Assignment 1: Technical Description  (10% of final grade)

Choose a simple technological item or a piece of a larger item, of a specific brand, for description. You could describe, for example, a Swingline stapler, a Pilot Acrobar pen, a portable Anker solar charger or an Alfawise magnetic window cleaner. You can describe an object, a mechanism or a process. Topics will be determined in class and are subject to my approval. Your technical description will have the following elements:

Title and Introduction: the title of the technical description should simply be the name of the item you are describing. In the introduction, provide the following information:

For object and mechanical descriptions

• What the item is
• The function of the item
• What the item looks like
• How the item works
• What the principal parts of the item are

For process descriptions

• What the process is
• The function of the process
• Where and when the process takes place
• Who or what performs the process
• How the process works
• What the principal steps in the process are

Details: describe each part of the object or mechanism in detail. If you are describing a process, describe each stage of the process in detail. Do not give your opinion of the object, mechanism or process. Simply describe it.

You are encouraged to use pictures you took of the item, along with labels. Alternatively, you may use images from the Internet, in which case you must carefully cite your sources and label the images. Do not use pre-labeled images from the internet. You can also draw the item digitally or draw it by hand and scan it. If you do this, label the drawing by hand or digitally. Label each part and sub part of the object or mechanism you are describing. If you are describing a process, use diagrams or graphics for each step of the process you are describing. Give every image a figure number and a caption.

Conclusion: for object or mechanism descriptions, explain how the parts work together. For process descriptions, summarize the process.

Format: reasonable font, margins, and spacing.

Due Dates:

9.20 – First Draft
10.01 – Final Draft