Certificate in Technical Writing and Editing
(Autumn, UW Campus, Seattle)
Developed in partnership with the Human Centered Design & Engineering Department and UW Bothell

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The Autumn 2009 program is no longer accepting applications

Next program starts: Autumn 2010

Details will be posted in Spring

Single courses may be available
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Contact us:
206-685-8936
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Interested in taking a single class? Some courses (designated by a Class is also available to professionals who do not intend to pursue the certificate, but wish to enroll in individual classes on a space available basis below) may be open on a space-available basis to professionals who are not seeking the certificate. See Single-Course Enrollment for details. Classes meet two evenings per week on the UW campus, Seattle.

Autumn Courses

Introduction to Technical Communication (HCDE 421)

Schedule: (10 sessions) Tuesdays, 6-8:50 p.m., Oct. 6-Dec. 8, 2009; 3 credits; $755 plus a technology fee.
Instructor: Charles Sheaffer

Principles and practices of writing to communicate scientific and technical information to a variety of readers. Participants learn to write for the expert, general scientific and technical reader, manager and general public.

Introduction to Style in Technical Communication (HCDE 422)

Schedule: (10 sessions) Thursdays, 6-8:50 p.m., Oct. 1-Dec. 10, 2009; 3 credits; $755 plus a technology fee.
Instructor: Tina Loucks-Jaret

  • Grammatical structures and stylistic strategies within specific professional contexts
  • Achieving clarity and conciseness through word choice and placement, using a variety of sentence structures for appropriate emphasis
  • Handling details and establishing effective tone

Winter Courses

Introduction to Technical Editing (HCDE 423) Class is also available to professionals who do not intend to pursue the certificate, but wish to enroll in individual classes on a space available basis

Schedule: (10 sessions) Tuesdays, 6-8:50 p.m., Jan. 5-March 16, 2010 (no class Jan. 12); 3 credits; $755 plus a technology fee.
Instructor: Doris Minor

Editorial responsibilities and practice in communication of scientific and technical information. Also covers the editor's role both as editor and supervisor of publication groups.

How to sign up for individual enrollment in this course

The Computer in Technical Communication (HCDE 424) Class is also available to professionals who do not intend to pursue the certificate, but wish to enroll in individual classes on a space available basis

Schedule: (10 sessions) Thursdays, 6-9:30 p.m., Jan. 7-March 11, 2010; 4 credits; $985 plus a technology fee.
Instructor: Jim Kramer

This course will introduce you to some of the most popular tools used by TC professionals: Adobe FrameMaker, Adobe InDesign, RoboHelp and MadCap Flare, Adobe Acrobat, and Microsoft Office. We will look at the functionality of these tools, the types of design activities that these tools support and techniques for designing effective solutions with these tools. Knowledge of these tools makes you more competitive in the job market.

This is a project-driven course project that will teach you how to take unformatted content and transform it, using a variety of tools, into a polished set of documents in multiple formates. The goal of the project is to teach applications and design theory while providing students with a portfolio piece that may help separate them from other job candidates.

During this class, students learn:

  • MadCap Flare & RoboHTML for creating HTML-based online Help
  • Basic principles for creating print documents using FrameMaker and InDesign
  • Single-sourcing strategies using WebWorks Publisher
  • .pdf creation using Adobe Acrobat
  • XML tagging with InDesign

This course is credit/no credit, without numeric grades and is project-driven. To earn credit, students must complete all assigned projects.

How to sign up for individual enrollment in this course

Spring Courses

Introduction to Computer Software User Assistance (HCDE 426) Class is also available to professionals who do not intend to pursue the certificate, but wish to enroll in individual classes on a space available basis

Schedule: (10 sessions) Tuesdays, 6-8:50 p.m., March 30-June 1, 2010; 3 credits; $755 plus a technology fee.
Instructor: Holstrom

  • Writing documentation for computer hardware, software and integrated systems
  • Documentation needed for computer products
  • Introduction to use of the computer in its own documentation, and resulting innovations in the field

How to sign up for individual enrollment in this course

Production Design & Visual Media (HCDE 427) Class is also available to professionals who do not intend to pursue the certificate, but wish to enroll in individual classes on a space available basis

Schedule: (10 sessions) Thursdays, 6-9:20 p.m., April 1-June 3, 2010; 4 credits; $985 plus a technology fee.
Instructor: Johnson

Covers the editorial role in the preparation of text and visual materials, both print and online, for production. Students learn the editor's responsibilities and prerogatives as they relate to those of other professionals in the production phase of the publication's field.

How to sign up for individual enrollment in this course