Technical Writing Workshop for Engineers
DISCLAIMER
Before undertaking any on-demand effort, you should review the rules of your licensing/certifying entity.
It’s your responsibility to determine whether this on-demand course meets your continuing education requirements.
You must take and pass a quiz to receive credit. You can take the quiz as many times as needed and there is no time limit on the quiz.
Once the quiz is completed, you will be asked to download your certificate.
**Any on-demand programs that qualify for AIA or LACES credit will require an additional 2 business weeks for processing.
**AIA credit is not available in USB format.
Streamable MP4/PDF
You will receive an automated email letting you know when your On-Demand package is available approximately 3 business days after the date of the live event or the date of your order, whichever is later. This email will contain links to the video recording, materials, and program quiz.
To track your purchase, you will need to create an account on the website using the email address used for your registration.
For AIA requirements only, the on-demand recording will have occasional question prompts that will not allow the video to progress unless they are answered, and you will not be able to skip forward while watching the video.
Please note, if you attempt to resume watching the video on a separate device, your progress will not be saved.
Click the link which appears at the end of the video to be taken to the course quiz.
You will have unlimited access to the on-demand video recording, and it will never expire.
**Any streamable on-demand programs that qualify for AIA or LACES credit will require an additional 2 business weeks for processing.
USB MP4/PDF
HalfMoon will mail these materials via USPS.
USB orders ship approximately 3 business days after the program takes place or after the order is placed, whichever date is later. Please allow an additional 7-10 business days for shipping.
The link to the quiz will be available in a PDF in your USB drive marked QUIZ.
HalfMoon will contact you and issue a full refund if the product you ordered is not available. However, refunds will not be issued if completion certificates are requested.
Please contact HalfMoon Education if you have any questions during the process of taking this course. (715) 835-5900 or qchapman@halfmoonseminars.org
**Any USB on-demand programs that qualify for LACES credit will require an additional 2 business weeks for processing.
**AIA credit is not available in USB format.
Agenda
Webinar instructions will be emailed before the date of the webinar.
Log into Webinar
8:00 – 8:30 am CST
Morning Session
8:30 am – 12:00 pm CST
Break
12:00 – 1:00 pm CST
Afternoon Session
1:00 – 5:00 pm CST
Presented by Dr. Mark Decker
Writing for Specific Audiences
Audience types
Primary and secondary audiences
Audience and tone
Visual Writing: Using Images, Graphs, and Charts to Convey Information
Document design principles and technical writing
Displaying data and information visually
Structured Writing
Structuring documents for maximum readability
Using structuring tools to help audiences find information
Common patterns for organizing information
Common Document Structures
Creating clear instructions
Writing informal reports
Keeping concise and useful meeting minutes
Writing persuasive proposals
Correspondence
Crafting formal letters
Using memos to set policy and provide guidance
Professional email management
Common Document Sections
Using front matter to help readers evaluate documents
• Letters and memos of transmittal
• Executive summaries and abstracts
Best practices for standard body sections
• Introduction • Methods
• Qualifications • Budget
• Conclusions
Giving readers further information in the back matter
• Glossary • Appendices
Editing for Concision and Clarity
General editing techniques
Ensuring continuity and clarity with transitions
Editing sentences for concision and clarity
Omitting needless words
Copyediting for clarity and concision
Webinar Instructions
All attendees must log-on through their own email – attendees may not watch together if they wish to earn continuing education credit. HalfMoon Education Inc. must be able to prove attendance if either the attendee or HalfMoon Education Inc. is audited.
Certificates of completion can be downloaded in PDF form upon passing a short quiz. A link to the quiz will be sent to each qualifying attendee immediately after the webinar. The certificate can be downloaded from the Results page of the quiz upon scoring 80% or higher.
Webinars are presented via GoToWebinar, an easy-to-use application that can be run on most systems and tablets. Instructions and login information will be provided in an email sent close to the date of the webinar. It is highly recommended that you download, install and test the application before the webinar begins by clicking on the link in the email.
GoToWebinar App requirements:
Windows 7 – 10 or Mac OSX Mavericks (10.9) – macOS Catalina (10.15)
Web Browser:
The two most recent version of the following browsers:
Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Microsoft Edge
Internet Explorer v11 (or later) with Flash enabled
Internet connection: Minimum of 1Mbps Hardware: 2GB RAM or more
For more information, visit the Support section at www.gotowebinar.com
Credits
Professional Engineers
7.0 PDHs in all states
Continuing Education Credit Information
This live interactive webinar offers 7.0 PDHs/continuing education hours to professional engineers
licensed in all states.
HalfMoon Education is an approved continuing education sponsor for engineers in Florida
(Provider No. 0004647), Indiana (License No. CE21700059), Maryland, New Jersey (Approval No.
24GP00000700), North Carolina (S-0130), and North Dakota. Other states do not preapprove
educators or courses.
HalfMoon Education is deemed a New York-approved continuing education provider for engineers
via its registration with the American Institute of Architects Continuing Education System
(Regulations of the Commissioner §68.14(i)(2).
Course completion certificates will be awarded to participants who complete the webinar in its
entirety, respond to all the prompts during the instruction, and earn a score of 80% on the quiz
that follows the instruction (multiple attempts allowed).
Speakers
Dr. Mark Decker, PhD
Professor and Department Chair in the Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania’s English DepartmentMr. Decker teaches Technical Writing and Writing Technical Manuals in support of the Professional Writing minor. Dr. Decker has PhD and MA degrees in English from The Pennsylvania State University (2001, 1997) and he graduated summa cum laude in English from Utah State University (1995).
While an undergraduate, Dr. Decker worked for several years as a staff writer for Aerotech News and Review, an aerospace and defense industry trade newspaper published in Lancaster, California. During graduate school, Dr. Decker was a member of the Leonhard Center for Technical Writing Initiative, a collaboration between Penn State’s Department of English and College of Engineering designed to promote an exchange of ideas between technical writing instructors and the scientific and engineering communities. Dr. Decker also taught Business Writing, Technical Writing, and an Advanced Technical Writing course that enrolled graduate students from technical and scientific disciplines.
After graduate school, Dr. Decker spent four years at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, where he taught Technical Writing in support of that school’s major in Technical Communication and served as the advisor for the student chapter of the Society for Technical Communication. Dr. Decker has given presentations at several national and international conferences and has published both a book and a co-edited book as well as several scholarly articles, book chapters, and encyclopedia chapters.