http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Presentations/Education A listing of the most recently indexed works about Presentations and Education in the field of technical communication. en-us Copyright (c) 2005-08 by the EServer. All rights reserved. tclib-editorial@eserver.org (TC Library Editorial Board) webmaster@eserver.org (Geoffrey Sauer) http://tc.eserver.org/images/newlogo.gif http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Presentations/Education http://tc.eserver.org/35583.html http://tc.eserver.org/35583.html I’m in my third year of college now, and by this point I have the hang of determining what constitutes a good class and a bad class. In a good class, I have fun and learn a lot; in a bad class, I don’t have a good time and don’t learn very much. http://tc.eserver.org/34972.html http://tc.eserver.org/34972.html A study published in the April issue of British Educational Research Journal found that 59 percent of students in a new survey reported that at least half of their lectures were boring, and that PowerPoint was one of the dullest methods they saw. "The least boring teaching methods were found to be seminars, practical sessions, and group discussions," said the report. In other words, tech-free classrooms were the most engaging. http://tc.eserver.org/34839.html http://tc.eserver.org/34839.html One privilege enjoyed by new-media authors is the opportunity to realize representations of Self that are rich textual worlds in themselves and also to engage the wider world, with a voice, a smile, imagery, and sound. Still, closer investigation of multimedia composition practices reveals levels of complexity with which the verbal virtuoso is unconcerned. This article argues that while technology-afforded multimedia tools make it comparatively easy to author a vivid text, it is a multiplicatively more complicated matter to vividly realize and publicize an authorial intention. Based on analysis of the digital story creation process of a youth named 'Steven,' the authors attempt to demonstrate the operation of two forces upon which the successful multimodal realization of the author's intention may hinge: 'fixity' and 'fluidity.' The authors show how, within the process of digital self-representation, these forces can intersect to influence multimodal meaning making, and an author's life, in consequential ways. http://tc.eserver.org/34200.html http://tc.eserver.org/34200.html 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. http://tc.eserver.org/32543.html http://tc.eserver.org/32543.html Most major producers of e-learning are not doing substantial usability testing. In fact, we don’t seem to even have a way to talk about usability in the context of e-learning. http://tc.eserver.org/32370.html http://tc.eserver.org/32370.html Lecture capture has been gaining momentum in recent years, but that momentum is being outpaced by student demand. According to new research released this week by the University of Wisconsin-Madison involving about 7,500 undergraduate and graduate students, an overwhelming 82 percent of students said they would prefer courses that offer online lectures over traditional classes that do not include an online lecture component. The researchers also pointed out the implications for these findings extend well beyond the classroom. http://tc.eserver.org/32015.html http://tc.eserver.org/32015.html The use of PowerPoint (PPT)-based lectures in business classes is prevalent, yet it remains empirically understudied in business education research. The authors investigate whether students in the contemporary business classroom view PPT as a novel stimulus and whether these perceptions of novelty are related to students' self-assessment of learning. Results indicate that the degree of novelty that undergraduate business students associate with PPT-based teaching significantly relates to their perceptions of PPT's impact on cognitive learning and classroom interaction. Students' views of PPT as a novel stimulus are also associated with their perception of specific constructive and dysfunctional classroom behaviors and attitudes. The authors discuss their findings and offer implications for instructors and researchers in business education. http://tc.eserver.org/31349.html http://tc.eserver.org/31349.html The importance of oral presentations in professional environments related to Computer Science is unquestionable. Therefore, oral and writing skills are included in the set of competences to be developed by students through the application of recent academic initiatives for Computer Science degrees in an international context. This article describes activities performed at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid aimed at the development of presentation skills in students. This initiative is based on the application of learning activities in combination with the delivery of different presentations that the students themselves evaluate. Results show a significant competence improvement and very satisfactory acceptance results from the students. http://tc.eserver.org/29146.html http://tc.eserver.org/29146.html This study analyzes the performance and attitudes of technical writing students in PowerPoint-enhanced and in non-PowerPoint lectures. Four classes of upper-level undergraduates (n = 84) at a mid-sized, Southern university taking a one-semester technical writing course were surveyed at the beginning and end of the course about their perceptions of PowerPoint. Of the four