#21805
Linking Industry Best Practices and EC3(g) Assessment in Engineering Communication
Enthusiastic comments about 3(g)--one of the most widely appreciated ABET 2000 criteria--have masked disagreements about what 'effectiveness' is and how it should be defined in relation to schools' missions. Most of the methods that have been recommended for assessing engineering communication imitate procedures used for large-scale testing in English composition. The main purpose of this paper is to show that these methods have nothing to do with effectiveness or audience, and that they provide meager feedback to guide curriculum improvement. This uncertainty provides an opportunity for cooperation between engineering and communication faculty in individual institutions as well as between ASEE and professional organizations in engineering communication. Continuous monitoring and evaluation of industry best practices seem well suited to provide engineering schools with assessment strategies that can be updated as communication practices in industry change. Research projects should focus on exemplars' adaptations to new technologies and audiences. Collaboration between organizations for technical communication and the ASEE and between faculty from engineering and faculty from technical communication on individual campuses can ensure that engineering programs are realistically preparing students to meet future challenges.
Driskill, Linda. Rice University (2000). Articles>Education>Engineering>Assessment
#25054
Literacy and Expertise in the Academy 
The ability to read and write are usually regarded as a birthright in this country. The transmission of reading skills to the general public has been part of the agenda for American education since the initiation of the public school movement (Cook-Gumperz; Graff; Soltow and Stevens). As a result, we regularly espouse the ideal if not the practice of teaching everyone to read, and recent educational reforms have attempted to add writing to this agenda.
Geisler, Cheryl. LLAD (1994). Articles>Education>Literacy
#14285
Literature Reviews in Student Project Reports 
Writing project reports is an important part of the engineering curriculum at Singapore universities. One important section of the formal report is the literature review. Most universities around the world provide guidelines on writing reviews, emphasizing that plagiarism is unethical. However, these guidelines do not offer explicit training on how to avoid plagiarism. In order to write academically acceptable reviews while avoiding copying from source materials, students face a major challenge and resort to employing various strategies to cope with the task. In this study, we examined the literature review sections of final year project reports to find out how engineering undergraduates in a Singapore university cope with writing reviews and to suggest ways in which they can extend their skills to improve their literature reviews.
Krishnan, Lakshmy A. and Sujata S. Kathpalia. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication (2002). Academic>Education>Writing>Plagiarism
#27705
The Lone Ranger as Technical Writing Program Administrator 
The popularity of technical writing and communication has caused many colleges and universities to scramble to hire qualified tenure-track faculty members. So-called lone ranger candidates are often lured to workplaces in which they are the sole technical writing faculty members by promises of autonomy and the ability to develop programs in ways, and at a pace, that would not necessarily be possible at other institutions. This article explores challenges faced by several such lone ranger faculty members and outlines survival strategies that may help lone rangers sustain and build their technical writing programs.
Sapp, David Alan. Journal of Business and Technical Communication (2006). Articles>Education>Writing>Technical Writing
#31376
Looking Beyond the Interface: Activity Theory and Distributed Learning 
Activity theory (AT) has for many years been used in studies of human computer interaction, such as computer interface design and computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW) (Nardi, 1996). In the last five years it has begun to be used to understand distributed learning, as technological innovations in education have often "seemed to be designed to exploit the capabilities of the technology rather than to meet an instructional need," to be technology-driven rather than theory-driven.
Russell, David R. Iowa State University (2001). Articles>Education>Theory>Activity Theory
#23382
Looking for Trouble: Moments of Crisis in a Professional Writing Curriculum
As a new director of a new Professional Writing program, my colleagues and I spent much of our time designing curriculum. The sequence and content of our courses, we felt, were the only real way to make our program more than the sum of its parts.
Franke, David. CPTSC Proceedings (2003). Academic>Education>Management
#30263
Looking Toward the Electronic Future in the Classroom
The electronic tools available in the technical communication classroom have increased in number and sophistication over the last decade. Our three panelists examine the implications to the classroom of virtual reality, E-mail, and 'the information superhighway.'
