#14336
Finding, Narrowing, Outlining Topics
In a technical-writing course, the ideal starting place is a workplace problem requiring some writing as part or all of the solution. With such a project, the audience and problem are there to help you narrow the topic. However, if you begin with a topic, it's harder to narrow. You are likely to end up with ten-pound textbook on automotive plastics, residential solar energy in the home, or La Niña. Narrow the topic and some careful research—the result will be a practical, useful document that doesn't go on forever. Narrowing means selecting a portion of a larger topic: for example, selecting a specific time period, event, place, people, type, component, use or application, cause or effect, and so on. Narrowing also means deciding on the amount of detail to use in discussing those topics.
McMurrey, David A. Illuminati Online (2001). Academic>Course Materials>Style Guides
#14427
#14280
A document’'s format leads readers to expect certain types of information. A memo format suggests something different from a newspaper column. Your task as a workplace professional is to meet the reader’s expectations by presenting information that readers need in an appropriate format. This computer file contains the description of a golf ball, written by a student who is an avid golfer. You can edit and format this description (or a selected portion of it) for a specific audience.
Burnett, Rebecca E. Thomson (2001). Academic>Course Materials>Editing
#18999
From Soup to Nuts: Fashioning the Menu for a New Program in Technical Communication 
The process of revising an English Communications emphasis proceeded smoothly for the most part because of good planning by a Curriculum Committee. However, unseen pitfalls and departmental politics hindered some aspects of the experience. It will be necessary to apply lessons learned to continue the revision process and create a successful emphasis.
Allen, Lori A. STC Proceedings (2002). Academic>Education>Instructional Design>Assessment
#19481
German Academic Programs in Technical Communication
In June 2000, FORUM 2000 was held in London. As the founding member of INTECOM, one of the sponsors of the FORUM conferences, Germany has experienced a major growth in the technical communication profession. As of 1999, there were more than 2000 members in tekom, the German Society for Authors and Writers of Technical Documentation (5). Likewise the number of institutions offering technical communication programs is growing. In 1991, Fachhochschule Hannover began offering the first technical communication program. The purpose of this article is to describe some representative German technical communication programs.
Smith, Herb J. STC Proceedings (2001). Academic>Education>Regional>Germany
#19233
Your company manufactures 'dress' sneakers—fancy athletic footwear that is designed as 'business' rather than 'athletic' apparel. Because of increasingly informal corporate attire policies, your company has experienced phenomenal success, and now wishes to expand internationally. But where first?
Lannon, John M. Pearson Education (2003). Academic>Course Materials>International
#19100
Going it Alone: How a Freestanding Program Develops Its Own Identity 
Going it alone, the SFSU program has integrity as a community, yet struggles a bit within an institutional structure designed for established discipline departments.
Rehling, Louise. CPTSC Proceedings (2000). Academic>Education>WPA
#23370
Those who find themselves the solo technical writing faculty in their department often have to deal with infrastructural issues as well as curricular and programmatic concerns. Infrastructure involves creating learning environments conducive to building skills students need to be qualified technical communicators, and such learning environments often require access to technology.
Carnegie, Teena A.M. CPTSC Proceedings (2003). Academic>Education>Technology
#14877
Graduate Programs in Professional Writing, Technical Writing and Rhetoric
An international directory of graduate academic programs in PW, TW and Rhetoric.
#14331
Grammar Exercises: Fragments, Comma Splices, Agreement, Parallelism
Select the sentence that avoids errors in grammar (you may have to scroll to see all of the items), and then press the Click here ... button.
McMurrey, David A. Illuminati Online (2001). Academic>Course Materials>Interactive
#10045
This course introduces visual thinking, visual expression, and the practice of graphic design. First, it teaches general princples of graphic design. Then it teaches about the components of graphic design: typography, page and screen design, picture and symbols, and corporate identity.
Carliner, Saul. Bentley College (2000). Academic>Courses>Graphic Design
#20669
A collection of technical illustrations submitted and collected by professional technical illustrators.
VisualJournalism. Academic>Course Materials>Graphic Design>Technical Illustration
#19099
It is not industry collaboration that has caused the Wayne State program to founder. Indeed, many in the English Department might bristle at that term, believing the program is thriving. Nevertheless, contradictions within the department that reflected and repeated historical patterns have allowed the program to wither.
Ranney, Frances J. CPTSC Proceedings (2000). Academic>Education>WPA
#19093
Growing Technical Communication Programs through Recruiting
This paper lists recruitment strategies that technical communication programs can use. Its purpose is to prompt discussion at the CTPSC conference in response to the following question: Which strategies bear the most promise for recruiting sufficient numbers of students to supply the growing need for technical communicators?
