This presentation features results of an online focus group conversation among five nonprofit proposal writers ('also colloquially 1(110471 as "grant writers") in the early to mid-stages of their careers, reflecting on the roles thatjob training, mentors/zip, professional organizations, and a course in nonprofit proposal writing have had on their career knowledge and success. The studyfound that historical and cultural knowledge of the community, the organization, and the project being funded seemed to be of equal importance to experiences in training or mentoring. The paper shares the experiences of learning these skills within a university level grant writing course and the participants provide recommendations for new grant professionals.
Increasingly, higher education institutions are investing in a booming microcredentialing industry. These flexible, self-paced courses often promise to improve learners' hireability through teaching skills that meet market and employer demands. This paper investigates the perceptions of microcredentials within the context of hiring entry-level workers who recently graduated from undergraduate technical and professional writing academic programs. Our qualitative research study reports on the findings from 4 interviews with hiring managers and recruiters in a U.S. metropolitan area. In the guided interview protocol, participants were asked to reflect on their reactions to two sample resumes that included different qualifying credentials. The findings suggest that while microcredentials are appreciated for demonstrating a candidate's initiative and eagerness for self-improvement, they are not yet seen as equivalent to traditional degrees. Portfolios were highlighted as a valuable tool for candidates to demonstrate the practical application of skills, especially when microcredential rigor is in question.
In this paper, we draw from entrepreneurship literature to develop a typology of visual genres representing "journey"-related aspects of entrepreneurship. We identify and characterize iterative, linear, and synchronic representations of the entrepreneur's journey, providing examples of each from the entrepreneurship literature, and we discuss how these visual genres collectively help neophyte entrepreneurs understand different aspects of their entrepreneurial journey. Finally, we draw implications fir entrepreneurship communication and Jr professional communication more generally.
User forums are a popular form of user support. Many companies that provide complex products or services host online forums moderated by their employees. On these forums, users discuss problems they encountered with other users and experts. The most prominent advantages of user forums over other types of user support are that users do not have to search for the information they need and that they can get help on their individual problems. Previous studies have investigated various aspects of user forums, but research on what factors influence the success ofproblem-solving on user forums is scarce. In this paper, we present results of a content analysis of 50 discussions (threads) on user forums. The findings show that most threads were unsuccessfUl, which means that no solution was presented or not every participant agreed nith the presented solution. The results of the analysis of' the characteristics of the threads and the individual posts imply that companies should aim to moderate user support forums to keep the threads from becoming too large and that they should encourage users to critically assess suggestions and provide comprehensive information.
We present an assignment that leads students through a process of self-reflection, ethical analysis, and collaborative inquiry in a master’s level computer science course that blends professional communication and computing ethics. Students write a case-study narrative involving an ethical "failure" related to their own experiences as computer scientists. Rather than seeking a "right answer," the assignment provides students with an inquiry-based model of ethical decision-making drawn not from abstract principles but from practical wisdom informed by broader social, political, and historical conditions. Because we piloted both the course and the assignment in the spring of 2024, we discuss preliminary insights on the assignment and, more generally, on the possibilities of combining community literacy and deep tech ethics in the computer science classroom.
To address the challenge of meeting ABET outcomes for ethical judgment, communication, and teamwork, this paper presents an innovative team project that integrates these skills and scaffolds their development. The project requires students to analyze the ethics of an Al system by identifying use cases, developing methods of analysis, evaluating such issues as bias, transparency, and sustainability, and developing policy recommendations Jr improvements to the system or for use in applications. The major deliverables are a collaboratively written proposal and a final team presentation that presents the research and recommendations. Lessons in ethical reasoning; research, information management, and academic integrity; proposal writing; policy advocacy; collaboration; and presentation augment their selfdirected study of both how specific Al systems work, and the ethical and sociocultural implications of employing that technology Pr specific use cases. Students gain both conceptual and applied knowledge of ethical principles, reasoning through complex issues, reaching consensus through structured processes, and analyzing the effects of technology. In addition, students gain an in-depth understanding of the implications of using LLMs in the research and writing process, which increases their ability to make ethical choices about whether to use the output of these systems.
This paper discusses the high-impact practices of a communication design and content strategy studio course at a regional comprehensive university. A technical and professional communication studio course asks students to work as professional writers in a way that approximates a real-world workplace. The course in this case study, an advanced elective in an English undergraduate program, connected students with community clients to complete projects that integrated research, writing, and design. This paper describes the structure of the course, the design thinking approach applied to client projects, the students ‘ processes, and lessons learned from end-of-term feedback. I conclude with recommendations for similar studio learning experiences that can help technical and professional communication students envision themselves in the professional sphere, bridging classroom and workplace practice through real-world research, writing, design, and project management.
