Fw: Tech Writing Curriculum

["Ivan Weiss" <ivan -dot- weiss -at- centurytel -dot- net>]

"Andrew Plato" <intrepid_es -at- yahoo -dot- com> wrote in message
news:<20011112225247 -dot- 61126 -dot- qmail -at- web12703 -dot- mail -dot- yahoo -dot- com>...

> Why not teach NO tools and focus instead on dissecting, analyzing, 
> organizing, and managing complex technical information.
> 
> Why are any of you hung up over which tool to teach? The tool is 
> irrelevant. ANYBODY can learn to use Frame, Quark, Quack, Duck, Word, 
> Turd, or MasterMasker 10000 for OpenSource Communist Server. Knowing 
> these tools does not make you an accomplished writer.

(snip)

> So, I say remove ALL tool-related classes from tech writing programs. 
> Or at a minimum, reduce it down to a small, small fraction of the 
> courses.

I'm just about to get my Tech Writing certificate from a program that,
as I follow this thread, appears to teach both the tools *and* the
approach that Andrew advocates. Certainly the instructors *I* have had
have stressed that the tools are nothing without the proper approach. 

I should add that the "tool" classes are taught two ways. There is a
class in Framemaker, for example, and a class in "Framemaker for
Technical Writers." Ditto for Visual Basic, C++, and Java, just to name
a few off the top. Candidates for the Technical Writing or Technical
Editing certificates are encouraged to take all the straight "tool"
classes they want, but these are electives, and not the "core" courses.

The program is at Bellevue (WA) Community College, east of Seattle,
south of Redmond. Most of the instructors I have had work full-time in
industry and teach at BCC on the side, so an ivory-tower approach is the
*last* thing we get. Most are active in our local STC chapter. 

The "core" courses in BCC's Tech Writing certificate program are here:

http://www.conted.bcc.ctc.edu/9f_techcommcert.htm

A little mining will get you to the course descriptions, and to the
"tool courses." I have been pretty impressed with my experience, but I'm
a newbie and therefore have no real-world point of reference. I'd be
curious to know how the program looks to people from other areas.
Thanks.
-- 
Ivan Weiss      http://www.nwguild.org
Vashon WA       http://www.unionrecord.com



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