The Technical Writing module teaches the principles and techniques for producing clear, easily understood technical documentation. The module begins with an understanding of the elements of style and grammar common to all good writing. But, unlike other technical writing courses, it proceeds far beyond that point to establish an innovative method for writing highly readable technical instructions and in-depth technical explanations.

Using contemporary research in rhetoric, psychology, and communications, the module teaches students how to produce professional technical documentation in much less time that it takes with alternative methods.

40 Hours

Principles of Technical Writing (3 lectures)

• Basic Rules of Technical Writing
• How to write clearly
• Grammar and Style
• Editing and Revising Technical Documents
• Creative Editing and Rewriting
• Understanding the revision process

Writing Technical Manuals  (4 lectures)

• The correct way to write Explanations and Operating Procedures
• How to write a standard User, Installation, or Maintenance manual
• How to write more effective explanations
• How to write Introduction and Overview chapters
• How to create a detailed outline for a technical manual

Documenting the Interface (2 lectures)

• The relationship between the interface and the rest of the system
• How the interface affects documentation
• How to  document a GUI Interface
• GUI terminology
• Documenting CLI interfaces

Gathering information about Hi-Tech Systems

• Methods of information gathering,  interviewing, validating information

Document Management and Maintenance (2 lectures)

• Understanding how to manage large documentation sets
• Versions and Revisions
• Single Sourcing: theory, XML, and software tools