The New Heights annual workshop is STC Alberta’s premier educational event. We bring in a noted speaker for a day-long, intensive session on a topic of interest to our broad Alberta audience and provide attendees with materials, breakfast, lunch, snacks, and a first-class educational experience. You will come away from the workshop with a good appreciation of a tool or concept you always wanted to know more about, or a deeper knowledge of something you already work with.

New Heights: April 12, 2013

Topic: Goal-directed Audience Analysis: Who’s Using your Content?
Speaker: Judith L. Glick-Smith, MSCM, Ph.D

Contact Jeanne Gonnason, New Heights Manager.

Past New Heights Workshops

• New Heights 2012 - “New Heights: “Modern Editing: Improving Product Quality”. Presenter: Linda Oestreich.
• New Heights 2011 - “The Treasure and the Hunt: Content as an Extension of User Experience”. Presenter: Rahel Anne Bailie.
• New Heights 2010 - “Instructional Design”. Presenter: Bernard Aschwanden.

Let’s get together and celebrate spring and being technical communicators! This is a great opportunity to meet and chat with others in your field and to learn what other technical communicators in Edmonton are doing.

• Date: Thursday, April 3, 2014
• Time: 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.
• Location: Block 1912 Cafe, 10361 – 82 Ave. NW, Edmonton, AB (map)
  There is parking in the area and ETS buses run along 82 Ave in both directions.
• Cost: Buy your own coffee.
• Registration: No need to RSVP, just come out if you can.

For more information about the event, contact Deanne Wilson, Edmonton Director.

The Calgary Association of Freelance Editors (CAFE) would like to invite friends and affiliates to Cyber Symposium 2014. This event allows participants to create their own online professional development experience. Participants can choose from any or all of the eight dynamic webinars scheduled for this year’s event!

CAFE is delighted to offer AMPA, STC, and the students and instructors of the Professional Editing Extension Certificate program at Mount Royal University member rates for these webinars. Register early to avoid disappointment. CAFE expects this event to sell out.

Program Details

• Dates: Friday, April 11, 2014 and Saturday, April 12, 2014
• Time: 9:00 to 3:30 p.m. (MDT)
• Cost: Members and Affiliates: $25.00 per webinar or $150.00 for the full symposium. Non-members: $35.00 per webinar or $225.00 for the full symposium
• Symposium Details, Schedule, and Registration: Eventbrite
  
• Contact: Calgary Editors 

In a profession with as many different roles as there are titles, it’s time to check in with each other and ask the question: What kind of technical communicator are you?

Join us in Calgary for a Coffee Night revival. It has been years since we’ve had a Coffee Night event in Calgary (they’ve always been a popular event in Edmonton), so mark your calendars for this free event.

Choose a beverage of your choice and converse with Technical Communicators who have specialized expertise such as editing, management, instructional design, user assistance, and more.

If you have a special Technical Communication role and would like to talk about what you do, contact Ruth Maryniuk programs@stc-alberta.org

Program Details

We are proud to present Klaus Hofer, a leading expert in the local oil & gas industry, whose training sessions for organizational psychology are the standard amongst employers of technical communicators in this field.

As principal owner of CAT-i, Klaus will provide us with an overview of usability mapping:

The challenge

• Two case studies (Boeing and NASA) of professionally crafted documents that led to disaster will be presented with a before-and-after comparison followed by a brief analysis.
• Why better writing is not the answer.
• Facts and myths about reading grade level: Recommendations by DoD, NATO, and WHO.

Measures and proofs

• Usability index (scoring a document)
• Nested navigation and cognitive linking
• Feedback loop
• Behavioral reinforcement strategies

Serving user needs

• P-Q-A (Promise – Question – Answer) patterns
• Searching is out, navigating is in
• User profiles

Program Details

• Date: Thursday, March 20, 2014
• Time: 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.
• Location:  Innovate Calgary (IC, formerly called CTI),  3553-31 Street NW, Calgary, Alberta (Map)
  • Directions: IC is in University Research Park just north of the University of Calgary
  • Transit: From Brentwood LRT station, walk across the parking lot to IC
  • Parking: Free visitor parking is available in front of the building
• Cost: STC Alberta Members, Affiliate Members: $15. Non-Members: $20.
• Registration: Paypal
• Contact: Ruth Maryniuk, Program Manager

