AP/WRIT 2201 3.00

Effective Writing and Research in Information Technology

This course develops fundamental research and technical writing capabilities required to clearly describe and document IT-related problems and solutions. Students develop these capabilities by working on projects that require research into, and clear descriptions of, technical problems, solutions and procedures, using relevant academic and professional genres, and creating an eportfolio to demonstrate and reflect critically on their development as researcher/writers.

Research topics and skills:
• Clarifying information needs / formulating problems or research questions
• Search tools and strategies (appropriate choice of search engines and data bases, constructing search terms with use of thesaurus, synonyms, Boolean operators, limit terms)
• Critical evaluation of information sources
• Analytical reading
• Organization and management of information and sources (bibliographic management tools, citation, topic scoping, use of concept mapping)
Professional and technical writing topics and skills:
• Rhetorical awareness (analyze and apply understanding of purpose and characteristics of academic and professional genres commonly used in IT, with a special focus on effective descriptions of technical information and processes)
• Audience analysis
• Writing processes, tools and strategies including substantive revision and editing skills and tools
• User-centred design
• Usability testing
• Structured content
• Document control
• Document design (search engine optimization, design principles, production of accessible documents, visual communication)
• Wiki syntax
Other professional capabilities:
• Project management
• Collaborative writing
• Peer review and providing constructive feedback