Professional and Technical Writing/Text History

=A History of This Text=

What is a Wiki Book?
Wikipedia was first created as a free ongoing encyclopedia project. The idea about a collaborative encyclopedia came about to allow many different people to add information to a certain page. Wikipedia, what many consider to be the main Wiki on the web today, was founded in 2001 by volunteers and today is known as one of the largest reference sites on the web. Like many other wiki’s on the web today, visitors do not need certain qualifications to contribute information to a wiki page. The problems with this aspect of wiki books is that even though many accomplished, knowledgeable people add information to wiki’s, wiki’s could essentially be formed without any credibility.

Creation of this Text
This Wikibook was created during the summer of 2008 to encourage students to create a supplemental text for the course Technical and Professional Writing offered at the University of Minnesota. This online text is supposed to serve as a substitution for having a textbook, but the overall hope is to develop the text until it is a publishing level and can be used by future students of 3562W. The Technical and Professional Writing Wikibook will help to produce a new insight into using effective communication practices by written completely by students. The Wikibook 3562W will help you to understand how to write professional. This Wikibook starts off with basic business writing techniques that will help you develop a resume, learn to write proper memos, create business documents, draft proposals, etc. The goal of the text is that tools will learn and gain from the Wikibook will help readers become not only proficient and successful writers, but also successful individuals.

Main Focus of this Text
Professional and Technical Writing emphasizes teaching students to grasp a difference between the educational, practical, and business purposes one may have when writing. Technical and Professional Writing tries to prepare students for their future careers by teaching them the basic business writing strategies and techniques.
 * Educational- Will be read by teachers
 * Practical- Will be read by co-workers, customers, and other individuals
 * Business- Will be read by employers, clients, and different organizations

Philosophy
Student creation of a text reflects a student-centered educational philosophy.

{a student needs to conduct interviews, and add background information}

Classes Contributing
In reverse chronological order (most recent to first), these are the classes making major contributions to this text.
 * ENGL3025A Technical Writing, Robert Morris University, Moon Township, PA, Spring 2012
 * Writ 3562 Technical and Professional Writing, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Spring 2010

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