In my half century as a technical communicator, I have seen many changes. The profession has evolved from one that supported the work of engineers and programers to one that stands on its own, providing important tools and capabilities to audiences. I too have evolved within the profession--from someone who had little idea what technical…

This article aims to help doctoral students in technical communication prepare themselves for the academic job market and for the subsequent process of earning tenure and promotion in increasingly demanding environments. The authors propose that students do four things: (a) learn to spot and articulate research problems; (b) find their…

Teaching technical writing without formal training can be daunting. However, there are many resources available that can provide background and materials for teaching. My approach involved reading textbooks and articles not only on approaches to technical writing but also on what students can expect once they complete their education and are…

As public relations professions advance toward new media platforms, one traditional tool--the backgrounder/position paper (more technically termed white paper) remains a compelling vehicle to impart enduring professional competencies. Moreover, the skills requisite to produce a white paper can be deployed in a variety of new and traditional media…

Use of eportfolios for business communication students in an advanced two-quarter capstone brought an unexpected networking opportunity, in addition to their conventional use as a showcase for student writing and research. This article discusses how students developed their eportfolios. Then, through use of a course website providing an optional…

Writing as a tool for thinking, learning, and communicating is crucial to academic and career success as well as to active citizenship in a democracy. This annual report of the National Writing Project features teachers of math, chemistry, art, history, and business who develop their students as writers. These educators employ writing to engage…

Examines the academic leave of absence as a way for technical writing teachers to gain significant industry experience. Provides suggestions for selecting an appropriate leave opportunity, choosing tasks to complete, negotiating contracts with the company and college, and using the leave experience to improve teaching and to advance one's career.…

The Presenters' Collaborative Network (PCN) was started in 2002 to support the creation of a corps of teacher-consultants who would lead workshops for the Rhode Island Writing Project (RIWP) at local schools and conferences. The PCN is a group of teachers, past participants from summer institutes or year-round embedded programs in schools that…

Describes six initiatives pursued by the Orlando Chapter of the Society for Technical Communication, intended to advance education and professional development. Discusses developing procedures and avenues of communication; instituting a scholarship program; conducting a high school writing competition; providing instructional support to secondary…

Gathers some of Sir Francis Bacon's educational ideas from his various writings and applies them to the five stages of undergraduate professional and technical writing program development: planning, implementation, mission, design and development, staffing, and administration. (SG)

Writing in its many forms is the signature means of communication in the 21st century. This simple truth heightens the urgency to help all of our nation's students become strong writers and effective communicators. The National Writing Project (NWP) pursues this goal by focusing the knowledge, expertise, and leadership of the nation's educators on…

Although most programs in technical communication reside in English departments where the focus is on writing, rhetoric, and exposition, the graduate certificate program in interactive multimedia at Mercer University is being developed for the Technical Communication Department within the School of Engineering. As a result, many of the…

The Administrative Writing Program developed at the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) has served both the administrators and the writing staff that offers it. Using course material that comes from UCLA office files, the program teaches writing as an administrative act, focusing on four topics: the written product, the writing process,…

The key to producing professional quality documents is the dialogue between writers and editors. Such a dialogue should include six major components: genuineness, accurate empathetic understanding, unconditional positive regard, presentness, a spirit of mutual equality, and a supportive psychological climate. Such an atmosphere was created at one…

The issues and problems confronted by a professor of literature when asked to teach a technical writing course for engineers are related in this paper. The first section of the paper explains how the professor was "recycled" from a teacher of literature to a professor of technical writing at his college. The second section describes some of the…