sections, two classes were instructed using traditional lecture materials (teacher at podium, chalkboard, handouts); the other two sections were instructed with PowerPoint presentations. All four classes were given the same pre- and post-test to measure performance over the course of the semester. Traditional lecture or PowerPoint presentations consisted of at least 50% of the course, with the remaining time spent on exercises and small group work. Results reveal that while most students say they preferred PowerPoint, performance scores were higher in the sections with the traditional lecture format. http://tc.eserver.org/28730.html http://tc.eserver.org/28730.html Many colleges and even some high schools have courses in technical writing; some even ask people from the industry to share their experiences. Could you be one of those industry insiders talking up our profession? http://tc.eserver.org/26945.html http://tc.eserver.org/26945.html The integration of technology into education includes increased educational Internet and web use. However the websites used in and for education are rarely critically examined, especially in regard to gender equality, design, and use. Print has been argued to carry with it certain attributes that disturb gender equality, so it is likely that electronic writing might cause similar problems. http://tc.eserver.org/26531.html http://tc.eserver.org/26531.html Four presentations about how to connect academic programs with workplace practitioners in technical communication. http://tc.eserver.org/26532.html http://tc.eserver.org/26532.html A discussion of challenges and solutions for hiring professional and technical communication specialists at teaching-focused universities. http://tc.eserver.org/26536.html http://tc.eserver.org/26536.html Discussion about fostering international relationships for academic programs in technical communication. http://tc.eserver.org/26523.html http://tc.eserver.org/26523.html Four presentations about the teaching of scientific and technical communication programs in a highly international industry climate. http://tc.eserver.org/26526.html http://tc.eserver.org/26526.html Four presentations about program assessment and the revisions to programs that they suggest. http://tc.eserver.org/26530.html http://tc.eserver.org/26530.html Four presentations about exigences that are leading to change and innovation in technical communication academic programs. http://tc.eserver.org/26534.html http://tc.eserver.org/26534.html Four presentations about the roles of programs in the professional, ethical, and research roles of its students and faculty. http://tc.eserver.org/26524.html http://tc.eserver.org/26524.html Argues for an increased emphasis on research in technical communication education. http://tc.eserver.org/26533.html http://tc.eserver.org/26533.html Four presentations about the integration of theory and pedagogical innovation into the design of academic programs. http://tc.eserver.org/26208.html http://tc.eserver.org/26208.html We need academic, along with, professional training, defining 'academic training' as conceptual and theoretical, future-oriented and speculative. http://tc.eserver.org/24433.html http://tc.eserver.org/24433.html Discusses some principles for choosing appropriate graphics for instructional materials. http://tc.eserver.org/24084.html http://tc.eserver.org/24084.html A table that displays aspects of developing knowledge that is personally and professionally useful. http://tc.eserver.org/23623.html http://tc.eserver.org/23623.html Explains how electronic portfolios bring together all the assignments in a TC core course, including learning the tools supported by the profession, student assignments, design rationales, and students' reflections on the tools and their skills and abilities. http://tc.eserver.org/23367.html http://tc.eserver.org/23367.html To improve university-level presentations, students need rhetorical, design, and usability strategies and tools to create effective, professional presentations. By developing a series of three to five modules for science and technology students, Professional Writing faculty could polish materials for use as one-day professional development workshops in the workplace. http://tc.eserver.org/22177.html http://tc.eserver.org/22177.html Rapidly changing processes in internationalization, in emerging technologies, and in instructional delivery systems require program directors and faculty to constantly evaluate and re-evaluate the extent to which they consider these changes in curricula development. This evaluation should not necessarily result in curricula molded in the image of industry, for many changes in technological processes are ephemeral. http://tc.eserver.org/21701.html http://tc.eserver.org/21701.html Study the target audience – who are your users? Identify various information elements. Study the user’s work flow. Layout the various information elements based on their characteristics. Highlight critical information. Think visually. http://tc.eserver.org/20966.html http://tc.eserver.org/20966.html How do you develop effective online learning? This interactive half-day workshop introduces you to 18 techniques, including the must-ask questions of a needs analysis, the must-consider issues for writing objectives, different learning models you can incorporate into courses, ways to keep learners' attention, and tips for designing screens and writing for online presentation. http://tc.eserver.org/19723.html