Technical Writing Extension Certificate

E-mail: cebusiness@mtroyal.ca
Information: 403.440.8804 or toll-free 1.888.392.3655
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Location: Lincoln Park Campus, 4825 Mount Royal Gate SW

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Interested in finding out more about the Technical Writing program? Attend this free information session. Presenters will be available to answer your questions.

Required Courses | Optional Courses | Student Testimonials

Technical writing is a diverse field of communication that serves the needs of the end user of technical information: the reader. Almost every type of industry needs technical writers who can translate technical and factual information for their customer, stakeholder or employee. Whether your role is an administrative assistant, an engineer, a trainer, a business analyst or a communications professional, technical communications play a vital function in your job.

This hands-on program enables you to develop technical writing skills using the latest tools, methods and key software programs commonly used by technical writers. Learn to apply a systematic approach to creating technical documents, select appropriate styles of writing for specific technical purposes and evaluate the effectiveness of a technical communication form.

Requirements
A grade 12 level of proficiency in written and spoken English and strong intermediate skills in MS Word and Windows are strongly recommended requirements for technical writing courses.

Please bring a 4GB USB memory stick to class as some classes will be held in a computer lab.

Program Notes
We strongly recommend completion of Foundations of Technical Communications before beginning other courses in the certificate. The recommended sequence of course study can be found in the chart above. Some required courses may require some assignments to be submitted within a week after the course has finished.

Earning Your Extension Certificate
Complete the nine required courses (135 hours) plus 22 hours of optional courses within three years with a minimum grade of C in each required course. You may also register in individual courses of interest.

Required Courses

Foundations of Technical Communication
Explore the discipline of technical writing and enhance your writing techniques to meet the demands of today’s marketplace. Study the concepts involved in technical writing, including audience analysis, document organization, and grammar and writing skills to create clear, concise, correct and cohesive communications. Apply these through practical exercises. 

Producing Software Specifications
Functional requirements and design specifications are vital to any development or manufacturing project. Explore the role these and other technical documents play in developing a software product, and discover the elements they must have to describe a product properly using UseCases and other specification documents. Prepare representative documents using MS Word. 
Note: We strongly recommend completion of Foundations of Technical Communication before registering in this course.

Editing Basics for Technical Documents
Editing is a vital step in creating professional, accurate and usable technical documentation. Discuss the role of the editor and the editing process, as well as examining the types of edits that documents can undergo. Practice various edit types through hands-on exercises. 
Note: We strongly recommend completion of Foundations of Technical Communication before registering in this course.

Site Architecture for Online Media
Information websites, online help and Intranets are prevalent in the business and technology world. Review the benefits and challenges, and examine and practice the skills necessary to design sites that are well organized and easy to navigate. Apply these skills while developing an information site using a combination of XHTML, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and a Content Management System.

Design and Authoring Online Media
Discover how to author pages that are organized, readable, easily comprehended and credible. Apply these skills while authoring pages using a combination of XHTML, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) within a managed environment. Information websites, online help and Intranets are prevalent in the business and technology world. Review the benefits and challenges, and examine and practice the skills necessary to author pages. 
Note: We strongly recommend completion of Site Architecture for Online Media before registering in this course.

Flare
Flare is the tool for developing web and desktop-based online help systems. Explore the many features of this powerful tool while creating an HTML-based online help system.

Preparing Policies and Procedures
Preparing effective policies and procedures has become a major focus for technical writers as quality standards like ISO 9000 emphasize their role in developing quality products and services. Examine the essential ingredients of policies and procedures and practice using these to prepare effective policies and procedures using MS Word.

Writing User Guides
Design and prepare effective user guides that enable the reader to successfully operate a product. As well, study and follow through the process of guide and manual creation using MS Word, including task and audience analysis, documentation standards, instruction writing and information organization.
Note: We strongly recommend completion of Foundations of Technical Communication before registering in this course.

Technical Layout and Design
Discover how the principles of page layout, typography and design can help you produce effective and readable technical documents. Put these principles into practice by designing technical documents using MS Word. 
Note: We strongly recommend that you complete Foundations of Technical Communication before registering in this course.

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Optional Courses

Choose 22 hours.
We strongly recommend completion of Foundations of Technical Communication before registering in any optional courses. 

Adobe Acrobat for Technical Writing
Adobe Acrobat’s PDF format allows you to read, review and publish information from a variety of sources as a single organized documentation package. Discover how to use Acrobat to deliver your information to any audience including professional imagesetters, your local work group, and even the web. Use Acrobat for editorial reviews of documentation and to capture and record information research. 

Creating Training Manuals
Learn to design and prepare effective training materials for a variety of training situations. Study the process of creating training materials using MS Word, including task and audience analysis, documentation standards, teaching roles, learning sequences and evaluation techniques. 

Portfolios for Technical Writers
Portfolios can be excellent tools for technical writers seeking employment. Examine various types and discuss the process of developing a portfolio, including deciding which technical writing documents to include/exclude, organizing work samples and assessing its value from an employer’s point of view. Discuss how a portfolio supports other job search tools. 
Note: Please bring hard-copy samples of technical communications you have produced or are currently working on for discussion in class.

Indexing Technical Documents
A well-crafted index is essential to locating information within a document, yet preparing an effective index is a complex process. This practical, hands-on session uses MS Word in teaching indexing practices for technical writing that can be applied to many different writing projects. 

Effective Business Writing
Course details

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Student Testimonials

“I liked the exercises a lot. They really help drive home the ideas.”

- Foundations of Technical Communication student

“It gave me hands-on learning in an area that I wanted to improve upon. This course was exactly what I needed. I would definitely recommend this course to others.”

- Foundations of Technical Communication student

“Very practical, relevant and up to date information, good to learn what employers want and how to market myself.”

- Portfolios for Technical Writers student

“Clarified exactly what policies and procedures should accomplish, applicable to my current job.’

- Preparing Policies and Procedures student

“Very useful information, 'hands-on' learning all day long. It's exactly what I wanted to learn.”

- Preparing Policies and Procedures student

“So many tips! This course will make life way easier.”

- Technical Layout and Design student

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