Information technology
Technology and media
Students must know hardware and software used in technical communication.
Relevant when performing technical communication tasks in practice.
This discipline deals with core technology that is used in technical communication.
- Understand types of media that are inherently representational (e.g., text, image, graphic, 3D model, film, audio) or inherently interactive (e.g., hypertext, interactive image, interactive graphic, interactive 3D model, interactive film, animation, simulation)
- Know data exchange possibilities (e.g., transformation, automation)
- Know storage and output formats for content (e.g., PDF, HTML5, EPUB, XML, JSON, 3D-PDF, U3D, WebGL, 3D-XML, MPEG4, MPEG3)
- Understand restrictions imposed by media standards with regard to their use for information products and dependencies on publication media, output devices or operating systems
- Develop requirement specifications for technology selection
- Know technology relevant for technical communication (e.g. data analytics, 2D/3D technology, gamification)
- Assess different technology options available
- Define which is the most effective technology for a given environment
- Know principles of human-machine interaction
- Use authoring systems (e. g. for web page creation, help system creation, structured content creation)
- Analyse and define workflows, roles and processes for content creation and management
- Apply key features and techniques of content management systems
- Configure CMS for special requirements
- Know some known forms of CMS (e. g. open source, closed, proprietary)
- Understand how to evaluate content creation tools and content management systems
- Select the best-suited tool or system for a given environment based on a qualified evaluation
- Use a content creation and management system efficiently
- Know key features and techniques for a special-purpose field related to technical communication (e.g. graphics and visualisation, 2D/3D, animation and video, speech and audio, help authoring, screen recording, publishing, learning/training, translation, terminology management, localisation, project management)
- Analyse and define workflows, roles and processes for a special-purpose field
- Define requirements for a special-purpose field
- Be able to use some known systems for the special-purpose field (e.g. open source, closed, proprietary)
- Understand how to evaluate a system
- Select the best-suited system for a given environment based on a qualified evaluation
- Configure a system for special requirements
- Use a system efficiently in the special-purpose field
- Know the functions of content-editing tools
- Use different tools for content editing
- Understand database concepts and techniques
- Design relational database
- Use database for efficient information management
- Know SQL key concepts
- Develop simple scripts and programs, especially to be well-prepared for software documentation
- Know key programming constructs (e.g. variable, control structure, class, object, method)
- Develop style sheets (e.g. CSS, XSL)
- Devlop simple hybrid or native app
- Know automation methods
- Know XML and standard markup languages (e. g. SVG, DITA, S1000D)
- Have basic knowledge of a programming language (e. g. XSLT, XSL-FO, Javascript, PHP, Java)
- Develop simple XML languages (vocabulary, grammar)
- Know the history, standardisation process, language scope of standard markup languages (e.g. HTML/HTML5, DITA, SVG)
- Know key concepts of XML/SGML meta language (e.g., well-formedness, validity, document type definition (DTD), scheme)
- Structure content according to a given markup language
- Publish content that is tagged in a given markup language (e.g. using cascading style sheets (CSS), XSL, publishing tools)
- Know tools for structured authoring (e.g. XML editors, XML content management and publishing systems)
- Use a tool environment for structured authoring
- Know about automation of creation processes
- Know about automation of publication processes
- Design web pages
- Implement web pages
- Know HTML, HTML 5
- Know web authoring tools (e.g. Dreamweaver)
- Know principles of cloud computing and storage
- Apply tools for cloud computing and storage
- Understand app design
- Devlop simple hybrid or native app
- Understand different app types (hybrid, web, native)
- Know technology for app development (e.g. JQuery mobile)
- Know mobile user experience principles (e.g. micro interactions)
- Understand the role of social media for technical communication
- Know social media technology
- Apply social media for information purposes
- Understand backup purposes and techniques
- Understand archiving tasks and techniques
- Analyse and define workflows, roles for backup and archiving processes
- Configure a backup system for special requirements
- Configure an archiving system for special requirements
- Know some known backup and archiving systems (e.g. open source, closed, proprietary)
- Understand how to evaluate a backup or archiving system
- Select the best-suited backup/archiving system for a given environment based on a qualified evaluation
- Use a system for backups, archiving and retrieval