Overview

ENG 280, Writing User Manuals, will teach you basic principles of writing easy-to-use technical manuals.  You will apply these principles as you follow a recommended process to create a manual for a course project.  The skills that you learn include how to assess the needs your manual must satisfy, how to plan your manual, how to interview experts, how to write instructions, how to test and revise, and how to select formats and integrate graphics.

Manual writing is an activity that many professions require.  Thus, many different people become writers of manuals.  Technical writers with degrees or coursework in English and specialize in technical subjects write manuals.  Instructional designers plan education and training courses, and in the process, they write manuals in support of instruction.  Programmers, engineers, and other technical professionals also write manuals; those who write well can explain their subjects and projects better than anyone else; they are also twice as valuable to their employers.  Graphic artists and publication specialists also have much to say about text and graphics that communicate well and often become involved in both the writing and illustrating of manuals.

If you are pursuing a career in professional writing, the practical skills that you learn in this course will contribute to your capabilities and marketability.  The skills will also be useful to anyone in a technical field who writes manuals or directions as a secondary responsibility.  You may also discover that this course helps you with everyday tasks like writing directions to your home for a friend, telling family members or coworkers how to perform your duties in your absence, or organizing any process so that it becomes clear and understandable to others.

Objectives

If you do well in this course, you will be able to:

• Recognize what makes a manual easy to use.
• Write manuals from a user's point of view.
• Use a document planner for researching, writing, and testing manuals.
• Use basic illustration and layout strategies for your manual.
• Plan and conduct interviews to gain information. 
• Compose usability tests and checklists to assure the quality and completeness of a manual.

Materials

Your course grade will be determined by the following points:

Exams

There are 4 exams in this course. You are expected to take your examinations at one of the NVCC campus Testing Centers. Be sure to allow enough time to complete your exam before the Testing Center closes; Testing Centers have specific policies relating to the administration of ELI exams. You will need to take a photo ID, your NovaConnect empl ID number, and the appropriate Exam Pass when you go to the Testing Center.  

For Testing Center locations, hours of operation and policies, click here.

For information on taking exams outside of the metropolitan area, click here.

ELI Policies and Procedures

Contacting the Instructor

I am here to help you succeed in this course. Occasionally questions or problems may arise. Here is how to contact me when they do:

E-mail : jbrotton@nvcc.edu,
Telephone : (703) 323-3347 (during my ELI office hours)
Voice mail : 323-3713, mailbox 0860,
or by the V/TDD number (323-3717) if hearing impaired.

You may also call me to schedule a meeting in person, either at ELI or my campus office. 

Beginning the Course

1. Use your web browser to connect to http://www.nvcc.edu/bbstart. Follow the directions to determine your email, Blackboard and VIVA account user names and passwords.
2. Access your email account and make sure you know how to use it; you will be required to use this account for all course-related email.
3. Log on to Blackboard at http://learn.vccs.edu.
4. Click on this course under "My Courses." Review the entire course to make sure you understand what will be required of you. Then start completing the assignments.

Please note that account generation takes approximately one week from the time of your paid registration. If you cannot log on after one week, contact the IT Help Desk. If you can log on to Blackboard, but your course isn't listed, please contact ELI or your instructor.