Commonwealth Fellowship on Education and Technology: A Program Supporting Sustainable Professional Development in the Open Access Era    

Commonwealth Scholarship Commission encourages mid-career professionals to update their knowledge in sectors regarded as making an important contribution to the development of Commonwealth countries. The programs are very intensive and challenging, and demand very hard work to complete successfully the varieties of activities within the time limit. This paper describes the program and activities of a Commonwealth Professional Fellowship (CPF) in the United Kingdom in education and technology and its contribution towards sustainable professional development undertaken between 1 November and 31 January 2006.

Ghosh, Maitrayee. International Journal for Technical Communication (2007). Articles>Education>Regional>United Kingdom

A Critical Analysis of Adoption and Utilization of the Internet in Thailand for Educational Purposes  

Although the use of the Internet in Thailand has a short history, it continues to develop at a rapid rate. This paper presents how the Thai government adopted the Internet into their educational systems by looking at the diffusion-of-innovation theory. Also, it will briefly describe the evolution as well as criticize the adoption of the Internet in Thai education with an emphasis on academic uses. Moreover, it will explain the benefits, obstacles, and future plans of Internet usage in Thailand for education.

Prammanee, Noppadol. First Monday (2003). Articles>Education>Regional>Asia

Development of an English for Specific Purposes

The University of Aizu Technical Writing course was established to help computer science majors develop writing skills needed for their academic and future career activities. The course was first organized and presented for the 1994 school year and has been undergoing continued evaluation and alteration. During the first two years, the course was presented in the two sophomore terms using courseware project team developed lesson plans and handouts. In the first year, these lesson plans and handouts were supplemented with a technical writing textbook and handbook. By the third year, a draft of the University of Aizu's Technical Writing 1 Handbook served as the text material for the first term of the course. However, the second term of the course was moved to the senior year to provide students needed guidance and assistance in the planning and writing of their graduation research reports. The finalized version of the University of Aizu's Technical Writing 1 Handbook will be published prior to the 1997 school year, and a Technical Writing 2 Handbook which will be designed around the university's research report format and requirements is planned for the 1998 school year.

Izzo, John. Internet TESL Journal, The. Articles>Education>Regional>Japan

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 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

German Academic Programs In Technical Communication    

While research in international technical communication has flourished during the last 10 years, there has been little published on technical communication programs outside the United States. This article addresses this need by describing 12 representative academic technical communication programs in Germany, including Germany's first master's degree program. While there are no statistics on the number of technical communicators working in Germany, tekom (Gesellschaft für technische Kommunikation), the German professional society for technical communication, estimates roughly 4,400 members. While German academic programs in technical communication share many features with their counterparts in the United States, German academic programs do stress internships, foreign language study, and study abroad exchange programs more than technical communication programs in the United States.

Smith, Herb J. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2004). Articles>Education>Regional>Germany

Graduate-Level Technical Communication Instruction in the United Kingdon   

This paper describes the results of a study of graduate technical communication programs in the United Kingdom begun in the Fall of 1998. The study intended to 1) describe the general structure of graduate instruction in technical communication, and 2) to analyze the field according to 3 key topics in technical education in the UK: What is the international orientation of programs? What are the subject-matter components of technical communication programs? What delivery methods and other classroom practices do the programs embody The formation in these four areas can be useful to a number of readers. Those in the education can benefit by comparing practices in the U. S. A. to those in the UK, especially comparing delivery methods and subject matter. Practitioners of technical communication seeking employment in the UK or European Union markets can benefit by learning the requirements of work in these areas. Members of professional societies such as the Society for Technical Communication can benefit by learning about the state of the profession of technical writing in the UK as it is supported by and reflected in the education of advanced practitioners.

Barker, Thomas and Anna Sallee. STC Proceedings (1999). Articles>Education>Regional>United Kingdom

Russian Teaching Contracts: An Examination of Cultural Influence and Genre    

Teaching business communication in Russia involves operating in a high-context oral culture where few documents are created. However, this article analyzes two Russian teaching contracts, rhetorically comparing purpose and audience, culture, gender, and the role of the individual versus the state. For historical, political, and economic reasons, less documentation is used in business transactions in Russia than is used in the United States. Subsequently, communication scholars have been afforded little opportunity to analyze Russian business documents. This study uses anecdotal episodes as a framework for examining Russian culture and analyzing university teaching contracts, concluding that the contracts are not only brief and factual but also reflect a more oral, less litigious environment than Western countries like the United States.

Stevens, Betsy. Journal of Business and Technical Communication (1999). Articles>Education>Regional>Russia

Training Technical Communicators at the "Top of the World"  

Technical Communication is not a profession per se in Nepal, at least not until Pilgrim Asia was founded in 1997. Because of that, finding trained individuals to produce topnotched documentation for Pilgrim Asia can be as adventurous as scaling the country’s and world’s highest peak – Mt. Everest. (Ah ha! Nepal!). It takes perseverance and mountains of pages of writing and editing for increments of excellence. But once skills are learned, the expectation level exponentially rises so new levels of excellence are achieved. And with each product release we prove that technical communication can be a viable profession in Nepal.

Perry, Lynn A. STC Proceedings (1999). Articles>Education>Regional>Asia