Technical Communication prerequisites

Technical Communication

Prerequisites

Prerequisite information for courses following Technical Communication I X465

The following list was prepared by Linda Urban and Mick Renner in their dual capacities as advisory board members and instructors for the Technical Communication program.

Before you enroll in a course that lists "Technical Communication I X465 or equivalent" as a prerequisite, we expect you to:

Be comfortable using one or more word processing applications on a computer.
The most common word processing applications used in technical writing are Microsoft Word, Word Perfect, and FrameMaker.
Know about various common types of technical documents, including:
User guide, reference, procedures, conceptual overview, instructions, tutorial, handouts, instructor guide, quick reference card, white paper, online help, etc.
Know about the different media used in technical communication, including:
Print, online help, training (CBT), web pages, slide presentations, CD-ROM, multimedia, etc.
Be aware of the business context for technical writing, including:
Communicating with the client or manager (cover memos, telephone calls, and so forth).
Preparing a draft for review.
Working with business team members (engineers, artists, layout people, designers, marketing people, managers, etc.).
Have written at least one substantial project (may be relatively short, such as a class project) which you carried from beginning to end, including research, outline, draft, revision, and final.
Know how to prepare work to hand to a client or manager (or teacher).
Have had practice "finishing" a project.
Be familiar with teamwork and a collaborative approach to writing projects.
Understand the project sequence (work flow) involved in creating technical documents: Plan, research, outline, draft, receive comments and edits, revise, final copy, production.
Know about the need to define an audience and to define the purpose of a document.
Be familiar with kinds of basic research and have had practice with one or more of the following:
Interviewing, testing software or equipment, library research, review of existing materials, specifications, etc.
Have had practice organizing information
Outlining and re-outlining.
Identifying redundant information and consolidating it.
Finding appropriate navigational mechanisms.
Have had practice using common writing structures, including:
Step-by-step instructions, bulleted lists, introductions, parallel headings, tables or charts, etc.
Be aware of good writing practices:
Active voice, present tense, define terms at first use, clear, concise sentences, etc. (essentially, what's covered in Strunk and White).
Avoid jargon.
Need for editing.
Understand the need to create a sample layout and plan the page design.
Have had practice implementing basic layouts, using style tags for paragraphs and headings.
Have had practice considering how editorial and visual design work together.
Be familiar with the revision process.
Receiving review comments.
Incorporating editorial comments.
Getting and performing peer edits.
Have had practice presenting information in front of an audience.

Top