TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
> I see your point, but if we are talking about a new
> technical-writing
> program being developed in an English department,
> consider (c) the
> Powers that Be who can approve new courses are
> literature specialists
> who are skeptical of the curriculum itself (in large
> measure because
> they neither have nor want a clue what it is about)
> and see no place in
> the English department for a course that focuses on
> anything as
> practical as software tools. I was told such courses
> smacked of
> "vocationalism."
The polarization of the Powers That Be is irrelevant.
If they are developing a tech writing curriculum then
they have to do it objectively, else why bother.
I hold very little respect for people who try to
broaden a scope but only within the boundaries of
their polarized focus.
And don't teach tools. A college should NEVER have a
FrameMaker 101 course or anything of the sort. Why?
Because tools are tools folks. Teach the tools, but do
so in a useful context. I learned a shload of tools in
college, but not because they taught them. Rather,
courses focused on writing practices, and assignments
mandated a tool to use for the job. If you couldn't
learn the tool on your own, you talked to the
professor and got a tutor.
Look at engineers... they don't have an AutoCAD 101
course. Rather, that skill is taught during various
practice courses - structural analysis and design
courses. You learn the theory and practice and APPLY
it to a tool.
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Find the one for you at Yahoo! Personals http://personals.yahoo.com
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Collect Royalties, Not Rejection Letters! Tell us your rejection story when you
submit your manuscript to iUniverse Nov. 6 -Dec. 15 and get five free copies of
your book. What are you waiting for? http://www.iuniverse.com/media/techwr
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
