TechComm 201: Beyond the Basics_Nov 2023

INSTRUCTORS:

Leah Guren
Presenter

Categories

Online Courses

Tech Comm Bootcamp 2.0: Beyond the Fundamentals

ASYNCHRONOUS COURSE

21 November through 26 December (Tuesdays)

Registration closes 20 November 2023

THIS IS AN ASYNCHRONOUS COURSE. The recording for each week's session will be opened on Tuesday morning. Students may view the recording at a time convenient for them. Homework assignments will be due on the day and time specified by the instructor. There will also be a final exam that will be completed the last week of the course. 

This course presents more advanced concepts to TC practitioners who may still be within their first three years in the profession. It covers topics that are beyond the scope of TechComm Fundamentals Bootcamp, and is particularly useful for people who have completed the Bootcamp course.

At the end of this six session online course, participants will be able to:

  • Manage projects, including estimating, planning milestones, and budgeting time.
  • Write effective definitions, analogies, and glossaries.
  • Develop white papers, application notes, and case studies.
  • Create global-ready content and understand how to work with localizers (translation services).
  • Start an in-house style guide.
  • Plan and implement simple documentation usability tests.

 

This course covers these topics to help you enrich and develop your tech comm career:

  • Managing Projects
  • Glossaries and References
  • Advanced Deliverables (white papers, application notes, and case studies)
  • Localization
  • Style Guides
  • UX and Usability Testing

Session Descriptions

  • Why we all need to manage our own work
  • Estimating project scope
  • Using Gantt charts to track projects
  • Managing and adjusting during projects
  • The role of glossaries
  • The key elements of a glossary entry
  • The role of reference (vs task or concept) content
  • Creating useful and effective reference content

white papers, application notes, and case studies

  • Why every technical communicator needs to know about localization
  • Basic terms and concepts in localization
  • The role of reference (vs task or concept) content
  • Performing a global audit on legacy content
  • Writing global-ready content
  • Tips and tricks for working with LSPs (language service providers)
  • The role of style guides
  • Four types of style guides
  • The key elements of an in-house style guide
  • Creating a useful term table
  • What is User Experience and Usability
  • Why technical communicators should care about UX
  • Planning and running a basic documentation usability test

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