About the presenter, Klaus Hofer, Principal, CAT-i

Klaus Hofer is a management consultant who specializes in organizational psychology. His early work in aviation and hospitals led to an interest in cognitive and organizational psychology, and a need to understand: Why can well-trained highly motivated people make deadly errors? His ongoing studies and research in behavioural and cognitive psychology provide the basis for his current work. He researches, consults, and teaches. He has developed a full semester course and corporate workshop, Applied Psychology for Technical Communicators, which was initially presented at the University of Massachusetts in 1986. He has taught multiple variations of the course at several corporations and educational institutions in North America, Asia, and Europe.

STC Alberta, with sponsorship from Innovatia, is pleased to offer exceptional member pricing for this hands-on workshop on Usability Testing. Brian Traynor, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Communication Studies at Mount Royal University has designed this workshop to get you thinking about ways that you can engage with your end-users and test your information products during the development life-cycle. You will be a test participant, moderator, and data analyst at different points in the day. The morning session will explore what goes into making good tasks for testing, common moderator mistakes, and identifying where data issues arise. In the afternoon, you will explore the types of metrics that can be gathered from test participants both during and after test sessions. You will participate in a hands-on card sort test and get a chance to see how the subsequent data might be used to support Information Architecture design options. The workshop will wrap up with a discussion on the application of various usability test methods in your own work environment.

Workshop feedback is also expected…after all, user feedback is the best way to improve!

Resources needed

Participants are expected to bring their own laptop or tablet computer (don’t forget your power cord). Handouts and electronic files will be shared during the workshop.

Program Details

• Date: Friday, May 9, 2014.
• Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Location:  Innovate Calgary (IC, formerly called CTI),  3553-31 Street NW, Calgary, Alberta (Map)
  • Directions: IC is in the University Research Park just north of the University of Calgary.
  • Transit: From Brentwood LRT station, walk across the parking lot to IC.
  • Parking: Free visitor parking is available in front of the building.
• Cost: Thank you to our sponsor, Innovatia, for allowing us to offer this 1-day workshop to our members at this phenomenal rate:
  • STC members and students*: $150.
  • Non- members: $250.

* STC student members and STC members who reside more than 50 km from Calgary are entitled to a $50 rebate. Please submit a request for rebate by emailing the Treasurer.  If you are a student, send a scanned copy of your student card or proof of enrolment to the Treasurer.

• Registration: PayPal.

Note: You do NOT need a PayPal account to register. PayPal gives you the option of paying by credit card.

Early registration rates are in effect until noon, April 28, 2014. After that date, rates will increase by $100.

• Contact: Ruth Maryniuk, Program Manager

Cancellation and Refund Policy

STC Alberta reserves the right to cancel this workshop at any time. If STC Alberta cancels the workshop, you will receive a full refund. In extenuating circumstances, registrations can be transferred to another registrant, provided that the registrant meets the same level of STC membership, for a $25 administration fee plus any fee difference, if applicable. Refunds are available (less a $75 processing fee) up to (noon) April 28, 2014 (closing date for early registration). No refund or credit is available if you cancel after April 28, 2014. STC Alberta does not grant refunds for no-shows. If you want to cancel or transfer a registration, please contact the Treasurer.

Workshop Schedule

Note: For the provided lunch, if you have any dietary restrictions,  email Programs@stc-alberta.org indicating how we may accommodate you requirements.

About the Presenter: Brian Traynor

Brian Traynor, Associate Professor in Information Design, teaches courses in Information Architecture, Usability, and Project and Content Management for the Faculty of Communication Studies at Mount Royal University. His research interests include user satisfaction measures and the attribution of blame by users. Brian has over 25 years industry experience centered on technology and education management. Brian is an active executive of the IEEE Professional Communication Society. He is also a Standards Council of Canada contributor to ISO/IEC Systems and Software Engineering documentation standards. (Back to Top)

About Innovatia

Innovatia is a Knowledge Management company that is exceptional at what they do: connecting people to knowledge. Founded in 1999 with offices across North America and globally, Innovatia’s over 500 professionals deliver top quality solutions to their clients. Innovatia delivers knowledge management services in three areas: Learning Solutions, Documentation, and Technical Support. These solutions span the entire solution set from custom design and development through to delivery and support. Additionally, Innovatia offers a host of applications designed to help facilitate the management of your processes, your content, and your customer service. (Back to Top)

Members and non-members are invited to join STC Alberta (in Edmonton) for coffee night. It’s our first get-together of the year, so come out and meet new friends or catch up with former colleagues. Feel free to bring a guest.

