E-Learning Trends in China  

China faces the enormous task of educating its 1.3 billion citizens, many of whom face extensive educational and social disparity, as well as extreme geographic isolation. Find out how e-learning--and technical communicators--can help solve this educational problem.

Johnston, James. Intercom (2007). Articles>Education>Online>China

E-Learning: When and Why  

Technical communicators have a responsibility to help companies determine when e-learning is an appropriate training solution. Smith offers criteria for making informed training choices.

Smith, Jane L. Intercom (1995). Articles>Education>Online

E-Mail in the Classroom Workplace  

E-mail usage creates special concerns in education, and teachers must learn how to make e-mail a more effective tool. Students must be taught how to use e-mail for purposes other than informal communication and to evaluate sources of information gathered through correspondence. Although e-mail presents problems in how and what students learn, it also can foster international learning experiences, provide some students with a clearer method of expressing their ideas, and increase collaboration.

Porter, Lynnette R. STC Proceedings (2003). Articles>Education>Online>Email

E-nhance Lectures    

Ever more lecturers find themselves forced to Web-enhance their courses out of economic pressure or prestige. Universities trapped between rising student numbers and decreasing budgets are turning to e-learning as the one-stop solution, with little concern for student or teacher needs. An e-(nhanced) learning environment can only be successful if it fulfils students' and lecturers' needs alike. The student needs to be supported in various stages of learning, whereas the lecturer cannot afford to spend more time on generating lecture support materials. Investigation of lecturers' and students' requirements resulted in the concept and design of e-ULE (e-Usable Learning Environment), a university-level teaching and learning environment with a strong focus on usability. To ensure learning materials are helpful for students in any learning situation, from gaining an overview to providing reference, an equally usable authoring tool is required: e-ULE's authoring system is geared towards a typical lecturer, without requiring an undue amount of IT or pedagogical skills, but offers support for academic workflow by supporting tasks like literature research and integration, and collaborative editing in large groups (e.g. with students). Following a usability engineering approach, all features of the e-ULE learning environment are derived from user requirements and usability tests. The main parts of the environment are currently at 'proof of concept' stage. The system is open source and relies on several prominent open source projects.

Naber, Larissa and Monika Kohle. Journal of Digital Information (2003). Articles>Education>Instructional Design

Earning a College Degree Online  

The number of multidisciplinary skills that technical communicators must possess increases with the rapid advance of technology. Today, a dusty college degree and vintage skills signal stagnation to employers and recruiters. Continuing education is essential to keeping your skill set competitive in today’s job market.

Korczyk, James S. Intercom (2003). Articles>Education>TC

Editing to Help Students' Backs  

Perhaps the worst way to condense a book is by using smaller or condensed type; you want to be especially careful that all fonts are legible. Neither should you save space by tossing out pictures or diagrams that clarify subjects. Some engineers cram paragraphs together, but paragraphs are valuable structural devices that can make subjects more clear. So the clue to successful condensation of text is not mechanical miniaturization but literary efficiency.

Bush, Donald W. Intercom (2003). Articles>Education>Writing>Minimalism

Editor as Teacher, Writer as Student: Building a Relationship for Corporate Writing Improvement  

Corporate writing skills deficits may be minimized by effective technical writer training programs. One way to effect long-term writing improvement is to cast a skilled technical editor in the role of resident writing teacher. The successful editor-as-writing-teacher must confront personal writing processes and attitudes, develop a positive and trusting relationship with clients, develop writing assessment skills, analyze and understand the corporate culture and language, and keep abreast of new techniques and tools in writing education. Acquistion of these attributes and skills is a realistic goal for a seasoned technical communicator.

Abbott, F. Thomas. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>Education>Editing>Business Communication

Editorial  

Recently a striking change has taken place in the organization and visibility of what we writing teachers do.

Bruffee, Kenneth. WPA Writing Program Administration (1978). Articles>Education>Writing>Rhetoric

Educating and Training Technical Communicators for the Challenges to Come?

