Theory and Practice of Technical Communication

The aim, or purpose, of this course is to prepare you for a variety of job-related writing tasks. Success in technical writing, however, requires that you first know for whom you are writing and why. Consequently, this course will stress audience awareness and purpose in written communication. The course will also help you select the appropriate materials for a writing assignment and arrange the material in a logical and appropriate sequence. Additionally, you will learn to evaluate your products (and those of others) before submitting them for approval. In other words, you will develop your writing processes, much as you are developing other problem-solving tools necessary for success in your career. You will learn to anticipate the needs of your audience, to select materials and their arrangement to best meet those needs, to prepare the final product, and to analyze and revise until you achieve professional-quality work ready for submission to your audience.

Applen, J.D. University of Central Florida. Academic>Courses>Undergraduate>Technical Writing

Theory and Research in Professional Communication

This graduate course will study theoretical constructs and issues that inform workplace professional communication. Inherently a multi-disciplinary activity, professional comm-unication draws on theories from fields as different as rhetoric and science, psychology and philosophy, sociology and linguistics. This term we will focus specifically on rhetoric, on the relationships between author, text and reader, and on philosophies of science and language as they apply to workplace practice.

Sauer, Geoffrey. Iowa State University (2005). Academic>Courses>Rhetoric

Thoughts on Designing a Master's Certificate Program  

Despite the success of internship components, however, a common complaint from industry professionals still exists: that students still don't know how to write. Part of this complaint could be explained by specific industry practices for which students still need to be trained. Another part could rest in the need for more research about industry contexts. Still another, and probably the most likely, is the perceived differences in academe and industry expectations for theoretical components of curricula. Academics assume that industry professionals seek practical skills dealing with 'correctness' in language (e.g., grammar, spelling, punctuation) at the expense of theory; while industry professionals assume academics seek more conceptual components (e.g., philosophy) at the expense of practice. I think both parties are asking for the same thing: they seek students/employees who can develop an understanding of the how and the why of their work (Miller, 1979); that is, students who possess productive knowledge about a particular craft. In other words, they exemplify a techne (Atwill). In classical rhetoric, techne is associated with the 'knowledge of arts and crafts associated with the making of things' (Johnson, 1998, p. 51). In Technical Communication, one way to think of techne is through genre knowledge, that is, knowing which form suits a particular situation and why.

Bridgeford, Tracy. CPTSC Proceedings (2000). Academic>Education>Graduate

Timing is Everything: Integrating Low-Profile "Concentration" Courses into a High-Profile Master's Degree  

This paper discusses the phenomenon of a sense of timing as a sense of timely design and of timing as active response to unfolding demands as the key elements in making any program effective and durable. Indeed, I claim that timing is everything. Auburn's extended experience developing a new, high-profile Master's degree out of beginnings as a low-profile adjunct to a deeply conservative 'Great Books' English department has shown this clearly. Across the chronological stretch of a decade occupied with paying close attention to program elements, not only was effort required for time-keeping, or chronos, to establish and stabilize program elements, but a strong sense of timing, or kairos was also needed to meet and adjust to shifts in academic, political and industrial climates in and around the program. Rather than following a model or sticking to a set design, our decade of experience in transforming a 'concentration' program primarily serving undergraduates to a fully professional Master's degree has been a decade of improving our sense of timing.

Hundleby, Margaret N. CPTSC Proceedings (2000). Academic>Education>Graduate

Topic:PHP

PHP is a high level, dynamic, interpreted scripting language. It augments raw HTML by allowing significant interactivity and increased functionality. It has become popular in recent years as it is easy to begin working with and supported by a good majority of web hosting companies.

Wikiversity. Academic>Courses>Web Design>PHP

Topics in Journalism: Community and Public/Civic Journalism  

Community journalism is usually defined as journalism by papers--usually weeklies--with circulations of under 50,000 that focus on service to their particular communities. Public or civic journalism is usually defined as journalism that strives to provide readers with what they need to be responsible citizens. As Jock Lauterer makes clear in chapter 19 of Community Journalism, there is a strong overlap between these two types of journalism. In this course, we will explore and examine the relationships between these two types of journalism through reading, discussion, and practice.

Waddell, Craig. Michigan Tech University (2002). Academic>Courses>Journalism>Community

Towards Accessible Virtual Learning Environments

With the increasing use of virtual learning environments (VLEs) in further and higher education, the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 (part 4 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995) which comes into force in September 2002 has particular relevance to developers and providers of VLEs. Developers and vendors can also help to ensure that VLEs are inclusive learning media by understanding the barriers that individuals face (whether or not they use assistive technology) and creating hardware and software designed to be accessible to all users. They should also understand the importance of designing accessible VLE content in order to provide guidance for users.

