TCM 3210 - User Documentation

3 lecture hours 0 lab hours 3 credits

Course Description
This course gives the student practical experience in developing and preparing user documentation for software and hardware products. Discussions emphasize the importance of knowing your audience and writing efficient documentation that is clear, concise, and accurate. Students learn and experience first-hand the end-to-end documentation process. Instruction will be provided in the use of industry leading help authoring tools (such as Adobe Acrobat Pro DC and MadCap Flare). Students will design and develop an online help project complete with embedded help, navigational aids, table of contents, index, and glossary. The major requirement for this course is researching and developing a form of user documentation, such as a user guide, reference guide, or tutorial. The user documentation completed as a PDF and in HTML output will be of a quality that it can be used as part of the student’s portfolio.
Prereq: COM 2001 (quarter system prereq: GS 1002 or GS 1020H or GS 1002E)
Note: None
This course meets the following Raider Core CLO Requirement: None

Course Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

Explain the process involved in the creation and production of user documentation
Structure and organize content based on analysis and persona creation to meet the needs of users
Communicate content effectively for various media: print, online, and mobile
Perform effectively with subject matter experts
Assess documents for style and content to ensure the highest quality
Demonstrate proficiency in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC software
Demonstrate proficiency in using an online help authoring application (specific help authoring tool will be determined by instructor and industry trends)

Prerequisites by Topic

Proficiency in writing and grammar
Proficiency in Microsoft Word or desktop publishing software tools and concepts
Fundamentals of page layout and design
Organizational skills

Course Topics

Definition and principles of technical user documentation
Characteristics of efficient user documentation
Ethics in technical communication and user documentation
The writing and publication process
Agile and waterfall work processes and their implications to user documentation
Understanding your audience
Conducting research and interviewing subject matter experts
Documentation planning
Style guides
Technical definition, description, and instructions
Safeties (notes, cautions, warnings, and dangers)
Legalities (citation, trademarks, copyrights, and service marks)
Technical illustration
Editing (managerial, substantive, copyediting, and proofreading)
Introduction to help authoring tools and desktop publishing software
Creating PDFs with bookmarks and links using Adobe Acrobat Pro DC

Coordinator
Dianne Bender

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TCM 3210 - User Documentation