Recreating the Technical-Writing Classroom on the World Wide Web  

Many of the limitations inherent in technical-writing instruction on the World Wide Web can be overcome by intelligently designed web sites. Web-based instruction here refers to courses, in either the corporate or academic setting, where most ofthe instructional materials are supplied over the WorId Wide Web and where students and instructors communicate and exchange writing projects through e-mail. Acknowledging that few instructors have the expertise or technical support to create such web facilities, this paper makes available annotated Per1 source code for instructors ’ use or customization.

McMurrey, David A. STC Proceedings (1997). Articles>Education>Instructional Design>Online

Resources on E-Learning for Training and Performance Support

A comprehensive collection of links to e-learning resources online for workplace training.

Carliner, Saul. Saul Carliner Studio (2003). Articles>Workplace>Education>Online

Rob Houser on Creating Nontraditional E-Learning

Rob explains how you can use Captivate to create nontraditional e-learning materials, such as on-the-job training, sales and marketing training, or even bird-watching training. You aren't just limited to technical how-to information in screen demos.

Houser, Rob. Tech Writer Voices (2007). Articles>Interviews>Education>Online

Role of Technical Writers in Developing eLearning

Many companies are starting to use eLearning to train their workers, managers, customers and suppliers. Some of those companies want to use their internal technical writers or communicators to not only write the content, but also to develop the CBT or WBT.

Kurtus, Ron. School for Champions. Articles>Education>Online>Technical Writing

Selecting Web-Based Training Technology  

Provides an overview of Web-based training (WBT) technology. Using a hypothetical training scenario, he suggests how WBT technology can improve training for several types of workers.

Magnan, Raymond. Intercom (2001). Articles>Education>Online

Situating the Adult Learner in the Online Classroom  

Adult learners in the online classroom present new challenges for educational institutions and instructors. Often instructors create the online course by copying course syllabi, content, and assignments to the online course website. Along with the using the same content, instructors try to adapt their current pedagogical practices to the online classroom. This paper explores the aspects of adult learning in an online environment, discusses how it differs from the traditional educational environment, and offers suggestions for facilitating a successful online classroom for the adult learner.

Hoy, Cheryl. STC Proceedings (2004). Articles>Education>Online

So You've Decided to Develop A Distance Education Class...  

As colleges and universities race into Distance Education via the World Wide Web, instructors are asked to move out of their 'safe' zones and into a new realm of teaching.

Walker, Cynthia L. Kairos (2001). Articles>Education>Online

Some Ideas About Producing Online Modules: Learning Dynamics Australia    

Online learning results from the interaction of a learner and a Web-based set of content and collaboration with other people. The selection and direction of the content are determined by the learning and business outcomes of any module. The client sets the outcomes and provides the content. The LDA team translates that content into a set of screen components that state the meaning of the content and builds in continuity through a navigation system. In addition, collaboration with a tutor andother learners helps to maintain the personal nature of learning.

Morgan, David. CPTSC Proceedings (2001). Articles>Education>Online>Australia

Static in the Electronic Classroom: Can Technology Get in the Way of Learning?  

Technology can be a very powerful tool in the technical communication classroom, but can technology sometimes get in the way of learning? It can if we do not carefully plan our transition from the traditional to the electronic classroom. In preparing for this transition, we must consider the needs of our students, the capabilities of the technology, and our own responsibilities as instructors.

Glover, Kyle S. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>Education>Online

Students as Netizens: Connecting the Classroom with the Web  

Connecting students with the digital world available through the Internet is an aspect of the traditional technical communication classroom that is often stated as a goal by many instructors. Accomplishing this task is sometimes a pedagogical challenge. Some of the issues involved in turning students into competent 'netizens' result from pre-existing student attitudes, while others reside directly with the instructor. Ultimately, it is the instructor’s responsibility to construct meaningful learning experiences that incorporate the rich resources of the Web in ways that enhance course learning goals. While focusing on the Web as a supplementary learning resource, instructors can stimulate learning experiencs by functioning as 'navigators' and 'pathfinders' in creating 'Web treasure hunts' for their student netizens.

