Communication is one of the most important elements of any business, and in many industries, employees rely heavily on written instructions and procedures. Technical writers advance and improve both internal and external communications by writing for websites, emails, proposals, technical instructions, and more. Professionals with these skills are in high demand throughout the business world, in schools and government agencies, and more. This technical writing course is the best way to get started learning everything you need to know about this exciting and diverse field.
This technical writing course is for you if you want to develop your technical writing abilities or are seeking a professional career as a technical writer. It will improve your understanding and use of written communications, making you an asset in any administrative, management, or technical writer role. Within the course, you will learn research methods, audience considerations, various writing styles, drafting and revision techniques, working in a collaborative environment, and more. This course will also introduce you to a variety of media and formats, such as Microsoft Word and Adobe PDF, and the different writing standards typically required for each.
Instructor(s):
Lynn Atkinson earned a B.A. in English from the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) in 1993 and an M.A. in English with an emphasis in rhetoric in 1996. A published writer and editor, including contributions to college textbooks, she considers her greatest accomplishment educating thousands of students at UTA, DeVry, Tarrant County College, Southeast Career Institute, and Everest College. She has also been nominated for and awarded "Outstanding Teacher" at several of these institutions. Lynn has developed or co-developed several writing curriculums, won writing contests, and conducted over 10,000 hours of tutoring. Requirements:
Hardware Requirements:
- This course can be taken on either a PC or Mac.
Software Requirements:
- PC: Windows 8 or later.
- Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
- Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
- Microsoft Word (not included in enrollment).
- Adobe Acrobat Reader.
- Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.
Other:
- Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.
Instructional Material Requirements:
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment. The following textbooks will be shipped to you approximately 7-10 business days after enrollment:
- Technical Writing for Success
- Technical Communication
Hide Syllabus
Lesson 1
- Introduction to Technical Communication
- Defining Technical Writing
- The Technical Communication Triangle
- What Is Technical Writing?
- Audience
- Purpose
- Ethics
- Medium
- Research
- The Seven Principles of Effective Writing
- Distinguishing Technical Writing From Other Types of Writing
- Assessing Your Relationship to Writing
- Your Role as a Technical Writer
- Introduction
- Ethics
- Codes of Conduct
- The Communication Dilemma
- Using Outside Sources
- The Communication Triangle
- Principles of Communication
- Establishing Common Ground
- Conditions Under Which Common Ground Fails
- Accommodating Your Audience's Needs
- Common Ground and the Communication Triangle
- Types of Technical Correspondence
- Part 1: Email, Memorandums, and Letters
- Part 2: Step-by-Step Instructions Memos
- Part 3: Reports
- Seven Principles of Good Writing
- Introduction
- Appropriateness
- Focus/Unity
- Development
- Organization
- Sentence Structure
- Right Word Usage
- Mechanical Conventions
- Summary
- Writing as a Process
- Introduction
- Working in Stages
- Stage 1: Prewriting
- Stage 2: Outline
- Stage 3: The Rough Draft
- Stage 4: Revision
- Stage 5: Editing
- Summary
- Preparation
- Introduction
- Applying the Communication Triangle
- Prewriting
- Brainstorming
- Freewriting
- Journaling
- Analyzing the Rhetorical Situation
- Summary
- Research
- Introduction
- Starting the Research Process
- Data
- Documentation and Plagiarism
- Finding Secondary Data
- Documenting Secondary Sources
- Taking Notes From Sources
- Collecting Primary Data
- Surveys
- Interviews
- Observation
- Experimentation
- Summary
- Organization
- Introduction
- Methods of Development
- Writing Pattern
- Common Organization Patterns
- Outlining
- Thesis Statements
- Claims
- Factors of the Thesis and Claims
- Topic Sentences
- Self-Check
- Rough Draft
- Introduction
- Writing the Introduction Paragraph
- Writing Body Paragraphs
- Voice and Tone
- Writing the Conclusion Paragraph
- Summary
- Revising and Editing
- Introduction
- Developing Revision Vision
- Writing Ailments and Cures
- The Revision Process
- Editing
- Self-Check
- Conclusion
- Course Conclusion
- Final: Writing Assignment: Conclusion Essay
- Details
Hide Syllabus
|
buy 
Login/Create account
checkout
view cart (
0
)
