Technical and Professional Writing Commons^™

Universal Micro-Hydroelectric Generator, Luke Mclaughlin, Owen Bensel, Damon Unland

Honors Theses AY 17/18

As the demand for electricity continues to grow around the world, so does the ability to provide electricity. However, a significant portion of the global population is still without reliable electricity or any electricity at all. Inconsistent grid power caused by natural disaster, prohibitively expensive utility costs and isolation from grid access are a few factors preventing many people around the world from having access to reliable electricity. These issues can often be addressed through simple solutions such as the implementation of generators and solar panels. But, these solutions can be expensive and present several hurdles such as fuel transportation ...

A Word From The Writing Team (May 2018), Jennifer Wilson, Ms, Els

A Word From the Writing Team (Newsletter)

This issue includes:

• Grammar Time
• What to Do Once Your Manuscript is Accepted
• Writing Café

Adventures In Storytelling: An Editor's Guide To Better Fiction, Rachel Frank

Master of Arts in Professional Writing Capstones

Writing fiction can be daunting for beginning writers. This graphic guide seeks to make fiction more accessible, using the unique affordances of the graphic medium to explain fictional concepts and techniques in a clear, engaging way.

“Hello? Are You Still There?” The Impact Of Social Media On Self-Disclosure And Reciprocity In Interpersonal Relationships: A Literature Review, Clara D. Costello

Channels: Where Disciplines Meet

Social Media sites have become increasingly popular platforms for developing and maintaining interpersonal relationships. Although the usage of computer-mediated communication is normal in day-to-day life, the understanding behind how and why these relationships grow is scarce. This literature review considers relational elements such as self-disclosure and reciprocity, and how they are impacted by online elements such as an asynchronous context, controllability, and the disinhibition effect. Contrary to interpersonal relationships that develop in a physical context, the law of reciprocity is fulfilled and replaced by affirmation and recognition from relational partners, while self-disclosure continues to be a vital element within relationships ...

Technical Communication's Importance To Change, Crystal Michels

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

This portfolio explores the shifts in ideas thanks to technical communication. From considering humans in creating design to considering new teaching methods to technical communication and continuing onto changes made in the space program, technical communication remains part of these shifts. The portfolio examines what needs to be adjusted when exploring technical communication's impact and how to improve the viewpoint of it.

A Word From The Writing Team (April 2018), Jennifer Wilson, Ms, Els

A Word From the Writing Team (Newsletter)

This issue includes:

• Our New Name
• Now Offering Group Consultations
• Writing Café

Hand Annotation And Reliability: Corpus Linguistic Approaches To Teaching And Studying Writing, Brian Larson

Brian Larson

The Walking Dead Genealogy: Unsubstantiated Criticisms Of Qualitative Data Analysis Software (Qdas) And The Failure To Put Them To Rest, Kristi Jackson, Trena Paulus, Nicholas H. Woolf

The Qualitative Report

The authors conduct an exposé on the deterministic denunciations of Qualitative Data Analysis Software (QDAS) and how citation errors keep these criticisms alive. They use a zombie metaphor to describe more than two decades of battling these seemingly mindless assessments of QDAS that keep coming –despite their decay – and simply will not die. Focusing exclusively on the criticism of separation/distancing, which alleges that the computer and the software interfere with the researcher’s familiarity with the data, the authors trace one current strand of this criticism through a literature genealogy. Three citation errors (half-truth, proxy, and hearsay) are identified ...

A Word From The Writing Center (March 2018), Jennifer Wilson, Ms, Els

A Word From the Writing Team (Newsletter)

This issue includes:

• Writing Center News
• Resources for Writing and Publishing
• Writing Café

By Reading This Title, You Have Agreed To Our Terms Of Service, Brian Larson

Brian Larson

A Word From The Writing Center (February 2018), Jennifer Wilson, Ms, Els

A Word From the Writing Team (Newsletter)

This issue includes:

• Tortured By Typos
• Punctuation 101
• Writing Cafe

Elementos Persuasivos De La Citación En El Discurso Académico De Posgrado: Los Verbos Introductores De Las Citas En La Sección De La Conclusión, David Sánchez-Jiménez

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Isolation And Onboarding: Gender Bias In Aviation Training Documents, William Hart

Technical Communication Capstone Course

There is a growing interest in male-dominated industries and the challenges women face finding their place within the workplace community. Yet, there seems to be little research on how training documents, generally created by technical communicators, may isolate and limit women who seek to pursue careers in these fields. Technical communication and gender scholars have examined women in the technical communication field and gender bias in male-dominated industries but have not yet examined gender stereotypes in training documents. Training documents are designed to provide written instructions and a reference guide for job functions, workplace rules, orientation, and company policies. This ...

