RE: Tech Writing Curriculum
> Well, actually we do take a drafting course in first
> year. Or we did, when
> I went through chemical engineering school 20mumble
> years ago. I also took
> drafting in high school.
> Of course, when I took drafting, it was with pen and
> vellum, not a PC. But
> the idea is the same -- we learned the TOOL and its
> application in our
> first year of engineering.
No, you didn't learn a tool, you learned a technique.
You used a tools in that learning process. There's a
big difference there.
They didn't sit there and only teach you how to hold
the pen, why you use a different sized pen for
different elements in the draft, how to use a
protractor or slide rule. Maybe in high school, but in
college I would think, I would hope, you applied the
drafting toward some sort of throry or practical
assignment.
But we absolutely DID learn the different kinds of pen points and inks, and different lettering styles, and the difference between creating on vellum and creating on paper, how to dimension drawings, how to create perspective and isometric drawings, how to work first in pencil and then in ink over top, how to use a protractor and compass correctly...
Many of the first year engineering students had never taken drafting before. It was definitely a tools-based course -- it's just that the tools have changed so dramatically since then. It wasn't worth much (1 credit, I think, and we averaged 32-35 credits a semester). But it was a REQUIRED course.
The slide rule is a different matter. Calculators in those days were terribly unsophisticated. My first one could add, subtract, multiply, divide, and take square roots. That's all. And it cost about $150 US at the time.
We were not permitted to use calculators of any kind in first year. Only slide rules were allowed. Using one, as I said before, was a skill we were expected to have before we got there. It was NOT taught, although I do remember a frustrated chem teacher offering remedial sessions!
BTW, I also learned drafting in college, both on the
slanted tables and in front of the computer. We never
in that time were taught just how to draft... we used
the tools in conjunction with completing an assignment
based on theory, science, and design knowledge taught
in the class.
Nope. We did straight drafting assignments. I'm a chemical engineer -- why else would I have learned to draw an isometric cutaway of a concrete building corner? <grin>
Win
-------------------
Win Day
Multimedia Developer
http://www.wordsplus.net
mailto:winday -at- wordsplus -dot- net
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Collect Royalties, Not Rejection Letters! Tell us your rejection story when you submit your manuscript to iUniverse Nov. 6 -Dec. 15 and get five free copies of your book. What are you waiting for? http://www.iuniverse.com/media/techwr
Your monthly sponsorship message here reaches more than
5000 technical writers, providing 2,500,000+ monthly impressions.
Contact Eric (ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com) for details and availability.
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
References:
RE: Tech Writing Curriculum: From: Win Day
RE: Tech Writing Curriculum: From: Iggy
Previous by Author:
RE: Tech Writing Curriculum
Next by Author:
RE: entering tech writer field
Previous by Thread:
RE: Tech Writing Curriculum
Next by Thread:
Re: Tech Writing Curriculum
Search our Technical Writing Archives & Magazine
Visit TechWhirl's Other Sites
Sponsored Ads