Describes a course in which technical writing students write letters to themselves stating goals they want to accomplish within the next 10 years, which the teacher promises not to read and to mail to them in exactly 10 years. Discusses purposes and actual results of assignment. (EL)

Suggests that technical writing students need to be introduced to four important job-oriented concepts: (1) sleuthing (to pinpoint and correct questionable materials); (2) diplomacy (to handle sensitive authors); (3) scheduling (to estimate the time involved to complete a job accurately); and (4) budgeting (to determine job costs). (HTH)

How can schools effectively prepare students for life after high school? With the accountability standards set forth by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), there are many theories regarding standardized testing. Many schools today are adopting the goal of preparing all students for the college or the workplace. This review of current literature…

Discusses the binder method approach to teaching business report writing, explains its basic procedures, its organizational advantages, its time saving qualilty, and its adaptation to more than one user at different locations or different times. (EL)

The article proposes a training program in self-management skills for handicapped youths entering the work force. Included are the following sample forms: critical events log, self-referral for training form, self-monitoring report, self-management contract. The forms provide tangible evidence of student progress in self-management. (DB)

In advertising, a creative idea can be defined as being right or on strategy in a unique way. For a copywriter, it is not easy to create an ad that has the "Big Idea" in it. Some helpful techniques that advertising students can use to generate creative ideas are (1) analogy, (2) forced relationships, (3) doing the opposite of what…

Describes a mass communications course that meets at media sites so that students can see first hand the business aspects of managing a publishing or broadcast concern. (HTH)

Describes a technical writing exercise used in the writing assistance program of a school of engineering. The exercise involves comparison of an original and rewritten memo to illustrate poor technical writing and how it differs from its better-organized and better-developed counterpart. (HTH)

Presents three role playing exercises to show journalism students how easy it is for even veteran journalists to make ethically questionable decisions when under pressure of fast-breaking news. (HTH)

Describes a testing situation in which students were required to waive their right to discuss the exam, to personalize for students the constitutional problems raised by prepublication agreements such as those required of government workers. (HTH)

Suggests that proposal writing can benefit technical writing students by enhancing skills in using persuasion devices with technology. Presents three rhetorical structural steps (beginning, middle, and end) that reinforce a proposal writing exercise suitable for both university and business applications. (HTH)

Presents eight writing assignments designed to help students write reports and letters for their future jobs. (HTH)

This guide resulted from the Teachers Assisting Teachers (T.A.T.) Program, which was established to address specific staff development issues that were created by the implementation of the National Workplace Literacy Program. The TAT program pairs workplace literacy teachers as mentors to help both teachers improve their teaching skills. Two…

Intended for use by instructors of public relations courses, this paper discusses teaching methods that can be used to demonstrate to students how much of the news involves events that are carefully planned by public relations practitioners and some of the techniques the practitioners use to create these events. The paper describes in detail…

To create successful job resumes, students must consider carefully the rhetorical elements of audience, persona, meaning, and text. Students can begin tailoring the resume to their own needs by completing a worksheet listing work experience, educational history and other relevant details. Using the worksheet helps students focus on the audience,…