We build on previous scholarship calling for sustainable growth in technical and professional communication programs through "maintenance and reflection." Inspired by continuous improvement models used in industry, we offer GRAM--Gather--Read--Analyze--Make--a continuous improvement model designed to identify and align often overlooked…

The article introduces the continuous course lab (CCL) as an alternative model for conducting undergraduate research in the humanities. CCL segments large-scale research projects into smaller-scale projects that are run over a series of semesters. The CCL model is unique in that it provides majors from outside the humanities with exposure to…

The purpose of this article is to discuss the process of teaching graduate students in school psychology to write psychological reports that teachers and parents find readable and that guide intervention. The consensus from studies across four decades of research is that effective psychological reports connect to the client's context; have clear…

The author presents his views on the teaching of information design. The starting point includes some general aspects of teaching and learning. The multidisciplinary structure and content of information design as well as the combined practical and theoretical components influence studies of the discipline. Experiences from working with a model for…

Qualitative research is an inherent part of the human services profession, since it emphasizes the great and multifaceted complexity characterizing human experience and the sociocultural context in which humans act. In the department of human services at Emek Yezreel College, Israel, we have developed a three-phase model to ensure a relatively…

We present an algorithm for the construction of a strong initial draft. It is designed to overcome writer's block and to assist scientists who are not native English speakers. The writing starts with making figures and tables. These suggest several terse summary statements, the few major conclusions or observations the author will present to the…

This document provides recommendations for request for proposal (RFP) and contract language that state education agencies can use to specify their requirements for access to test item banks. An item bank is a repository for test items and data about those items. Item banks are used by state agency staff to view items and associated data; to…

In this essay, the author tries to look forward into the 21st century to divine three things: (i) What skills will researchers in the future need to solve the most pressing problems? (ii) What are some of the most likely candidates to be those problems? and (iii) What are some current areas of research that seem mined out and should not distract…

This article is a guide for counseling researchers wishing to communicate the methods and results of their qualitative research to varied audiences. The authors posit that the first step in effectively communicating qualitative research is the development of strong qualitative research skills. To this end, the authors review a process model for…

A diamond-shaped model depicts the researcher/writer's progress from problem definition through preliminary research and major research to the stages of consolidating the data, writing, revising, rewriting, and final production. (RL)

Points out that most technical communication groups within larger organizations are considered support organizations. Argues that, by moving from the support model to a services model based on entrepreneurial ideas, these groups are better able to place value on the work they produce by setting themselves up as development groups to pitch bids and…

Describes a new pedagogical model in the teaching of technical writing based on "technical writing as enculturation." Examines this model's relationship to the workaday world and its roots in classical, especially Ciceronian, rhetoric. Argues that this model's roots in both the modern and classical world enhances its usefulness. (HB)

Suggests that the use of visual models in writing technical material can affect the order of the entire writing process and uses a case study to explain how a model is developed, what purposes it serves, and how it affects the writing process. (DF)

Draws on both workplace and academic sources to offer a flexible technical communication education model (TC model). Describes 10 attributes that meet industry's changing needs, and describes a recent National Science Foundation technical communication summer program that used the TC model. (SR)

One of the author's main goals as a teacher is to impart the skills necessary for students to be successful in science, and that means teaching them how to think and write like scientists. At times, though, it seemed as though the author had exhausted all avenues without ever reaching this goal. At the beginning of each year, she starts her…