Glover, Kyle S. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>Education>TC>Online
#24455
Looking Toward the Electronic Future in the Classroom: Using Electronic Mail
In the last decade, electronic mail (email) has continued to gain popularity and use, especially in the business community. Growing email use has transformed business communication, making it necessary for business executives, scientists, and engineers to acquire knowledge and competence in electronic communication. Such changes make it necessary to teach skills for effective email communication in technical and business writing classes. Preparing students to meet unique communication challenges that they will face in today’s business world is valuable.
Kim, H. Young. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>Education>Correspondence>Email
#30750
Lore: An E-Journal for Teachers of Writing
Lore is an e-journal for adjuncts and graduate students who teach writing at colleges and universities. This journal is designed to provide a forum for sharing knowledge, building communities, and voicing concerns about what happens in the classroom.
#13506
LORE: Rhetoric, Writing, Culture
'Lore' allues to Stephen North's idea of 'practitioner lore,' or the important traditions of teaching and research which seldom make their way into publishing writing. This journal seeks to publish such underrepresented work.
#25305
Lumiere Ghosting and the New Media Classroom
Refocusing courses around the structure of narrative and how they use theatrical forms of interaction in the presentation of complex online help and instructional systems
Gilette, David, John Elsdon and Enrica Lovaglio. Kairos (2005). Articles>Education>Multimedia
#23444
In 1991 the University of Applied Sciences (Fachhochschule) in Hanover was the first German academic institution to teach technical writing. Since then our curriculum has been subject to changes and it still is: Developing a curriculum is an ongoing process.
Baumert, Andreas. TC-FORUM (1999). Articles>Education>Management>Germany
#31646
Teaching writing to engineering students representing Indian, Middle Eastern, Asian, and American cultures can be daunting as their cultural perceptions of time, gender, source of authority, individualism and risk taking, affect learning styles. However, despite cultural differences, many International students have no difficulty with much of American instruction and, in some cases, perform better than American students. Their ability to adapt to American instruction appears to depend primarily on the educational goals of their cultures.
Boiarsky, Carolyn. IEEE PCS (2008). Articles>Education>Technical Writing>Engineering
#23731
Making Decisions about Distance Education: Organizational and Individual Perspectives
Decisions about distance education, whether from the perspectives of academic or corporate organizations, are often made on the basis of economical, pedagogical, and psychological perspectives. Decisions are also made by potential distance learning students. Distance learning delivery organizations often include student self-surveys in their initial online promotional materials. This metaanalysis of several student distance learning 'readiness' surveys identifies their major common elements, and it offers a checklist of topics to include in distance learning student 'readiness' surveys. Finally, recommendations are offered concerning the ethical and research dimensions of the decision-making required for effective distance education delivery.
Shirk, Henrietta Nickels. STC Proceedings (2003). Articles>Education>Online>Assessment
#13930
This article describes how disability studies can be used in a medical and science writing class to critically examine the assumptions of scientific discourse. An emerging, interdisciplinary field, disability studies draws on feminist, postmodern, and post-colonial theory and extends their critiques to the medicalization of disability. Deconstructing the medical model of disability helps students understand how science is socially constructed. After conceptualizing disability studies, this essay discusses sample disability-related classroom activities, readings, and writing assignments.
Wilson, James C. Technical Communication Quarterly (2000). Articles>Education>Scientific Communication>Biomedical
#21888
Students with disabilities are increasingly placed in inclusive classrooms where they learn alongside their peers. This poses a challenge to teachers and students because instructional materials may not be available in a form that is accessible to the disabled student. Inaccessible materials stigmatize students with disabilities by preventing them from using the same materials as their peers and can limit their educational opportunities. As technology becomes more prevalent in classrooms, students with disabilities face even more challenges in keeping pace with their classmates.
Freed, Geoff, Madeleine Rothberg and Tom Wlodkowski. WGBH (2003). Articles>Education>Instructional Design>Online
#23366
Making it Fit: Teaching Online Information Design in Two Programs with One Course
To serve students in an interdisciplinary minor in Interactive Media as well as our own concentrators in business and technical writing within the department, we developed a course in designing online information.
Worley, Rebecca B. and Deborah C. Andrews. CPTSC Proceedings (2003). Articles>Education>Information Design
#13465
Making Professional Development Work for You
Obtaining a degree and entering the workforce is not the end of the educational experience; it is the beginning of the Life-long process of professional development. Professional development benefits employees by helping them to progress and increase their worth to the company, and it benefits management by poviding them with more skilled and knowledgeable employees, Many opportunities are available to communicators, such as professional societies, conferences, seminars, books, and journals. Communicators, then, must seek out the opportunities, devise a professional develop-merit plan, overcome the obstacles, and then implement what they have learned.
