Transcript Education in Technical Communication

Education in Technical
Communication
Past, Present, India’s Future?
Presented to The STC India Annual
Conference, Bangalore
Presented by Carol M. Barnum, Ph.D.
Email: [email protected]
What we’ll cover
• the evolution of technical writing
• the rapid U.S. expansion of programs
• the development of a professional
community
• the situation in India
• the early efforts at collaboration
STC India Conference
Carol Barnum
2
Part 1: The Evolution of Technical
Writing
STC India Conference
Carol Barnum
3
How it started
• emerged in the U.S. during World War II
• supported the technology developed in
– engineering
– computer science
– medicine and health care
– other technical fields
STC India Conference
Carol Barnum
4
After WWII
• G.I. Bill - older, career-oriented college
population
• increased interest in engineering
programs
• service course in technical writing for
engineers
STC India Conference
Carol Barnum
5
Service course broadened to
reflect growing need
•
•
•
•
pharmacy
agriculture
chemistry
home economics
STC India Conference
Carol Barnum
6
Where technical writers worked
• military, manufacturing, or domestic
product industry
• engineering departments or
organizations
• science and research labs
STC India Conference
Carol Barnum
7
Where technical writing was
taught
• Engineering schools
– by engineers
– for engineers
• English departments
– to engineering, science, and technical
majors
STC India Conference
Carol Barnum
8
Course content
• reports
– feasibility studies
– recommendation reports
– status/progress reports
– investigative reports
• proposals
• instructions (procedures)
• descriptions
STC India Conference
Carol Barnum
9
First textbooks - 1960s
• large increase in composition and
technical writing courses
• rhetoric based - emphasis on writing
process and audience
• focus on products or genres
• new interest in proposal writing
STC India Conference
Carol Barnum
10
Professional organizations
• Society of Technical Writers and Editors
(1953)
• The Association of Technical Writers
and Editors (1954)
• two organizations merged to become
the Society of Technical Writers and
Editors (1957)
• Renamed the Society for Technical
Communication (1971)
STC India Conference
Carol Barnum
11
First programs - 1958
• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
– MA in Rhetoric and Technical
Communication
– Technical Writers Institute
STC India Conference
Carol Barnum
12
Part 2: Paradigm shift
STC India Conference
Carol Barnum
13
Computers entered the
mainstream
• Mainframe computers found commercial
uses in 1960s
• 1960— 2000 computers in U.S.
• 1970—125,000 computers in U.S.
• 1978 Apple II; 1981 IBM PC;
1984 Apple Macintosh
• 1985— 500,000 computers in U.S.
• 1990—World Wide Web
STC India Conference
Carol Barnum
14
Discipline of technical
communication - 1970s
• 10 academic programs
– graduate programs added at MIT and
Michigan
• Short courses for industry
– offered by many institutions including MIT,
Michigan, Georgia Tech
• Academic journals
– Journal of Technical Writing and
Communication - 1970
STC India Conference
Carol Barnum
15
Academic organizations -1970s
• Association of Teachers of Technical
Writing/Technical Writing Teacher - 1973
• Council for Programs in Technical and
Scientific Communication - 1973
– 19 programs in 1976 directory
– 51 programs in 1981 directory
STC India Conference
Carol Barnum
16
Technical writing majors -1980s
• technical writing developed into
technical communication
• graduate programs increased
• research published
• National Council of Teachers of English
Committee on Technical and Scientific
Communication established annual
awards for technical communication
publications
STC India Conference
Carol Barnum
17
Technical communication -late
1980s to 90s
• shift from writing practice to theory
• shift from product emphasis to process
approach (using composition theory)
• 203 programs (11 doctoral programs) in
STC survey -1993
STC India Conference
Carol Barnum
18
Technical communication majors
write
• documentation (instructions) for
computer hardware and software
– on paper
– online
• reports and proposals
STC India Conference
Carol Barnum
19
Technical communication majors
also write and design
