Professional Writing

WHO THIS COURSE IS FOR

Anyone in need of help bridging the gap between academic essay writing and the working world of writng. Undergraduates, recent graduates, early career professionals, career-changers or leaders seeking ways to polish their professional writing skills will find this course of value.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Your writing is respected.

You deliver accurate, consistent and concise documents.

Your writing helps people connect; they understand your message and enjoy reading your writing.

You write strategically to inform, enlighten and persuade.

Your writing has become a skill you understand.

This is a six-week, self-paced online course.

Your textbook and other learning resources are provided.
Aim for ten hours of homework each week.

Learn at your own pace but try not to rush. Stress can block learning and retention*.

*Source: NPJ: Science of Learning

“There is lots of room for improvement and I will steadily improve...”

- Pierre Berton, a Canadian historian, author, journalist, and broadcaster,
from his book, The Joy of Writing.

Professional writing skills are highly valued in today's workplace.

The Government of Canada considers writing as one of the country's nine foundational Skills for Success. Being able to write well is essential in most jobs and also enables rapid learning of other skills and knowledge.

The Government of British Columbia, among other provincial governments, has embraced Plain Language because it makes information easier to find, read and understand. When people understand what they read, they need fewer explanations and make fewer mistakes. It saves people and government time and money and improves the accessibility of your content. Follow their Plain Language Checklist.

What you will learn in this course

We will introduce you to professional writing basics, methods and samples of successful documents you can learn from. We will cover the structure behind the key documents in today's work world. You will learn -

How to gather information, plan, organize and write content using The Writing Process*.
How to identify and effectively complete typical workplace documents.
How to use and follow Plain Language and Canadian Press Style guidelines.
The ability to think strategically about message, purpose and audience in your writing.
Learners choose their own topics for assignments and are encouraged to use their finished pieces as work samples for their portfolio websites.

How you will learn

Our courses are designed to promote cognitive engagement which involves mental effort, persistence and strategic thinking. Learners engage and grow by applying critical thinking skills and self-regulation while connecting new information to prior knowledge.

Strategies to promote a deep desire to learn include providing choices, using collaborative, open-ended projects and creating tasks that require critical thinking rather than simple recall.

Here’s how we encourage cognitive engagement in our courses -

You will receive a course plan with details on each learning module for each week.
You will receive a link to the Open Textbook for the course you have selected.
Each course comes with a storyboard that maps out each step in your learning process.
Learning modules follow this process so you'll always know where you're at.
Learning resources include videos, slide decks, reading lists and various examples.
Your course plan will include a reading list for key textbook segments.
A live meeting is held once each week to discuss key elements of each module.
Assignments are also discussed in detail at weekly sessions.
A social media networking resource link is provided so you can learn from one another.

Learning objectives

Learn professional writing skills and why they are so valuable.
Explore theories, models, frameworks, styles and resources.
Your approach and final drafts are organized, concise and complete.
Your writing is legible, fact-based and conforms to style conventions.
You get to the point quickly, so your writing is compelling, easy to read and understand.

Free and open resources for this course includes lessons from the Business Writing for Everyone Open textbook written by Arley Cruthers, an instructor with Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Surrey, BC. Published May 2020.

Prerequisites

Before enrolling, take a moment to assess your readiness as we want you to succeed and enjoy your learning. In addition to having successfully completed grade 12, you will need these skills to be effective -

Study time: about five hours per week.
Solid reading and writing ability.
Computer familiarity and keyboarding skills.
Ability to search for information online.
The ability to think critically.