A field's identity and sustainability depend on its research as well as on programs, practice, and infrastructure. Research and practice have a reciprocal relationship, with practice identifying research questions and researchers answering those questions to improve practice. Technical communication research also has an exploratory purpose, using…

Since the reauthorization of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 2004, standards-based individualized education plans (IEPs) have been an expectation for serving students with disabilities in the K-12 public school setting. Nearly a decade after the mandates calling for standards-based IEPs, special educators still struggle…

Conventional wisdom says that the way to win more awards is to get researchers writing more proposals. Yet many incentives designed to stimulate proposal development can be hard on the bottom line, especially those that pay researchers for their time or to attend grant-writing workshops presented by outside consulting firms. This paper presents…

This program profile describes a new approach towards integrating communication within Mechanical Engineering curricula. The author, who holds a joint appointment between Technical Communication and Mechanical Engineering at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, has been collaborating with Mechanical Engineering colleagues to establish a…

2008 marked the 10-year Anniversary of the Open Source movement, which has had a substantial impact on not only software production and adoption, but also on the sharing and distribution of information. Technical communication as a discipline has taken some advantage of the movement or its derivative software, but this article argues not as much…

Provides step-by-step directions for planning and conducting an inhouse course in business and technical writing at an engineering or technical firm. (RL)

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)

Describes the development and operation of the MIT Technical Writing Cooperative, a means of writing across the curriculum that has been used for more than 25 years. (FL)

A Master of Arts in Technical and Expository Writing program has been implemented in the English department at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Designed to make future teachers and technical writers into better writers, the program gives them a larger view of the writing process in which they are participating. Three required courses…

Describes a technical writing course built around student-designed projects. Argues that the course allows students to address worthwhile problems and to research and present their material in proposals, feasibility studies, research reports, and other appropriate forms. (SRT)

Suggests how to stimulate interest in and support for a program in technical communication. Focuses on generating the publicity and contacts needed to get students and local industry involved in such a program. Maintains that encouraging professionalism among students promotes program growth, high standards, and high visibility. (SR)

This article guides the reader through the actual, step-by-step process of preparing the web-based NASPE/NCATE program report. The following five sections are discussed in detail: (1) contextual information; (2) assessments and related data; (3) standards assessment chart; (4) evidence for meeting standards; and (5) use of assessment results to…

According to the 1980-81 edition of the "Occupational Outlook Handbook," the market for graduates of technical communication programs is good and likely to get better during the 1980s, especially in the areas of electronics and computer and environmental science. The first step in setting up a technical communication program at a college or…

Advocates student learning portfolios as an effective assessment technique. Explains how to devise a process that involves community expert partners in judging a student portfolio contest in technical writing. Discusses how to sustain community involvement in program assessment and describes how portfolio assessment led to the creation of a…

The curriculum for this 2-week workshop on educational research development and evaluation is designed to increase participants' skills in project development and proposal writing and increase their knowledge of research and evaluation methods. Geared toward adult professionals who are skilled and motivated, the curriculum helps participants to…