Online Technical Writing Classes
THE PROGRAM
The online Technical Writing Certificate
of Completion introduces
students to the many aspects of contemporary technical writing
practices and helps them develop the skills and confidence
to communicate complex technical concepts simply and effectively.
Students can take individual courses or the entire series
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
Technical writing plays an extremely important role in the
business field and high tech world. With increasing reliance
on sophisticated technology, written technical instructions
have become the primary paths to understanding complex procedures.
Some of the concepts that students will learn include how
to determine their audience, purpose and objectives for various
documents; how to follow steps to successful technical writing;
how to write collaboratively; how to write a procedures manual;
and how to design the most common types of technical documents.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
Career opportunities are found in the financial, industrial,
construction, electronics, automotive, medical, computer,
biomedical, healthcare, agricultural and petrochemical industries.
Many engineers, scientists and technicians have increased
their effectiveness through improvement of their technical
writing skills. Individuals who are interested in becoming
technical communicators, or those who are already in technical
writing positions and would like to improve their skills.
ONLINE CONVENIENCE
California State University, Dominguez Hills online technical
writing classes are convenient for people who live or work
anywhere, including Los Angeles, Torrance, Long Beach, Carson,
Compton, El Segundo, Palos Verdes, Manhattan Beach, Redondo
Beach, Hermosa Beach, San Pedro, Hawthorne, Gardena, Lakewood,
Paramount, Bellflower, Downey, Inglewood and other parts of
the South Bay and Southern California.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Students must have a command of the English language, and
understand the basic principles of composition including grammar
and sentence construction.
Students are expected to have Internet connectiviety and the ability to create Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat files for class projects. MS Office is strongly recommended.
SPECIAL FEATURES
The program will be taught online.
CERTIFICATE REQUIREMENTS
A Certificate of Completion is awarded upon successful completion
of the entire program.
COURSES
Fundamentals of Technical Communication
Advanced Technical Communication
Information Design
COSTS
The cost of each course is $450. Total cost for a certificate
is $1,350.
There will be an additional cost for materials and/or textbooks.
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
Fundamentals of Technical Communication
This 9-week course examines the basic requirements of technical
style and organizational patterns used in a variety of business
and technical documents. Students learn and practice how to
condense extensive information into the fewest words possible
without sacrificing content. The class also covers how to
identify the audiences and apply various styles to each.
Advanced Technical Communications
This 9-week course further examines the concepts learned in
the “Fundamentals” course. Students hone their
skills by writing various types of proposals, informal and
formal reports, procedures manuals and oral presentations. Additionally, students learn about interviewing, portfolios, and resources for technical communication. Students work on several projects they can use for their portfolios.
Information Design
The final 9-week course gives students a command of the design
principles and production processes required for truly effective
technical communication. Students study technical communication design aspects including Gunning Fog Index, mental models, type, newsletter layouts, human factors, conventions in design, and graphics. The focus of the course is the completion of a capstone project that incorporates every aspect
of technical writing learned in the program for the student's portfolio.
Instructor Profiles
Lu Kondor, MA, technical writer and systems administrator for more than 15 years, is employed by Sony Pictures Imageworks. Member STC.
Rachael Post, M.A., M.J., U.C. Berkeley, is a writer, editor and owner of Luna Sky Media, a digital media marketing form with a speciality in green technology. As a journalist, she worked for the Daily Yomiuri in Tokyo, the San Jose Mercury News in Hong Kong, and Business Mexico magazine. She has been developing Web sites and putting print publications online since 1998.
TEXTBOOKS
Technical Communication, Markel
Handbook of Technical Writing, Alred, Brusaw, Oliu
Document Design: A Guide for Technical
Communicators, Kimball
For further information contact:
Babette Wald: bwald@lists.csudh.edu
To Register
Call 310-243-3741 or 877-GO-HILLS
Society for Technical Communication
http://www.stc.org
Los Angeles County Society for Technical Communication
http://www.lastc.org
Orange County (CA) Society for Technical Communication
http://www.ocstc.org
Technical Writing:
http://www.deanza.edu/twrt/orgs.html
American Medical Writers Association
http://www.amwa.org/default.asp?id=1
American Society of Business and Publication Editors
http://www.asbpe.org
American Society of Indexers
http://www.asindexing.org/site/index.html
American Society of Journalists and Authors
http://www.asja.org
HTML Writers Guild
http://www.hwg.org
Women in Technology International
http://www.witi.com/center/aboutwiti
http://www.witi.com/center/regionalchapter/chapter_popup.php?search_type=
state&search_string=California