Writing seminars designed for the business community reveal that this population is motivated and willing to attack problems of logic, organization, and coherence. The approach used includes instruction in the basic principles of clarity in writing and a required oral presentation about a piece of company writing needing revision. (MSE)

Explains an assignment for the audience analysis segment of a business writing course which compares the front page design of "The Wall Street Journal" with that of a local daily newspaper in order to emphasize the use of design devices in effectively writing to busy people. (SR)

Argues that literature can be valuable in the technical writing class, focusing students' attention by: (1) providing useful models for students; and (2) allowing students to see how language operates in representations of particular organizations or cultures. (MG)

Lists approximately 200 recent science and technology book titles (some with annotations). Notes that this literature acquaints students with the history of science and technology and helps them understand debated philosophical issues. Includes the following subject areas: anthropology; chemistry; computers and artificial intelligence; ecology;…

A study classified 61 writing assignments from 10 undergraduate science and technology courses on the basis of audience and task specifications. Most assignments emphasized reporting on specific participatory experiences, and 25 percent of assignments specified an audience other than the course instructor. Pedagogical implications for…

Describes the "Disease of the Week" report, an approach designed to integrate writing into a large freshman introductory biology class. Enables students to develop scientific writing skills and gain an appreciation of the role of scientific concepts in their lives. (JRH)

Compares the structure, communicative function, and linguistic devices of abstracts in German medical journals with their English equivalents. Analyzes differences in the discourse of non-native speakers and native speakers. Suggests that abstracting should be incorporated into language courses for the medical profession and for technical…

This article discusses preparation of research reports in light of how the information is likely to be evaluated and how the report contributes to the research process. The focus is on description, explanation, and contextualization of the study. Common issues related to interpretation of assessment studies are also highlighted. (SLD)

Presents two case studies that challenge business communication and technical writing students to respond to problems that reflect a multicultural dimension and involve business people whose perspectives, values, and traditions are not Western. Includes discussion questions. (SR)

Considers one location involving complex language skills, the offices of professional architects. Analyzes written and spoken texts in such an environment and the context of working relationships in which they are produced. Broadens a view of language competencies required by professional communicators. (HB)

Examines computer-related courses and faculty rationales for such courses to find how and why computers are used in technical communication classrooms, and how current instruction may or may not move beyond skill building to include literacy and humanistic issues. Outlines three pedagogical challenges for using computer technologies to support…

Suggests a method for extending feminist critiques of technology to technical communications issues, especially the balancing of gender biases. Provides possibilities for the application of feminist theory to technical communications. (HB)

Examines the nature and extent of job-related stress among collegiate business- and professional-writing faculty. Finds that job-related stress is associated with faculty members' rank, type of institution, and sex. (KEH)

Tests whether nominal compounds, the juxtaposition of three or more nouns, retain sufficient semantic information to justify their use for brevity. Finds that respondents often misidentified at least one out of five given headwords. Recommends reminding students of headwords' importance and employing nominal compounds only after their fuller…

A computerized method for managing institutional information to use in creating college planning documents is described. Development of the database, manipulation of the data for reporting, uses in strategic and long-range planning, and the model's implications for improvement of planning processes are discussed. (MSE)