Overview
Developed in conjunction with some of the leading technology companies in the UK, this 14 module online training course teaches the basic skills, and provides an induction, for Technical Authors writing user documentation for technology and software products in today’s environment.
If you need a solid understanding of the basics of technical writing and the role of a Technical Author, this affordable training course is ideal for you.
You have the option of reviewed assessments (with a certificate at the end of the course) or self-assessment.
This training course’s content is accredited by the Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators, the professional body for Technical Communicators in the United Kingdom. It is an independent assessment of the course’s quality.
“There is something new to learn for most technical authors who are in the early stages of their career.
Overall, I would say that the course did benefit me, and I can see myself revisiting parts of it in the future.”
Emma Worthington, ARM plc
Below is one of the modules from the course:
Audience
It is intended for anyone who wants a solid understanding of technical writing basics.This includes
- new Technical Authors;
- people considering making a career change to technical writing;
- technical professionals and workers who are not professional writers, but need to write instruction guides. For example: software engineers, programmers, scientists, technicians and process specialists.
It is focused on writers in the IT sector writing user documentation. It does not cover the specialist requirements for aerospace, railway and automotive documentation, nor does it cover API documentation.
This course is ideal for graduate induction training.
What will I learn?
The course is organised around the technical documentation process and describes the skills you need in order to be a successful Technical Author (also known as a Technical Writer). The aims of this course are to describe:
- The purpose and value of technical documentation
- The entire documentation process—planning, writing, editing, indexing, and production.
- The skills you need as a technical communicator.
- How to work more efficiently by writing and designing your information in a structured, useful, usable and informed way
Duration and delivery format
The course comprises 14 modules in total, which you can complete at your own pace.
The course modules are delivered via the Web in small, manageable modules. In total, there are three and a half hours of presentation content and, with the exercises, each delegate will need to allocate around seven hours to complete the course.
You can pause the modules at any time and return to the course, for a period of six months (we can extend this on request).
How do I login to the course?
You will be emailed details on where and how to login to the course once you have paid.
Free sample module
You should contact us if you’d like to view a free sample from this course.
Course outline
| Module | Duration (excluding time for the exercises) |
| The purpose of technical documentation | 6’52″ |
| The different models for technical documentation | 11’16″ |
| What is a technical author? | 8’40″ |
| Adopting a user-centred design approach | 13’08″ |
| Overview of the writing process | 9’17″ |
| Planning your content | 12’44″ |
| Researching the product and audience | 16’54″ |
| The Information Design stage | 24’20″ |
| Software tools | 10’24″ |
| Writing the topics – Overview | 13’52″ |
| Writing the topics – How to write and present different types of information | 14’56″ |
| Writing the topics – Using images and videos | 11’28″ |
| Writing the topics – Index, Search and Metadata | 7’14″ |
| Reviewing and editing | 13’07″ |
Technical requirements
You’ll need a computer that supports Flash, can display 640 x 480 videos in a Web browser and has an audio card. The exercises and course notes are provided as PDFs. If you can view the Cherryleaf quiz (there’s a link on the right hand side of this web page), then you should be able to view the course.
Introductory price
You’ll be able to subscribe to the course for £175 per delegate (ex VAT).
Certificate and reviewed assessment option
For an additional £50 per delegate (ex VAT), delegates can send their completed assessments to us for review and feedback, and receive a certificate recognised by the ISTC.
The modules are password protected. If you wish more than one delegate to complete the course, then please contact us.
Please note we accept payment in US $, STERLING and EUROS.
You will be given the option to choose your currency when you confirm your credit card details.
Ordering is simple. Just click the BUY NOW logo above. You will be taken straight to our ordering system. You can pay using credit card or debit card. Prices ex VAT.
The ordering system is secure and safe, via Sage Pay.
Your Credit Card Statement will show an entry entitled “Cherryleaf”.
We can also accept payments via PayPal.
Further information
You should contact us if you have any questions about this course.