Overview
Technical Communication an interdisciplinary course of study designed to prepare students for employment as professional writers and communicators in a variety of media intended to instruct and inform audiences.
The degree program includes substantial course work in writing, information design, editing, page design, online help development, website creation, and the use of industry standard applications.
The certificate offers an interdisciplinary program of courses in Technical Communications, Art/New Media, and Computer Information Systems to prepare students for a variety of technical writing and professional communication careers. The certificate includes the theory, writing skills, design background, and computer applications knowledge needed for jobs in technical communication.
Technical communicators find employment in medical, scientific, high tech, business, university, and government settings. They may write white papers, tutorials, reference and procedure manuals, help systems, user assistance video scripts, grants and proposals, and more.
Associate Degree
A.A. in Technical Communications
This is an interdisciplinary course of study designed to prepare students for employment as professional writers and communicators in a variety of media intended to instruct and inform audiences. The degree program includes substantial course work in writing, information design, editing, page design, online help development, web site creation, and the use of industry standard applications.
Catalog Date: January 1, 2021
| Course Code |
Course Title |
Units |
| BUS 100 |
English for the Professional |
3 |
| CISA 305 |
Beginning Word Processing |
2 |
| CISW 300 |
Web Publishing |
3 |
| JOUR 300 |
Newswriting and Reporting |
3 |
| TECCOM 300 |
Introduction to Technical/Professional Communication |
3 |
| TECCOM 310 |
Writing Digital Content |
1 |
| TECCOM 330 |
Writing Technical Manuals |
1 |
| A minimum of 12 units from the following: |
12 |
| ARTNM 328 |
Beginning Digital Photo Imagery (3) |
|
| ARTNM 330 |
Intermediate Digital Photo Imagery (3) |
|
| ARTNM 352 |
Design for Publication (3) |
|
| CISA 331 |
Intermediate Desktop Publishing (2) |
|
| CISW 310 |
Advanced Web Publishing (4) |
|
| CISW 321 |
Web Site Development using Dreamweaver (3) |
|
| CISW 400 |
Client-side Web Scripting (4) |
|
| CISW 410 |
Middleware Web Scripting (4) |
|
| ENGWR 301 |
College Composition and Literature (3) |
|
| Total Units: |
|
28 |
The Technical Communications Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree may be obtained by completion of the required program, plus general education requirements, plus sufficient electives
to meet a 60-unit total. See ARC graduation requirements.
Upon completion of this program, the student will be able to:
- analyze audience information needs and propose solutions to aid the audience.
- design technical communication solutions for a variety of industry and government purposes.
- design and create web sites and help systems with effective visual design, navigation, and written content.
- design and publish printed pages with effective design, organization, content, and indexing.
- compose professional prose for a variety of audiences with a variety of purposes.
- compose and edit professional documents in grammatically correct, concise English.
- create and use style templates in a variety of industry standard software.
Technical communicators may be employed in a variety of occupations in government, scientific firms, nonprofits, natural resources, finance, education, and high tech.
Certificate of Achievement
Technical Communications Certificate
This certificate offers an interdisciplinary program of courses in Technical Communications, Art/New Media, and Computer Information Systems to prepare students for a variety of technical writing and professional communication careers. The certificate includes the theory, writing skills, design background, and computer applications knowledge needed for jobs in technical communication.
Catalog Date: January 1, 2021
| Course Code |
Course Title |
Units |
| ARTNM 352 |
Design for Publication (3) |
2 - 3 |
| or CISA 330 |
Desktop Publishing (2) |
|
| CISA 305 |
Beginning Word Processing (2) |
2 - 3 |
| or BUSTEC 310 |
Introduction to Word/Information Processing (3) |
|
| CISW 300 |
Web Publishing |
3 |
| TECCOM 300 |
Introduction to Technical/Professional Communication |
3 |
| TECCOM 310 |
Writing Digital Content |
1 |
| TECCOM 330 |
Writing Technical Manuals |
1 |
| A minimum of 3 units from the following: |
3 |
| BUS 100 |
English for the Professional (3) |
|
| BUS 310 |
Business Communications (3) |
|
| CISW 321 |
Web Site Development using Dreamweaver (3) |
|
| Total Units: |
|
15 - 17 |
Upon completion of this program, the student will be able to:
- analyze audience information needs.
- compose concise, clearly written professional documents organized with the audiences' needs in mind.
- design print and online resources that communicate organizations' values, enhance readability, and are easy to use.
- demonstrate basic skills in the use of word processing, page design, and web design applications.
- evaluate organizations' communication goals and needs based on technical writing principles.
Technical communicators find employment in medical, scientific, high tech, business, university, and government settings. They may write white papers, tutorials, reference and procedure manuals, help systems, user assistance video scripts, grants and proposals, and more.
Technical Communication (TECCOM) Courses
TECCOM 300 Introduction to Technical/Professional Communication
- Units:3
- Hours:54 hours LEC
- Prerequisite:None.
- Advisory:BUS 100 or 310 with a grade of "C" or better
- Transferable:CSU
- Catalog Date:January 1, 2021
This course emphasizes principles of reader-centered writing for the workplace, focusing specifically on aspects of technical and professional communication. It covers the writing of documents used in businesses, academia, industry, and government. These documents may include memos, letters, brochures, instructions and procedures, proposals, grants, technical and informational reports, web sites, blogs, and product documentation. This course is formerly known as ENGWR 342.
Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- analyze audience to refine the purpose and content of effective technical communication.
- research, collect, and evaluate technical and organizational information.
- identify the characteristics of effective print and online communication.
- compose business documents suited for the appropriate audience and topic.
- write clear and concise definitions, descriptions, and instructions.
- use graphics to enhance written communication.
- describe specific content and structure used in effective reports, proposals, and grants.
TECCOM 310 Technical/Professional Communication: Writing Reports
- Units:3
- Hours:54 hours LEC
- Prerequisite:None.
- Advisory:Eligible for ENGRD 310 or ENGRD 312 AND ENGWR 300; OR ESLR 340 AND ESLW 340.
- Transferable:CSU
- Catalog Date:January 1, 2021
This course emphasizes the writing of reports for the workplace and for technical and scientific disciplines. It covers audience analysis, standard report formats, research techniques, and concise, grammatical writing. This course is formerly known as ENGWR 344.
Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- write reader-centered technical or scientific documents for different audiences
- compose technical or scientific documents suited for the appropriate audience
- compare report formats and choose formats appropriate for the writing purpose
- evaluate reports for their effectiveness and conformity to recognized standards
- collect and evaluate technical and organizational information and compare research techniques used to gather the information
- revise reports based on audience feedback
- evaluate writing for conciseness and correctness and apply principles of technical editing
- create visual aids to convey report information
TECCOM 330 Technical/Professional Communication: Writing Technical Manuals
- Units:3
- Hours:54 hours LEC
- Prerequisite:None.
- Advisory:ARTNM 352 and CISA 305
- Transferable:CSU
- Catalog Date:January 1, 2021
This course is designed for professionals in all fields who need to design, create, and revise user and reference manuals in print or online formats. The course offers strategies for audience and task analysis, product learning, document design, drafting, procedure writing, and revision. Desktop publishing and/or online help development tools are used to produce a portfolio-quality print or online manual. This course is formerly known as ENGWR 352.
Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- describe audience, tasks, purposes, and contexts of user and reference manuals
- create templates for manuals using desktop-publishing or online help development tools
- compose user or reference manuals in concise, user-oriented language that effectively addresses the audience's tasks and purposes
- estimate time to complete project
- design and conduct usability testing of manuals
- choose effective visual aids for manuals
