Pub Date : 2008-07-13DOI: 10.1109/IPCC.2008.4610199
D. Cunningham
Without licensing or certification to measure program effectiveness, identifying aspects of the educational process that need bolstering to meet the expanded competency needs of new graduates can be difficult. An effective workforce requires persistent reassessment of essential work competencies and incorporation of applicable content into program curricula. Yet effective quantitative measurements for program assessment are often limited and inconsistently applied. The body of empirical data about which competencies are important and how useful these competencies are in various work settings is increasing. In addition to limited multi-disciplinary knowledge, research suggests technical communication graduates are not adequately grounded in basic business operations, business planning, project management, and problem-solving skills. Yet research has apparently not assessed the cardinal utility of core competencies identified. Without considering strength preferences within a defined set of core competencies, developing an optimum strategy to address current assets and deficiencies within program curriculum is difficult at best. This paper discusses attempts to identify and establish a set of core competency skills for practitioners. It proposes use of game theory applications to assess program effectiveness and to make better strategic decisions about enhancing existing curricula and pedagogical emphases. To illustrate potential benefits of this approach, an example business case is presented. Based on analysis of salient belief evaluations and value strengths, a telecommunication system manufacturer successfully redirected corrective efforts, resulting in significant improvements in customer perceptions regarding product documentation quality.
{"title":"Core competency skills for technical communicators","authors":"D. Cunningham","doi":"10.1109/IPCC.2008.4610199","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/IPCC.2008.4610199","url":null,"abstract":"Without licensing or certification to measure program effectiveness, identifying aspects of the educational process that need bolstering to meet the expanded competency needs of new graduates can be difficult. An effective workforce requires persistent reassessment of essential work competencies and incorporation of applicable content into program curricula. Yet effective quantitative measurements for program assessment are often limited and inconsistently applied. The body of empirical data about which competencies are important and how useful these competencies are in various work settings is increasing. In addition to limited multi-disciplinary knowledge, research suggests technical communication graduates are not adequately grounded in basic business operations, business planning, project management, and problem-solving skills. Yet research has apparently not assessed the cardinal utility of core competencies identified. Without considering strength preferences within a defined set of core competencies, developing an optimum strategy to address current assets and deficiencies within program curriculum is difficult at best. This paper discusses attempts to identify and establish a set of core competency skills for practitioners. It proposes use of game theory applications to assess program effectiveness and to make better strategic decisions about enhancing existing curricula and pedagogical emphases. To illustrate potential benefits of this approach, an example business case is presented. Based on analysis of salient belief evaluations and value strengths, a telecommunication system manufacturer successfully redirected corrective efforts, resulting in significant improvements in customer perceptions regarding product documentation quality.","PeriodicalId":131068,"journal":{"name":"2008 IEEE International Professional Communication Conference","volume":"34 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2008-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116570757","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2008-07-13DOI: 10.1109/IPCC.2008.4610244
G. Thiruvenkadam, A. Brombacher, Y. Lu, E. den Ouden
In this paper we report the findings of a study intended to assess the usability of consumer related information sources in order to improve the design processes of innovative electronic products. Specifically, an evaluation is done of the quality and content of information that would help product development teams understand the interaction between the consumer, product and its environment as well as of the effect of this interaction upon consumer satisfaction with products.
{"title":"Usability of consumer-related information sources for design improvement","authors":"G. Thiruvenkadam, A. Brombacher, Y. Lu, E. den Ouden","doi":"10.1109/IPCC.2008.4610244","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/IPCC.2008.4610244","url":null,"abstract":"In this paper we report the findings of a study intended to assess the usability of consumer related information sources in order to improve the design processes of innovative electronic products. Specifically, an evaluation is done of the quality and content of information that would help product development teams understand the interaction between the consumer, product and its environment as well as of the effect of this interaction upon consumer satisfaction with products.","PeriodicalId":131068,"journal":{"name":"2008 IEEE International Professional Communication Conference","volume":"5 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2008-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121651117","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2008-07-13DOI: 10.1109/IPCC.2008.4610246
K. Yamauchi, T. Orr
Communication problems in the modern Japanese workplace are growing increasingly serious and complex, threatening both health and prosperity. Public commentary on these problems by journalists and big-name CEOs frequently appears in the press, but systematic investigations of the problems and their causes occur far less frequently, thus making it difficult to discover how these problems might be solved. This paper addresses this shortage of research by disseminating the findings of one small exploratory investigation of communication problems in the modern Japanese workplace, based on online and face-to-face communication with 20 Japanese employees in 20 different workplace contexts, who experience modern communication problems firsthand. Findings from this investigation suggest where pre-employment training at Japanese universities might be improved as well as where further research might be effectively targeted.