This brief paper describes the persuasive strategies used by entrepreneurs for articulating problem statements in their business pitches. Using data from a top international business accelerator, Start Up Chile, we analyzed 44 written problem statements that scored highly on a metric ofproblem identification. Our findings indicate that vhen successful entrepreneurs articulate problems/opportunities they employ a cause-and-effect argumentative structure. Their "problem" is described as the result ofa societal change or a shortcoming in current products or services, and the effects are pain points experienced in the form oftime, money or other resources lost. We also found that the problem statements often explicitly indexed the industry context of the opportunity, used secondary sources to establish ethos, and used rhetorical amplification to create a sense of urgency. We conclude with a template for articulating problem statements. This template may be useful to new entrepreneurs as well as technical and professional communication educators and students.
This paper presents a case study where the existing organizational style guide is insufficient for the specific needs of engineering-based subset of the organization. While the organizational style guide is focused on high-level administrative documents Jr instance memos and external communications), it does not provide necessary guidance for technical and engineering-based content. For this case study, a style guide was created by a contractor for use with contractordeveloped materials for client delivery. In addition to the style guide, further organizational tools and structures to promote effective technical communication and close the gap with executive communications are presented.
This brief paper explores the controversy surrounding Senator John Fetterman’s sartorial choices of casual attire in the hyper-professionalized space of the United States Senate. Fetterman’s clothing choices transcend mere fashion; they embody a statement of class identity and challenge the established power dynamics within the Senate. His attire reflects Pittsburgh’s industrial and labor-oriented history, in contrast to the conventional, affluent image most associated with politicians. Although controversial, Fetterman’s white male privilege minimized the consequences of his indecorous behavior. The reactions to Fetterman’s attire highlight the debate over what constitutes appropriate professional decorum, unveiling the underlying biases and demonstrating how something as mundane as clothing can become a potent symbol in professional and political communication. Through a rhetorical materialist critique of the Fetterman attire controversy, we reveal decorum as a raced, gendered, and imperialistic technology an elite ruling class leverages to preserve the existing order. Our analysis further articulates the implications of Fetterman’s attire regarding material inclusivity and tangible representation in professional settings. We propose that reevaluating traditional decorum standards is essential to accommodate the evolving diversity of modern society.
The Introduction: Engineering undergraduates seem to possess inadequate writing skills, interpersonal skills, and team skills. Though writing is perceived as an individual activity, it is often accomplished in groups at the workplace later. This investigation mirrors the team writing process required at the workplace with the intention of transferring that experience into the engineering classroom. Therepre, this study examines the challenges and benefits of collaborative writing and the strategies to be implemented to develop students' writing skills in the ESL (English as a Second Language) classroom. Background: In this study, the teacher-researcher gave 14 collaborative writing tasks to two groups of first-year engineering students; they were expected to collaborate as a team and submit their written assignments using Google Does. Literature review: The literature relevant to collaborative writing and computer-mediated collaborative writing is reviewed here. Methods: This part includes the participants, tasks given, and data -collection tools which comprise the collaborative texts produced in Google Docs, the students' self-reflective writing, and the interviews with students. Results and discussion: The teacher-researcher analyzed the text produced by each group qualitatively and noticed that students showed a mixed reaction to writing collaboratively. Conclusion: The pedagogical implication is that collaborative writing can promote teamwork and interpersonal communication skills and improve the quality of the work in the ESL classroom.
This panel answers the question: how might we bridge technical and humanistic disciplines? Further, how might we use the emergent properties of these combined disciplines to cultivate humanistic impulses in our students? The panelists all teach in an Engineering Design program, where students take two years of studio classes co-taught by engineering, computer science, and English faculty. We share examples from our co-teaching experiences over the last few years that illustrate how we’ve bridged disciplines traditionally viewed as divided.
A focused, clearly defined, and reader-derived definition of documentation quality is a critical component in collecting meaningful and actionable feedback, creating reliable documentation metrics, and teaching technical communication students how to write quality documentation. To determine how readers define high-quality documentation, I carried out two studies using a set of empirically tested information quality dimensions. In the first study, I found that readers define high-quality documentation as being accurate, relevant, easy to understand, and accessible. In the second study, I used the Kano Model of customer satisfaction to determine how robust this proposed definition of documentation quality was. The results indicated that readers do define high-quality documentation as being accurate, easy to understand, and accessible; however, in this study, documentation completeness replaced documentation relevance. The results of these two studies can provide a sound theoretical basis for focusing on certain dimensions of documentation quality to increase reader satisfaction when writing and teaching. Further research should be done to expand the use of the Kano Model in the field of documentation quality.