Shirk, Henrietta Nickels. STC Proceedings (2001). Articles>Education>Online

Surveying the City of Bits: Community, Commerce and the Virtual University

In contemporary business texts corporate sponsored on-line communities are described as central to the commercial development of the Internet, and to the imagined future of narrowcasting and mass customization in the wider world of marketing and advertising. My paper outlines a history of how on-line community has been represented within models of e-commerce. It critically examines the arguments, narratives and rhetorical strategies drawn on within contemporary business texts to represent on-line community. The paper also examines some of the connections that are emerging between commercial on-line community development, and commercial models of on-line education. My paper explores how many of the same organizations, strategies, and ways of representing on-line communities and community resources associated with corporate sponsored on-line communities are being reproduced in models of on-line education. I argue that strategic alliances ought to be made between academics and various community groups.

Werry, Chris. EServer (1999). Articles>Education>Online

Sustainable Practices in Distance Education    

We are engaged in distance education because our graduate program is committed to responsible instructional practices in the computer age. As humanists, our efforts in this relatively new area are primarily energized by opportunities to revisit basic educational assumptions, test the social claims made about distanceeducation, and prepare future teachers who can operate both effectively and judiciously in online environments. From our perspective, departments that foreground the values of the profession will find distance education tobe a productive site for literacy education, one that can even influence the shape of resident instruction in positive ways.

Selber, Stuart A. CPTSC Proceedings (2001). Articles>Education>Online

Teaching a Distance Education Version of the Technical Communication Service Course: Timesaving Strategies    

The author has taught a distance education version of the undergraduate technical communication service course at Boise State University since 1997 and shares the strategies he has found to decrease the time instructors spend teaching online, thereby enabling them to use the time they do have to enhance their students' online experience. These strategies are distributed among four areas: management of collaboration, presentation of course material, grading, and interaction with students. For each one, the author presents the problems that may occur and approaches to resolving them. The article addresses a number of concerns expressed in the scholarly literature on distance education and is informed by surveys given to five sections of the author's course taught between 2001 and 2003. Interspersed through the article is an overview of some of the current research and commentary on distance education of particular interest to those teaching the technical communication service course via the Internet.

Battalio, John T. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2006). Articles>TC>Education>Online

Teaching as Performance in the Electronic Classroom  

New developments in online educational technology have a profound effect on notions of intellectual property. Theories of the social construction of technology explain the extremely unstable nature of new technologies. Walter Ong’s theory of the alphabet effect provides insight into the ways in which knowledge changes as media of communication change. Shoshana Zuboff’s ideas on how managerial knowledge is transformed by technology help us understand how certain kinds of knowledge resist being textualized. These ideas help us understand the effects of new teaching technologies in terms of a long–standing struggle between two views of knowledge: knowledge as performance and knowledge as thing.

Brent, Doug. First Monday (2005). Articles>Education>Online

Teaching Online Workspace Collaboration  

This article provides a review and analysis of asynchronous chat sessions used by students to produce a collaborative formal proposal in an undergraduate technical communication service course at Bowling Green State University. The author/investigator reviewed archived chat sessions of the two most successful student groups and compared their experience to the conclusions drawn by a previous study on collaborative writing in the virtual classroom. The current study represents an initial exploratory attempt to replicate and/or refute the results of the prior study.

Edminster, Jude R. STC Proceedings (2004). Articles>Education>Collaboration>Online

Teaching Professional Writing Online with Electronic Peer Response  

For primarily practical reasons, professional writing courses are increasingly being taught totally or partly online. These practical reasons concern me because I do not believe that a pedagogical practice whose benefits are being actively debated by scholars, such as online education, should be utilized only or primarily because it is seen as a way of saving or making money. However, online education is one pedagogical practice that, I believe, has great potential to improve writing. A year-and-a-half ago, I taught several partly online sections of my professional writing course, and I discovered that a strategy valuable in my traditional sections became invaluable in my online sections: electronic peer response.

Tannacito, Terry. Kairos (2001). Articles>Education>Instructional Design>Online

Teaching Technical Communication at a Distance  

Satellite education can be rewarding for both on-campus and satellite students. However, teaching in this setting places considerable demands on the instructor. Course planning, preparation, and delivery require more time and effort. When this is done optimally, the benefits to students outweigh the demands on faculty.