Maylath, Bruce A.R. CPTSC Proceedings (2000). Academic>Education>WPA
#10113
Guidelines for Evaluating Work with Digital Media
These guidelines from the MLA Committee on Computers and Emerging Technologies (CCET) deal with the hiring, reappointment, tenure, and promotion processes, are designed to help departments and faculty members implement effective evaluation procedures. These guidelines were approved by the MLA Executive Council at its 19-20 May 2000 meeting.
Modern Language Association (2000). Academic>Research>Assessment
#14804
Guidelines for the STC Faculty Internship Program 
In partnership with industry and faculty and in keeping with Society goals, grant stipends may be awarded to enable faculty to hold internship positions in industry on approval from the STC’s Board of Directors. An internship is paid full-time short-term employment for novice professionals. The STC Faculty Internship Program is designed to provide grant stipend support to enable full-time technical communication faculty with limited industry experience to accept internship positions in the technical communication industry.
Staples, Katherine E. STC (1998). Academic>Internships
#19398
HCI Events listed by date. If you want to submit a paper an overview sorted by submission date might be more convenient. Events of interest may also appear on the CapCHI events page.
de Graaff, Hans. HCI Index. Academic>Conferences>Human Computer Interaction
#19065
Here Comes That Song Again: The Theory and Practice Blues
An issue that continues to affect our strategies for developing undergraduate programs is the old contest between theory and practice, or, as it frequently occurs in technical communication programs, between theory and tools. Should we focus our undergraduate programs on understanding principles of communication in the technical world or should we focus on teaching the tools that are called for in the job ads for technical communicators?
Allen, Nancy J. CPTSC Proceedings (2000). Academic>Education>Undergraduate>Theory
#19075
How Does the Institutional Home of a Program Affect its Development?
Having the department of technical communication located within the School of Engineering has a significant impact on the program’s development.
Davis, Marjorie T. CPTSC Proceedings (2000). Academic>Education>Engineering
#23066
How Genre Choices Effect Learning in a Digital Environment
Makes the argument that research into the impact of media on learning often misses the impact of genre choices on learning. The article presents a series of studies that imply that genre choices are more important than media choices.
Hailey, Christine E. and David E. Hailey. Journal of Engineering Educators (2003). Academic>Education>Multimedia>Bandwidth
#19851
How the East Tennessee Chapter of STC Created, and Administers, Its J. Paul Blakely Scholarship
Every local chapter of any professional society should consider starting up a scholarship. Scholarships are obviously great for students, but they’re also great for the people who give them out. You get wonderful PR, a lifeline of new blood, and that inner glow that comes from doing good.
Hirst, Russel. STC Proceedings (2000). Academic>Scholarships>TC
#31930
The process leading up to your first faculty job is almost guaranteed to be a nerve-racking ordeal. Many applicants don't know how to make a good first impression. It is common--and reasonable--to question whether you have the right set of skills and credentials for a particular faculty job. Whether at a large research-intensive university on the West Coast or a small teaching college in New England, the recruitment process is much the same all across the country.
Fazekas, Andrew. Science (2006). Careers>Interviewing>Academic
#18665
How to Get the Most Out of Conferences
Conferences are what you make of them. If you’re not sure why you’re going, or what you want to get out of the experience, you’re unlikely to get it. This essay gives one perspective on conferences, and how to make them more valuable and engaging experiences. I think in general professional conferences take a very conservative approach to training and education, and it demands that attendees take more responsibility for getting value from the experience than should be necessary.
Berkun, Scott. UIWeb (2003). Academic>Conferences>Collaboration
#14274
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)
When you take a document and put it on a computer and make it available for people to look at with their Web browsers, their browsers read the text of the document, but ignore the format. The browsers ignore places where you hit return, put words in boldface and italics, skipped lines, made headings, etc. In order to make headings, italics, etc., you must code your documents with HTML. This file contains codes and examples of HTML that will help you learn the basics you need to start constructing your own Web pages.
Burnett, Rebecca E. Thomson (2001). Academic>Course Materials>HTML
#19097
If You Build It, Will They Come? The Importance of Promoting Technical/Professional Writing Programs
Although the field of technical/professional writing continues to grow apace with the demand for its graduates, a large number of people, especially students, have never heard of it, or, if they've heard of it, have no idea what it is. Consequently, our program has begun an aggressive promotional campaign.
Patterson, Celia. CPTSC Proceedings (2000). Academic>Education>WPA>Marketing
