Registration for the 2021 full program cohort has closed. Individual modules are available for registration through the EEGS CPD page. Please note, all modules must be completed by November 22, 2021.  

For a complete program description of the Critical Skills for Communication in the Technical Sector micro-credential, please visit EEGS Micro-credentials.

Synopsis

The ability to communicate information accurately, succinctly and unambiguously is an essential skill required by employers in a breadth of technical industries. This non-credit UBC micro-credential in technical communication consists of eight modules covering skills essential for employment and career advancement in the science and engineering sectors, as follows:

1. Technical Reporting
2. Technical Writing Basics & Styles
3. Grammar & Clarity in Technical Writing
4. Reviewing Technical Documents
5. Team & Client Communications
6. Technical Training Documents
7. Engaging Technical Presentations
8. Winning Technical Proposals

Program Structure, Delivery and Fees

This program comprises eight modules and is delivered fully online through Canvas Catalog. Each of the eight modules consists of five to six hours of asynchronous readings, video lectures, exercises, and assignments. Coursework is assessed as ‘Pass’ or ‘Fail’.

A course dedicated to each module is released weekly (see Schedule and Access Details, below) starting February 15, 2021.  Program enrollees may begin the course, review background materials, and start the module any time after the course release date. Once a module is started within a course, participants have two weeks to finish that module.  All modules must be completed before August 16, 2021. 

Program participants have access to one optional weekly help session hosted in Zoom by the course facilitator (Thursdays, 12:00 to 13:00 PST). 

Fees for the full program are $1200 and are non-refundable. Fees include access to all instructional content required to complete the micro-credential. There are no additional fees for textbooks.  Enrolment in the program provides access to the eight modules, which are accessed individually through your Student Dashboard on the Catalog system. For additional details on access, see Schedule and Access Details, below.

Credential Awarded

Participants who successfully complete all eight modules receive a UBC Okanagan Letter of Proficiency for Critical Skills for Communications in the Technical Sector, a non-credit credential.

Upon successful completion of a module, participants are issued a digital verifiable badge, which may be claimed and displayed on social media platforms (e.g., LinkedIn) and personal online e-portfolios, resumes, and CVs.

Each badge contains metadata that encapsulates the learning outcomes achieved.

Admission requirements

This non-credit credential has no pre-requisites nor does it require a prior or existing affiliation with UBC. This learning opportunity is designed for adult learners; participants must be 18 years or older. Language of instruction is English. This course is designed for professionals who will have typically earned a university degree or college diploma in a science or engineering discipline and are engaged in continuing professional development (e.g., for a professional association/society such as Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia, BC Institute of Agrologists, Association of BC Forest Professionals and College of Applied Biology).

Technical Requirements

This program is delivered fully online using the UBC Canvas Catalog learning management system.

It is expected that participants have access to a personal computer connected to the Internet with speakers, web-camera and a microphone and that the computer is installed with web browser, word processor, spreadsheet and presentation software.

Weekly help sessions use Zoom (technical requirements). 

Schedule and Access Details

The first module opens February 15, 2021.  A new module is released each subsequent Monday until  April 5, 2021 as shown in Table 1 (below). Modules do not need to be completed in order.

Courses will be listed under your student dashboard.  Prior to the module release date, the course will appear with a lock symbol over the course card. Once released, the course will have a “Begin Course” link.

You may enter a course and review the background materials any time after the release date. You may choose to start the module at your convenience. Once started, you have two weeks to complete the module.

Table 1. Module Release Dates

Course Materials

Course content, submission of coursework, and assessment are conducted in Canvas Catalog. Canvas Catalog software is accessed via a web browser. Links to optional and extended learning materials also are provided but are not required to complete the micro-credential.

Course notes are provided in a pdf format that can be downloaded for future use. Video content is available only through Canvas Catalog. 

All materials required for completion of the micro-credential are provided within the UBC Canvas Catalog learning management system. Participants do not have online access to the UBC Library system.

Course Facilitator

Christa Bedwin, B.Ed., B.Sc. is a Senior Technical Editor, who has 20 years’ experience coaching scientific and engineering writers, and editing for industry, government, academia, and educational and trade publishers, with specialties in engineering and the environment. She has taught technical writing to professional engineers and scientists in Canada and internationally; has published three textbooks about writing for scientific reporting consultants; and among other projects has contributed chapters to Editors Canada’s two most recent publications, Editing Canadian English and its companion volume, Editorial Niches.

Additional Information

This credential is offered as part of the Career and Personal Development program administered by the Department of Earth, Environmental and Geographic Sciences at UBC Okanagan. Queries about the credential, or the EEGS Department CPD program more generally, should be submitted to: eegs.cpd@ubc.ca. The CPD Program coordinator is Ms. Marni Turek.

Last updated: Sept 28, 2021. MNL