TCOM110
Concepts and Practice of Technical Communication
Get a thorough grounding in the broad discipline of technical communication as well as a framework for future courses. This course will familiarize you with the challenges that professional technical writers face and the standard practices they use. It will also give you an appreciation of your own competencies and deficiencies, and allow you to tailor the courses you take in the future accordingly.
| Section | Dates | Campus | Instructor(s) | Hours | Cost | Registration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TCOM110-ON11271 | Sep 17–Dec 13, 2012 |
Online | Duncan Kent and Robert Desprez |
20 | $510 | Register |
| TCOM110-ON11311 | Jan 21–Apr 18, 2013 |
Online | Kevin Barefoot and Duncan Kent | 20 | $510 | Register |
| TCOM110-ON11312 | Apr 29–Jul 25, 2013 | Online | Duncan Kent | 20 | $510 | Register |
This course is part of the following program(s):
Certificate in Technical Communication (online) (core course)
Prerequisites:
There are no prerequisites for this course.
What will I learn?
By the end of the course, you will be able to do the following:
- Identify the kinds of organizations that use technical communication as well as the documents they need
- Identify the attributes of good and bad technical documentation
- Describe the role and importance of planning, scheduling, testing, style guides, and editing in creating good documents
- Identify the primary methods of reproducing technical documents in different formats
- Describe the pros and cons of different formats for technical documents and how to appropriately use each one
- Describe the differences between print and online documents, particularly as the differences relate to legibility, reading speed, and search strategies
How will I learn?
- Group assignments
- Independent writing assignments
- Extra reading
- Online research and discussion groups
Who should take this course?
This course is open to anyone who wants to learn about technical writing or technical communication, and who wishes to study the best practices in the field.
How will I be evaluated?
Your grade will be based on the following:
- Assignments (75%)
- Participation (25%)
Textbooks and learning materials
All course materials are available online.
Hardware and software requirements
In this course, you will work and communicate online. We will deliver the course materials and communication tools to you online in a program called WebCT. You will gain access to this program one week before the course begins.
Technical requirements:
- High-speed Internet access
- A web browser that supports tables, frames, Java, and Javascript
(The list of browsers supported by WebCT Vista 8.03 is available online.) - Adobe Acrobat Reader
Please submit all assignments in PC-compatible PDF format. Unfortunately, we cannot accept files that will open only on a Mac.