Technical and Professional Writing Commons^™

"Impute" Or "Input"? There Must Be Something Missing, Dawn Chalaire

Word for Word 2022

No abstract provided.

Disparities In Meaning: "High-Risk" Vs. "Underserved", Ashli Villarreal

Word for Word 2022

No abstract provided.

Unjust Revisions: A Social Justice Framework For Technical Editing, Sam Clem, Ryan Cheek

English and Technical Communication Faculty Research & Creative Works

Background: There is a lack of conceptual framework for how to develop more inclusive practices in the subfield of technical editing. Literature review: Some researchers have posited theories, like feminism and rhetorical theory, as ways to conceptualize technical editing. This piece extends that literature into social justice using Walton, Moore, and Jones's 3Ps heuristic of positionality, privilege, and power. Research questions: 1. What ideologies are circulating in technical editing pedagogy? 2. How might technical editing pedagogy become more inclusive? Methodology: We conduct a rhetorical analysis of the major academic works in technical editing, including books, textbooks, and academic articles, and …

A Word From The Writing Center (March 2022), Pam Walter, Mfa, Liz Declan, Ma, Mfa

A Word From the Writing Team (Newsletter)

This issue includes:

• Quick Tip: Inclusivity and Awareness in Writing
• Upcoming Workshop Reminders
• News from the Academic Commons

Avoiding Apostrophe Errors (Not Error's), Bryan Tutt

Word for Word 2022

No abstract provided.

All Of The Facts About Using "All Of" And "Both Of", Don Norwood

Word for Word 2022

No abstract provided.

A Word From The Writing Center (February 2022), Pam Walter, Mfa, Liz Declan, Ma, Mfa

A Word From the Writing Team (Newsletter)

This issue includes:

• Introduction to Liz Declan
• Upcoming Workshops
• Quick Tip: When to Use Semicolons

Come To Terms With "Lapse" Vs. "Elapse" Before More Time Elapses!, Joe Munch

Word for Word 2022

No abstract provided.

Basic Facts About "Acidemia" And "Acidosis", Tammy Locke

Word for Word 2022

No abstract provided.

Online Engagement In Graduate Technical Communication Education, Tabatha Kless

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

In this study, I conducted a content analysis to investigate engagement in online graduate technical communication programs. I wanted to evaluate this topic because online learning and engagement evolve, so it is fitting to evaluate how educational policies, learning methods, and technology have developed in technical communication education. The content analysis consisted of coding course material from three technical communication courses, mostly assignment descriptions, and instructions based on the language in the documents. I found strategies that develop skills 21st century technical communicators should have, such as discussions, service learning, and research papers.

The Syntax Of Sports, Class 4: Parallel Structure, Patrick Barry

Books

"Once you find the right structure, perhaps it will be easier to find the right content.” That’s one of the key insights from this fourth book in the series The Syntax of Sports. Others include:

• The importance of being “radically inclusive”
• The power of defining something by what it is not
• The creative elegance of the word “as”

So join Professor Patrick Barry as he continues to share lessons from the popular writing course at the University of Michigan on which The Syntax of Sports is based. You’ll learn about language. You’ll learn about advocacy. And …

"We're Not Just Well Suited, We Are Ethically Obligated!": Reimagining Technical And Professional Communication Pedagogy As Advocacy Against Discriminatory Digital Technologies, Anshare Antoine

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This dissertation expands on scholarship that examines efforts at incorporating a social justice framework into pedagogy, specifically, the role of technical and professional communication (TPC) faculty in addressing discriminatory digital technologies within a social-justice-oriented tech ethics pedagogy. I observe that despite the thousands of computer technology students who graduate from their programs every year in the US with the latest training, there seems to be no change to the adverse tech culture that produces discriminatory and racist work environments and digital technologies. The implication is that computer technology programs may not be prioritizing a tech ethics pedagogy that supports addressing …

Inclusive Writing, Kairos, And Technical Communication: Defining Our Modern Age., Ramara Reisch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