• advertising materials
• articles, newsletters, press releases
(marketing)
• newspaper and magazine pieces
(journalism)
• training materials (print and online)
• Corporate communication
• web pages
STC India Conference
Carol Barnum
20
Technical communication majors
edit
• writing of others
– documentation
– engineering
– medicine/healthcare
STC India Conference
Carol Barnum
21
Careers in technical
communication
• US Department of Labor - in top 10
fastest growing fields
• high starting salaries
• excellent career mobility
STC India Conference
Carol Barnum
22
Work in many industries and
government
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
computer industry
all areas of engineering
local, state, and national government
environmental safety
health care and medicine
training
translation and localization
STC India Conference
Carol Barnum
23
Future of technical
communication
• continued expansion into new areas
– internet (World Wide Web)
– intranet
– usability testing
• continued need to learn new tools and
technology
STC India Conference
Carol Barnum
24
Society for Technical
Communication
• 25,000 members worldwide
• chapters around the world including
– Canada
– Europe (10 chapters)
– New Zealand, Australia
– Singapore
– Taipei
– Tokyo
– India
STC India Conference
Carol Barnum
25
Education in technical
communication today
• more than 220 programs listed on STC
website
– most are in U.S.
– Canada
– France, Sweden, Netherlands
– Germany (just starting 4-yr. program)
– New Zealand
– India (more about this later)
STC India Conference
Carol Barnum
26
Types of programs
• two-year programs in technical schools
• certificates (undergrad, post grad and
noncredit)
• BA and BS programs in colleges and
universities
• distance learning/internet programs
STC India Conference
Carol Barnum
27
Types of programs (cont.)
• Post-graduate programs
– technical communication
– rhetoric and composition
– journalism
– English
– instructional technology
– information design
• STC website lists 22 Ph.D. programs
STC India Conference
Carol Barnum
28
Close ties with industry
•
•
•
•
Advisory boards
internships for students and faculty
relevant work experience by faculty
guest speakers from business and
industry
• scholarships for students
– from industry & business
– from STC chapters
STC India Conference
Carol Barnum
29
Part 3: Situation in India
STC India Conference
Carol Barnum
30
IT software service professionals
in India
• 1998-99:
• Jan. 2001:
280,000
410,000
(according to Profit Magazine, Aug. 2001)
STC India Conference
Carol Barnum
31
Technical communicators in India
• estimate of 600
(according to Frederick Menezes, article on twin-india.org)
STC India Conference
Carol Barnum
32
Number of university degree
programs in India
• zero
STC India Conference
Carol Barnum
33
STC website lists program in India
• Indian National Scientific
Documentation Center
– A constituent of Council of Scientific and
Industrial Research, Govt. of India
– 2-yr. Certificate, Associate of Applied
Science
STC India Conference
Carol Barnum
34
Other efforts underway
• SA International, Chennai, in association with
Simon Fraser University, Canada
– Certificate in technical writing
• Calicut University, as part of Mass
Communication/Journalism course
– Optional paper in technical writing
• Technowrites, Pune
– Some basic courses in technical writing
STC India Conference
Carol Barnum
35
India has 213 universities
• Resident university programs needed
• More collaborations needed that lead to
BA, BS, and MA/MS degrees
• STC India is in the forefront of efforts to
educate about the need
STC India Conference
Carol Barnum
36
Collaboration efforts continue
• 350,000 students in University of
Bombay
• 23 universities in Hyderabad Sind
National Collegiate Board (HSNCB)
• Exchange agreement in place between
University System of Georgia and
HSNCB
• Interest in developing technical writing
STC India Conference
Carol Barnum
37
Technical writing seminar
• 3 days in March, 2002
• Program for management students in
business college
• Program for faculty and administrators
• Outcome unknown …to be continued?
STC India Conference
Carol Barnum
38
Let’s work together to make it
happen
STC India Conference
Carol Barnum
39