Re: Tech writing course in vo-tech curriculum

[Steven Brown <stevenabrown -at- yahoo -dot- com>]

Someone wants to create a technical writing class that
covers "writing memos, Help Files, RFP's, program
documents, etc. along with general grammar and
punctuation rules."

This seems like a lot of content for a single class.
I'd suggest the emphasis be on writing, rewriting, and
editing instructions and conceptual information. This
is the "heart" of what we do, so students should learn
how to write extremely well (emphasis on "extremely").
The best way to do so is through intensive writing
assignments. Five to 10 per week sounds about right.

If I were teaching the class, I'd expect my incoming
students to already have a firm command of grammar and
punctuation. I'd want to focus on information design,
not how to differentiate "to" and "too," or how to use
a semicolon.

Steven Brown
Senior Technical Writer


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