Inclusive Writing In Video Game Documentation: A Technical Communication Approach, Samantha N. Sousa

Technical Communication Capstone Course

This article examines the current conversation of inclusive writing in the technical communication field. Historically, the field of technical writing has been considered a straightforward and unbiased form of communication but I look to identify the pitfalls associated with these characteristics, specifically in the study of inclusive writing. By examining technical documentation through a traditionally gender-biased field of video game development, I present issues and suggest ways to implement inclusive writing through documentation. By envisioning and creating inclusive content in video games, we can expand these solutions to other areas of technical communication and strengthen the influence we have in ...

Don’T Get Lost In Translation: A Discussion Of Best Practices For Creating Translation-Friendly Text And Related Curriculum For Technical Communication, Adrienne Urban

Technical Communication Capstone Course

Within global companies, a single source document, created by a technical communicator, is often translated into more than twenty-six languages. Simple modifications to semantics and style that are incorporated upfront in the source document can save multinational companies who rely on translations vast quantities of time, money, and labor. However, the perception of English as the lingua franca has led technical communication programs to discount the importance of teaching students to write for translation. In order to address this issue, institutions of higher learning should consider revising their technical communication programs to include a writing-for-translation component. Moreover, comprehensive sources need ...

Beyond Audience Analysis: Conceptualizing Empathy For Technical Communication, Bernadette L. Cash

Technical Communication Capstone Course

The concept of empathy involves understanding others’ perspectives. Technical communication requires knowing the context of users; however, empathy is neither a prominent term nor a common subject in the accompanying literature.

This article will establish a foundation for empathy to be conceptualized for technical communication. Several definitions of empathy will be reviewed, followed by applicable resemblances from examples pertaining to audience analysis. A wide‑ranging analysis will connect features of empathy to topics from the areas of user experience, human‑information interaction, user value, business, and design thinking.

This article concludes that there is significant value in giving empathetic attention ...

Enterprise Content Management In Technical Communication, Kristen Bledsoe-Fritz

Technical Communication Capstone Course

The goal of this project is to examine how the evolution of Enterprise Content Management (ECM) is helping to shape the role of Technical Communicator. Technical communicators are often at the forefront of Enterprise Content Management, as their job involves the creation, utilization, and distribution of most corporate content. The research conducted for this project examines the impact that Enterprise Content Management, influenced by evolving technology, has had on the expectation associated with the skillset of a technical communicator. Additionally, how technical communicators can grow and expand their skillset to serve as leaders in an ever-evolving industry is explored.

Cognitive Load Theory: Applications In Medical Education, Adam W. Wissman

Technical Communication Capstone Course

This article examines how cognitive load theory can help instructional designers in medical education design material and content to best suit their audience. Through the examination of schema construction, working and long-term memory, biologically primary/secondary knowledge, and novice and experienced learners, this article proposes instructional design best practices. This article separates these best practices into three categories: activities, pre-lecture resources, and teaching strategies, which can be applied to either novice learners or experienced learners.

Millennials Expect Less And More: Workplace Writing For Today's Workforce, Gina Weber

Technical Communication Capstone Course

As the makeup of a company’s workforce changes so must their internal practices. The newest members of the professional workplace belong to the so-called Millennial generation. While there have always been challenges when new generations enter the workforce research shows that this latest generation has brought with it more challenges than previous generations. This paper looks at what is so different about this generation, how it affects the workplace, and finally, how these unique qualities can best be incorporated in a company’s policy and procedure writing to better keep the attention of this new worker. Characteristics of the ...

A Word From The Writing Center (January 2018), Jennifer Wilson, Ms, Els

A Word From the Writing Team (Newsletter)

This issue includes:

• New Year, New Publishing Goals
• Grammar Time
• Writing Cafe