http://tc.eserver.org/19723.html 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. http://tc.eserver.org/18403.html http://tc.eserver.org/18403.html Education is hot in business as well. The rise of corporate universities is well established, with companies literally spending billions of dollars to educate their employees. Education is now a business, with multiple companies offering courses and degrees as a successful, profit-making business. Of course, one of the problems when everyone is for something is that everyone has a different idea of what it is that they are for. Everyone who is for education seems to have a different idea of what to do, hence the challenge. The one thing everyone agrees upon is that our educational system is in trouble. Something has to be done to fix it. But what? To me, anything that is truly worthwhile is something that is also a major challenge. If you were facing an easy task, why bother? So it's a great year to be graduating, for anything truly worthwhile, anything that will make a difference, not just to you, but to many, is going to be hard. This is a great year, for there are great challenges ahead of you. http://tc.eserver.org/18252.html http://tc.eserver.org/18252.html The field of technical communication is transforming at a rapid rate, responding to scientific and technological advancements, economic pressures, and social changes. This makes our field exciting and challenging. The excitement and challenge is intensified for educators and trainers, because we must stay high on the learning curve in order to help prepare others to meet the challenges and prosper by the changes. At the same time, we must be sure to integrate new knowledge, technologies, and skills with what is valuable in the old rather than simply letting the new displace the old. http://tc.eserver.org/18210.html http://tc.eserver.org/18210.html The education of technical writers follows a vertical path, as discussed by panelists who represent three stops along that path. A new teacher of technical writing discusses moving from teaching basic writing to teaching more experienced and critical students. A professor who is in charge of new teachers discusses how he helps them meet the needs of students who demand more from their teachers. A mentor from industry discusses how she guides college graduates through the transition to professional writer and helps experienced writers continue their education on the job. http://tc.eserver.org/18212.html http://tc.eserver.org/18212.html With books and manuals, users decide what information 1. they want and when they will acquire it. With training materials, however the writer/instructional designer controls the flow of information and the way in which it is presented. To write training materials requires careful consideration of adult learning principles, the possibilities and limitations of presentation media and, for classroom training, the difference between written and spoken language. A training writer also needs to distill from complex concepts the main points that participants will remember after the training. http://tc.eserver.org/18153.html http://tc.eserver.org/18153.html This panel segment focuses on a student's perspective of learning from a distance by satellite. Students interested in obtaining certificates in Technical Communication from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, without being at RPI, can do it when they enroll in the RPI satellite video program (RSVP). http://tc.eserver.org/15022.html http://tc.eserver.org/15022.html Technology has paradoxically expanded and contracted technical communication. With the expansion of jobs, particularly in computer documentation and Web development, the demand for academic programs to graduate these workers has also increased. In turn the demand for graduate programs to prepare the teachers for those programs has expanded. Even the growth of international communication as an area of study has followed largely from the export of technology. http://tc.eserver.org/14556.html http://tc.eserver.org/14556.html Teaching professional writing courses from a social perspective enables instructors to recognize students’ own diversity and encourage students to consider cultural and gender diversity in designing effective communications Several teaching strategies will and instructors in their curriculum integration projects Revising courses to focus on diversity presents challenges which the instructor can meet by monitoring students’ response to the material and adapting teaching strategies as needed. http://tc.eserver.org/14539.html http://tc.eserver.org/14539.html Although programs and courses frequently are titled “technical and scientific communication, ” often the scientific part is shifted to the science classes many students are required to take. All technical communication students, but especially those who are targeting a career in scientific communication, should be made aware of scientific principles and practices that apply to technical communication. Educators might add information about technical proposals, empirical research reports, regulations, basic abbreviations and definitions of statistics, research methods used in the sciences, and the scientific style described in style manuals to the materials they regularly teach. http://tc.eserver.org/14453.html http://tc.eserver.org/14453.html This presentation provided a rationale for electronic support systems and an overview of how such systems can be designed to