When I started as a technical writer more than ten years ago, I wrote my first drafts with a pencil. Soon after, desktop publishing became part of my work, as did writing story boards for computer based training and managing online information projects. For several reasons the work of a technical communicator will change at an even higher rate in the future.

Schilliger, Reto. TC-FORUM (1999). Articles>Education>TC

Educating 'Community Intellectuals': Rhetoric, Moral Philosophy, and Civic Engagement    

This article encourages technical and professional communication programs to take on the challenge of educating students to become 'community intellectuals.' The notion of educating future professionals for a career needs to be reconsidered in light of both current research concerning civic rhetoric and past practices in moral humanism courses. The triumvirate of rhetoric, ethics, and moral philosophy provides an effective foundation for reconfiguring existing pedagogy in the field and offers insights for nurturing community intellectuals.

Eble, Michelle F. and Lynee Lewis Gaillet. Technical Communication Quarterly (2004). Articles>Education>Rhetoric

Educating Engineers to Communicate in the 21st Century: University of California, Santa Barbara's First Year Engineering Communication Sequence  

The Engineering Writing sequence at the University of California, Santa Barbara, teaches fundamental college writing and research skills emphasizing the discourse and genres common to professional engineering. The first quarter emphasizes library, electronic-database, and literature-type searches, culminating in a literature review on a current technological topic. The second quarter integrates primary research and interviewing with the above, while the students design solutions to actual university building and plant resource problems. The third quarter involves advanced issues of document design and publication, as students post web sites not only pertinent to this year's theme, Engineering and the Environment, but also useful to the local community.

Yatchisin, George, LeeAnne Kryder, Marty Williams and Mark Kerr. STC Proceedings (1998). Articles>Education>Writing>Engineering

Educating the Information Architect

The good news is that the job market for information architects is exploding. Searches on sites like Monster.com regularly turn up 200 to 300 postings for "information architects." From consulting firms like Argus and Scient to e-businesses like LookSmart to Fortune 500's like Cisco, everyone is desperately seeking information architects. The bad news is that there's no established educational degree program geared specifically to meet the needs of aspiring information architects.

Morville, Peter. Argus Center (2000). Articles>Education>Information Design

Education for Librarianship and Information Studies: Fit for Purpose?    

As this issue of the journal goes to press, the Europe-wide professional bodies representing the Schools of Librarianship and Information Studies (EUCLID -- The European Association for Library and Information Education and Research) and the Library Associations (EBLIDA -- the European Bureau of Library, Information and Documentation Associations) will be meeting together for the rst time since they were both founded some 15 years ago. The meeting is intended to focus on the effects of profound social changes related to digitization, multiculturalism and the growth of the knowledge economy.

Johnson, Ian M. Information Development (2007). Articles>Education>Information Design

Education for Technical Communicators in Germany

When tekom was established in 1978, education for technical communicators did not exist in Germany. Therefore one of tekom´s main objectives since its foundation was to set up and promote education in the field of technical communication. After all, the improvement of product quality depends largely on the quality of the education of those responsible for the products. By now, a number of universities offer programs in these fields.

Beuttenmüller, Brigitte. TC-FORUM (1998). Articles>Education>Regional>Germany

Education in Scientific and Technical Communication: Types of Programs  

Currently there is no clear typology of academic programs in technical communication. Lacking this typology. discussions of quality in academic programs necessarily run the risk of overgeneralization. Thirteen authors are working to produce a book which fills this gap. This program, in a modified progression format, previews results of the authorsâï¿ï¿ work, including profiles (with examples) of eight of the ten types ofprograms that have been identified: PhD programs, MS programs, MA programs, BS programs, BA programs, minors, non-degree programs, and new and different program types.

Keene, Michael L. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>Education>TC

Education in Technical Communication: Past, Present, India's Future?  

