Technical Writing
Technology can be intimidating to the general user. In fact, some have a fear of technology and want their company's IT support to hand-hold. Documentation that is accurate and easy to understand is essential to start users down the path to help themselves.
Instructional Design
Teaching is complex, and it is important to ensure that you achieve the expected results. When teaching in an online environment, it is important to understand the best strategies to facilitate user learning. I apply pedagogical practices learned through practical experience to assist faculty from a multitude of disciplines in creating effective learning environments.
Teaching
Writers need to understand the implications of audience and context when creating documentation. As an adjunct faculty at Point Park University, I develop courses that help students understand how to identify audience and context. Principles of grammar, style, and writing theory are integral to successful documentation. I explain the concepts to my students and stress their importance in successful professional or technical writing.
Training
To me, a part of technology support is explaining to the user how to perform a task or avoid future pitfalls. Some problems may affect many users. Training addresses those problems. As the support person, I have identified areas that require training, developed a course syllabus, created instructional handouts, and taught users.
Management
My experiences and skills extend beyond instruction and documentation to management. I have had success as a project manager because I understand the necessity of organization and structure. Using a plan or creating a logic model is a good way to guarantee a successful project with measurable outcomes.
Knowledge
Having spent several years in computer support, I know computer technology, and I understand users. Classes at Carnegie Mellon University increased my understanding by introducing me to user testing and the theory of how interfaces affect user experience.