meet the needs of technical communication teachers and programs. http://tc.eserver.org/14243.html http://tc.eserver.org/14243.html The PubsTrac simulator is a new tool for teaching project management in a technical publishing context. It takes the form of a board game in which one or more people each manage one or more projects. Each project must progress through the many steps that make up a typical technical publication development project, and must deal with such problems as bad reviews, product redesigns, sick employees, and resource overloads. In this workshop, participants will actually experience PubsTrac in small groups. http://tc.eserver.org/13694.html http://tc.eserver.org/13694.html Knowledge by design (KBD) is an instructional paradigm for the emerging digital technologies. This nascent paradigm entails an integrated, triarchic informationmedia-interactivity model of a robust, learner-centered experience. High-performance computer platforms, inexpensive mass storage, and high bandwidth data transfer from fiber optics and orbiting satellites—are converging with the global Internet to transform the nature of the 'infosphere.' At the same time, powerful off-the-shelf multimedia tools are widely available and affordable to courseware developers and communication designers. Approaching knowledge as a design discipline may facilitate the thoughtful development of a postmodern pedagogy that can more closely realize both the technological and human potential of the next millenium. http://tc.eserver.org/13691.html http://tc.eserver.org/13691.html A learning product can take many forms, including wizard, coach, online Help, Web-based documentation, printed book, computer and paper-based tutorials, etc. The best way to determine the appropriate learning product(s) for your system is to conduct a needs analysis or survey of your users. A needs analysis is typically focused on a specific system or product, while a survey is more comprehensive, and can examine factors such as how your users learn. Each learning product has advantages and disadvantages, and is geared towards users with specific levels of expertise. http://tc.eserver.org/13692.html http://tc.eserver.org/13692.html Distance Learning is becoming the way of the future in education. Today, many universities offer graduate level education through distance learning programs. This panel will examine Mercer University and Utah State University’s online graduate Technical Communication programs. Panelists will share their experiences and discuss the advantages, disadvantages, and costs of Mercer and USU’s online programs. http://tc.eserver.org/13481.html http://tc.eserver.org/13481.html Career theory should inform any individual or corporate needs analysis for professional development. A useful career theory for technical communicators is one developed just for them. For this reason we designed the multi-phase study. This discussion focuses on the definition of career theory and how existing career theory can inform technical communication training theory. The research design used to create our survey has evolved from the relevant literature on career planning and career management. The literature on career planning and management contains no career theory specific to technical communicators. Traditionally, training personnel have assumed that professional development, training, and to some degree, post-graduate education are determined by the employer’s needs. This is true particularly in cases of tuition assistance for expensive technical or graduate training. http://tc.eserver.org/13482.html http://tc.eserver.org/13482.html To remain viable in this economy, executives and administrators must produce efficiently and hence must assure sound evaluation of training programs in technical communication. These decision-makers can benefit from the insights of professional evaluators of educational programs so as to establish goals, secure resources, review the activities, and report results. Described and then illustrated here is the CIPP-model to review the activities, that is, the contexts, input, processes, and products. Well-done evaluations lift the level of communication skills, the morale of the students and faculty, and the organization’s products. http://tc.eserver.org/13485.html http://tc.eserver.org/13485.html Advances in technology have opened up new opportunities for technical communicators in the area of graphical user interface design. This paper describes our effort to take advantage of these opportunities. We have educated ourselves in the core issues of current research; we have leveraged our expertise in page layout and design; and we have participated in the development of standards for GUI design. Although progress has been slow, we are encouraged by early feedback from our management. http://tc.eserver.org/13483.html http://tc.eserver.org/13483.html 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. http://tc.eserver.org/13456.html http://tc.eserver.org/13456.html Authors often are unreceptive to editing because they see editorial comments and changes as arbitrary. Editing that offers “rules,” asks questions, gives choices to authors, and provides examples of better ways to express ideas takes very little additional editorial time and enables authors to see editing as a significant contribution to document quality. Writing problems that cannot be addressed during editing can be addressed in brief training sessions that encourage authors to incorporate what they