Tutorials are a common form of technical communication, especially because people have access to the internet, where they can find a variety of professional and amateur help documents on almost any topic. To better understand the strengths and weaknesses of this form of technical communication, you will be choosing and evaluating one tutorial in video format for your initial discussion post. Explore the internet to find an effective tutorial in the form of a video or slide presentation. The content should educate the audience on how to complete a process rather than inform the audience about a topic. Here are a few suggested tutorials you can choose from:
- How to Build an Ikea Bed Frame
- How to Install Ring Doorbell
- How to Read the Periodic Table
- How to Hook Up Airpods on Nintendo Switch
Once you have found an example of a tutorial on the internet or listed above, write a review of the strengths and weaknesses of the content and how the creator uses digital media to convey information to the audience. Your initial discussion post should include the following points:
- Title of the tutorial and the web address where it can be found.
- Summary of the purpose of the tutorial and the target audience. Be sure this is in your own words and not copied from a source.
- Description of what was clear or unclear in the tutorial, both in content and how information was conveyed visually and audibly. Consider all aspects, such as audio, text, graphics, animation, and timing (e.g., how long the content is on the screen before moving to the next point).
- Reflection on how the tutorial has impacted your ideas about the value of using digital media to create a tutorial.
Cite content from this unit’s readings or relevant internet sources as support of ideas you have noted in your post. Citing research should serve to add credibility and insight to your paragraphs. You will need to use APA formatted in-text citations in your paragraphs to indicate which sentences reflect ideas from sources; references should be provided at the end of your post. The Writing Center has resources on APA citation formatting.
All discussion responses should be written in complete sentences using Standard English to create cohesive paragraphs. Technical writers are often held to minimum and/or maximum word counts. As a guideline, your initial post should be approximately 200 words. Quality, thorough, and relevant content should take precedence since a longer response may be needed to adequately respond to the discussion topics posed above.
