TCOM310
Technical Writing: Advanced Workshop
This workshop will help you refine your technical writing process and technique, and give you a fresh perspective on writing technical documents. You’ll hone writing skills that will improve your proficiency with any technical document. You’ll begin by reviewing your writing process and eliminating practices that have caused you difficulties in the past. You will also learn about strategies to improve communication between writers and readers, as well as methods to improve a document’s organization.
Please note that this is an advanced course. To get the most out of it and ensure your success, we strongly recommend completing the following courses prior to registering:
Instructional hours: 15
Overview
Location: Online
Format: Self-paced within deadlines set by instructor
Duration: 5 weeks
Tuition: $525
Can be applied to:
Technical Communication Certificate
Upcoming Offerings
Register for a course at any time, with the option to apply to a program later.
- Tue, Nov 5 (self-paced all week)
- Tue, Nov 12 (self-paced all week)
- Tue, Nov 19 (self-paced all week)
- Tue, Nov 26 (self-paced all week)
- Tue, Dec 3 (self-paced all week)
- Tue, May 13 (self-paced all week)
- Tue, May 20 (self-paced all week)
- Tue, May 27 (self-paced all week)
- Tue, Jun 3 (self-paced all week)
- Tue, Jun 10 (self-paced all week)
What you will learn
After completing this course, you’ll be able to do the following:
- Evaluate current writing theories in order to determine an appropriate approach to technical writing projects
- Apply the five steps of the technical writing process to your projects
- Create documents with a style and tone appropriate for the intended audience
- Assess the strengths and weaknesses of your own technical writing process
- Revise a piece of your technical writing for a specific audience, structure and style
How you will learn and be evaluated
- Prepare to spend 15–20 hours per week on coursework
- Expect reading and other assignments on a weekly basis
- Plan to access the course at least once every few days to keep up with your work and group assignments
You will be evaluated on:
- Assignments
- Participation in online discussions
- Quizzes
To graduate with the Technical Communication Certificate, complete all courses with minimum average grade of B- (70%).
Learning Materials
Course fees do not include textbooks. We recommend you purchase your textbook as soon as you’ve registered. We will provide additional course materials online.
Required text:
Johnson-Sheehan, Richard. Technical Communication Today, 6th Edition. Pearson, 2018. ISBN 9780134425733, 0134425731.
You can purchase this textbook through the Pearson or Vital Source website.
Recommended reading:
The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Edition. University of Chicago Press, 2017. ISBN 978-0226287058
Note: Courses use the author-date style from the Chicago/Turabian (17th ed.) citation guide.
Once you begin the course you’ll be sent SFU library access information for this text. Alternatively, you may wish to access a 30-day free trial of the online version of Chicago Manual of Style.
Technical Requirements
For online courses, you will need a computer with audio and microphone that is connected to the internet. Canvas is the online system that will be used for the course. For more information and online support, visit Online Learning.
This course requires:
- Microsoft Word for writing and submitting assignments
- High-speed internet access
To get the most from this course, you should be comfortable with the following MS Word and/or Google Docs functions:
- Using Paragraph styles
- Working with headers and footers
- Tracking changes and accepting or rejecting changes
- Inserting a table of contents, media
- Sharing documents
English language requirements
To succeed in this course, you will need an advanced level of written and spoken English. If you are unsure whether your English language skills are sufficient, we recommend you complete the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) with the following minimums:
- Overall band score minimum 6.5
- No band below 6.0
- Writing band score minimum 8.0
Please note we can’t refund your registration fees after the course start date if you find your English language skills are not adequate.
If you have questions or concerns about your English language proficiency, we encourage you to contact your local IELTS Test Centre.