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Re: Tech writing class (was suggestions needed...)
Subject:Re: Tech writing class (was suggestions needed...) From:Chris Hamilton <cah_91 -at- yahoo -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Mon, 21 May 2001 12:39:40 -0700 (PDT)
--- Andrew Plato <intrepid_es -at- yahoo -dot- com> wrote:
> The overwhelming need right now is technical writers
> who are not afraid of technical issues.
Agreed. I think that's why you can't handle this all
in one class. Certainly not a 100-level class. What
you can do, though, is provide an illustration as to
why you need to have that knowledge. Give them the
incentive to become more expert in their field of
focus (technology, health, finance, engineering,
whatever), so they can take those classes before
they're done.
How do you do that? Give them something they don't
understand and let them flounder in it a little. Have
them write something about something they don't know
and then point out the holes (explaining, but not
hammering). The key is to give them the means to
learn.
Also, one thing that wasn't mentioned is that you have
to be able to pull information from a busy SME. How do
you teach this? Beats me. But it's a point that has to
come across.
Ideally, if I were putting together a degree program,
I'd make each student have an approved minor (one of
the list included above). The ideal program would make
them work with people majoring in that program to get
information and write documentation. There are about a
half a zillion reasons why this wouldn't work, but it
would be awesome. Or so I think.
Chris
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