Text Generators in Technical Communication: Summarizing Technical Documents

This assignment, by Douglas Eyman, is from TextGenEd: Teaching with Text Generation Technologies in the WAC Clearinghouse Repository.

The abstract from the site explains:

This assignment asks students to research a wide range of text analysis and summarization tools and carry out an assessment task to gauge how well these tools can summarize technical documents. The students write a comparison report, identifying the most successful of such tools in terms of accurate summarization and output style. Finally, they write a reflection about how they see themselves potentially using these tools in technical communication work contexts.

Key Features of This Assignment

Tool Assessment
Students research various text analysis and summarization tools, allowing them to critically evaluate the effectiveness and accuracy of these technologies in summarizing technical documents.
Comparison Report
The assignment includes writing a comparison report that identifies the most successful tools based on their summarization capabilities and output styles, fostering analytical and evaluative skills.
Reflective Writing
Students write a reflection on the potential applications of these tools in their future technical communication work, encouraging them to consider practical and ethical implications.