learn into their writing. http://tc.eserver.org/13308.html http://tc.eserver.org/13308.html Mathematics and computer science can be difficult subjects for the communications teacher to penetrate. In 1997, the Faculty of Mathematics at the University of Waterloo initiated the development of a pilot course in communications for Mathematics and Computer Science students. This paper explores the research and discoveries that built a successful course: a definition of “numeracy” that equates with academic “literacy” as knowledge creation; perceiving the students as “end users” and doing ongoing “usability tests” during the pilot course; and using case studies as social action to empower students and envision math and technology as dynamic, socially rich fields through communications. http://tc.eserver.org/13302.html http://tc.eserver.org/13302.html Delivering effective Web-based education is a challenge more communication professionals will face in the near future. While many approaches exist for solving this problem, one expedient solution is videotaping traditional stand-and-deliver classes, compressing the video for streaming off the Web, synchronizing important visual material to key points in the video, and placing everything in a well-designed and easy-to-use Web site. http://tc.eserver.org/13294.html http://tc.eserver.org/13294.html Taking a course online sounds easy and convenient--you can go to class whenever you want from the comfort of your own home. But you have to learn or know the software and tools necessary to navigate in this environment. Also, you give up the traditional classroom, perhaps never seeing your classmates or instructor. Distance learning is here to stay, but online courses may not be for everyone. http://tc.eserver.org/13288.html http://tc.eserver.org/13288.html The reviews of engineering education carried out in the USA, Canada and Australia have highlighted the importance of developing the communication skills of engineering students. An innovative curriculum has been developed at the University of Technology, Sydney (Australia) to prepare students for effective professional practice. The program has drawn on developments in writing studies and research into workplace practice. A core subject in Engineering Communication acts as a ‘hub’ for a Communication System which extends the development of communication abilities to staff, practitioners and self-directed learners. http://tc.eserver.org/13238.html http://tc.eserver.org/13238.html American businesses that fail overseas most frequently do so because of “an inability to understand and adapt to foreign ways of thinking and acting” (Ferraro). While educators must prepare students for the global marketplace, so too must corporations train employees currently in the workforce to help them deal with the challenges of doing business internationally. This paper presents a university course and a corporate training program that introduce the key issues of building effective global teams to students and employees respectively. http://tc.eserver.org/13231.html http://tc.eserver.org/13231.html Rising consumerism in the health care industry promotes the value of quality written patient information in educating patients to make informed decisions about their health. This review of research located 65 studies published in health care journals. The types of written patient information tested in those 65 studies included those with clinical and organizational content, treatment and prevention content, and generalized and personalized content in a range of clinical areas. The measures used to judge the quality of written information included: cognitive, behavioral, and affective measures. We encourage technical communication researchers to use our synthesis of these studies to develop grant proposals for studies that will demonstrate the applicability of our research and methods—especially usability techniques—to the development of written patient information. http://tc.eserver.org/13214.html http://tc.eserver.org/13214.html Much research in technical communication addresses issues of writing for other cultures. Language is understood within the context of culture, so communication is a cultural activity. Therefore, to successfully communicate with international audiences, we need to learn both what formal studies can offer and what individuals from other cultures reveal about our understanding of those studies. http://tc.eserver.org/13213.html http://tc.eserver.org/13213.html In STC’s first special opportunity grant, seven STC-funded high school teachers attended the Institute in Technical Communication, held at Hinds Community College in Raymond, Mississippi in June, 1999. Originally developed for teachers at two-year colleges, the 19th Institute became a small experiment, combining high school teachers and 13 other teachers from community and technical colleges. http://tc.eserver.org/13193.html http://tc.eserver.org/13193.html Knowing more about how web site characteristics work to reach non-e-commerce goals can guide web designers working towards some of those goals. Environmental advocacy sites are apt to provide rich examples of how web sites try to educate, change behaviors and values, induce action, and promote participatory decisionmaking. Studying them, then, may help us understand how the characteristics of their web sites work. This paper explores how a particular advocacy group web site, www.seedcoalition.org, educates and induces action in its visitors. The