Technical Document Design & Editing

Layout and design principles for written documents; legibility, readability testing; conventions of proposals, instructions, and reports; basics of technical editing: usage, vocabulary, style manuals, editing mathematical equations, graphs, tables.

Designing Web Communication

Layout, design, and composition of web-based communication. Students will learn to analyze audiences and their uses of information in order to plan, compose, and critically evaluate web-based communication. Students will acquire skill with HTML coding, screen design, and multimedia authoring and will apply those skills to the composition of a variety of web texts (i.e. websites). Course work will require students to become proficient with commercially available HTML and photoeditors.

Communication for Engineering & Technology

Written communication in industrial and technical organizations, emphasizing internal communication with managers and technical personnel and including external communication with regulators, vendors, and clients. Intensive practice in writing; relationship of writing to oral and visual communication. For students in engineering and other primarily technological curricula.

Internship in Writing and Editing

Directed work experience for English majors including work-site mentoring and evaluation. Department supervision includes course work directed toward designing employment application materials, developing a portfolio of professional work, and reading the literature on workplace socialization.

Computer Documentation Design

Theory and design of documentation for computer hardware and software, including user guides, reference manuals, quick reference guides, tutorials, online documentation, and CD-based media delivery. Training in alternative documentation testing procedures, usability testing, and collaborative revision.