Directions:

Your task in this Competency Assessment is to gain experience constructing a technical description or set of instructions for a product or process of your choosing. Audience analysis is key, as is context and rhetorical awareness.

Use the document entitled "Designing Technical Documents" (Google Doc) to see what is expected in this assessment. Pay close attention to these guidelines to ensure that you meet all expectations for this assessment.

While creating your document, consider the following:

  1. Pick a process/product. Consider who uses this product, how they use it, and what they know and don't know. 

  2. Consider the purpose of your technical description/instructions. How will these help the user to accomplish their purpose? What will they need from it, and how will it be used?

  3. Decide level of formality, technical expertise, vocabulary, etc. of your audience. How will this dictate the choices you make in your document?

  4. Base your paper format and layout as described in the document linked above, beginning on page 4 under the section heading  "Organization of Technical Documents."

  5. You are required to include at least one visual element in your document with proper formatting and citations as described in your eTextbook.

Your paper is expected to be 2-3 pages in length, single spaced.