site seems likely to effectively educate and induce action, but could do more to induce deliberation and encourage interpersonal communication and discussion about issues, which might better support the group’s long term goals. http://tc.eserver.org/13201.html http://tc.eserver.org/13201.html The market for Web-based Training (WBT) products and services is expected to grow from $197 million in 1997 to $5.5 billion in 2002. Many technical communicators and trainers are already interested in creating WBT, but they do not know how to get started. In this session, I will explain the advantages and disadvantages of WBT, when to consider WBT, who is using it—and why, how much it costs to develop WBT, and design issues to consider. I will also share some WBT examples. http://tc.eserver.org/13141.html http://tc.eserver.org/13141.html To provide quality education as we seek to use emerging electronic technologies, TPC faculty must continually reconceptualize what constitutes a classroom and what characterizes our roles as effective teachers. To explore these issues, we focus on the technological difficulties students encounter when learning in a web-based environment that includes using websites for course content, email to interact and send attachments, instant messaging, and listservs or threaded discussions. How do students with little experience in using these types of computer technology learn to complete the tasks required by their courses successfully? How do faculty prevent them from becoming so frustrated with the technology that they give up or transfer that frustration to course content, creating a barrier to their learning? http://tc.eserver.org/13100.html http://tc.eserver.org/13100.html The academy/industry debate usually centers on whether instruction should be education-based or experience-based, and on whether instructors should have more academic or industrial experience. Distance education can change both of these debates, lessening the difference between the workplace and the academy. The academy can be relocated within the workplace through dedicated classrooms and online courses performed on workplace computers, and by making classes asynchronous so that practitioners can fit them into their structured schedules. The debate over instructor training is changed because of the additional industry-based expertise needed to produce a distance education class and because distance education technology facilitates participation of practitioners. http://tc.eserver.org/13113.html http://tc.eserver.org/13113.html 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. http://tc.eserver.org/13131.html http://tc.eserver.org/13131.html This paper discusses the work in progress at the Illinois Institute of Technology/Program in Technical Communication and Information Design in web-based instruction and distance learning. Part I is a case study of issues involved in the re-positioning of a traditional classroom course in online design to Internet delivery. Part II discusses issues in the design of instructional materials for the web and cognitive principles for designing these materials. http://tc.eserver.org/13121.html http://tc.eserver.org/13121.html This paper discusses the author’s experience of teaching an English as a Second Language (ESL) technical writing class. The class consisted of students from several European and Asian countries who work for the same company as the author. The class began as an email “correspondence” class, but the author developed a web page which served as a “home” for the class to meet. As with most good classes, the teacher ended up learning as much or more than the students. This paper shares some of what the author learned from teaching. http://tc.eserver.org/13122.html http://tc.eserver.org/13122.html Technical communicators who desire to “spread the word” about their profession will find ready audiences in the educational institutions of their local communities. This paper examines techniques which the author has used in elementary, middle, and high schools to explain technical communication. They are techniques which require the students to do a simplified form of technical writing. The author also explains why doing these types of presentations is an enjoyable activity. http://tc.eserver.org/13097.html http://tc.eserver.org/13097.html In an effort to establish affordable usability design and testing as part of the product development culture at Unisys Corporation, four Product Information employees in Mission Viejo, California and Salt Lake City, Utah developed a usability class. Working part time over a period of several months, the team developed a class outline; a PowerPoint presentation of the class content; exercises on surveys, paper prototyping, heuristic evaluations, and usability testing; Instructor and Student Guides, and a final examination. The class was added to the curriculum of the official corporate training entity, Unisys University, where it is available for all Unisys employees. This report of the group’s experience may be useful to organizations wanting to get started with usability training despite budget restraints. http://tc.eserver.org/13118.html http://tc.eserver.org/13118.html The usability bootcamp is for developers of information technology products who want to implement low-cost usability assessment and customer-focusing tools to ensure that their product development plans meet unmet business needs and contribute efficiently to an overall enterprise architecture plan.