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In her chapter “Engaging Plain Language in the Technical Communication Classroom,” Kira Dreher argues for a framework for teaching technical communication that asks students to use and evaluate plain language and PL strategies. Dreher points out the PL is so important to several industries that we have gone so far as to develop conventions and even federal guidelines for implementing clear, plain language. Students enrolled in SciCom will benefit from a closer examination of PL in their writing, especially in genres and assignments like the Unit 3 infographic.
SciCom would particularly benefit from a framework that incorporates PL strategies. Every semester, my SciCom students initiate a self-regulated discourse on how to navigate intense scientific language. As a teacher, I get to experience a wonderful pocket of Socratic teaching for a few weeks when we begin to work on Unit 3. In this unit, my students must develop visual infographics that educate a non-expert, public audience on issues in the sciences. But the infographics aren’t even really the fun part at this point– no, it’s coming to class and hearing them talk about what they’ve researched. It’s asking one student what they have decided to “teach” their Unit 3 audience, and sitting back to realize the rest of the class is paying attention, asking questions, and helping one another to better– more plainly– articulate their ideas. Essentially, Unit 3 already asks SciCom students to engage with PL strategies.
Dreher’s own examples included in her chapter provide ways for educators like us to add new learning opportunities for PL into our current curriculum. But SciCom is particularly situated for a PL framework as a course that both already provides opportunities for students to think about PL, and has space to include even more opportunities for PL analysis.
Examples, Assignments, and Feedback
SciCom students can be taught plain language strategies through our use of in-class examples, our classroom assignments (as previously mentioned), and in my opinion, through invitation for course feedback.
EXAMPLES
Currently, one of SciCom’s Unit 3 activities already prompts students to think about (plain) language strategies by engaging them with examples of scientific communication. Students will watch YouTube videos of weather reports and discuss the adaptation strategies the reporters use to discuss scientific descriptions of the weather for their non-expert audiences. On pages 58-9, Dreher outlines a learning experience for students wherein they are given a “water meter upgrade” letter to evaluate it for its PL (or lack thereof). Although the course provides a strong foundation for PL work, we can make this connection even more specific by adding a follow-up activity to the weather report activity. By also providing them with a similar example like the water meter upgrade letter in Dreher’s exercise, we can then engage students with a multimodal set of examples for analyzing plain language.
ASSIGNMENTS
Since Unit 3 introduces the idea of adaptation strategies for turning scientific information into accessible knowledge for non-expert audiences, it would be an appropriate unit to add a plain language component to. During Unit 3, students will fill out a table describing what each adaptation strategy is meant to do for their audience, and how they might use that strategy in their visual project.
On pages 60-61, Dreher reminds us that disciplines/fields often have their own sets of plain language guidelines for official documentation. It would be possible to tweak current Unit 3 assignments, such as the Needs Assessment strategy table, to include prompts for students to seek out the guidelines for their chosen fields. Especially for adaptation strategies like definition and example, a plain language guideline may enhance a student’s understanding of adaptation strategies for their specific field of interest.
FEEDBACK
Though Dreher’s suggestions are easily introduced to SciCom curriculum, I would like to offer a final thoughtful suggestion for any university course to consider. By asking students for feedback about the documents they read from an assigned course– syllabi, assignment sheets, etc. – we can empower our students to advocate for themselves as audiences to these documents.
As an educator, I understand the purpose of emphasizing course learning objectives and outcomes for major assignments. However, it is often the language in these sections of syllabi and assignment sheets– sections that are not explicitly stating what the assignment is and what is expected from the student– that lends itself to confusion.
I see an opportunity to further engage our students in PL activities by asking for constructive feedback regarding the documents we use to teach our courses. We can invite students to practice rewriting course policies and assignments and, by asking them to direct our attention (as instructors) to language that is unclear or unhelpful to them (as our audience), I believe the classroom becomes a stronger collaborative learning space.
I really like your suggestion of inviting student feedback on the course assignments. As teaching fellows, we have often had to deal with informal feedback from students concerning assignment clarity, but we lack the authorial authority to make substantive changes to the major unit assignments, no matter how badly we feel they need to updated. Applying a PL rubric to these assignments would go a long way to fixing some of the issues, and students are never shy about critiquing their professors. 😅
Loved your idea of asking students for PL feedback on the course materials. I do feel like often, the confusion is not in the assignment, but in the assignment sheet. The students learn about the assignment in class, they believe they have an understanding, but when they open the assignment sheets, they get confused by the wording. I can think of three or four examples of this happening off the top of my head. This is a great idea.
I’m also intrigued by your idea of adding PL to the needs assessment. It really should fit right in.
Well said and well written! I love the push for students to advocate for themselves through feedback. As an educator, I feel we must inspire and instill a sense of self-reliance and personal activism within our students. A great teacher once told me, “Silence means agreement,” and that really stuck with me. I hope to make my students push for themselves.
Love your examples and the idea to incorporate PL into the needs assessment part of Unit 3 especially as a compare and contrast to other disciplines and other audiences. Great idea.