Examines the writing of five administrators and six caseworkers in a county social services agency to determine their sensitivity to rhetorical issues and writing style. (HOD)

To provide a rationale for textbook evaluation, a study examined the major and minor topics covered in 20 selected college-level business communication textbooks, the readability level presented for each text, and the number of schools currently using the text. (HOD)

Discusses the importance of improving the communication skills of engineering education graduates. (HM)

Analyzed articles appearing between 1970 and 1978 in four student affairs journals to determine types of articles published and institutional rates of productivity. Authors from a small proportion of institutions were overrepresented. Compared with research articles, few literature reviews were published. (Author)

Claims made for case studies are analyzed, and some of the obstacles to using this kind of evaluation information are discussed. The analysis is based on evaluation of a federally funded project which combined the evaluation with attempts to use that information to help other schools. (Author/CTM)

Science journalism is in a period of change from its prior position of reporting the pronouncements of scientists to one of challenging the conclusions of scientists and using multiple sources to comment on scientific discovery. It is necessary that educational institutions anticipate the need for competent scientific journalists. (RE)

It is argued that law schools must identify their needs and techniques in a legal writing program rather than just accept existing models. The process of program design requires a consensus as to appropriate goals and the selection of narrowly defined methods to achieve these goals. (JMD)

Presents reminiscences of a former editor of "English Education," discussing English teacher education during the 1970s and some of the difficult transitional moments during that era. Discusses methods courses, changes in the curriculum, and outside critics of English education. (TB)

Presents eight current projects involving faculty in the University of Washington's Department of Technical Communication that illustrate the broadening of the field. Notes these projects address: the cognitive processing of visual material; Web-based education; strategic management of information; communicating science and technology in the…

Surveys and critiques what has been written about style checkers and text-editing capabilities of the computer to assist in revising technical writing. Finds the literature inconclusive largely because it is anecdotal and methodologically flawed. Suggests a new research agenda and focus. (KEH)

Discusses collaborative planning as a heuristic for dealing with the rhetorical elements often considered by experienced writers when they plan and prepare documents. Defines collaborative planning, identifies its benefits, discusses its implementation in upper-level business communication courses, and presents a series of examples of students…

Presents a 33-item annotated bibliography of articles and books in 6 areas essential for both novice instructors and those experienced in assigning collaborative writing: (1) research implications; (2) theoretical foundations; (3) cooperative learning; (4) small group dynamics; (5) pedagogical practices; and (6) textbooks. (RS)

Reviews previous research on the effects of signals (structural cues that announce or emphasize content or reveal content relationships) on readers' comprehension of expository prose. Concludes that inconsistent results are due to inadequate methodologies that fail to control for confounding variables, such as text length and difficulty, topic…

Discussion of the use of computers in education focuses on the development of a fully distributed computer environment at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). The software, NEOS (Networked Educational Online System) is described, and its use in an engineering and scientific writing course and in an essay course is explained. (LRW)

Discusses the training skills, course content, and methodology needed to create a good business writing program for a company. (SR)