re: Tech Writing Curriculum

Subject: re: Tech Writing Curriculum
From: "Paula Puffer" <papuffer -at- psquareddoc -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2001 15:21:53 -0600


Some thoughts on the Tech writing curriculum Thread

Michael write:

> If you are a student, take some responsibility yourself -
> research the job market and demand that your school offer
> marketable skills.

This assumes 2 things, 1) that the students will take that kind
of responsibility (most don't or won't unless it is assigned)
and 2) the school is open to the idea of teaching these skills.
I taught in the web development program of a local art school
here in Houston. My students repeatedly asked for more technical
classes involving CGI Programming, ASP, and other web-related
technologies. When I took their requests to the department and
the school administration I was given excuses such as, "our
students aren't smart enough" and "we are an art school not
a technology school."

Julie brought up:
> * Special Topics 1 (focus on one of...Hardware, Dev, End User)
> * Special Topics 2 (focus on something that goes with special topic 1,
> like End User might also want Online Help. Or if someone took a
> review of writing Dev guides, they might want something more focused
> like writing for DBAs, requiring an Oracle/SQL course from the
> computer dept....)

I loved special topics/independent studies. It allowed me to explore
different areas of technical writing and rhetoric while picking up
some very valuable skills.

Andrew Plato outlines a very extensive TW Curriculum (which I am not going
to copy for brevity's sake). My undergraduate work definitely hit most of
the areas that Andrew outlined.

Sarah Wrote:
> I see your point, but if we are talking about a new technical-writing
> program being developed in an English department, consider (c) the
> Powers that Be who can approve new courses are literature specialists
> who are skeptical of the curriculum itself (in large measure because
> they neither have nor want a clue what it is about) and see no place in
> the English department for a course that focuses on anything as
> practical as software tools. I was told such courses smacked of
> "vocationalism."

UGH!!! all I can say is that I am glad that my education at Iowa State
wasn't like that. As part of the English department students did have to
take the requisite literature classes, but there were many instances where
where the TW and Lit curricula intersected. One of the best classes I had
looked at the technical aspects of fiction writing and the fiction aspects
of professional writing.

Jessica Writes:
> Which brings me to my second point: portfolio. Every course in my program
> is project based and you are graded on the portfolio that you turn in at
the
> end of class. The best part is that you have to write an essay defending,
> explaining, and critiquing both your work and the process of working on
it.
> This accomplishes three things:

> 1) It's awesome preparation for defending your work in the business world.
> 2) It gives you something to take to a potential employer. That's how I
was
> hired.
> 3) It really teaches you how to refine your development process.

Good point about the portfolio. I think everyone should have an internship
or two under their belt as well. Internships helped open my eyes to the
reality of technical writing.

Paula






Paula Puffer
papuffer -at- psquareddoc -dot- com




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