Enriching Technical Communication Education: Collaborating Across Disciplines and Cultures to Develop the piClinic Console

Abstract

I have observed that technical communication lessons with a real-world impact provide students with a more engaging learning experience. While this observation is consistent with the theory of adult learning, it is an ongoing challenge to keep the examples fresh from term to term. This report describes my experience developing the piClinic Console from the beginning of project in the spring of 2017 to the present. The piClinic Console is a low-cost, patient information system designed for use in limited-resource clinics in lower-middle-income countries. In addition to helping these clinics begin to automate their patient records, the project has provided opportunities to demonstrate and apply technical communication skills in a real-world context and has initiated inter-departmental and international collaborations. This experience report describes a brief history of how the project began, the design and educational lessons it has provided to our students, the collaborations it has encouraged, some lessons learned, and the plans for future development.