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Course 1: Introduction to Writing User Guides & The Technical Writing Field and Course 2: User Guide Workshop With Elsie Walker Save $40.00 when taking both courses together. Course 1
Interested in
entering the technical writing field? Many
technical writers start out writing user (how-to) guides. This course will introduce students to the mechanics of writing user
guides, how the job of a user guide writer is structured and give a glimpse into
the technical writing field.
The class starts
off with an overview of what user guide writers do, the technical writing field,
and a “how-to” warm-up exercise. From there we move on to looking at the elements of good user
guide writing and the types of assignments user guide writers get. Students will get a chance to do a short case study which will allow them
to create a user guide section from scratch. The course ends with a look at resources for the user guide writer,
technical writing job interviews, and consulting vs. being a full time employee. Course 2 Want to get more experience in user guide writing? Want to add some technical writing samples to your portfolio? In this continuation of our introductory class, students focus on a writing project which will further hone their skills and could be used in their portfolio as a sample of their user guide writing ability. This
is a workshop rather than a course. Though there will be some readings,
the emphasis of the course is on writing and getting feedback from the
instructor. The goal of the workshop is to help students hone their user
guide writing skills while building up their portfolio. One of the
things about starting out in technical writing is that you don't have
any samples of user guide work to show prospective employers. The case
study used in this workshop can be used to that end.
Again, although the focus is mostly on writing and feedback, we'
will talk about a few extra topics such as style and style-sheets,
proofreading, and creating message logs. Course Type: Self-paced, individualized workshop. Reading and writing assignments; instructor feedback. Objective:
After taking
this course, students should
have a feel for what’s involved in
the
technical writing field and the job of a user guide writer, understand the
mechanics of the user guide writing process and the characteristics of reader
friendly documentation, and have practiced user guide writing skills through
assignments. After
taking this course, students should
feel more comfortable in doing user guide writing, have created a
writing sample for their portfolio, and have an understanding of style
and the difference between editing and proofreading. Duration: 8 lessons to be completed in two months Course openings: Yes, open-enrollment Limit: Ten learners Cost: $260.00 ($300.00 when taken separately) Tutorial Option: Yes. (Intensive personal mentorship.) Learner Prerequisites: None. Class Materials: Readings & assignments provided by the instructor by e-mail attachment. Learners will receive feedback on their work via e-mail response. Curriculum: Week 1: Overview
of the course
Homework: We start
with a warm-up. (1)Write directions for doing a common chore - tying a shoe lace
or starting a car (automatic). (2) If you have a manual that came with any of
your software packages, glance through it and see the kind of information it
gives and how it is presented. Reflections on last
week's homework
Homework
assignment (1) Update page (s) in a user guide from information provided by a
source document. (2) Observe how cashiers in a grocery store use a scanner to
ring up orders. Brainstorm ideas of what you'd want to include in a user guide
section for new cashiers on using a scanner to ring up orders.
Introduction
of Case Study
Gathering
information: Learning about the audience and their needs, learning about what
you're going to write about, brainstorming ideas Style/Format Drafting Homework: Students
write a two-three-page user guide section based on our Fairfield Scanner case
study.
What is consulting all about?
Week 5: Our Case Study begins.
Students will write a user guide section describing how to sign on to an
e-mail system and access mail. Students will use their own e-mail
systems as research material. We'll talk briefly about the use of screen
displays and review a few concepts from the introductory course. Week 6: A few short readings
will discuss style-sheets, proofreading, documenting revision dates,
headers and footers and dealing with proprietary information. The
homework assignment for this week will be to create a style-sheet for
the guide section written during week one. Also, there will be a
proofreading exercise to complete.
Week 7: Style and consistency:
This week's lesson will focus on adding a new section to an existing
document. The homework is a continuation of the mini-guide started in
week one. For the homework assignment, students will be asked to write
directions on how to send an e-mail message and read and save incoming
mail. They will be expected to follow the style-sheets they created in
week two's assignment so that the new section will have the look and
feel of the guide piece written in week one. Week 8: Polishing the Piece: Looking at their mini-e-mail user guide, students will be asked to come up with a systems message log in which they will describe error messages and their resolutions, a glossary, table of contents, etc. In addition they'll use the feedback received in the previous lessons to polish their final project. Instructor bio Elsie Walker is a freelance writer with more than
1,000 published articles to her credit. Her professional background includes
working as a technical writer for Prudential Healthcare, ADP, and Honeywell (the
latter as a consultant). Her magazine credits include articles in Succeed (continuing education), Hope (general interest), College Bound (education), Byline (writer’s trade magazine), Fiddler Magazine (special interest), The Quiet Hour (religious devotional), Sussex County Magazine (travel), and many more. In the past few years, she has moved on to doing mostly newspaper work, first for the Recorder Publishing chain and then for Gannett. Now she writes for five New Jersey newspapers including The Animal Companion (a specialty paper which focuses on animals, animal rescue and rehabilitation groups, etc.) Paypal: |
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