• Date: Thursday, January 30, 2014
• Time: 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.
• Location: Block 1912 Cafe, 10361 – 82 Ave. NW, Edmonton, AB (map)
  There is parking in the area and ETS buses run along 82 Ave in both directions.
• Cost: Buy your own coffee.
• Registration: No need to RSVP, just come out if you can.

For more information about the event, contact Deanne Wilson, Edmonton Director.

Join us for our annual general meeting (AGM) at Buzzards aka Bottlescrew Bill’s. Catch up after the holidays, enjoy drinks, appetizers (new menu!), and each other’s company.

Program Details

Seating is sold out! Registration is now closed.

In this panel discussion, three experts, actively involved in UX, will be sharing their views on what UX is all about and how technical communicators can benefit from understanding the user experience complexities.

Program Details

• Date: Thursday, November 7, 2013
• Time: 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.
• Location:  Innovate Calgary (IC, formerly called CTI),  3553-31 Street NW, Calgary, Alberta (Map)
  • Directions: IC is in University Research Park just north of the University of Calgary
  • Transit: From Brentwood LRT station, walk across the parking lot to IC
  • Parking: Free visitor parking is available in front of the building
• Cost: STC Alberta Members, Affiliate Members: $15. Non-Members: $20
• Registration:  Please register by email to: registration@stc-alberta.org and provide the following information:
  • Name
  • Email
  • Phone number
  • Member status (STC Alberta member; STC Alberta student member; Affiliate member and name of organization;  Non- member).

  Cash payment is due at the door. (Note: Walk-ins are welcome, however, there may be standing room only, so registering is recommended.)

• Contact: Ruth Maryniuk, Program Manager

Meet our UX experts…

Brian Traynor

Brian Traynor is an Associate Professor in the Information Design program in the Faculty of Communication Studies at Mount Royal University. He has taught courses in Information Architecture, Usability, and Project and Content  Management. Brian has research interests in user satisfaction measures and the attribution of blame by users. Brian has over 25 years industry experience centered on technology and education management.

Brian’s Topics:

• User Advocacy → User Experience
• TC activities/methods overlapping with those of Usability/UX.
• Content Strategy and why it is becoming increasingly important in UX.

Murray Thompson

Having worked in local government and telecommunications, Murray started his career as an engineer. Although it involved a combination of technical work and creativity, on both the business and people side, he felt engineering still wasn’t quite the right fit. After transitioning into IT systems and web-related roles, he soon became more focused on User Experience work.

Murray’s Topics:

• The highs and lows of practicing UX design and all that comes between
• An overview of UX-related disciplines
• Commonly-found tools in the UX superhero utility belt
• Ways that UX can be involved in delivering products and services

Richard Metcalfe

Richard considers himself to be something of an “accidental” tech writer, having approached the field through a long, circuitous path after graduating with a psychology degree from the University of Western Ontario. Until recently, he was the user experience designer for the software department of an oil and gas services company. Prior to that, he was a member of their documentation team, producing end-user documentation. He has been a volunteer with the STC Alberta chapter for several years.

Richard’s Topics:

• A brief history lesson – how I got to where I am now
• An overview of UX where I work(ed) – what I did and why I did it
• Common ground – what makes technical writing and UX similar
• Not-so-common ground – what other skills and tools are involved in UX

Join us for our annual fall pub night at Rose & Crown. Catch up after the summer, enjoy drinks, appetizers, and each other’s company.

Program Details

• Date: Monday, October 21, 2013
• Time: 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.
• Location: Rose & Crown, Sutton Place Hotel, 10235 – 101 Street NW. There is hourly parking in the Impark lot across the avenue, and ETS has numerous route stops at Edmonton City Centre.
• Cost: $10 (includes one drink and appetizers). All paying attendees can bring a Special Guest for free!
• Registration: Reply to edmontondirector@stc-alberta.org. Cash payment is due at the door. Walk-ins are welcome.
• Contact: Deanne Wilson, Edmonton Director