A discussion of the past and present of TC, with particular focus on the TC industry in the Indian subcontinent.

Barnum, Carol M. STC India. Articles>Education>Regional>India

Education: Issues within the STC Academic Community  

STC supports students through scholarships, the honor fraternities, and recognition of student chapter achievements. STC members provide a network for information and contacts for employment. The academic community can strengthen its ties to STC by encouraging students to apply for the awards and recognitions and to take advantage of the network of professionals.

Smith, Elizabeth Overman 'Betsy'. STC Proceedings (2005). Articles>Education>Community Building>STC

Education: More Needles in the Haystack

One of the great challenges -- and joys -- of teaching takes place outside the classroom. Whether on Saturday or Sunday, in the heat of August or chill of early January, class preparation plays a major role in developing the best possible learning environment for students. Access to current resources is paramount. For HCI educators, the World Wide Web is becoming an essential link to such information.

Gasen, Jean B. SIGCHI Bulletin (1996). Articles>Education>Usability

Education: Some Progress and Some New Questions

For each of the last five years, there has been a workshop on HCI Education at the annual CHI conference. What makes these workshops so interesting isn't just the variety of people it brings together or issues discussed, it's the way the workshops have changed over the years. Just as HCI has evolved as a discipline, the topics of these and other workshops have also evolved. These changes are one indication of how much we have learned and what we have left to understand.

Sears, Andrew. SIGCHI Bulletin (1996). Articles>Education>Human Computer Interaction>Usability

Education, Training, and Professional Development Stem Overview  

Education, training, and professional development remain central interests of the Society. In this program stem, more than thirty high-quality sessions emphasize four areas of continuing interest to educators, trainers, students, and other professionals.

Rainey, Kenneth T. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>Education>Professionalism

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

Education, Training, and Research Stem Overview  

Whether we are new or experienced technical communicators, formal and continuing education and training are vital for our careers. And the basis for much of our education and training is developed from research.

Armbruster, David L. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>Education>Research

Educational Aspects of Technical Communication: Overview and Application of Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences

By discussing the modern technical communicator's audience with the presumption that they are individuals reading text, many technical communication theorists vastly limit and underestimate the role of the technical communicator. Indeed, Billie J. Wahlstrom writes that as new technologies have been developed over the years, '[technical communicators] have adopted an ahistorical approach . . . largely ignoring . . . luminal eras when changes in communications technologies caused profound cultural transformations' (Walstrom 131).[1] Moreover, arguments in technical communication theory frequently miss the fact that even though they can become wildly divergent, they may all seem appropriate to certain audiences and in certain situations. For example, Claude E. Shannon and Warren Weaver's The Mathematical Theory of Communication outlines a theory of communication in seeming contradiction to Carolyn R. Miller's in 'A Humanistic Rationale for Technical Writing.' But despite this conflict, we still find value in both of these theories. How is this possible? Are there any unifying theories that allow for such divergent theories to coexist? Indeed there are, but they require us to look at technical communication in a different way than what is presently assumed in technical communication discourse.

Larson, Jerrod. Orange Journal, The (2001). Articles>Education>Theory

Educational Models and Open Source: Resisting the Proprietary University  

This paper presents an educational model derived from open source methods for computer programming. The article places this search for an alternative model within a framework of proprietary educational practices that are driven by a need for efficiency and rationalization. As an alternative model, the paper suggests that an open source derived educational process would emphasize collaborative problem based learning, working through drafts, risk taking, mentoring, user testing, releasing early and often. . . .

Faber, Brenton D. ACM SIGDOC (2002). Articles>Education>Knowledge Management>Open Source

Effective Computer-Based Training Design

The purpose of computer-based training (CBT) is to motivate students to reach clearly defined objectives, so CBT design elements should help learners reach those goals. The interface design results from a complex interrelationship among these primary factors.

Edwards, Verlane. STC Central Iowa (2001). Articles>Education>Instructional Design>Online