{"title":"Communication problems in the modern Japanese workplace: An exploratory investigation of employee opinions","authors":"K. Yamauchi, T. Orr","doi":"10.1109/IPCC.2008.4610246","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/IPCC.2008.4610246","url":null,"abstract":"Communication problems in the modern Japanese workplace are growing increasingly serious and complex, threatening both health and prosperity. Public commentary on these problems by journalists and big-name CEOs frequently appears in the press, but systematic investigations of the problems and their causes occur far less frequently, thus making it difficult to discover how these problems might be solved. This paper addresses this shortage of research by disseminating the findings of one small exploratory investigation of communication problems in the modern Japanese workplace, based on online and face-to-face communication with 20 Japanese employees in 20 different workplace contexts, who experience modern communication problems firsthand. Findings from this investigation suggest where pre-employment training at Japanese universities might be improved as well as where further research might be effectively targeted.","PeriodicalId":131068,"journal":{"name":"2008 IEEE International Professional Communication Conference","volume":"59 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2008-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126276400","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2008-07-13DOI: 10.1109/IPCC.2008.4610224
K. Morimura, Y. Ono
The Global Ware Project (GWP) of the Center for Innovation in Engineering Education (CIEE) in the University of Tokyopsilas School of Engineering provides a ldquoSpecial English Lessonrdquo program for engineering undergraduate students. The purpose of this program is to help those students improve their English language skills and enhance their international communication abilities. To conduct this program, GWP faculty invited instructors from other English language programs to conduct a series of special after-hours classes in English. Over time, the number of students participating in this program grew until enrollment reached over 380 in 2007. This highly successful program is an effective way of teaching English when a facility doesn't have enough teachers or funds to provide a solid education for large numbers of students. This program does not outsource lectures to English language schools; rather it is a collaborative program between those English schools and GWP, with the GWP supervising the classes.
{"title":"Examining the special english lessons class: An extra-curricular program to enhance english communication skills for undergraduate engineering students at the University of Tokyo","authors":"K. Morimura, Y. Ono","doi":"10.1109/IPCC.2008.4610224","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/IPCC.2008.4610224","url":null,"abstract":"The Global Ware Project (GWP) of the Center for Innovation in Engineering Education (CIEE) in the University of Tokyopsilas School of Engineering provides a ldquoSpecial English Lessonrdquo program for engineering undergraduate students. The purpose of this program is to help those students improve their English language skills and enhance their international communication abilities. To conduct this program, GWP faculty invited instructors from other English language programs to conduct a series of special after-hours classes in English. Over time, the number of students participating in this program grew until enrollment reached over 380 in 2007. This highly successful program is an effective way of teaching English when a facility doesn't have enough teachers or funds to provide a solid education for large numbers of students. This program does not outsource lectures to English language schools; rather it is a collaborative program between those English schools and GWP, with the GWP supervising the classes.","PeriodicalId":131068,"journal":{"name":"2008 IEEE International Professional Communication Conference","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2008-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131224040","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2008-07-13DOI: 10.1109/IPCC.2008.4610201
D. A. Edgell
As a service-learning project in a graduate level technical communication class on technical manuals, Dr. Brian Still found an open-source software developer in Germany who needed documentation for his application. The class looked at various approaches to fulfilling the developerpsilas needs including wikis, Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA), XML, usability testing, and software mapping. This paper touches on the successes and challenges of the project and examines the potential for using DITA as a solution for reconstructing existing documentation.
