Relates how hypertext/hypermedia computer-based training and online help was designed for the General Estimates System (GES). Describes how this hypermedia application accomplishes the goal of improving the quality of the data entered in the GES database. (SR)

Discusses collaborative design in the context of developing a "Toolbook" hypertext intended to introduce graduate students to the fields of rhetoric and professional communication. Examines the new grammar and rhetoric of hypertext, discusses the importance of document planning within an emergent design, and argues for a functional aesthetic. (SR)

Reports students' perceptions of learning desktop publishing (DTP) systems. Finds that (1) students learned the foundations of DTP in under 60 hours of hands-on experience; (2) the incremental introduction of DTP functions and practice sessions before assignments were the most effective teaching strategy; and (3) use of DTP encouraged nonartistic…

Describes the creation of an Advisory Board for forging an alliance between technical communication education and industry. Discusses the influence the board had on program development and the insights both industry and academia gained from the alliance. (PRA)

Describes technical communicators' abilities to learn about software within organizational constraints and resources. Notes that these writers' tactics for learning software included using it themselves, talking to co-workers, studying program specifications, learning from comments on internal reviews, and studying old manuals. Evaluates each…

Discusses networking as a collaboration tool in the teaching of technical writing. Argues that some degree of collaboration is innate to all writing, that word processing already facilitates that collaboration, and that networking is the next enhancement to the collaborative process. (RS)

States that the periodic engineering report (a fixture of engineering classrooms and engineering practice) can become a source of conflict when North American engineers collaborate with colleagues abroad. Relates experiences of a writing consultant on such a project. Finds differences in tone and reader expectations caused misunderstandings. Uses…

Uses a case-study approach to describe and analyze the effects of emphasizing design principles in a technical communication course. Looks at student assignments and at student self-evaluative comments about their assignments. Suggests that focusing on design principles can help students improve the organization and design of their documents. (PA)

Shows how two "meanings" from the "Challenger" disaster can be examined in a technical writing class to illustrate the social contingency of meaning even in science and technology. (SR)

Describes an undergraduate writing course on communicating public policy. Discusses how academic instruction in professional and technical communication can show students, by simulating practical experience and by developing a discourse analytic perspective, what elected officials, governmental staff, and non-profit non-governmental organizations…

Gives a theoretical rationale for a portfolio evaluation project and describes a directly applicable structure and procedure for such a project. Discusses how the task of assessing the efficacy of technical communication service courses provides an opportunity to learn more about student and faculty needs and to update and improve curriculum. (SC)

Notes that technical writing instruction often operates in isolation from other components of students' communication education. Argues for altering this isolation by moving writing instruction to a place of increased programmatic perspective, which may be attained through a means of assessment based on educational outcomes. Discusses two models…

Examines a 1994 General Accounting Office (GAO) report on sexual harassment at U.S. service academies to determine how power structures affected the report writers' rhetorical choices. Identifies what is valued and devalued in the report's contents. Describes Congress's reaction to the report and speculates on the report's impact on public…

Describes the current practices in public environmental debate and reform movements as relevant to technical communicators. Reviews a case in which the Mohawk community clashed with the Environmental Protection Agency. Explores the clash of worldviews and shows how a feminist perspective might aid in such a conflict. (HB)

Focuses on disciplinarity and underlying pedagogical goals in technical writing classrooms by describing a search engine assignment sequence which promotes literate practices in three short reports: (1) a preview/instruction report; (2) an analysis/evaluation report; and (3) a narrative review of a research activity. Concludes with implications…