Cann, Chris. TechDis (2003). Academic>Accessibility>Technology>United Kingdom

Transitions

This section was part of a chapter made up of the following: Content—provides strategies for thinking of useful content for writing projects, in other words, developing the content of a project. Organization—provides strategies for reviewing the sequence and arrangement of the contents of a writing project. Transitions—provides review strategies for checking the coherence of a writing project, in other words, the 'flow' of the project as created by the transitions.

McMurrey, David A. Illuminati Online (2001). Academic>Course Materials>Style Guides

United We Stand, Divided We Fall? Thoughts on Cohesiveness in the MA in Writing    

What's happening to all of the things our students in the different strands once shared in common? When I taught the research methods class last fall, I was struck when my students in both strands commented on how they had not realized until then how much they shared and how happy they were to be able to help each other and to inform each other's work. These comments, and the tangible evidence I had of their truthfulness in my students' productive exchanges, are at the heart of my concerns. I am curious if other writing programs with multiple strands are also encountering these issues. Is becoming more separate a natural response to developments and progress in our respective fields? Is it the best response to those developments and progress?

Blakeslee, Ann M. CPTSC Proceedings (2001). Academic>Writing>Education

University Courses in Usbility

Check the web sites for the details of each course, as they may change each term or year.

UsabilityNet. Academic>Courses>Usability

Untangling a Jigsaw Puzzle: The Place for Assessment in Program Development  

Assessment has long been a topic of conversation among technical communication teachers and program coordinators. Much has been written about how we assess and respond to work students do in our classrooms. We have also discussed methods to assess programs in technical and scientific communication (TSC). In fact, CPTSC offers a comprehensive self-study and program review. The purpose of the review 'is to help develop strong programs. . . not to compare or rank programs, and not to establish certification for programs or their graduates.' Of course, a focus on developing strong programs rather than ranking programs is an appropriate focus for an organization such as CPTSC.

Munger, Roger H. CPTSC Proceedings (2000). Academic>Education>Assessment

Usability Studies and Human Factors

This course focuses on two interrelated subjects of importance to the field of professional communication: human factors and structured user research. Class readings, discussions, and projects will provide you with opportunities to build on your existing knowledge about professional communication and how knowledge about human factors and user research can enhance your work. We will examine strategies for user interfaces in a variety of contexts, including both online and print publications.

Zachry, Mark. Utah State University (2003). Academic>Courses>Graduate>Usability

Usability Testing and User-Centered Design in Technical Communication Programs: Current and Emergent Models  

In recent years, technical communication programs have begun to introduce students to the principles of usability testing. A natural outgrowth of the traditional technical communication emphasis on audience analysis and user advocacy, usability testing also serves as an interesting and potentially lucrative career path for some technical communicators, and introduces a fascinating research trajectory for students and faculty alike. It’s no surprise that technical programs are incorporating usability testing instruction in one of two ways: some offer separate courses in usability testing at the undergraduate or graduate level. Specialized labs and corporate collaborations are often associated with such curriculum designs. Most incorporate usability into specific courses in a 'usability across the curriculum' model. Typically, existing computer labs double as usability testing facilities. These efforts are admirable, but leading scholars and practitioners agree that usability testing alone, because it occurs late in the product development cycle, no longer suffices. A gradual movement toward continuous user involvement at all stages of product development is underway.

Kitalong, Karla Saari. CPTSC Proceedings (2000). Academic>Education>Usability>User Centered Design

Using Computers in Technical Communication Courses

The technical writing program at Oklahoma State University, like many others throughout the United States, serves two groups: - students in technical and scientific disciplines whose preparation for the workplace requires the development communication skills (in keeping with the guidelines of professional accrediting organizations) - students who intend to seek employment as technical communicators. For both groups, our curriculum must provide instruction about writing and document design in a workplace that increasingly performs its tasks on computers. For undergraduate students in science and technology, our main upper-division course (English 3323, 'Technical Writing') focuses on workplace genres such as proposals, progress reports, and recommendation reports. Our approach also addresses the goals of most professional accrediting bodies, which consistently urge that students be prepared for their professional roles, and not simply for academic reports that are evaluated simply for their solution of a technical problem, to the neglect of the larger contexts of such technical problems in real-world writing. In our primary technical writing course for undergraduates, therefore, we enhance the traditional and emerging concerns of technical writing courses with assignments that require use of computers. Finally, when not in class, students have access to a Writing Center (located next door to the Electronic Classroom) and to many computer labs across the campus.