O'Brien, Charles J. III and Russell B. Stoner. STC Proceedings (1993). Careers>Education>Continuing
#29104
Making Sense of the Visual in Technical Communication: A Visual Literacy Approach to Pedagogy
We employ an array of terms to denote the visual; however, we have not yet agreed on a clear framework for understanding the function and relationship between visual concepts. I propose a literacy approach to the visual so that as educators, researchers, students, and practitioners, we acquire more than skills that rely on changing definitions and technologies but an intellectual faculty that provides the knowledge, understanding, and abilities that the visual affords. Through an analysis of arguments for visual instruction, I present the wayS in which scholars justify their claims about the visual. These arguments uncover the breadth and depth of the visual and contribute to a taxonomy of visual terminology.
Portewig, Tiffany Craft. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2004). Articles>TC>Education>Visual Rhetoric
#13894
Making the Connection: Desktop Publishing, Professional Writing, and Pro Bono Publico
Designing desktop publishing courses around a model of service familiar in the U.S.--the pro bono publico tradition of professional gratis service--would broaden students’ professional horizons in addition to meeting growing demands for service learning. Such courses would mate volunteerism with the democratic spirit of desktop publishing, a technological platform that provides a means for unrepresented voices to be heard and read. One community project is outlined.
Hafer, Gary R. Technical Communication Quarterly (1999). Articles>Education>Service Learning>Volunteering
#19962
Making the Grade, or How to Upgrade an Online Class
Because online technical communication classes, as well as classes with several online components, are no longer a novelty, teachers must plan coursework and technology use to better meet students’ needs. To improve my online teaching methods and plan future courses, I follow these guidelines: 1. Prepare students to use e-mail efficiently; 2. Prepare students to use the class chat room for meetings, office hours, and required discussions; 3. Maintain a flexible assignment schedule while enforcing the final deadline; 4. Help students gain access to computers; 5. Develop pleasant working relationships with technical support personnel; and 6. Develop course information for students with different learning styles.
Porter, Lynnette R. STC Proceedings (2001). Articles>Education>Instructional Design>Online
#29539
Making the Strange Familiar: A Pedagogical Exploration of Visual Thinking
Scholarly conversation within the field of professional communication increasingly has focused on the practice, research, and pedagogy of visual rhetoric. Yet, visual thinking has received relatively little attention within the field. If our programs produce students who can think verbally but not visually, they risk producing writers who are visual technicians but are unable to move fluidly between and within modes of communication. This article examines the literature and pedagogical practices of visually oriented disciplines to identify strategies for helping students develop the ambidexterity of thought needed for the communication tasks of today's workplace.
Brumberger, Eva R. Journal of Business and Technical Communication (2007). Articles>Education>Graphic Design>Visual Rhetoric
#24853
Managing and Teaching in an Electronic Classroom: Oklahoma State's Experience
The computer has been called the single most important invention since Gutenberg introduced movable type and the printing press in the fifteenth century. 'Computers have changed the way we perform scientific research, conduct business, create art, and spend our leisure time.' They have also changed the way we train students for the workplace.
Rudin, Judy E. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>Education>Online
#21817
Service learning and client-based projects more generally are widely recognized as effective methods of engaging technical communication students in the complexities of workplace writing. But administrators of large technical communication programs often face an uphill battle when attempting tointegrate these projects into the curriculum.
Smith Taylor, Summer. CPTSC Proceedings (2001). Articles>Education>Service Learning
#20355
Mapping the Expanding Landscape of Usability: The Case of Distributed Education
As the environments in which we use technology become more complex and more diverse, we need to extend and expand our notion of usability to include a broad spectrum of users and user activities. We take as an example the case of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's distributed education program for human-computer interaction (HCI). While HCI is the subject matter for the courses, the courses themselves present a challenging case study in HCI usability.
Grice, Roger A. and William Hart-Davidson. Journal of Computer Documentation (2002). Articles>Usability>Education>Online
