Technical and Professional Writing Commons^™

Developing A Corequisite Writing Textbook: How Two Novices Handled The Complex Nature Of Open Textbook Production, Dawn Atkinson, Stacey Corbitt

Writing

Despite the growing body of scholarship focused on Open Educational Resources (OERs), studies tracking open textbook production are exceedingly rare. To gain insight into the complexities associated with open textbook development, this article’s authors used concurrent verbalisation and pre- and post-concurrent verbalisation interviews to document writing episodes while composing their first coursebook, an open-source text designed for corequisite course pairings of writing fundamentals and introduction to technical writing. Corequisite classes combine content-area instruction with explicit skill-building opportunities, and although commercial publishing houses do produce corequisite textbooks for traditional general education courses, the authors were impelled by the need to create …

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, …

Mindful Technical Writing: An Introduction To The Fundamentals, Dawn Atkinson, Stacey Corbitt

Writing

Welcome to Mindful Technical Writing: An Introduction to the Fundamentals, an open textbook designed for use in co-requisite course pairings of developmental writing and introductory technical writing, or indeed in other lower-division college writing courses that focus on building study skills alongside effective workplace and academic writing skills. It offers a no-cost alternative to commercial products, combining practical guidance with interactive exercises and thoughtfully designed writing opportunities.

This book’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 …

Using Infographics To Educate Stem Students About Interpersonal Communication, Anna Ziesak

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The purpose of this study is to ascertain the viability of infographics in educating Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics students about interpersonal communication skills. To determine if infographics are viable tools, the study used two surveys to gather information. The first survey was formatted as a needs assessment and revealed three areas with which STEM students wanted help: presentations, group projects, and communication. Three infographics were created to address these concerns, and a second survey was used to assess these infographics. Results from the second survey indicate that STEM students learned new information from the infographics and wanted to see …

Human Factors In The Design Of Virtual Reality Instruction, Tim Lewis

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The objective of this project was to identify measurable factors that contribute to the quality and effectiveness of training and education in a virtual reality environment. The second objective was to develop a VR application using the Oculus Rift head mounted display and hand controllers to present high resolution 360° video with cumulative multi-choice challenges to create a mental state of flow, immersion, and a suspension of disbelief. Finally, this document represents a guideline on how to produce virtual reality education and training content with a real-world example of the process from research, design, production and use.

Colstrip Coal: Developing A Website To Communicate A Highly Complex And Controversial Subject, Carolyn Chaffee

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The purpose of this meta-document is to explain my project design, review its development and outcomes, and provide my reflections on the project. The project objective was to create a website that communicates vital information about the coal industry, Colstrip’s coal-fired power plants, the potential closure of several of the plants, and the potential impacts closure would have on the community and the state. The project also discusses options to continue to use coal as an energy source and lower its impacts on the environment. The information on the website is thorough and presented in an interesting and effective method; …