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Professional Communication: Technical Writing Essentials

10 lessons: write clearly, design documents, work in teams, cite sources and present with confidence

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10 lessons · ~8 hours · 20-question final exam · pass mark 70%

About the course

What you’ll learn

Employers rank communication alongside technical skill. Learn to write emails, memos and letters that get results, use a clear professional style, design readable documents, work and communicate in teams, research and cite sources in IEEE style, write instructions, proposals and reports, and give effective presentations. Based on Suzan Last's open textbook from the University of Victoria. Each lesson has a study guide, the book chapter with interactive exercises and a quiz. Pass every quiz and the final exam to earn a verifiable certificate.

Business writingTechnical writingEmail etiquetteDocument designTeamworkResearch skillsIEEE citationReports and proposalsPresentations

Part of the career tracks: Web Developer, Data Analyst, Computer Science Foundations, Cybersecurity and Connected Systems

How the certificate works

  1. Read each lesson’s study guide, then the full lesson and any notebooks or exercises.
  2. Pass every lesson quiz with 70% or more.
  3. Pass the final exam: 20 questions in 30 minutes.
  4. Get a certificate with a public verification link, and add it to LinkedIn.

Syllabus

10 lessons in 3 parts

Foundations of professional writing

1
What Is Technical Communication?
40 min · Technical communication helps a specific audience understand, decide or act.
2
Professional Style
45 min · Professional style is clear, concise, correct and appropriately toned.
3
Document Design
45 min · Design principles: contrast, repetition, alignment, proximity.

Teams and research

4
Teamwork and Communication
45 min · Tuckman's stages: forming, storming, norming, performing.
5
Conducting Research
50 min · Start with a clear, specific research question; concept maps help narrow topics.
6
Citing and Documenting Sources in IEEE Style
40 min · Citing gives credit, lets readers verify and builds credibility.

Workplace documents and presentations

7
Workplace Correspondence: Emails, Memos and Letters
45 min · Choose the channel to suit the message: IM, email, memo or letter.
8
Technical Descriptions and Instructions
45 min · Descriptions: definition and overview, then parts or stages in logical order, with diagrams.
9
Proposals and Reports
55 min · Proposals persuade readers to approve or fund something; solicited or unsolicited.
10
Oral and Visual Presentations
45 min · Start with audience and purpose: what should they know, decide or do?

Course content is based on "Technical Writing Essentials: Introduction to Professional Communications in the Technical Fields" by Suzan Last, University of Victoria (https://opentextbc.ca/technicalwritingh5p/), licensed under CC BY 4.0 except where otherwise noted. Study guides and quiz questions are written by Vikosha. Certificates are issued by Vikosha and are not issued or endorsed by the author or the University of Victoria. Licence: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0), except where otherwise noted. View the original curriculum