A reoccurring topic in the TPC (technical/ professional communication) field has been the exclusion and marginalization of some audience members, especially those who are African American/ Black, Asian, Hispanic or Latino, LGBTQIA, and those with physical or mental disabilities. Throughout this thesis, I make connections between what has happened in the past and how it has contributed to the kairos of the TPC social justice turn. I explore the term "kairos" which is the timing and space in which something occurs and, depending on someone's delivery, they can create a persuasive and opportunist moment. The subject of including audiences into …

From The Field: Using A Simple Guide To Help Students Write Better Abstracts., Rochelle H. Holm, Anna Karin Roo

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) often write abstracts for research assignments but may not understand the purpose of an abstract. This paper presents the pilot of a simple guide for writing abstracts which gave student support to two undergraduate Malawian ELL students for their undergraduate research assignment. The two students and the instructor found the handout was helpful for the students to develop technical writing skills for the abstracts.

Rhetoric Of Surrogacy: Re-Considering Agency Through Embodied Performance, Ann Kitalong-Will

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Surrogacy as a medical practice goes back, in a practical sense, to 1988, when the court case, “In the Matter of Baby M, A Pseudonym for an Actual Person,” was tried in the Supreme Court of New Jersey. At the heart of the issue, was the question of who Baby M’s legally-recognized mother was in the relationship between the contracting parents and the woman who gestated and gave birth to Baby M. Using this case as a jumping off point, this dissertation traces a history of surrogacy as a global industry. This project explores rhetorical agency in the embodied performance …

Discourse, Materiality, And The Users Of Mobile Health Technologies: A Nigerian Case Study, Modupe Omolara Yusuf

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

mHealth, which is the use of mobile phones and other handheld information and communication technologies (ICTs), has been increasingly advocated as the solution to the problems, primarily infrastructure and personnel, facing the healthcare sector of many low-to-lower-middle-income countries (LMICs). Following a series of United Nations Foundation research and advisory publications (in 2012, 2014 and 2016) arguing that mobile phones are approaching ubiquity in Nigeria and across the world, the UN strongly recommended that LMICs undertake mHealth initiatives. Subsequently, Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) published a National Health ICT Strategic Framework (Strategic Framework), 2015-2020; the rallying call of …

The Write Stuff - Winter 2022 (Vol. 19, No. 1), Research Medical Library

Write Stuff 2022

• NIH allows flexibility for applicants affected by the COVID-19 pandemic
• Whom to contact for help with your NIH grant applications
• How to write a peer review
• Council of Science Editors launches new podcast
• Unusual terms used in scientific writing and publishing: QWERTY, AZERTY, and Dvorak

The Write Stuff - Autumn 2022 (Vol. 19, No. 4), Research Medical Library

Write Stuff 2022

• Updated guidelines on reporting race and ethnicity in the AMA Manual of Style
• ARRIVE 2.0 and MDAR Framework guide methods reporting for animal research and other life sciences research
• SciScore: A tool to measure reproducibility
• Tips for using figures effectively in grant proposals
• Unusual terms used in scientific writing and publishing: Format-free submission

Facing The Fire - Challenges And Triumphs Of Western Firefighters In A Changing Climate, Mak Sisson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The American West sits at a dangerous position in the age of climate change. Wildfires burn hotter, longer, and cover more area than ever measured. Decreased snowpack, early spring run-off, a glut of built-up timber in parks and public lands, and longer droughts all build upon one another, and it just takes one spark to start a raging wildfire that devastates a community. As such, a firefighting force is needed to deal with this changing landscape.

However, that force is dwindling, especially at the federal level. A reported 20% of wildland firefighting positions are vacant, and the Bureau of Land …

Intermediate College Writing: Building And Practicing Mindful Writing Skills, Stacey Corbitt, Dawn Atkinson

Writing

Welcome to Intermediate College Writing: Building and Practicing Mindful Writing Skills, an open textbook designed for use in university‐level courses that focus on cultivating study skills alongside effective academic and workplace writing skills. It offers a no‐cost alternative to commercial products, combining practical guidance with interactive exercises and thoughtfully designed writing opportunities.

This textbook’s modular design and ample coverage of topics and genres means that it can be used flexibly over semester‐long or stretch courses, allowing instructors and students to select the chapters that are most relevant for their needs. By blending new material with reviews of key topics, …