Learning Management Systems and Tech Writers – Educating the Educators

If you’re a student, or you work in an educational field, chances are high you’re familiar with an LMS, although you may not be as familiar with the acronym itself. LMSs, or Learning Management Systems, are the primary method by which students and instructors interact at the higher education level. Or, to put it as a metaphor, if you think of a college or a university as one giant personal computer an LMS would be the operating system, creating a meaningful structure to use the computer for both the professor and pupil.

Although a relatively recent trend in education, LMSs have quickly become an essential part of running a successful institution. Some of the major players in the current LMS arena are Blackboard, Angel (now owned by Blackboard), Moodle, and Canvas. And chances are, if you are a student or faculty member, you have used or are currently using one of these products. However, some institutions have relied on smaller, “home-grown” versions of LMSs developed by in-house web developers and programmers. But as the scope of the LMS has increased – as well as the expectations of LMS users – many institutions find it too much to bear to continuously develop, maintain, and update their own.

What is Technical Communication?

According to the Society for Technical Communication, its members “communicate about technical or specialized topics, such as such as computer applications, medical procedures, or environmental regulations. They communicate by using technology, such as Web pages, help files, or social media sites. And they provide instructions for products and services.”

During my studies at Eastern Washington University, I was often asked what tech writing was. “It’s authoring any business document more complex than a typical memo,” was the usual reply. And while simple, that definition is a little misleading. All businesses routinely engage in creating documents more complicated than a quick email or office-wide memo, yet few have dedicated writers producing these documents.

If employees are already producing technical writing, why would anyone specialize in this field? Why not have your account reps, engineers, sales staff, service technicians, marketing department, public relations reps, administrative assistants, or executives write out these documents? Why would you need a specialist in an area that a generalist can perform adequately? Why invest in an employee who, depending on the organization, may not have a traditional, time-tested role or title?

Welcome to SPK TC.

Welcome to the Spokane Technical Communication blog (SPK TC). This collection of articles, reviews, and conversations represents the combined experiences of local technical writers, editors, publishers, and all other professionals involved in the business of producing the highest quality text, documentation, and materials to wide, non-expert, or specialized audiences.

All posts are written by myself and colleagues – either from the local Spokane region, greater inland empire area, or graduates of local technical communication programs. If you are interested in being a contributing member of the SPK TC blog, please send me an email at devinl.parker@gmail.com. For more information on the SPK TC or to see our posting guidelines, click the  Posting & Commenting Rules or What is SPK TC links.