Re: Grammar and rhetoric, is that all there is to it?

[Marguerite Krupp <mkrupp -at- CAYMAN -dot- COM>]

Having done tech writing, course development, and stand-up teaching, I'm
throwing my two-cents' worth in:

Teachers and course developers would serve users better if the courses
taught people how to use the manuals to find the info they're likely to
need when they get back to East Overshoe.  Courses need to have exercises
to allow learners to practice their skills. Part of the exercise should be
looking things up in the manual and/or using the online help.

Good tutorials are wonderful learning tools.  They accelerate the learning
process. A course that does not teach how to use all of the tools
available, including the documentation, is not doing the full job.

I get totally exasperated when I hear a trainer discouraging people from
using the manuals.  "Don't bother looking at the manuals; everything you
need is in your workbook" (or worse).  It's a setup for expensive support
calls and user frustration.  Did you ever try to find reference information
in your workbook after you finished the course?  You want a specific piece
of information, and you have to wade through pages of explanation.  It's a
matter of using the right tool for the job!

OK, that's it.  We now return you  to your regularly scheduled program. <g>

Marguerite

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"All jobs are temporary, but some come with benefits." - John Garrison