Undergraduate - UnitFIT2043 - Technical documentation for software engineers

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Level	Undergraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Information Technology
Offered	Clayton First semester 2012 (Day)

Synopsis

This unit covers problems with paper-based and on-line documentation; types of technical documentation used in software engineering; document specifications; minimalist design philosophy; graphic design of technical documentation; the context of technical writing; the writing process (analysis, planning, generation, testing, revision and maintenance of written texts); document publication techniques (including SGML, LaTeX and XML); the role of hypertext, hypermedia and markup languages in technical documentation; small-volume and large-volume hypertext; collaborative hypertext; intelligent hypertext.

Outcomes

At the completion of this unit students will have -
A knowledge and understanding of:

• how to organise and write clear technical documentation.
• the different types and roles of technical documentation, including code documentation (literate programming methods, function header documentation), internal designs, external designs, reference manuals, guides and introductory manuals.
• the use of the basic types of tools for producing documentation: editors, text formatters, typesetters, desktop publishers, graphics tools, printing and viewing tools.
• the role of style in writing.
• different approaches to the writing process and which approach best suits the individual student.

Developed attitudes that enable them to:

• be sensitive to the aims and uses of effective technical documentation at all stages in a project.
• be aware of different writing methods and styles and their suitability to different tasks.
• appreciate the wider use of documentation in evaluating, promoting, and supporting projects.
• develop a sensitivity to different reader / audience types.

Demonstrated the communication skills necessary to:

• be able to write effective and clear documentation.
• be able to use one of each major kind of documentation development and delivery tool.

Assessment

Examination (2 hours): 50%; In-semester assessment: 50%

Chief examiner(s)

Dr David Squire

Contact hours

2 hrs lectures/wk, 2 hrs laboratories/wk

Prerequisites

One of FIT1002, CPE1001, CSE1202, GCO1811, MMS1801, MMS1802, CSE1301

Prohibitions

CSE1305, CSE1402

Additional information on this unit is available from the faculty at:

http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/units/fit2043