Do you have a knack for explaining complex subjects in a way that makes them easy to understand? If so, you should consider entering the well-paying field of technical writing. This course will teach you the skills you need to succeed as a technical writer. You will learn how to translate complex information into easily understood language, and how to become a wizard at marrying the art of publishing with the science of technology. You'll learn the secrets of successful technical writers, including technical writing conventions, interviewing skills, desktop publishing and formatting techniques, key tips for developing graphics and templates, documentation management, and how to publish documents both on paper and electronically. You'll also learn how to get your first job as a technical writer, plus tricks of the trade that enable you to create high-quality documentation with less work.

A new section of each course starts monthly. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.

All courses run for six weeks, with a two-week grace period at the end. Two lessons are released each week for the six-week duration of the course. You do not have to be present when lessons are released. You will have access to all lessons until the course ends. However, the interactive discussion area that accompanies each lesson will automatically close two weeks after the lesson is released. As such, we strongly recommend that you complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.

The final exam will be released on the same day as the last lesson. Once the final exam has been released, you will have two weeks to complete all of your course work, including the final exam.

Internet access, e-mail, the Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox Web browser, and the Adobe Flash and PDF plug-ins (two free and simple downloads you obtain at http://www.adobe.com/downloads by clicking Get Adobe Flash Player and Get Adobe Reader). and Microsoft Word (Versions 2007, 2003, XP, 2000, or 1997 are all acceptable). This course is not suitable for Macintosh users.

This course includes a knowledgeable and caring instructor who will guide you through your lessons, facilitate discussions, and answer your questions. The instructor for this course will be Janet Underwood.

Janet Underwood holds a bachelor's degree and has more than ten years of experience as a senior technical writer. She has developed technical documentation for major corporations in the computer, information technology, telecommunications, financial, and medical industries, as well as for the U.S. Army and public utilities organizations. She has also worked as an English teacher and as an editor and writer for several internationally known trade publications. She has won numerous awards for the excellence of her writing and documentation design, and currently owns a technical writing and services business.

“ This class was wonderful. I could use the information and apply it to my work assignments at my job immediately. I look forward to taking more classes through this online program. The pace was just right for me. I hold a full time job at a busy courthouse, so I do not have too much time to spare ”

“ The course is designed very well to give the history, current information and the links to up-to-date knowledge. I liked the teaching style and methodology to use interactive lessons while reading, allowing useful ways to learn in all modalities. After this course, I am confident I will continue my learning and hope to continue learning through Janet. I also really liked her advice on how to get started, the market trends and usefulness of the course in a career! ”

“ The course instructor, Janet Underwood, was superb. She masterfully wrote on the subject of technical writing. Her expertise generated a winsome collage from the nuts and bolts of this technology. She, I believe, is the standard by which accolades in this field her given out. It’s been my pleasure to have known her through this very instructional and interactive course in technical writing. ”

“ Wow! This was really a great course. The material was well organized and very useful. Much supplemental material was provided as well. I learned an amazing amount of information, and also became informed about how much more there is to learn about this topic - a great balance for any instructor to achieve in a few short weeks. I can't imagine an instructor being more helpful or professional than Janet Underwood. Fantastic class! ”

“ I have taken many courses through my undergrad degree and two masters degrees and I can honestly say that this one ranks near the top in terms of rate of return on time and money investment. I felt like Janet was more than a teacher/facilitator of the course. She was really like a mentor. I look forward to taking other courses with her! ”

“ Janet Underwood is a great instructor, and it is extremely easy to read her lessons! She provides great insight about technical writing and what technical communicators need to be knowledgeable of. I learned so much from this class which I was able to instantaneously apply in my day-to-day tasks--including to always keep my readers' needs in mind. ”

“ I'm a tech writer (relatively new, just finished my first year), and this class was 100% directly applicable to what I do on a daily basis. A lot of the student introductions stated they were taking the class to see if tech writing might be of interest to them, so I'd be willing to bet that if they found the class interesting and engaging, and were successful throughout the lessons, they'd probably fare well in this arena. It's definitely a "real world" application of skills and I'm very glad I took the initiative to complete the course. I feel as if I have a secret arsenal of tools to help keep me organized if I'm at a loss or have a large project looming. My husband is pushing me to get some sort of degree in tech writing, and I told him I would, but only if Janet were teaching all the courses. Thanks, Janet! ”

“ I really liked the course. I rewrote some documentation during the course before sending it out and got an "Excellent" from my boss. I will keep referring to the lessons, and some of the highlights I intend to print out and keep handy. Looking forward to taking other courses. ”

“ This was an excellent course! I learned so much in a few short weeks that I feel would be very useful in jump starting a new career in technical writing. The instructor was very sweet and attentive, and answered everyone's questions in a timely manner. I was glad to see that the quizzes and assignments were not overwhelming, yet they helped me understand the discussion. This was the first online class that I took, and I'm so happy I did! I now feel more confident since I learned a new skill and plan on pursuing a career in technical writing. Definitely worth the money! Thanks Janet! ”

“ I am highly impressed by the material of course and the way it is taught .The step-by-step approach to teaching the whole concept of tech writing is just wonderful. I highly recommend this course to others who are interested in this field. ”