Technical Writing and Editing

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2015:

170

Admission to the postgraduate certificate or diploma in Publishing and Communications, Master of Publishing and Communications, Master of Creative Writing, Publishing and Communications

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For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

This subject teaches the writing and editing skills needed in the technical writing profession. The emphasis is on preparing instructional materials (also known as user documentation), both for printed and online delivery. Students will learn how to plan a documentation project, how to tailor writing for various audiences (local and international), how to write effective procedures, how to build subject-specific thesauri, and how to index and design documents.

• instruct students about, and prepare students for, the profession of technical writing (also known as technical communication);
• provide an opportunity for students to write and edit technical documents;
• provide an awareness of the global reach of technical writing and of the need to be sensitive to cultural, legal and language differences;
• emphasise the various moral dimensions in instructional and informational writing so that students gain an appreciation of the importance of minimising information denial, time theft and potential injury; and
• provide a framework for appreciating the importance of extending the role of editor to that of collaborative author in the preparation of technical documents.

Edited technical documentation of 500 words 15% (due in August), 2000 word essay 25% (due in October), 2500 word fully featured user manual 50% (due in the examination period), class participation 10%. Students are required to attend a minimum of 80% (or 10 out of 12) classes in order to qualify to have their written work assessed. Any student who fails to meet this hurdle without valid reason will not be eligible to pass the subject. All required written work must be submitted in order to pass the subject. Essays submitted after the due date without an extension will be penalised 2% per day. Essays submitted after two weeks of the assessment due date without a formally approved application for special consideration or an extension will only be marked on a pass/fail basis if accepted.

A subject reader will be available.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

• finely honed skills in writing, and editing, plain, utilitarian, audience-centric instructional materials;
• document design and structuring skills that enhance usability and readability;
• an appreciation of the moral and legal imperatives that drive effective communication in an information-hungry, time-poor and culturally diverse world; and
• skills in template-creation, indexing and thesaurus-building.

Students enrolled in a cognate postgraduate program may seek approval from the course coordinator.