This extended abstract proposes using the capabilities of open-source large language models (Lillis) to assess rhetorical moves in the executive summaries delivered by students enrolled in a Mechanical Engineering Capstone Senior Design course at a North American public STEM university. Our brief discussion surrounds the national and institutional contextualization of a capstone course, the current state of affairs and drawbacks of the executive summary assessment method, using an LLM to overcome these drawbacks, its potential benefits, and future work.
The objective of this panel is to build bridges across engineering and other technical fields by collaborating on critical pedagogical approaches aimed at meeting the present and future communication challenges facing our students as learners and practitioners. This panel brings together engineering faculty and practitioners based in the US and Canada, representing a range of interdisciplinary backgrounds and career stages, with specializations in technical and professional communication, rhetoric, and civil and environmental engineering. Panelists will share recent pedagogical interventions aimed at preparing engineering students to be reflective technical communicators and transformative members of their profession.
In response to the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, on February 3, 2023, and ensuing chemical spill and fire that has impacted air and water of nearby communities, we interview community members about concerns about disaster risk communication. We apply John Dryzek’s ideologies via discourse analysis of participant’s responses. Our preliminary results reveal that residents have considerable short- and long-term environmental and human health concerns about intersecting environmental risk factors that offer insights into complex environmental risk communication models.
Early-stage technology startups must continuously learn: About potential markets and their problems, about the developing technology and its opportunities and limitations, about business models that could sustain an enterprise built around the technology. And they must continuously argue their value to a rotating set of stakeholders. To provide relative stability amidst constant changes to the argument, startups develop a multifaceted value proposition: a claim that can accommodate its diverse stakeholders' values. In this preliminary study, we apply the Orders of Worth framework to archival data and interviews from a startup developing its offering from 2016-2023. We focus on its value proposition, "Save more than you spend," examining how elaborations on this phrase to different stakeholders invoke different orders of worth, yielding what one founder characterizes as a "multifaceted value proposition." We conclude with implications Or understanding the value proposition as fractional: cohering just enough to provide a relatively stable project object for the startup.
Although many online guides claim to provide best practices for designing research (or scientific) posters, little research exists to support these practices. In three small studies we examine readers' impressions of different poster formats. Our results suggest that most readers prefer posters that use complete sentence headings over those that use headings consisting of a single word or phrase. We also found that readers were divided over the MetterPosters format, which foregrounds a one-sentence summary of the study and a QR code linking to the paper, with some readers enthusiastic about this format and others decidedly against it.
The use of images on municipal websites plays a pivotal role in shaping first impressions of local governments and cities. However, our understanding of image usage on municipal websites and its relationship to culture remains limited. This study presents a comparative analysis of image use on 100 Chinese and 100 Western municipal websites, focusing on quantity, image types, and photo themes. The findings reveal distinct patterns: Chinese municipal websites tend to incorporate a significantly higher number of images, prominently featuring icons, posters/infographics, and QR codes, whereas on Western municipal sites relatively more drawings, logos, and photos are shown. These differences suggest that Western municipal websites adopt a text-centric approach, utilizing images primarily Or aesthetic and affective purposes. Conversely, Chinese municipal websites adopt an image-centric approach, leveraging images for informative and navigational purposes. Moreover, in terms of photo themes, Western websites predominantly showcase themes related to families and daily life of residents, while Chinese counterparts emphasize government activities and urban development. These disparities reflect differing approaches to audience understanding: sender-responsible in the West and audience-responsible in China. Understanding these distinctions is vital for tailoring municipal websites to specific cultural groups, enhancing user engagement, and effectively communicating the city or government's image to diverse audiences.
This study involves a data science and machine learning course partnered with an engineering communication course referred to here as an authentically integrated communication model and offers insights into such a model for engineering educators. In these partnered courses, student teams apply data science and machine learning tools to conduct data analysis and write two data science reports. Through qualitative coding and corpus analysis methods, rhetorical moves that students make in the data science report genre were identified. Twelve out of 57 total final reports were randomly chosen and coded, then six corpora of excerpts related to two codes and subcodes were created to generate keyword lists. These codes were "results," "discussion," as well as "ineffective" and "effective" subcodes fir each main code. The total codes were then compared to one another according to students' enrollment in both courses. Overall, students' reports in the engineering communication class more often contained effective results and effective discussion excerpts. Keywords along with example sentences are provided to demonstrate greater context for the use of language in the data science report genre.
