Education, Training, and Professional Development Stem Overview  

Responding to the concerns and issues we face, the workshops, panels, papers, discussions, and demonstrations in the Education, Training, and Professional Development Stem share common experiences, uncommon insights, and bold forecasts for the future to enlighten our community of technical communicators.

Hawkes, Lory. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Education>Professionalism

Getting Started in the Expert System Development Game  

To dispel some of the myths of Expert Systems and explain their rise as a new documentation tool in the computer industry today, we offer this historical and current market overview.

Lohmann, Joan F., Lory Hawkes, Margot B. Casey and Elinor L. Knodel. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>Knowledge Management>Programming

Imagination->Innovation->Communication  

As we face an uncertain tomorrow full of challenges for our profession and our world, we should consider what ways to identify opportunities, what emerging trends will affect global businesses, and what new skills must be learned to make us more effective in a brave new world set spiraling in response to technological breakthroughs. Our theme, 'Imagination, Innovation, Communication,' captures the essence of what we do: transform ideas and innovations into a myriad of communication possibilities from technical manuals to virtual Web sites. The theme suggests a successful process with you at the center as an information juggernaut who must make critical choices as you approach a new millennium.

Hawkes, Lory. STC Proceedings (1998). Careers>TC>Planning

Responsive—and Responsible—Web Site Design for Disabled Users  

Urges professors of technical communication to teach their students how to design Web sites that accommodate disabled users.

Hawkes, Lory. Intercom (2004). Design>Web Design>Accessibility>Education

Transactional Literacy  

Ever wonder why we find graphical user interfaces, hypertext, and multimedia so appealing? Some of the appeal has to do with language itself which is the basis of human transactions, and some of it has to do with our conditioning as a literate society. Literacy builds on visual as well as verbal skills. This paper traces the roots of language to the ascendancy of print technology to explain how visualization is the foundation of literacy.

Hawkes, Lory. STC Proceedings (1993). Presentations>Human Computer Interaction>Multimedia

Web Accommodation for the Vision-Impaired  

Accessibility for vision-impaired users of corporate websites is becoming a critical issue. The federal government requires its agencies to provide effective, equal access to electronically delivered information. The W3C launched its accessibility initiative in 1999 and continues to expand it. Court rulings are mixed, as the judicial system struggles to clarify accommodation in relation to the web environment. Students in the Jack David Armold Honor Society at DeVry University researched, collaborated, and developed a community service website to convince corporations that web accommodation for visionimpaired users made financial sense.

Hawkes, Lory. STC Proceedings (2003). Design>Web Design>Accessibility>Standards