Broadhead, Glenn J. Texas Tech University. Academic>Computing>TC

Using Portfolios to Help Students Navigate Across Borders  

The concept of borders provides a powerful lens for understanding the student experience in technical communication. During the educational process, our students navigate across borders between teaching and research, between theory and practice, and between nations, cultures, disciplines, and professional organizations. Asking students to think about their experiences at such borders can give rise to interesting questions, insights, and concerns. Student portfolios, developed over the course of their academic careers, provide students with a powerful mechanism for reflecting on and integrating their experiences at these borders.

Turns, Jennifer and Judith A. Ramey. CPTSC Proceedings (2003). Academic>Portfolios

Using Statistics

Statistics are often tossed around as if they could speak for themselves. For example, advertisers claim 'Ivory soap is 99% pure.' (Pure what?) Or a researcher may claim that 'the average American today watches 5.3 hours of TV per day.' (What does 'average' mean?) All facts must be interpreted and presented in your argument; this handout presents five guidelines designed to help you use statistics responsibly.

Purdue University. Academic>Research>Methods

Using the Web for Graduate Courses in Technical Communication with Distance Learners    

Though not a cure-all for society's ills, the Web is an important medium that is changing the way we work and learn. For graduate education in technical communication, the Web is a new tool that facilitates adult learning through electronic interactive communication. Using the Web as the medium for asynchronous distance learning allows for a high degree of learner exploration and interactivity, without the participants being captive to a particular location and time. In Mercer University's M.S. program in technical communication management, students communicate with each other and with the instructors through a course home page, which provides students with course syllabus, lectures, outlines, assignments, requirements, a listservice, and technical support. All graduate student research assignments are electronic and posted to the course home page on the Net. Additional improvements continue to be made to the electronic learning environment for these graduate courses.

Leonard, David C. Technical Communication Online (1996). Academic>Education>Instructional Design>Online

Using Web-Based Portfolios to Assist Technical Communication Program Development  

In 1998, the English Department at Carnegie Mellon built an Internet server (english.cmu.edu) to offer free lifetime accounts to English majors and graduate students. We did this (in part) because we had found that students in our professional programs underused campus facilities for web portfolios. Interviews revealed that many Web-savvy students felt alienated from campus Internet publishing options--which serve students while they remain students, but eliminate accounts (and remove alumni websites) soon after graduation. CMU students in professional programs are exceptionally career-oriented, and interviews revealed that they instead planned to postpone website production until they had graduated, when they could create (more) permanent websites--which often did not happen. By encouraging our students --while students--to create online portfolios which they could maintain even after graduation, we removed one of the obstacles to experimentation by our more enthusiastic students, and offered them options to integrate such work into their studies of genre,audience and accessibility. This experiment has been more successful than originally expected; students' websites are among the most popular locations on the entire server, and have led to continuing communications between alumni and faculty. This has led some of us who advised students in Carnegie Mellon's MAPW (Masters in Professional Writing) and CPAD (Masters in Communication Planning and Design) to rethink issues which arise in the creation of web portfolios.

Sauer, Geoffrey. CPTSC Proceedings (2000). Academic>Portfolios

The Value of Seeking Interdisciplinary Models for Smaller Professional Writing Programs  

Technical communication strains disciplinary boundaries, which can make program development difficult. In a time when we are experiencing what Richard Lanham calls 'a complete renegotiation of the alphabet/icon ratio upon which print-based thought is built,' no traditional departmental home (e.g., English) seems appropriate. One look at the classified section of the Society for Technical Communication Web site suggests that a technical communication student should graduate with competence in information technology and visual rhetoric (among other possibilities) as well as writing. For many of us, however, those competencies fall outside the disciplinary boundaries as defined at our local institutions and in fact we may face penalties for developing such competencies. As a member of a department of English and linguistics, for example, my department has no way to reward me for learning CGI scripting or FrameMaker.

Blythe, Stuart. CPTSC Proceedings (2000). Academic>Education

Videotaping Student Presentations: A Quick Start Guide

A guide to using MiniDV digital camcorders to record student presentations, then to review them on a computer and copy them to DVD for later review.

Johnson, Rachel. EServer (2006). Academic>Course Materials>Multimedia>Video

Visual Rhetoric

This course focuses on articulating rhetorical opportunities present in the visual turn; the role of perceptual processes, time, movement, and memory in the act of seeing; the interanimation of the verbal and the visual in representation; the circumstances of visual culture and art; visual communication in print and on the Web; and identification as a visual/rhetorical process. Is there potential to create critical verbo-visual literacy? The course explores what such definitions of literacy mean for communication, argumentation, persuasion and narration.

Salvo, Michael J. Purdue University (2004). Academic>Courses>Graduate>Visual Rhetoric