The Programme for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) will establish technical standards and guidelines to ensure that the survey design and implementation processes of PIAAC yield high-quality and internationally comparable data. This document provides a revised version of the technical standards and guidelines originally…

States that litigation over the interpretation and sufficiency of technical documentation is increasingly common as a number of suits have been filed in state and federal courts. Describes the case of "Martin versus Hacker," a recent case in which New York's highest court analyzed a technical writer's prose in the context of a lawsuit…

Argues that technical communicators should have a working definition of icons, know when to use them, and understand some of the problems inherent in icon design. Recommends using a workable icon classification system and adhering to some practical design guidelines. (SR)

Documented volunteer experience can be a valuable tool for the individual who volunteers as well as for the organization for which the volunteer works. Current trends point toward the heightened need for validating volunteer experience. Recordkeeping systems can help facilitate effective placement of all volunteers according to their interests,…

Some 180 different forms are used by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to cover the broad range of business activities regulated by the agency. This report examines the forms that are of greatest use to those seeking information about business. These forms are grouped in the following categories: general business information,…

Describes the Information SubTypes and Effects (ISTE) approach, which measures the relationship between the design of a document and the way users handle it. Positions the ISTE method within the broader context of usability testing. Describes its basic approach and some recent applications. Demonstrates that ISTE is a viable instrument for…

Argues that an effectively designed intranet can become a valuable medium for facilitating work processes and communication throughout a company, and that sound structure and visual appeal are important in attracting users to an intranet. Examines issues, such as creating form appropriate to function, determining audience needs, and implementing…

Explains the controversy surrounding the Office Assistant ("Paper-Clip") in Microsoft's Office 97. Discusses why actual readers rejected the default Office Assistant's role as implied writer and rebelled against the reader role implied for them. Notes users resented its intrusive behavior, rejected its implied writer role, and refused to…

Defines two meanings of information design: the overall process of developing a successful document; and the way the information is presented on the screen (layout, typography, color, and so forth). Discusses the future importance of both of these meanings of information design, in terms of design for the web and single-sources (planning…

The National Record of Achievement (NRA) was introduced in 1991 in the United Kingdom to provide a single common format to summarize individuals' achievements and experiences in both education and their adult lives. A study examined the use of the NRA within a general adult education context. The heads of 6 adult education centers in 1 Welsh local…

A system for describing the specific elements that constitute any psychological intervention is presented. The system includes 39 operations or controlling responses which may be administered by the psychologist, the client, or both together. Varying the administration of the operations can provide over 100 source/operation elements in the coding…

Following an account of the Open University's International Documentation Center on Distance Learning's work, forms of documentation in distance education are identified and described--books, materials produced for distance teaching programs, journals, and report literature. A critique of the treatment of distance education literature in RIE and…

Argues that, given the expanding audience of non-native readers of English and the need to translate technical writing, technical writing should be unambiguous and predictable. Explains what syntactic cues are and why technical communicators should use them. Discusses integrating this approach into established documentation processes, and provides…

This publication is intended to supersede the Higher Education and Facilities Inventory and Classification Manual (FICM) first published in December 1972. Like the earlier manual, this revised and updated version provides a common framework and coding structure to be used in collecting and reporting inventory data on college and university…

This paper addresses the problem of how teaching performance should be evaluated and rewarded and examines how a University of Nebraska (Lincoln) Project FIPSE (Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education) has helped to improve the climate for teaching and the processes for recognizing and rewarding excellence. First, the paper examines…