作为研究生水平的技术交流课程中的一个服务学习项目，Brian Still博士在德国找到了一位开源软件开发人员，他需要为他的应用程序提供文档。本课程探讨了满足开发人员需求的各种方法，包括wiki、Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA)、XML、可用性测试和软件映射。本文讨论了该项目的成功和挑战，并探讨了使用DITA作为重建现有文档的解决方案的可能性。
{"title":"A DITA case study: Service learning, software documentation, and redesign","authors":"D. A. Edgell","doi":"10.1109/IPCC.2008.4610201","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/IPCC.2008.4610201","url":null,"abstract":"As a service-learning project in a graduate level technical communication class on technical manuals, Dr. Brian Still found an open-source software developer in Germany who needed documentation for his application. The class looked at various approaches to fulfilling the developerpsilas needs including wikis, Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA), XML, usability testing, and software mapping. This paper touches on the successes and challenges of the project and examines the potential for using DITA as a solution for reconstructing existing documentation.","PeriodicalId":131068,"journal":{"name":"2008 IEEE International Professional Communication Conference","volume":"27 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2008-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133829255","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2008-07-13DOI: 10.1109/IPCC.2008.4610240
H. Sales
The paper reports on the results of an ancillary study, arising out of a PhD research project about aerospace engineerspsila language in the workplace. The analysis shows that information in engineering proposals could be accounted for by a set of 39 discrete information types, called dasiaproposal componentspsila (PCs), belonging to four mutually-exclusive information categories. These are centred on the following foci: product (or solution); company, including engineering personnel; customer (and product) support; meta-discourse. This study suggests how data derived from analysing patterns of information structure may help engineers to evaluate past proposals, both successful and unsuccessful, with a view to improving future proposal documents.
{"title":"The information structure of engineering proposals: Suggesting a taxonomy of information components for competitive proposals and a potential metric for information content","authors":"H. Sales","doi":"10.1109/IPCC.2008.4610240","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/IPCC.2008.4610240","url":null,"abstract":"The paper reports on the results of an ancillary study, arising out of a PhD research project about aerospace engineerspsila language in the workplace. The analysis shows that information in engineering proposals could be accounted for by a set of 39 discrete information types, called dasiaproposal componentspsila (PCs), belonging to four mutually-exclusive information categories. These are centred on the following foci: product (or solution); company, including engineering personnel; customer (and product) support; meta-discourse. This study suggests how data derived from analysing patterns of information structure may help engineers to evaluate past proposals, both successful and unsuccessful, with a view to improving future proposal documents.","PeriodicalId":131068,"journal":{"name":"2008 IEEE International Professional Communication Conference","volume":"33 4 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2008-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130439650","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2008-07-13DOI: 10.1109/IPCC.2008.4610248
Y. Mariana
This on-going study analyses Malaysian engineering studentspsila oral presentations in relation to communication competencies during their 20 to 25-week Industrial Training Program. Students from four engineering faculties of two universities in Malaysia participated in this study. They were located at various industries sites in four states. The study adopts a blended approach of engineering oral presentation genre and a competency model in analyzing the data. Six main components, three from each approach are dealt with, namely introduction, body, conclusion and knowledge, skill and motivation respectively. The videotaped presentations and recorded interviews were transcribed and used to depict the actual performance. Based on the competencies that arise from the analysis, this study unfolds studentspsila difficulties in communication and presentation skills. This set of skills is critical in determining a graduatepsilas success or failure.
{"title":"Communication in oral presentation: A Malaysian experience","authors":"Y. Mariana","doi":"10.1109/IPCC.2008.4610248","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/IPCC.2008.4610248","url":null,"abstract":"This on-going study analyses Malaysian engineering studentspsila oral presentations in relation to communication competencies during their 20 to 25-week Industrial Training Program. Students from four engineering faculties of two universities in Malaysia participated in this study. They were located at various industries sites in four states. The study adopts a blended approach of engineering oral presentation genre and a competency model in analyzing the data. Six main components, three from each approach are dealt with, namely introduction, body, conclusion and knowledge, skill and motivation respectively. The videotaped presentations and recorded interviews were transcribed and used to depict the actual performance. Based on the competencies that arise from the analysis, this study unfolds studentspsila difficulties in communication and presentation skills. This set of skills is critical in determining a graduatepsilas success or failure.","PeriodicalId":131068,"journal":{"name":"2008 IEEE International Professional Communication Conference","volume":"52 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2008-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116550495","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2008-07-13DOI: 10.1109/IPCC.2008.4610208
Keith Hopper
Survey and qualitative research conducted online is an exciting new focus in technical communication. This paper reports technical aspects of and lessons learned from online mixed survey and qualitative studies of a large U.S. medical field. Potentially faster to design and deploy than traditional approaches, online research is constrained by the same underlying research principles and conventions. There are abundant commercial vendors of online research technology, and these offer a variety of important advantages compared to traditional, print-based approaches. The technical and logistical limitations of online research may offset the anticipated advantages. Online researchers should see to aesthetics and usability in survey instruments, and take steps to improve participant response rates. Online research facilitates collection of rich qualitative data, but the frequent need for anonymity makes probing of respondents problematic.
