Bringing Practitioners into Programs

Four presentations about how to connect academic programs with workplace practitioners in technical communication.

Barker, Thomas, David Dayton, Elizabeth O. (Betsy) Smith and Tracy Bridgeford. CPTSC (2005). Presentations>Education>Collaboration>Workplace

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

Facilitating Research on Global Partnerships in Technical Communication Programs

Discussion about fostering international relationships for academic programs in technical communication.

Farkas, David K., Kenneth T. Rainey and Bruce Maylath. CPTSC (2005). Presentations>Education>Globalization>Collaboration

A Team Approach to Training  

The new hire training program for Technical Communication staff at Battelle, Pacific Northwest Laboratories (BNW) consists of a team approach where several individuals have defined roles and responsibilities for ensuring that all new hires receive the information and support required to be successful in their positions. This paper describes our training program.

Edler, Sandra K. STC Proceedings (1993). Presentations>Education>Instructional Design>Collaboration

Mavericks: The Ultra-Collaborative Composition Classroom

A case study of a course in which students used collaborative online tools such as Google Docs for major writing assignments, and the results the instructor discovered.

Meloni, Julie. SlideShare (2009). Presentations>Education>Writing>Collaboration