I have a background in higher education as an adjunct instructor at the University of North Texas. I taught Technical Writing, an introductory course in the department from which I received both of my degrees. In addition to honing my live facilitation skills, it was a way to give back to the community that enabled me to get where I am today as a professional.
The following presentation is excerpted from a lesson on the levels of technical editing. The greatest challenge was that I taught a three-hour section that met once per week in the evenings. My students were already tired and burnt out from their long days of working and studying, so I had to craft lessons that were both engaging and intentional.
Technical editing is a skill that isn’t often explicitly taught, but can easily take someone’s content from good to great through structured editing passes. I broke the information into three smaller categories, and carefully structured the lesson in layers of information and action.
After outlining precise steps to take during each level of editing, I gave students a sample on which to practice their new skills in live discusison groups.