Case study methodology using structured interviewing and cognitive mapping techniques has been used to reveal the contrasting role perspectives and evaluative judgment criteria of three university student teacher supervisors with different professional backgrounds. This study extends an earlier investigation by comparing these role perspectives…

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,…

An evaluation of four seventeenth and eighteenth century essays on optics revealed early trends in the evolution of scientific articles. The later articles showed a growing tendency to (1) separate practice from pure knowledge, (2) organize information around problems of knowledge and theory rather than around chronological events, (3) emphasize…

To explore the professional socialization of technical writers and communicators, 98 professional technical communicators were administered a questionnaire identifying key concepts in the field. On seven occasions, professionals, teachers, and graduate students were asked to estimate how greatly these concepts, together with four additional terms…

In order to help science students communicate more effectively with people outside their field, a two-semester technical writing course was developed with an emphasis on thinking rather than on blind adherence to the rules and forms of technical writing. The initial test group was composed of freshman science majors with exceptional writing…

Course evaluations of a business writing class that used the IBM personal computer with WordStar word processing software revealed students' enthusiasm for the microcomputer's word processing capabilities. A number of students commented on how much the computer simplified the processes of composing, revising, and editing. In addition to the speed…

These proceedings contain the following papers: "Corporate Conduct: The Importance of Proper Etiquette and Communication" (Glenna A. Dod and Susan L. Fay); "Establishing a System for Technical Editing" (Marlene A. Hobel and Kathy L. Urbach); "Office Technology in Business Communication Textbooks: Current Status, Future Recommendations" (Richard M.…

A study examined how well existing audience theory fits what really happens when writers write on the job. This ethnographic study focused on the process of revising one chapter from a guide to the DOS computer operating system designed for use by novices as well as intermediate and skilled users. Preliminary findings confirmed much of audience…

The task of teaching writing to students in business, engineering, design, computer science, accounting, and other professional areas raises the question of what knowledge the writers call upon to create a rhetorically effective writing plan. Research suggests three plausible answers: their knowledge of schemata, the structure of their topic…

Designed chiefly for the growing number of technical and business writing teachers in two year colleges, this collection of articles helps teachers understand technology and business students so that they can teach courses that satisfy the writing needs of those students. Written by practicing teachers or writers, the articles offer viewpoints on…

A program for improving documentation at the systems division at Allen-Bradley is sketched in this paper. Following introductory material about starting the program, the paper outlines the two main projects that were involved: (1) a management study of the Allen-Bradley manual writing process, which addressed problems with the content and…

The University of Tennessee has integrated computer technology into its business report and letter writing course, an 11-week course required of all business administration undergraduates. Basic principles of management and introduction to computer courses are prerequisites. Early course content emphasizes foundations of report writing, the…

The Administrative Writing Program developed at the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) has served both the administrators and the writing staff that offers it. Using course material that comes from UCLA office files, the program teaches writing as an administrative act, focusing on four topics: the written product, the writing process,…

Because technical writing is a subject that exists in two separate contexts (a combination of practical and liberal arts), teachers of the subject must legitimize their profession by appealing to different authorities. Those attempting to strengthen the connections with the industrial world do so by (1) showing that technical writing is needed,…

The General Motors Institute (GMI), a wholly owned subsidiary of the General Motors Corporation, was created to provide leaders for its parent organization. GMI is a fully accredited undergraduate college that offers degrees in industrial, electrical, and mechanical engineering and in industrial administration. Since people in business and…