Corporate & Professional Development
Information Design and Development Certificate
This program offers the fundamentals required for technical communication in the high-tech industry, as well as more advanced topics for developing and delivering effective technical information. This non-credit, online certificate program consists of four required courses, two electives, and an optional internship. Upon successful completion of each course, you will receive 3.5 CEUs.Required Courses
- Designing and Developing Content I
- User Assistance
- Designing and Developing Content II
- Authors’ Toolkit
Electives
Students may choose two of these topics as electives:Internships will be arranged with local companies and/or institutions to enhance a student’s learning experience.
Course Descriptions
- Designing and Developing Content I
- This course describes how to identify and create different types of technical documentation based on principles of audience analysis. Topics also include information design, writing drafts and handling reviews, and basics of usability analysis. You will also learn how to integrate graphics and apply templates to create effective documentation. An overview of common grammar, usage, and writing problems will also be provided.
- User Assistance
- This course covers the many formats and structures of technical information that assist users in understanding and taking advantage of a software or hardware product’s functionality. Over the years, many methods have been used to create and deliver technical information to users. This course covers topics such as user interface design, the evolution of authoring tools, and content development to address authoring and delivery needs.
- Designing and Developing Content II
- This course includes topics on single-sourcing, multimedia and graphics, web design, implementation of usability findings, and ADA Section 508 compliance.
- Authors’ Toolkit
- This course includes topics on content information, management of online help projects, web authoring, metadata, utilities, shareware, and major functions of tools.
- Project Management
- This area includes scoping and scheduling documentation projects, documentation plans, team dynamics, and working with reviewers.
- Languages
- This area includes information on databases, programming language basics, mark-up languages, CSS (Cascading Style Sheet), and DTD (Document Type Definition).
- Business Essentials
- This area includes topics on principles of management, marketing basics, finance for non-financial managers, and starting a documentation department.