#14295
Technical Communication Resources: Internet Resources
The General Resources: Internet Resources section of this site provides links to several resources for technical writers, including topical sites, e-zines, and online writing centers.
Burnett, Rebecca E. Thomson (2001). Resources>Directories>TC
#14283
Probably the most common type of document testing in the workplace is text-based. Text-based testing is common because it’s cheap and easy—with current word processors, running a test is as simple as selecting “Grammar” from the “Tools” menu in Microsoft Word or WordPerfect (6.0 or later). Text-based testing is very efficient at catching spelling errors (although it doesn’t catch homonyms, like accidentally substituting “threw” for “through”) and some grammatical mistakes. However, such testing doesn’t take into account visuals, forecasting, design, or other elements that have a great deal to do with a document’s usability. For this exercise, you will explore the plusses and minuses of text-based testing by working with a small group of classmates to test and revise a short but complex document. You will then compare your improved document to that of other groups and discuss the value of text-based testing.
Burnett, Rebecca E. Thomson (2001). Academic>Course Materials>Editing>Assessment
#28116
The five panelists addressed this very large question from different points of view and different areas of expertise. In general, however, they endorsed, in Schneider's term, an approach to intercultural learning that supports 'a vision of civic responsibility in a diverse and still deeply unequal world.' This summary captures some of the issues raised in the discussion and suggestions for addressing these issues.
Andrews, Deborah C., Rebecca E. Burnett, Daniel Chavez, Jonathan Monroe and Neal Lane. LLAD (2002). Articles>Education>Writing
#20441
What to Include in a Portfolio
You have started to save your money to buy what is necessary to put your portfolio together, and now you want to decide what to include in it.
#20438
Why Technical Writers Should Create a Portfolio
Provides a rationale for why a portfolio can be an important component of the job search process.
#14265
Writing for Different Audiences 
For this exercise, you will be looking at as many as four texts about Java, a programming language that has recently become a phenomenon because it allows programmers to make interactive pages on the World Wide Web. You’ll examine and discuss the way these different texts approach their different audiences, then construct an article, pamphlet, or brochure about Java for an audience you choose.
Burnett, Rebecca E. Thomson (2001). Academic>Course Materials>Writing
#14279
Regardless of what industry you work in, as a professional communicator you will encounter the difficulty of defining a new or unfamiliar term for your readers. How will you explain a new concept like random access memory? How would you even know where to begin? Technical Communication/4e presents several options you have for writing technical definitions, providing examples of both short and extended definitions. For this exercise you will construct a technical definition for a specific audience. The strategy you choose for defining the concept depends on the audience(s) you select, that audience’s need(s) for the information, and the type of document in which the definition would appear.
Burnett, Rebecca E. Thomson (2001). Academic>Course Materials>Writing
