Program Overview

Course Description

The Technical Writing Essentials course is designed to enable students to communicate more clearly and easily with supervisors, clients, and colleagues. This 18-hour course, including 2 hours of live sessions, is recommended for students to spend an average of 4.5 hours per week.

Course Outline

The course is structured into four weeks, covering the following topics:

• Week 1: Exploring three different methods of getting to know your readers to tailor a message to their needs, interests, and values.
• Week 2: Communicating with non-experts, learning to communicate clearly with readers who don't share your technical expertise.
• Week 3: Organizing thoughts in a logical structure, treating organization as an ongoing process rather than a one-time event.
• Week 4: Focusing on technical descriptions, organizing technical detail into a structure that is easy to navigate.

What You Will Learn

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:

• Apply three distinct methods of audience analysis to understand readers' needs, expectations, and values.
• Develop a compelling and functional design for concise documents, integrating principles of readability, visualization, and accessibility.
• Describe technologies and technical processes with precision, enabling readers to visualize complex systems or workflows through clear language and supporting visuals.
• Establish a systematic approach for revising and refining writing, focusing on coherence, accuracy, and alignment with professional standards.
• Formulate a document persuasion strategy using rhetorical techniques and evidence-based arguments to influence decision-making effectively.
• Create clear, well-structured technical reports and proposals by applying advanced writing and design techniques that enhance usability and comprehension.
• Maintain rigorous attention to language precision and grammatical correctness to ensure professionalism and credibility in all written communication.
• Demonstrate awareness of the role and implications of AI tools in workplace technical writing, including ethical considerations and best practices for integration.

Notes

This course is offered in collaboration with Smartfirm and is hosted on their learning management system. While the course is primarily self-paced, it includes two mandatory live virtual coaching sessions. Participants will have access to guidance and support from the instructor throughout the duration of their studies. All course requirements must be completed by the designated end date, and attendance at synchronous sessions is compulsory.

Recommended For

The course is recommended for:

• Engineers
• Business analysts
• Software engineers
• Network administrators
• Project managers
• Anyone who uses writing to share technical information.

Applies Towards the Following Certificates

The course applies towards the Certificate in Technical Writing, which is a required course.

Course Details

• Course Title: Technical Writing Essentials
• Course Code: OLCD-TWRT0012
• Delivery Options: Online Self-Paced
• Faculty: Faculty of Open Learning and Career Development
• Total Learning Hours: 18.0
• Instruction Delivery Method(s): Online Self-Paced
• Course Fee(s): $562.00 (non-credit)
• CEUs: 1.8 CEUs
• Instructors: Shazia Awan

Instructor Biography

Dr. Shazia Nawaz Awan has a Doctorate in Education from the University of Exeter and a master's degree in teaching English from the University of Manchester, UK. She has extensive experience working in international contexts and is an experienced educator of English as an additional language.