TW: Online Help 8 August 30, 2010
801-102 Technical Writing: Online Help (Internet)
Fall 2010
Course Information
Instructor: Rick Barribeau Office Hours: M______
T______
Office: Racine 222D W______
TH______
Phone: 262.619.6822 (School Phone) F______
262.619.6227 (FAX)
Email:
Web Page: http://cws.gateway.tec.wi.us/faculty/barribeaur
Address: Gateway Technical College, 1001 S. Main Street, Racine, WI 53403
Texts: None
(Use of the Online Help and Using RoboHelp HTML 8 PDF manual)
Materials: Flash drive
Adobe RoboHelp 8
Adobe Acrobat 8 or later
WinZip
Description: Students are provided the skills and practice to integrate the conceptual, artistic, and psychological skills of designing and developing online help using RoboHelp. Emphasis is placed on the production of help systems, including designing, creating, and testing the help system.
Credits: 1
Competencies: The following competencies are the minimum skills promoted and assessed in this course.
q Analyze user and system requirements to select the most effective type of Help.
q Examine how the skills and principles of visual design are used in Help
q Develop Help according to user needs
q Develop Help showing awareness of authoring tools and programming techniques
q Test Help for conformance to needs of users
q Apply the principles of unbiased, non-sexist, multicultural, and global communication.
Core Abilities: Gateway believes students need both technical knowledge and skills and core abilities in order to succeed in a career and in life. The following nine core abilities are the general attitudes and skills promoted and assessed in all Gateway programs; those followed by an asterisk are promoted and assessed in this course.
q Act responsibly*
q Communicate clearly and effectively*
q Demonstrate essential computer skills*
q Demonstrate essential mathematical skills
q Develop job-seeking skills
q Respect self and others as members of a diverse society
q Think critically and creatively*
q Work cooperatively
q Value learning
Special Needs
If you have any special educational needs or concerns, please contact your instructor or the special needs instructor on your campus. The special needs instructors on the Racine campus are Peggy Jude (619.6478) and Pam Herr (619.6520). Their office is in the Student Services area in the Lake Building.
Internet Warning
The Internet and social networking sites, including but not limited to Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, or Second Life, are not controlled by Gateway Technical College. While there can be educational value to these sites, there is potential for offensive language, adult content and situations. If you have concerns, please talk with your instructor.
Netiquette
All students are expected to maintain a professional tone in all messages or discussions posted to the Discussion Board or to email. It is imperative that the rights of all users of the Discussion Board and email are respected, and no one should be degraded, insulted, or discriminated against as a result of their comments or beliefs expressed as part of this course. All Discussion Board or email messages must contain the name of message originator. If using someone else's email account, your name must be included in the body of the message since it will not be part of the automated "From" line of the email. Failure to respect the rights of other students or the instructor will be dealt with following the policies presented in the Gateway Student Handbook.
Pandemic Notice
Should there be a public health pandemic emergency, the student is responsible for:
· Being prepared and able to adapt if there is an unplanned absence (pandemic emergency). Students should be present when classes are in session and manage their time so that they can complete assignments and assessments on or before the date they are due.
· Completing work missed due to an absence within the time frame determined by the instructor.
· Participating in an alternative delivery method of instruction as determined by the instructor. The alternative delivery method that will be used for this course is Internet (Blackboard).
Potential modifications may be implemented to promote completion of the coursework. The instructor will utilize a variety of strategies to support student success and mastery of the course competencies. In the event of an incomplete grade, the instructor will provide an opportunity to complete the coursework prior to the start of the next semester.
If the college is closed for 14 days or more, the college may extend the semester. All staff and students will be notified.
Student Responsibilities
Students are responsible for their own learning and development. They have a responsibility to be active learners by attending class, participating in class activities and discussions, completing class assignments, and preparing in advance for the class session. The Gateway District believes every student has the right to pursue an education free from disruption, harassment, illegal activities, threats, or danger. Any student or group of students may be denied access to the classroom upon the instructor’s determination that the behavior impedes student learning and/or the health and safety of peers, self, or the staff. The District further believes that academic honesty and integrity are fundamental to the educational mission of this College. Thus, cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated and will result in course failure. Every student is expected to comply with the standards set and to be familiar with all the rules and regulations of Gateway Technical College (see section V of the Student Handbook for complete information on Student Rights and Responsibilities).
Assignments
The following provide the specific details and due dates of all required assignments for this course. Review course notes and do any personal research needed before completing the projects. All projects must be done on the computer and submitted to the instructor by first-class mail, Gateway intercampus mail, , email, or in person before 1 p.m. on or before the due date. All assignments will be corrected and returned within a week.
Please review the pages for Assignments and Course Notes on Blackboard for additional information on the appropriate assignment. If you have questions, please contact your instructor.
Assignment i-d
Competency: To introduce yourself to the instructor and the other students in the course.
There are no additional course notes for assignment i. Do any personal research needed for the assignment. In addition, this assignment is not corrected, but an “A” is earned for doing it and a “0” is earned for not doing it.
Post to the Discussion Board an introduction to yourself. Include enough information so that the instructor and the other students get to know more about you than just your name. The following is information you might include: name, where you live, family details, educational history, work history, why you are taking this class, community involvement, hobbies, travel, and any other information that would be interesting to know.
There is no set length for this assignment, but create a good profile of yourself so that we can get to know you. This information may also prove helpful when looking for other students in the course to collaborate with.
Due to the instructor by 1 p.m. (central time) on or before September 14, 2010.
Assignment i-db
Competency: To collaborate with other students in the course.
