Teaching the Recommendation Report in the Technical Communication Classroom: Aligning Genre with Professional Expectations

Abstract

Our technical writing course is required by the university for a wide variety of majors, primarily those in STEM fields. As instructors, we struggle to meet the needs of students who are continuing their education in graduate school as well as students who are graduating and entering the workforce. Based on student feedback, we changed the culminating assignment from a literature review to a recommendation report. In doing this, we found that students were better prepared for the workplace, and they found the course more relevant. Teaching the recommendation report provided opportunities to instruct students more fully in audience analysis, decision making, and information literacy. Because the report had a specific audience, the students were able to analyze the needs of their audience in relation to the document. In making a recommendation, students improved their analytical and decision-making skills. By allowing a wider variety of sources, we were also able to address information literacy skills. In our experience, the recommendation report is a useful genre to include in a technical communication class.