Course Goals

Writing in Context

• Analyze the invention, manufacture, and distribution of technologies in context and use writing to communicate these attributes in a variety of media and genres.
• Write to the different levels of technical expertise of a range of audiences and stakeholders to foster technical understanding.
• Understand the ethical implications of working within the nexus of technology and culture.

Project Management

• Understand, develop and deploy various strategies for planning, researching, drafting, revising, and editing documents both individually and collaboratively.
• Select and use appropriate technologies that effectively and ethically address professional situations and audiences.
• Build professional ethos through documentation and accountability.

Document Design

Make rhetorical design decisions about technical documents including:

• Adapting to genre conventions and expectations of a range of audiences including both technical and non-technical audiences
• Understanding and implementing design principles of format and layout
• Interpreting and arguing with design
• Drafting, researching, testing, revising visual design and information architecture
• Ensuring the technical accuracy of visual content

Teamwork

Learn and apply strategies for successful teamwork, such as

• Working online with colleagues to determine roles and responsibilities
• Managing team conflicts constructively
• Responding constructively to peers' work
• Soliciting and using peer feedback effectively
• Achieving team goals

Research

Understand and use the research methods and strategies necessary to the production of professional documents, including

• Working ethically with research participants, subject matter experts, and technical experts
• Locating, evaluating, and using print and online information selectively for particular audiences and purposes
• Triangulating sources of evidence
• Selecting appropriate primary research methods such as interviews, observations, focus groups, and surveys to collect data
• Applying concepts of usability research, such as user-centered design

Technology

Use and evaluate the writing technologies frequently used in the workplace, such as emailing, instant messaging, image editing, video editing, presentation design and delivery, HTML editing, Web browsing, content management, and desktop publishing technologies.