In “Regenerating Once Fallow Ground:Theorizing Process and Product in 21st-Century Technical Communication Ecologies,” Adrienne Lamberti and David M. Grant write, “We ultimately found ourselves needing to repeatedly return to this argument: pointedly theorizing both pedagogy and the purposes of technical communication does not have to squeeze out application in the classroom, but rather can enrich Read More…
Category: Course Design
Social Justice Advocacy in the Classroom
In her chapter for the book Citizenship & Advocacy in Technical Communication, Sarah Warren-Riley argues for the use of social media in the classroom as a way to teach students how to critique the messaging they see and how to advocate for themselves and others. While Warren-Riley is focused on the technical/professional communication classroom, her Read More…
Diverse Voices in Our Classrooms
With such diverse students, we should be considering the inclusion of diversity in our curriculum. In Jessica Edwards’ chapter on Inclusive Practices in the Technical Communication Classroom, she analyzes three of Nelson Laird’s nine-category approach to a diverse classroom: foundational perspectives, content, and pedagogy. For the purpose of this blog post, I would like to Read More…
Teaching Group Work
The year is 2018 and for some inexplicable reason, I am loafing about in my introductory business management class in order to start what I presumably considered would become a lengthy and rewarding but inevitably unfulfilled career as an accountant. If I had ever read the syllabus to this class, I had swiftly and intentionally Read More…
What do we want? Microinternships!: Micro-internships as a possible solution to providing more students more opportunities.
Internships are an integral part of the undergraduate collegiate experience. Many programs require one, and students gain valuable skills from this hands-on learning. Students often seek multiple internship opportunities throughout their academic career, yet few are available for those in the first or second year of undergraduate studies. Micro-internships may be a solution., There is Read More…
Hidden; Not Invisible
Imagine you’re entering into a new job and it’s your first day of work. The Human Resources Rep. hands you a hefty employee handbook, a list of so many dos and don’ts. The obvious ones to you, could be oblivious to others. The hidden arguments within the company book will only be implied to actual Read More…
Persuading the BizCom Student about Persuasion
The book Effective Teaching of Technical Communication: Theory, Practice, and Communication discusses the pedagogy of teaching technical communication at the university level; Chapter 16, “Hidden Arguments: Rhetoric and Persuasion in Diverse Forms of Technical Communication” by Jessica McCaughey and Brian Fitzpatrick, examines the persuasive arguments embedded within forms of “objective” technical writing. In this chapter, Read More…
Teaching Technical and Professional Communication Through Interstitial Design
By Amanda Beres The field of technical and professional communication is changing to include a focus on social justice issues. More interconnected, wide, and vast, employers are looking for people who can think on a global scale. Now more than ever, technical and professional communication focuses on user experience. In fact, it almost is a Read More…
An Invitation to Participate: What, How, and Why
Charles Dickens bored the crap out of me in high school. I missed a section of reading one night, and even though I knew our English teacher wouldn’t allow me to retake her reading quiz, I went to class the next day in fine spirits. Looking down at five open response questions I couldn’t answer, Read More…