Technology and the Technical Writing Curriculum Dr. Robert Bergland Missouri Western State College bergland@mwsc.edu Great Plains Computers and Writing Conference Peru State College, April 26, 2003

Impact of Technology on Field Fundamental change in what is done and how it is done, perhaps more than any other non-computer/engineering field Change in what is taught and how it is taught Instability of tools, technology and skills

Impact of Technology on Field Page design Web content and design On-line documentation Electronic publishing Multimedia Interactive training materials Interactive and MM documentation

Ways Curriculum Has Changed Spectrum--from little change to great Maintain traditional focus and classes Interweave technology into existing classes Add courses which are oriented toward new technology Add emphasis/concentration areas Add new tech oriented majors

Reasons for Degree of Change Existing faculty expertise New hire search # of majors $ for new tech purchases Department history Institutional history Other departments’ programs Existing hard/software # of courses offered

No Technology--Maintain Traditional Focus and Classes “Luddite” approach More common at smaller schools with only one or two professional writing classes Byproduct of lack of computer lab/software facilities or lack of faculty expertise or interest

Interweave Tech into Existing Courses Desire to maintain foundations or principles--fundamentals do not change Example: Technical documentation course in 1988 used Word/Word Perfect, in 2000 uses Quark and Framemaker

Add courses which are oriented toward new technology Believes that new technologies and distribution methods have changed some traditional Tech Comm foundations Example: Adding a course in web authoring or multimedia

Add emphasis/concentration areas Creates new tracks to cater to student interests or job market needs Example: addition of web design minor/emphasis/track/concentration

Add new tech oriented majors Sometimes abandons Tech Comm/ writing focus Often takes a multi-disciplinary format Found at some high-tech institutions Example: Majors in human-computer interaction, digital media, multimedia, information architecture

Reasons for Degree of Change Department history Institutional history Other departments’ programs Existing hard/software # of courses offered Existing faculty expertise New hire search # of majors $ for new tech purchases

Points to ponder Benefits and Drawbacks of Each Approach for Schools, Student and Teachers Need to match approach to needs of school and students End sum game?