout the narrative encourage students to express their thoughts without breaking stride in their reading. Assignable Shared Writing Activities direct students to share written responses with classmates, fostering peer discussion. Essays integrated directly within Revel allow instructors to assign the precise writing tasks they need for the course.

• Highlighting, note taking, and a glossary let students read and study however they like. Educators can add notes for students, too, including reminders or study tips.

Current topics and case studies.

• The newest technology-driven changes in workplace communication are incorporated, with in-depth discussions of email, instant messaging, working in virtual teams, making websites, blogging, podcasting, incorporating digital audio and visuals in documents, and negotiating ethical situations in electronic communication, among many other available strategies and tools.

• Case studies at the end of each chapter present situations that students might encounter in the workplace and often involve an ethical dilemma. They are designed to demonstrate the personal, social, political, economic, and environmental issues that shape decisions in the technical workplace.

“Chunked” content combined with graphics make it easy for readers to find the information they need.

• Quickstarts display basic elements of each major document type for visual learners and include specific, to-the-point guidance to get students writing.

• Annotated sample documents throughout show students worthwhile examples of workplace writing, usually on topics of intrinsic interest to a variety of student majors.

• Abundant exercises and projects at the end of each chapter give students opportunities to work individually or in teams and are designed to challenge students with realistic workplace writing assignments.

• At Work boxes in each chapter feature interviews with working professionals about how they communicate in a variety of workplace situations offering students a glimpse of the challenges faced in real world settings.

• Help boxes in every chapter describe how a specific computer application or related strategy can be used to improve the production and presentation of workplace communication.

• At a Glance information boxes serve as study aids and self-check reviews of major topic discussions for the “raiding” reader.

• Take Note call-outs supplement the main text with tips for understanding concepts and are quick asides to readers who desire more information on a subject.

• An open design facilitates learning by presenting material graphically and in accessible chunks of information.

• The Instructor’s Manual, available online at pearsonhighered.com, offers chapter-specific teaching strategies, prompts for class discussion, strategies for improving students’ writing and presentations, in-and-out-of-class activities, and quizzes (with suggested answers).  

A focus on innovation and entrepreneurship brings improvements and new features to this edition.

• NEW! A new focus on the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship in today’s scientific and technical workplace is included in every chapter.

• EXPANDED! Increased coverage of transcultural and global issues and their impact on emerging markets is included.

• NEW! Five completely new case studies feature the experiences of entrepreneurs in today’s scientific and technical workplaces, with subjects that include:

• Facing the challenge of maximizing productivity and getting team members to work together (Chapter 3)

• Developing a revolutionary idea while considering the physical and ethical implications of the concept (Chapter 4)

• Creating a design and prototype for a new product while stealing someone else’s idea (Chapter 9)

• Starting a new service on a college campus (Chapter 13)

• Using a start-up incubator as a way of introducing the importance of design in new products and services (Chapter 17)

• NEW! New figures are more colorful and illustrative of important processes and concepts.

• NEW! Direct connections between learning objectives and specific key sections in each chapter make assessment much easier.

• REVISED! Streamlined chapters incorporate computer-based skills once featured in separate “Help” sections.

• REVISED! Chapter-by-chapter Improvements include:

• A completely revised Chapter 1, “Technical Communication in the Entrepreneurial Workplace,” explores the emerging importance of innovation and entrepreneurship in technical communication. Technical communication is recast as part of the creative work of scientific and technical fields.

• A revised Chapter 2, “Profiling Your Readers,” shows how to think of readers as stakeholders who can be motivated to say ‘yes’ to new ideas and projects. The chapter explores in greater depth how transcultural readers react to written, verbal, and visual cues.

• An improved Chapter 3, “Working in Teams,” reframes teaming in terms associated with entrepreneurial start-ups and projects, helping students understand the fluid and evolving nature of today’s technical workplace.

• A re-positioned Chapter 5, “Starting Your Career,” moves the career unit forward to reflect how and when it is used in most technical communication courses. This content emphasizes the importance of continually revising career materials for today’s evolving workplace.

• A revised Chapter 7, “Technical Descriptions and Specifications,” shows how the purpose of technical descriptions is changing to fit today’s innovation-based technical workplace and stresses the importance of technical descriptions to developing new products and services.

• An updated Chapter 9, “Proposals,” highlights how proposals are often the centerpiece of innovation and entrepreneurship in scientific and technical fields.

• A new Microgenre on the “Post Mortem” in Chapter 10 (“Brief Reports”) discusses a new text that is becoming increasingly common and essential in today’s technical workplace. In addition, the chapter has been renamed in accordance with emerging workplace terminology.

• A completely revised and retitled Chapter 12, “Thinking Like an Entrepreneur,” moves creativity-enhancing techniques to the forefront, while following with strategic planning tools that capitalize on creative thinking.

• Reworked coverage in Chapter 13, “How to Be Persuasive,” offers strategies for getting people to say ‘yes’ to a new idea.

• A revamped Chapter 20, “Presenting and Pitching Your Ideas,” reimagines presentations as a way of using persuasion to support new ideas, products, and services. More emphasis is placed on the importance of promoting new ideas rather than simply transmitting technical information, as well as the importance of online types of presentations.

• A revised Chapter 21, “Writing for the Internet,” stresses brand-building, messaging, and teaming strategies that are common on today’s internet. In addition, there is more emphasis on reaching out to team members, clients, and customers with social networking, blogs, and websites.

• NEW! UPDATED! New and updated exercises and projects are included throughout.

• REVISED! Completely revised MLA documentation coverage reflects the 2016 overhaul of MLA style.  
  

Superior assignability and tracking tools help educators make sure students are completing their reading and understanding core concepts

• The Revel assignment calendar allows educators to indicate precisely which readings must be completed on which dates. This clear, detailed schedule helps students stay on task by eliminating any ambiguity as to which material will be covered during each class. When they understand exactly what is expected of them, students are better motivated to keep up.

• The Revel performance dashboard empowers educators to monitor class assignment completion as well as individual student achievement. Actionable information, such as points earned on quizzes and tests and time on task, helps educators intersect with their students in meaningful ways. For example, the trending column reveals whether students' grades are improving or declining, helping educators to identify students who might need help to stay on track.

• Integration of Revel and Blackboard Learn™ provides institutions, instructors, and students easy access to their Revel courses. With single sign-on, students can be ready to access the interactive blend of authors' narrative, media, and assessment on their first day. Flexible, on-demand grade synchronization capabilities allow educators to control exactly which Revel grades should be transferred to the Blackboard Gradebook.