A Course in Content Editing  

Describes a college course on content editing--editing that focuses on clarifying content. Emphasizing career opportunity, the course touches on new technologies that have transformed editing, the editor-author relationship, and the editing of user manuals.

Bush, Donald W. Intercom (2000). Articles>Education>Editing

Course Management Tools Review

This is a summary of open source tools for what is variously called: * distance learning * course management product or system * learning management system * virtual classroom

Albing, Bill, Frances Wirth and Rick Sapir. KeyContent.org (2005). Resources>Education>Online

Crafting a User Experience Curriculum

It isn’t often that one has the opportunity to create a course about user experience, let alone an entire sequence of user experience courses. Jason Withrow's opportunity forced him to examine his perceptions of the user experience industry.

Withrow, Jason. Boxes and Arrows (2005). Articles>Education>User Experience>User Centered Design

Creating an Academic Program for Technical Marketing Communication  

Technical marketing communication is a growing category of employment. Yet recognition of these employment opportunities has not fully extended to the development of academic courses and programs that would prepare students or enhance the knowledge of working professionals. Students can gain valuable training in current programs for advertising, public relations, business communication, and technical communication. However, because the marketing-oriented programs generally don’t focus on technology products and the technical communication programs don’t focus on promotional materials, students themselves must craft a synthesis of the two aspects—often with incomplete and unsatisfactory results.

King, Janice M. and Judith A. Ramey. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>Education>Marketing

Creating and Sustaining Technical Communication Programs in Colleges and Universities  

This Progression Roundtable brings together leading experts (Dr. Karen A. Schriver, Dr. Russel Hirst, Dr. Susan D. Kleimann, Dr. Dianne Atkinson, Dr. Teresa C. Kynell, and Dr. David McMurrey) on academic programs in technical communication. The Roundtable focuses on existing and 'start-up' technical communication degree or certificate programs in community colleges and universities. Presenters will discuss issues such as curriculum development, marketing strategies, student chapters of STC, student and faculty internships, and linkages with industry. Information about existing programs will be made available to all participants.

Bosley, Deborah S., Karen A. Schriver, Russel Hirst, Susan D. Kleimann, Dianne Atkinson, Teresa C. Kynell, and David McMurrey. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>Education>TC

Creating Communication Modules for an Engineering Enterprise Initiative: Programmatic and Rhetorical Considerations  

Our discussion will consider the ways in which we conceptualized an engineering enterprise initiative’s 'communication component,' alternate ways in which it could be conceptualized, and our efforts to maintain pedagogical and programmatic integrity while addressing the very practical needs of this ABET-driven curricula change. We feel that these questions must be addressed if we are to truly participate in a 'systemic change' in engineering education and its integral communication challenges.

Aller, Betsy and M. Sean Clancey. CPTSC Proceedings (2000). Academic>Education>Assessment>Engineering

Creating Course Objectives that Address Communication

A course objective that addresses communication simply states what you would like students to learn from or about communication in relation to scientific or technical knowledge in your course. We recommend placing this objective on the first page of your course syllabus, next to any other objectives you have listed for your course. If placed on your initial syllabus, students will see that communication is an important part of the course from the beginning.

University of Minnesota. Articles>Education>Writing

Creating Online Training: Dos and Don'ts

As a technical communicator, you may be asked to create online training for your organization. Your first attempt at online courseware development may seem a bit daunting, but take heart. Here are a few online training DOs and DON'Ts that can help you avoid some common development pitfalls.

Miller, Karen Massetti. STC Central Iowa (2002). Articles>Education>Instructional Design>Online

Creating Your First CBT (Computer Based Training) Program  

There are a series of questions that should be answered when you start the process of creating either a Computer Based Training program or a Web Based Training program. In this presentation I’ll go over the questions I asked while making my first CBT, the reason why I asked the question and then the answer I received to each question.

Wokosin, Linda. STC Proceedings (2002). Articles>Education>Online

The Creation of Metaphor: A Case for Figurative Language in Technical Writing Classes  

It may perhaps seem strange to speak of metaphor in the same breath as instruction in technical writing. But based on Professor Mary Rosner's observations about changes in technical writing, as they are reflected historically in textbooks since the 1920s, and on my own perceptions of directions in technical writing today, I could justifiably assert that we have nearly come full circle.1 In the beginning was the word. When technical writing first began to be separated from other advanced writing courses, it retained many of the strategies and approaches of Advanced Exposition courses—the study of rhetoric, logical organization, conventions, formats. Early texts show this connection. Later, as technical writing teachers began to pursue their own directions in research, their teaching approaches and the textbooks they created began to reflect new discoveries and directions: psycholinguistics crept in; more materials on audience analysis began to show up in texts; management psycholoy of Abraham Maslow and others appeared; conventional report formats were reflected; readability formulas became a staple of textbooks. But for a while, rhetorical approaches still held sway. Today, of course, only a few commentators will argue for some return to the older liberal arts traditions, myself among them. But these few are a vocal lot.

Catron, Douglas M. JAC (1983). Articles>Education>Rhetoric>Tropes

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

Critical Inquiry and the Internet: The Urban Legends Assignment  

The Internet is quickly becoming the dominant communications medium in this country. As such, it warrants the same type of critical examination as television and the news media. This paper explores integrating urban legends as a critical thinking component in communication courses that focus on electronic media.

Dyrud, Marilyn A. Association for Business Communication (2004). Articles>Education>Cultural Theory

Critical Thinking, Community Service, and Participatory Research: Restructuring the American University for a Framework of Learning

If a university follows the learning paradigm, critical thinking is not offered as 'a course' or a selection of courses in the core curriculum, but is incorporated into every college course. If this paradigm were to assume dominance at universities, as I believe it should, not only would the work of university faculty be significantly different, but this shift would also affect the responsibilities of university administrators and students, as well as local community members.

