Thinking of an English class often brings to mind images of essays, literary analyses, and book projects. Upon entrance to college, however, students quickly find out that English is an umbrella for a plethora of skillsets, such as technical writing.
What is technical writing?
Technical writing is one of those skills under the English umbrella. It is much more than the ability to write; it requires extensive research, communication, and design skills.
Technical writing skills are an asset to a variety of careers. Those who choose to study technical writing and communications can find themselves working as a content developer, editor, web designer, or even a social media strategist. It’s an incredibly versatile and growing field.
Traditional high school education typically offers English courses that focus mainly on reading and writing comprehension and mastery. Oak Hill Academy goes beyond the basics and takes English a step further through its elective offerings such as technical writing.
Technical writing requires strong, well-developed research skills. Students are able to familiarize themselves with this skillset through the technical writing elective at Oak Hill through experiential learning projects that introduce the required skills.
How does Oak Hill Academy implement technical writing?
Instructional guides are an example of technical writing. In Ms. Tobin’s technical writing course, OHA students are learning to implement different methods of research to convey information.
One student is creating an instructional, stylized map of trees on campus and how to identify them. Through this project, she conducted personal research with an on-campus specialist and through utilizing a Virginia identification guidebook. This gave her the added benefit of developing her communication skills in addition to her technical writing skills.
Another student is creating an instructional guide for cleaning dormitory rooms on campus. This required an array of research methods, like interviewing students for compilations of information and cross-referencing for accuracy. This research led the student to implement guidelines within her project, another prerequisite skill for growing as a technical writer.
Those who study technical writing must uphold strong attention to detail, a clear sense of audience, and accurate research processes. It is a branch of the English field that takes time and patience to master. Oak Hill Academy provides students with the introduction to these skills, ultimately preparing them for collegiate success while having a fun opportunity to participate in hands-on learning.
Want to learn more?
Read on for additional links related to technical writing careers and real-world value.