There is a separate instructional fee for Technical Writing, taught by the Virginia Tech English Language Institute .
Classes meet three hours a week in multiple sections in the fall and spring semesters.
Technical Writing is designed to help international graduate students write technical papers and theses in their academic disciplines. Along with an examination of the styles of academic writing in English, the course includes a review of the main grammatical structures which advanced ESL students have difficulty with. The last segment of the course deals with research paper writing, including how to paraphrase material from documented sources appropriately. This course is designed for ITA's who are expected to teach classes or laboratories. It includes an orientation to the American classroom, techniques for effective classroom communication, and actual practice in giving presentations.