Effective Teaching of Technical Communication: Theory, Practice, and Application

Drawn from quantitative and qualitative work of practitioners in the field, this edited collection provides an update to the Staples and Ornatowski's influential Foundations of Teaching Technical Communication (1997). The collection is organized around the broad themes of expanding pedagogy, shaping curriculum, incorporating technology, and engaging community. In each section, authors illustrate their experiences with teaching in the university technical communication classroom, addressing topics such as rethinking the role of internships, redesigning student learning outcomes for assessment practices, incorporating ethics into the technical communication classroom, using visual communication in community context, and engaging plain language. These sixteen chapters, taken as a whole or individually, provide readers with insights and examples into teaching technical communication in the 21st century.

Michael J. Klein is associate professor of writing, rhetoric and technical communication at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. At JMU, He directs the Cohen Center for the Humanities, a university center focused on humanistic inquiry across disciplines, and the support of graduate education through scholarships, travel grants and learning opportunities. He is also the founder and coordinator of the interdisciplinary minor in medical humanities, which comprises 12 academic units across three colleges.