Sapp, David Alan. Inventio (2002). Articles>Education>Rhetoric

A Critique of Grammatical Coverage in Business-Communication Textbooks  

Business English (BE) and business communication (BC) overlap. English handles linguistic mechanics and style, whereas communication holistically discusses the movement of a message from one person to another. The BC discipline, unfortunately, allows language basics into its pedagogy like a statistics course teaching fundamental mathematics. From the other side, some English courses teach BC before their students are able to handle that material. A subject teaches prepared students. If they are deficient, they are either kept out or the subject matter suffers.

Kenman, Leon F. Association for Business Communication (2004). Articles>Education>Grammar>Business Communication

Cross Cultural Training Bibliography

A bibliography of works from instructional design and educational theory for cross-cultural and multicultural students.

Weech, Bill. TCM.com (1998). Resources>Bibliographies>Instructional Design>Education

Cross Current: Proficient Enough?

A recent Conference Board survey of human resource officials revealed that only 25% of today's college graduates enter the world of work with well-developed speaking skills.

Mottet, Timothy P. Communication Currents (2006). Articles>Communication>Business Communication>Education

Cross-Cultural Considerations for Designing International Internet-Based Learning  

As increasing numbers of multinational corporations, consultants, universities, and instructional designers create Internet-based learning (IBL) courses or require courses to be taken via the Internet, not all are aware of the need to adjust their design expectations and assumptions due to cross-cultural considerations involved in such online courses. Eight critical considerations discussed in this paper include the following: language, culture, technical infrastructure, local/global perspective, learning styles, reasoning patterns, high/low context communication, and social context. Recommendations are listed for low-context designers to design with more cultural sensitivity for global learners and also for high- context learners who take low-context IBL courses.

Vawn Tinney, Mari, Joanne P. H. Bentley and Bing-Howe Chia. STC Proceedings (2005). Articles>Education>Online>International

Crossing Disciplinary Borders  

In a collaborative project that bridged professional cultures, 40 students from technical communication and computer science collaborated on a software development project. They worked in small groups developing subparts of a complex word processor. Questionnaires and project logs revealed that participants found the project generally appropriate and beneficial, but the cross-disciplinary collaboration was neither valued twr successful.

Allen, Nancy J. STC Proceedings (1997). Articles>Education>Service Learning

Crossing Institutional and Programmatic Identity Boundaries: The Possibilities of an Online Graduate Consortium  

Should institutional boundaries prevent online students from learning from the best professors available? What is the effect of employing remote professors on a program's identity, and how do remote or distant professors fit into a faculty's programmatic and pedagogical profile?

Cargile Cook, Kelli. CPTSC Proceedings (2003). Articles>Education>Online

Crossing the Boundaries of Instruction: Assessing Web-Based Courses

We recently conducted survey research to discover students' responses to our web-based courses and online programs. We wanted to know their reactions to the course materials, teaching methods, interactions with faculty and other students, as well as their own competence in the particular subject area following such as course. While we are discovering that students are generally satisfied with all aspects of the courses, they express valid and noteworthy concerns.

Tovey, Janice and Michelle F. Eble. CPTSC Proceedings (2003). Articles>Education>Assessment>Online

Crossing the Chasm: The Quest to Bring the Best of Academia and Industry to the Technical Communication Profession  

Crossing the two worlds of academia and industry is a precarious, yet exhilarating, “communication odyssey.” This paper charts the channels that teachers in academia and technical communicators in industry can use to access these two worlds, and describes the challenges and rewards in making the journey. It relies on both primary sources (my personal experiences, and those shared by others) and secondary research in the technical communication profession’s trends. Such crossings are similar to the “foreign exchange” programs we advocate for students: the resulting insights and “cross pollination” from academia and the workplace will help our profession to flourish. industry can benefit both worlds through “crosspollination” and will help our profession to flourish.

Kryder, LeeAnne G. STC Proceedings (2001). Presentations>Collaboration>Education

The Culture of Distance Education: Implementing an Online Graduate Level Course in Audience Analysis      

This essay details the experience of designing, implementing, and evaluating an online course in audience analysis at the graduate level. Through a discussion of the culture of this online course, I describe how the educational culture of the Land Grant Mission flowed into our efforts to create a quality learning experience, and how the Web modules and asynchronous (listserv) and synchronous (MOO) conversations influenced communication and learning.

Duin, Ann Hill. Technical Communication Quarterly (1998). Articles>Education>Audience Analysis>Online

Current Status Of Business And Technical Writing Courses In English Departments

We have heard a great deal of talk in recent years about the growth of business and technical writing courses in English departments. But very little, if any, factual information exists on how much enrollments have grown and whether they are expected to grow in the near future. Furthermore, no study has attempted to assess the impact these relatively new, rapidly expanding courses are having and will continue to have on English departments and their faculty members.

Rivers, William E. ADE Bulletin (1985). Articles>Education>Business Communication>Technical Writing

Current Trends and Issues in the Qualitative Research Literature: A Bibliography

A review of publications which employ qualititative research in the study of education.

Artemeva, Natasha. Newsletter of the CASLL (2003). Resources>Bibliographies>Education

A Curriculum for a Corporate Technical Writing Department: Providing Cost-Effective, Ongoing, Quality Training  

This paper develops a cost-effective, ongoing, process-oriented writing curriculum for a technical writing department. This curriculum meets the needs of adult learners and the corporation and provides training for all experience and expertise levels while also allowing writers to meet the demands of their projects.

Gyure, Gloria M.D. STC Proceedings (1997). Articles>Education>Writing>Technical Writing