Technical Writing and Editing Certificate

The Technical Writing and Editing (TWE) Certificate is an evening program in the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering (HCDE) for students who want to learn practical applications and fundamental concepts in technical communication.

The Technical Writing and Editing Certificate curriculum was designed by an advisory board of leading technical writers, publications managers, and UW faculty. The board monitors the program and updates the curriculum as needed. The program director is Tina Loucks-Jaret (tloucks@uw.edu).

Curriculum

This nine month evening program consists of the following six courses:

  • HCDE 421—Current Practices in Technical Communication
  • HCDE 422—Style in Technical Communication
  • HCDE 423—Technical Editing and Document Development
  • HCDE 424—Authoring and Production Tools in Technical Communication
  • HCDE 426—Software User Assistance
  • HCDE 427—Visual Design in Technical Communication

Autumn Quarter

HCDE 421, Current Practices in Technical Communication (3 credits):
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.

HCDE 422, Style in Technical Communication (3 credits):
Principles and practices of writing publication-ready American English writing for global audiences. Participants learn to write for the expert, general scientific and technical reader, manager and general public.

Winter Quarter

HCDE 423, Technical Editing and Document Development (3 credits):
Editorial practices and responsibilities in communication of scientific and technical information. Covers the editor's role as an editor of documents, a collaborator in document development, and a manager of publication projects and groups.

HCDE 424, Authoring and Production Tools in Technical Communication (4 credits):
Introduction to popular tools used by TC professionals. Students examine the tools' functionality, the types of design activities supported, and techniques for designing effective solutions. Project-driven course project will teach students how to transform unformatted content, using these tools, into a polished set of documents in multiple formats.

Spring Quarter

HCDE 426, Software User Assistance (3 credits):
Covers how to write effective documentation for a variety of software users, from end-users to developers. Students produce a complete documentation set for a software product or service using the most appropriate delivery mechanisms for the content and the audience.

HCDE 427, Visual Design in Technical Communication (4 credits):
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.

About the 2012–13 Instructors

Todd Mackey, HCDE 421, has a BA in English, MS in HDCE, as well as a certificate in User Centered Design from the HCDE department. He is a Technical Editor at Microsoft. He has over 12 years of experience in technical communications and college-level instruction.

Mary-Colleen Jenkins, HCDE 422 and 423, has an MA in English, and a Certificate in Editing from the UW. She has taught college level composition and research writing courses for over 12 years.

Jan Archer, HCDE 424, has over 25 years of experience in document design, content management, and localization project management. She has a passion for making design and authoring tools relevant for today's technical communicator.

Carl Chatfield, HCDE 426, has an MS in HCDE and has worked at Microsoft since 1991. He is co-author of the Microsoft Project Step by Step self-paced tutorials.

Pam Johnson, HCDE 427, has 25 years of experience in technical communication, working in telecommunications, software development, hardware manufacturing, etc.