Krull, Robert. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>Education>Online

Teaching Writing at a Distance: Avoiding Lecture, Fostering Interaction  

This panel segment focuses on lessons learned from teaching technical writing via Interactive Compressed Video ([C V). Although ICV has limitations, its two-way audio and video have distinct advantages, especially when combined with document cameras at each site. With some ingenuity, the discussions, hands-on exercises, workshops, and individualized coaching that are the mainstay of writing instruction can be adapted for teaching at a distance.

Farrell, Kathleen L. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>Education>Online>Writing

Teaching Writing, Grammar and Editing Skills On-Line  

Universities are rapidly expanding their asynchronous course offerings in order to meet the demands of the adult learner. Nowhere is the asynchronous learning environment more useful then when teaching writing and editing skills. One such on line course was developed at East Carolina University in Greenville, NC. The course, COMM 1002-Media Writing, uses the virtual classroom, threaded discussion and peer editing techniques to maintain student connectivity. The course also provides a number of testing/quizzing platforms to allow students to increase their grammar and vocabulary skills at an individual pace thus decreasing student anxiety about professional writing.

Cranford, Christine L. and Christine R. Russell. STC Proceedings (2003). Articles>Education>Online

Technical Communication and Distance Education: What’s Being Done, Where We Can Go  

Distance education (DE) is a growing national trend, with courses and enrollments nearly doubling between 1994-5 and 1997-8. Technical communication practitioners and departments should take advantage of the benefits DE offers, including geographical and chronological access, integration of learning space and working space, and less time spent in lecture and more time responding to work or more time studying. Currently, technical communication education departments offer classes, certificates, and degrees via distance, varying from one undergraduate introductory class to 36-credit Master’s degrees. Future directions might include more programs to accommodate students, concentrations such as cross-cultural communication, and shorter courses to accommodate specific needs.

Eaton, Angela. STC Proceedings (2001). Articles>Education>Instructional Design>Online

Technical Communication on the Web: A Profile of Learners and Learning Environments      

The number and variety of distance education courses have increased dramatically in recent years with the advent of new delivery technologies. Third-generation distance delivery methods such as interactive, Web-based instruction also have led to new levels of access for students. This article presents demographic information about students taking online courses at two institutions. In addition, it discusses some of the changes in learning environments that may accompany the move to the virtual classroom. Finally, it points out some potential problems in delivering courses with new technologies.

Schneider, Suzanne P. and Clark G. Germann. Technical Communication Quarterly (1999). Articles>Education>Instructional Design>Online

Technical Writing Taught Over the Internet

Is it possible? Can a writing course be delivered effectively from a distance, without interaction from an instructor? It’s not easy, but we think it can. In fact we are well into developing an online course which is entirely self-evaluated.

Moretto, Lisa A. TC-FORUM (2001). Articles>Education>Online

The TechOWL: A Resource for Technical Communication Students  

The Online Writing Lab (OWL) has been a popular pedagogical complement to writing labs in university academic environments since the mid-1980s. There is, however, a great deal of similarity among the generic functions of these OWLs. This paper presents a brief summary of the historical background of OWLs, and it offers a description of several different perspectives on a new subspecies of OWL – the TechOWL, which can be designed and implemented specifically for students and practitioners of technical communication. This blueprint for a TechOWL offers several suggestions and guidelines for identifying user communities for TechOWLs, for conducting a thorough needs assessment, for designing specific technical communication features, and for building, maintaining, and evaluating TechOWLs.

Shirk, Henrietta Nickels. STC Proceedings (2002). Articles>Education>Writing>Online

Ten Ways to Engage Online Learners  

Online courseware is being simultaneously hailed and criticized by experts and learners. We're succeeding in delivery and accessibility, but failing in interactivity and interest. What makes online courseware work? This article looks at how online course authors engage their audiences. What kinds of interactivity are successful in Web-based courses? This article reviews strategies for pulling learners into scenarios, encouraging experimentation, and using gaming techniques in e-learning. This article also glimpses into the world of m-learning on a handheld device.

Grissino, Ann-Marie and Harman Singh. STC Proceedings (2004). Articles>Education>Online>Assessment