ABSTRACT
Topics have replaced manuals as the most prominent form of user assistance. Therefore, technical communication students need to learn how to write effective topics. Although Darwin Information Typing Architecture is a commonly used implementation of topic-based writing, many organizations use alternative approaches. This chapter describes the evolution of topic-based writing, describes Every Page is Page One topics, and outlines and discusses strategies for teaching topic-based writing. It includes an overview and a discussion of a topic-based writing assignment used in one graduate technical communication course. Through this assignment, students develop rhetorical strategies that are flexible and transferable to any topic-based writing role.
