Department
English
College
Arts and Humanities
Publication Date
2017
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to compare the requirements for technical communication identified by practitioners and employers, with the courses offered in technical communication programs. Are technical communication academic programs providing the necessary skills to keep graduates current with the needs of employers and industry? The methods used were an analysis of technical communication literature to identify existing practitioners and employers identified skills and knowledge requirements. A quantitative analysis of courses was conducted by academic level, and courses to include required, select from and elective courses. Results revealed technical communication programs offer a wide variety of courses. Writing is one consistent course across all levels.
Weaknesses exist in business courses, oral communication, project management, usability, and quantitative or qualitative analysis. The conclusion is that technical communication is still a print-centric discipline in academia. Rather than keeping pace with the growth in technology used by practitioners and desired by employers, the basics of writing, composition, editing and design remain fundamental for technical communication pedagogy. This is an interdisciplinary discipline has failed overall to adapt and grow with the demands of industry and employers.
Instructor’s Name
Jennifer Veltsos
Degree
Master of Arts in English, Technical Communication Option
Document Type
Video
Recommended Citation
Hirsch, Geraldine K., "Are the Curricula of Technical Commuication Programs Keeping up with the Demands of Professionals and Employers" (2017). Technical Communication Capstone Course. 16.
https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/eng_tech_comm_capstone_course/16
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
