Our Five Favorite Features of SolidWorks® Composer™
At ProEdit, we make it our business to keep up with the latest software for all of our branches, from e-learning courses to technical illustration. For technical documentation, we have been getting a lot of mileage out of SolidWorks® Composer™, a robust program that imports CAD data and produces dynamic images and animations. In this article we’ll take a look at some of this program’s many tools, which can help you get the most out of its technical illustration and animation features. Onion Skin: SolidWorks® Composer™ is all about...
read moreHow to Start a New Technical Writer
Technical writers can be a valuable asset to your team. They often have varying backgrounds, experience, knowledge, and skill sets. But, in order to ensure the success of the new technical writer you hired and the team as a whole, it is important to properly welcome the technical writer into your company. ProEdit’s staffing experts have provided the following tips to help you smoothly integrate your new technical writer into your team. Be Prepared Regardless of whether you’ve hired a permanent or contract technical writer, it is...
read morePreparing a New Instructional Designer for Work
Quality instructional designers can be difficult to find in the current marketplace. Not only will ProEdit help you narrow the field and place a candidate, but we can also help you prepare for the new hire’s first day. The staffing experts here at ProEdit have come up with a checklist to help you bring on an instructional designer, whether for a contracted or permanent position. This checklist will help make the process go smoothly for both you and the new hire. Be sure to communicate timeline and expectations. Not only does the...
read moreTechnical Writing Classes Sharpen Your Communication Skills
Technical writing is about much more than technology; it refers to any writing that explains a process—any process. Technical writing classes can teach you how to write clearly about any given topic. Here are three essential skills that you can gain from taking a technical writing course. Understand Your Audience The first thing that you need to be able to do as a technical writer is connect with your audience, and audience analysis will allow you to understand important facts about the people you’re writing to. The following list...
read moreChecklist for Starting a New Technical Writing Job
Whether you’re starting a new full-time position or working on a contract basis, the prospect of beginning a new technical writing job is exciting, but sometimes, it can also be daunting What is the best way to approach your projects? The following checklist, compiled by the technical writers here at ProEdit, will help you succeed in your technical writing endeavors. Getting started on the right foot: If you’re going to be working onsite at a new place, it can be a little intimidating as you start to learn your way around. Before you...
read moreHow to Forecast Updating Your Company’s Content
If you get the feeling of déjà vu when you sit down to revise outdated materials,, you aren’t alone. Companies spend countless hours and budgeted dollars keeping their existing content up to date, whether they are refreshing product information manuals, policy and procedure manuals, training materials, website content, or the like. In fact, studies have shown that 60 percent of an organization’s stored documents are out of date or even obsolete[1]. As you grab that red pen and prepare to open that binder, you’re probably wondering if...
read moreTools for M-learning & How to Choose One
“Can I take this training course on my iPad? smartphone? tablet?” Many instructional designers have heard that question lately and wondered exactly how to get their course content to fit into a mobile learning environment. Instructional designers (IDs) need to know which tools are fast, friendly, and provide cross-platform functionality and support. Stop and consider what learners will gain Before investing in tools for m-learning development, the instructional designer should take a learner-centric view of the organization’s training...
read moreHow to Write for an Eighth-Grade Reading Level
When writing documentation, marketing content, or training materials, keeping the audience in mind is an important step in producing effective content. Sometimes, you may be asked to limit your writing to a specific reading level so it’s accessible to a broad range of users. You can monitor the reading level of a document by turning on the readability statistics option in the proofing settings of Microsoft Word. This activates the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level measurement, which calculates the number of years of education needed to comprehend...
read moreBest Practices for Planning an Instructional Design Project
Successful projects start with detailed planning. Before you even begin the design phase for your ILT course or e-learning module, you should have a clear understanding of the project, including its requirements, purpose, audience, deadline, and schedule. Building this solid foundation will help keep you organized and on-track. What Are the Requirements? A thorough understanding of the project is crucial to creating accurate materials. Make sure you’re clear on what the finished product should look like. Identify the key stakeholders, and...
read moreFun Activities for E-learning Using Articulate® Storyline®
Have you ever had to sit through a class where the teacher had one mode: monotony? There weren’t any engaging activities or riveting class discussions, and you watched the second hand on the clock while doodling instead of taking notes. As an e-learning developer, you have the opportunity to make up for those torturous courses that you and other learners have experienced. Studies show that people learn information more effectively when they are engaged in the material and participating in activities and discussions; that’s why pedagogy...
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