TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
I've been invited to design an advanced, graduate-level tech writing course
about writing for highly technical computer users (such as programmers,
system and network administrators, and engineers). Having done this type of
writing myself for several years, I have a lot of ideas about what to
include, but I'd be very interested in your input.
The class members would be Master's-level students, most of whom have
"real-world" work experience, though not necessarily in the computer
industry. Many will be career changers. They will all have had the
experience of having written a computer user's manual, and some level of
technical training in computers. The documents they will be writing would
include both hard-copy and online media. We are currently in a quarter
system, so we have about 10-11 weeks (total) to complete all projects.
Eventually, we'll be converting to a semester system, so there's room for
adding topics later
My current thoughts include designing and writing (from scratch):
* Functional specs and RFCs
* Reference documentation
* Technically detailed white papers
* Just-in-time documentation
I would also like to cover single-sourcing and related topics. Quite a tall
order for 10-11 weeks. If you have any ideas that you would be willing to
share, I would really appreciate it.
Remember, the student you help train today may well be your colleague
tomorrow!
