{"title":"Composing Like an Entrepreneur: The Pedagogical Implications of Design Thinking in the Workplace","authors":"M. Pellegrini","doi":"10.1177/00472816211031554","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00472816211031554","url":null,"abstract":"Fierce competition has made innovation increasingly necessary for business success, and this has increased the importance of user-based innovation strategies like design thinking (DT). While many studies in technical and professional communication (TPC) have explored how DT can be used pedagogically, no studies have done this through investigating how DT is used as a workplace composing process. This study does exactly that. First, it presents the current state of research on pedagogical uses of DT in TPC, and then it builds upon those suggestions with an empirical study that chronicles on how two web design firms use DT to make websites. My main suggestion is to teach DT as a recursive process that allows students transcend potentially incorrect assumptions built into design tasks through gathering data not only from users, but from clients as well.","PeriodicalId":93788,"journal":{"name":"Journal of technical writing and communication","volume":"2131 1","pages":"316 - 333"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"91361462","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Analyzing Safety Communication in Industrial Contexts","authors":"Claas Digmayer, E. Jakobs","doi":"10.1177/00472816211014126","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00472816211014126","url":null,"abstract":"Work in industrial contexts is confronted with various risks, which are further amplified by the trend toward Industry 4.0. Approaches are needed to examine safety communication (SC) in such changing environments. Existing studies focus on individual SC means and quantitative evaluation measures. This article proposes a qualitative approach for analyzing SC with which a process chain in a metal-working company is investigated. The results reveal that SC is implemented as a complex system of communicative means. Weaknesses in this system entail several problems at the level of both workplaces and process chains. Due to a lack of digitalization, SC does not meet the requirements of Industry 4.0. Several task areas for communication professionals are identified in optimizing SC. These include content preparation for existing SC means according to work contexts and related tasks, creating digital SC content, and increasing the companies’ resilience to novel risks.","PeriodicalId":93788,"journal":{"name":"Journal of technical writing and communication","volume":"9 1","pages":"251 - 290"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"76778975","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Taking the Tactical Out of Technical: A Reassessment of Tactical Technical Communication","authors":"T. Randall","doi":"10.1177/00472816211006341","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00472816211006341","url":null,"abstract":"This article interrogates the concept of tactical technical communication specifically questioning the established understanding of de Certeau in the field of technical communication. It argues once readers move beyond the concepts of strategies and tactics, they will find a rich and nuanced explanation of how ordinary people “make do” in everyday life.","PeriodicalId":93788,"journal":{"name":"Journal of technical writing and communication","volume":"39 1","pages":"3 - 18"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"73832932","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shanna Cameron, Alexandra Russell, Luke Brake, Katherine Fredlund, A. Morris
{"title":"Twitter Users’ Displays of Affect in the Global Warming Debate","authors":"Shanna Cameron, Alexandra Russell, Luke Brake, Katherine Fredlund, A. Morris","doi":"10.1177/00472816211007804","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00472816211007804","url":null,"abstract":"This article engages with recent discussions in the field of technical communication that call for climate change research that moves beyond the believer/denier dichotomy. For this study, our research team coded 900 tweets about climate change and global warming for different emotions in order to understand how Twitter users rely on affect rhetorically. Our findings use quantitative content analysis to challenge current assumptions about writing and affect on social media, and our results indicate a number of arenas for future research on affect, global warming, and rhetoric.","PeriodicalId":93788,"journal":{"name":"Journal of technical writing and communication","volume":"50 1","pages":"213 - 235"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-04-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90328988","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Writing Climate Change Assessments: Scientific Author Challenges and Rhetorical Negotiations","authors":"C. Reeves, M. Ross","doi":"10.1177/0047281621989640","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0047281621989640","url":null,"abstract":"The rhetorical challenges and deliberations of scientific authors writing climate change assessment reports have received scant scholarly attention. As our interviews with 21 authors reveal, authors engage with multiple stakeholders who bring diverse scientific, political, economic, and cultural interests and perspectives. They must remain aware of politically motivated climate change denial and scientific illiteracy while remaining committed to producing policy relevant rather than policy prescriptive statements. These challenges lead to intense rhetorical negotiations over the lexical and visual features of a document they hope will deflect denial and contribute to meaningful policy solutions.","PeriodicalId":93788,"journal":{"name":"Journal of technical writing and communication","volume":"6 1","pages":"182 - 212"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-02-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81734564","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Fostering Communities of Inquiry and Connectivism in Online Technical Communication Programs and