#18790
Australasian Online Documentation Conference
Since the very first Australasian Online Documentation Conference in Melbourne in 1998, the conference has developed a reputation as the premier event for technical writers, help developers, Web authors and documentation developers from Australia and New Zealand. Our speaker list reads like a Who's Who of documentation, as we strive to ensure that experts in techniques and technologies are available to share their knowledge and expertise. The conference is also a great place to network with other documentation professionals.
#21037
Designing Manuals and Handbooks 
This course is designed to complete a trilogy of courses that explore challenges and issues relevant to information design. In this case, the course focuses on the design of instructional documents.
Williamson, William J. University of Northern Iowa (2003). Academic>Courses>Documentation
#32037
DITA, DocBook and the Art of the Document
Both the DITA and the DocBook specification are quite alive and well in organizations, and each is evolving into its own distinct application niches, with DITA looking to be turning into the default standard for large scale enterprises, while DocBook works more effectively at the small to intermediate level. What’s perhaps more interesting is the Microsoft Word, even with support for XML as provided by OOXML, is not making as much of an inroad in the structured document market, in great part because it is fairly difficult to constrain people’s use of the word-processing program to a limited, finite subset of potential styles.
Cagle, Kurt. XML.com (2008). Academic>Documentation>DocBook>DITA
#18869
Knowledge Management, User Manuals, and Online Help: Tools for the Workplace
The three skills that technical writers most often need are an ability to elicit information from recalcitrant SMEs (Subject Matter Experts), the ability to put this information on paper (user manuals) and the ability to put it online in a Help system. This class will teach these skills. The first module will be an in-depth study on Knowledge Management, the second will be the creation of a user-centered manual using Word, Visio, and screen capture programs, and the last module will be transferring this information to an online Help using ForeHelp or RoboHelp.
Johnson, Carol Siri. New Jersey Institute of Technology. Academic>Courses>Knowledge Management>Documentation
#31099
The following includes the instructions for creating a model of a small help project and how to name and send it to your instructor.
McMurrey, David A. Illuminati Online (2004). Academic>Course Materials>Documentation>Help
#31880
Quick Reference Guides: The Poetry of Technical Writing
How many times have you written a 75+ page guide and heard the customer say, This is great, but can you give us a condensed version? After the third or fourth time I’d heard this, I decided to actually try it.
Johnson, Tom H. I'd Rather Be Writing (2008). Academic>Documentation>Writing>Technical Writing
#19493
As a technical communicator, you will either write computer documentation, or work with people who do. It's as simple as that. Thus, you need to be familiar with the process of designing effective documentation, both paper and online. You may already be familiar with some of the principles and concepts involved. In some sense, software documentation represents a particular application of the principles of document design. However, software documentation warrants treatment as a separate area of study because the content area to which these general theories are applied is sufficiently distinctive and volatile. In particular, the computer places users in a task environment which is or can be nonlinear andwhich is prone to overload and confuse them with its levels andcategories of information. The basic principles we will cover in this course are these: audienceanalysis, document organization, and the facilitation of informationaccess. Also relevant are task analysis, layering for multipleaudiences, interface design, minimalist design, the social context ofdocumentation, and document testing.
Thury, Eva. Drexel University. Academic>Courses>Documentation
#23737
English 5373 covers the management and production of forms of print and online manuals, including software and hardware manuals, instructions, and performance support. Students will learn how to manage projects, and how to address issues of user analysis, text design, graphics design, task orientation, and translation. Class activities will include exercises and presentations focused on student project work.
Barker, Thomas. Texas Tech University (2003). Academic>Courses>Documentation>Technical Writing