There are no additional course notes for assignment i-db. Do any personal research needed for the assignment. In addition, this assignment is not corrected, but credit is given for the weekly posting(s).
Post your comments and questions or responses to comments and questions to the Discussion Board by clicking on the Discussion Board button on the left. The Discussion Board allows you to communicate and chat with the other students and the instructor of this course. This allows you to ask questions to other students or the instructor in the course and to have the responses shared with all students. The instructor can also post helpful information on the Discussion Board, so it is important that you check it regularly. There is no set length for this assignment.
Also, remember part of your final course grade will be based on your weekly Discussion Board posting(s) that provide appropriate information, respond to questions by the instructor/other students and post questions or comments for response by the instructor/other students. See the syllabus for details on grading.
Due to the instructor by 1 p.m. (central time) on or before September 21, 2010, and every Tuesday the rest of the semester.
Assignment 1
Competency: Analyze user and system requirements to select the most effective type of Help.
Review the course notes for assignment 1 by clicking on the Course Documents button. Do any personal research, such as visiting the websites at the end of the notes, needed for the assignment.
1. Using software applications on a computer, locate and explore two different Help systems. Make sure that you locate at least two different types of Help (for example, Windows 95 Help, Microsoft HTML-based Help, WebHelp).
2. Create a Word document that contains the following information for each of the two Help systems:
§ Name of the software application
§ Screen shot of the Help window
§ Type of Help (Windows 3.x, Windows 95, Microsoft HTML-Based, Custom WebHelp, Embedded Help)
§ Discussion of context sensitive Help that is possible and implemented
§ Discussion of navigation available to find and move among topics
§ Brief analysis of the Help
(Your analysis might include your overall impression of the effectiveness of the Help [helpful, somewhat helpful, not helpful], explanations why you feel this type of help was used, identification of any features that would be helpful, and suggested improvements to the Help system,…)
3. Save this document and email it to the instructor.
Due to the instructor by 1 p.m. (central time) on or before September 21, 2010.
Assignment 2
Competency: Analyze user and system requirements to select the most effective type of Help.
Competency: Examine how the skills and principles of visual design are used in Help.
Competency: Develop Help showing awareness of authoring tools and programming techniques.
Review the course notes for assignment 2 by clicking on the Course Documents button. Do any personal research needed for the assignment.
1. Download the files above and save them all in the same folder.
2. Double-click assignment_2.zip to extract all the RoboHTML files needed to start assignment 2. When you extract the files, make sure you select the same folder to extract the files in as you selected for the assignment. In order to extract the files for the assignment, you will need WinZip. If necessary, click on WinZip on the Assignment 2 Blackboard page to download a copy of WinZip from the WinZip website. After you install WinZip on your computer, you can double-click a .zip file to begin the process of extracting the files in it.
3. Open the "Directions for Assignment 2" document and follow the directions to make the required changes to the Help file.
4. After completing all edits specified in the above document, send an email to the instructor with the Types_of_Help.chm file, the About_Custom_WebHelp.htm file, and the Sample_Custom_WebHelp.htm file.
Due to the instructor by 1 p.m. (central time) on or before September 28, 2010.
Assignment 3
Competency: Examine how the skills and principles of visual design are used in Help.
Competency: Develop Help according to user needs.
Competency: Develop Help showing awareness of authoring tools and programming techniques.
Review the course notes for assignment 3 by clicking on the Course Documents button. Do any personal research needed for the assignment.
1. Download the files above and save them all in the same folder.
2. Double-click assignment_3.zip to extract all the RoboHTML files needed to start assignment 3. When you extract the files, make sure you select the same folder to extract the files in as you selected for the assignment. In order to extract the files for the assignment, you will need WinZip. If necessary, click on WinZip on the Assignment 3 Blackboard page to download a copy of WinZip from the WinZip website. After you install WinZip on your computer, you can double-click a .zip file to begin the process of extracting the files in it.
3. Open the "Directions for Assignment 2" document and follow the directions to make the required changes to the Help file.
4. After completing all edits specified in the above document, submit the required files to the instructor using a method described in the "Directions for Assignment 3" document.
Due to the instructor by 1 p.m. (central time) on or before October 5, 2010.
Assignment 4
Competency: Examine how the skills and principles of visual design are used in Help.
Competency: Develop Help according to user needs.
Competency: Develop Help showing awareness of authoring tools and programming techniques.
Competency: Apply the principles of unbiased, non-sexist, multicultural, and global communication.
Review the course notes for assignment 4 by clicking on the Course Documents button. Do any personal research needed for the assignment.
1. Download the files above and save them all in the same folder.
2. To view a sample WebHelp system, download and then double-click assignment_4.zip (located in the notes for assignment 4 page) to extract the sample WebHelp system. When you extract the files, make sure you select the same folder to extract the files in as you selected for the assignment. Open the WebHelp by double-clicking the classdemo.htm file or opening it in a browser. Review the sample WebHelp system, including the table of contents, topics, and index, for the required functionality.
3. Open the "Directions for Assignment 4" document and follow the directions to create your own WebHelp system from scratch.
4. After completing your Webhelp system, submit the required files to the instructor using a method described in the "Directions for Assignment 4" document.
Due to the instructor by 1 p.m. (central time) on or before October 12, 2010.
Assignment 5
Competency: Analyze user and system requirements to select the most effective type of Help.
Competency: Examine how the skills and principles of visual design are used in Help
Competency: Develop Help according to user needs
Competency: Develop Help showing awareness of authoring tools and programming techniques