{"title":"Internet-mediated research: Affordances, technology, lessons learned","authors":"Keith Hopper","doi":"10.1109/IPCC.2008.4610208","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/IPCC.2008.4610208","url":null,"abstract":"Survey and qualitative research conducted online is an exciting new focus in technical communication. This paper reports technical aspects of and lessons learned from online mixed survey and qualitative studies of a large U.S. medical field. Potentially faster to design and deploy than traditional approaches, online research is constrained by the same underlying research principles and conventions. There are abundant commercial vendors of online research technology, and these offer a variety of important advantages compared to traditional, print-based approaches. The technical and logistical limitations of online research may offset the anticipated advantages. Online researchers should see to aesthetics and usability in survey instruments, and take steps to improve participant response rates. Online research facilitates collection of rich qualitative data, but the frequent need for anonymity makes probing of respondents problematic.","PeriodicalId":131068,"journal":{"name":"2008 IEEE International Professional Communication Conference","volume":"7 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2008-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114713785","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2008-07-13DOI: 10.1109/IPCC.2008.4610237
S. Rosenbaum, L. Kantner
This paper describes a method for conducting usability test sessions remotely, when the user researcher is in a different location from the participants, and observers from the product team can watch from different geographic locations. This remote attended usability methodology (also called the remote synchronous method) is distinguished from automated user data collection, which is more suitable for quantitative research. Two case histories describe studies of nonprofit and commercial websites, with details about facilitating the user sessions that characterize the remote methodology. The paper concludes with a summary of the strengths and weaknesses of remote attended usability studies. Keywords: usability, user experience, user research, remote usability testing.
{"title":"Learning about users when you can’t go there: Remote attended usability studies","authors":"S. Rosenbaum, L. Kantner","doi":"10.1109/IPCC.2008.4610237","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/IPCC.2008.4610237","url":null,"abstract":"This paper describes a method for conducting usability test sessions remotely, when the user researcher is in a different location from the participants, and observers from the product team can watch from different geographic locations. This remote attended usability methodology (also called the remote synchronous method) is distinguished from automated user data collection, which is more suitable for quantitative research. Two case histories describe studies of nonprofit and commercial websites, with details about facilitating the user sessions that characterize the remote methodology. The paper concludes with a summary of the strengths and weaknesses of remote attended usability studies. Keywords: usability, user experience, user research, remote usability testing.","PeriodicalId":131068,"journal":{"name":"2008 IEEE International Professional Communication Conference","volume":"62 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2008-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124732378","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2008-07-13DOI: 10.1109/IPCC.2008.4610192
N. Amare, A. Manning
Information economy, indeed any economy, requires some common medium of exchange. We therefore seek clarity and commonality in the vocabulary of visual language. Visual vocabularies have of course been proposed by others, but we can demonstrate that, so far, they possess an artificiality effectively preventing widespread adoption. Therefore, what we propose is a comprehensive language for visuals that is derived from terms and concepts already extant in the visual rhetoric literature, but with a novel, unifying organization which, we will demonstrate, is organically grammatical in the precise sense of the word. Our goal is not to silence other language scholars who interpret visuals in their own ways but rather to offer up a safe space where, theories and ideologies and egos aside, we can collectively name what we collectively experience in visual information, then as technical communicators read and create visuals with a fuller understanding of how visuals work in relation to and separate from textual interpretation.
{"title":"A language for visuals: Design, purpose, usability","authors":"N. Amare, A. Manning","doi":"10.1109/IPCC.2008.4610192","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/IPCC.2008.4610192","url":null,"abstract":"Information economy, indeed any economy, requires some common medium of exchange. We therefore seek clarity and commonality in the vocabulary of visual language. Visual vocabularies have of course been proposed by others, but we can demonstrate that, so far, they possess an artificiality effectively preventing widespread adoption. Therefore, what we propose is a comprehensive language for visuals that is derived from terms and concepts already extant in the visual rhetoric literature, but with a novel, unifying organization which, we will demonstrate, is organically grammatical in the precise sense of the word. Our goal is not to silence other language scholars who interpret visuals in their own ways but rather to offer up a safe space where, theories and ideologies and egos aside, we can collectively name what we collectively experience in visual information, then as technical communicators read and create visuals with a fuller understanding of how visuals work in relation to and separate from textual interpretation.","PeriodicalId":131068,"journal":{"name":"2008 IEEE International Professional Communication Conference","volume":"57 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2008-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122969909","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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