Courses","authors":"Y. Cleary","doi":"10.1177/0047281620977138","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0047281620977138","url":null,"abstract":"In increasingly online higher education environments, instructors must develop positive and community-oriented learning environments, equivalent to, if different from, face-to-face learning experiences. Connectivism and communities of inquiry are complementary theories that facilitate the design and development of online learning and enable online learners to connect with peers. This article discusses two pedagogical interventions that encourage connectivism and foster communities of inquiry in online technical communication programs: (a) a face-to-face orientation workshop at the beginning of an online program and (b) a peer-review activity in a research methods graduate course. The article explains the development, deployment, and evaluation of the activities.","PeriodicalId":93788,"journal":{"name":"Journal of technical writing and communication","volume":"16 1","pages":"11 - 30"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87385810","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Afterword: Contending With COVID-19 and Beyond: The 5Cs of Educational Evolution","authors":"K. Amant","doi":"10.1177/0047281620977157","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0047281620977157","url":null,"abstract":"Unexpected developments in an environment often drive the evolutionary process This is as true for the evolution of societies as it is for species The effective evolution of education will involve knowing what the key adaptation factors are and making them central to how educators respond to shifts in socio-pedagogical environments on local, regional, and global levels Five factors seem central to addressing evolutionary change in higher education—particularly in relation to online environments Understanding these 5C factors will be essential to educational success in today’s COVID-19 context and in adapting to future educational challenges that emerge","PeriodicalId":93788,"journal":{"name":"Journal of technical writing and communication","volume":"6 1","pages":"93-97"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"86405353","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Game Design Tactics for Teaching Technical Communication in Online Courses","authors":"R. McDaniel, Peter Telep","doi":"10.1177/0047281620977163","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0047281620977163","url":null,"abstract":"This article describes an interdisciplinary, partially online honors course entitled Video Game Theory and Design. The article reviews the literature surrounding video games and technical communication and then outlines the learning objectives for the course. The authors describe individual and team-produced assignments and suggest game design techniques for motivating students. We explain how we assess different projects, including oral game pitches and the complex technical Game Design Documents that are students’ final deliverables. Finally, we discuss how game design techniques provide new perspectives on writing and generate new possibilities for technical communication assignments. We close by proposing three tactics that are useful for teaching technical communication students in hybrid and fully online courses: (a) nonlinear association for creative thinking; (b) team-based assignments for writing and editing using game-based tools; and (c) iterative prototyping and playtesting for multimodal production. Each tactic is contextualized using examples drawn from the field.","PeriodicalId":93788,"journal":{"name":"Journal of technical writing and communication","volume":"1 1","pages":"70 - 92"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82221811","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A Collaborative Multimedia Project Model for Online Graduate Students Supported by On-Campus Undergraduate Students","authors":"Jennifer Goode","doi":"10.1177/0047281620977121","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0047281620977121","url":null,"abstract":"This descriptive narrative depicts an academic program that deploys a collaborative project model for delivering concurrent multimedia courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Applying this model, online master’s students who are studying the management of technical communication activities remotely manage teams of on-campus undergraduate students who are studying multimedia production skills. The author piloted the collaborative project model during a recent academic term. Student response to the format was overwhelmingly positive from both graduates and undergraduates, and the resulting projects were of exceptional quality and well received by their respective clients.","PeriodicalId":93788,"journal":{"name":"Journal of technical writing and communication","volume":"11 1","pages":"53 - 69"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79521150","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Guest Editor’s Introduction: Facilitating Interaction, Collaboration, Community, and Problem-Solving Capabilities in Blended and Fully Online Technical Communication Programs: An Introduction to the Special Issue","authors":"D. Slattery","doi":"10.1177/0047281620977158","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0047281620977158","url":null,"abstract":"I first started teaching technical communication online over a decade ago. Although teaching online was new to me, I had been teaching courses about instructional design and e-learning for a few years, so I learned—through preparing those courses—how best to teach online. In particular, I learned about the importance of clear objectives, structured content, information design, aligned assessment, and engaging activities. I learned about constructivism, connectivism, and the benefits of problem-based learning to encourage deeper learning. I also learned how important it is to use technology the right way","PeriodicalId":93788,"journal":{"name":"Journal of technical writing and communication","volume":"11 1","pages":"3 - 10"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90650160","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}