Full Description
In the field of technical communication, academics and industry practitioners alike regularly encounter the same question: "What exactly is it you do?" Their responses often reveal a fundamental difference of perspective on what the field is and how it operates. For example, academics might discuss ideas in terms of rhetorical theory, while practitioners might explain concepts through more practical approaches involving best business practices. And such differences can have important implications for how the field, as a whole, moves forward over time. This collection explores ideas related to forging effective academia-industry relationships and partnerships so members of the field can begin a dialogue designed to foster communication and collaboration among academics and industry practitioners in technical communication. To address the various factors that can affect such interactions, the contributions in this collection represent a broad range of approaches that technical communicators can use to establish effective academy-industry partnerships and relationships in relation to an area of central interest to both: education. The 11 chapters thus present different perspectives on and ideas for achieving this goal. In so doing, the contributors discuss programmatic concerns, workplace contexts, outreach programs, and research and writing. The result is a text that examines different general contexts in which academia-industry relationships and partnerships can be established and maintained. It also provides readers with a reference for exploring such interactions.
Contents
Foreword: Considering Partnerships and Relationships in the Field Carolyn Rude
Introduction: Rethinking the Nature of Academy-Industry Partnerships and Relationships Kirk St.Amant
SECTION I: PROGRAMMATIC PERSPECTIVES
CHAPTER 1 Stakeholder Theory and Technical Communication Academic Programs Jim Nugent and Laurence José
CHAPTER 2 A Technical Communication Venture in Building Academic-Entrepreneur Relations and Partnerships John M. Spartz and Ryan P. Weber
CHAPTER 3 Establishing Program-Specific Assessment Standards for Experiential Learning Courses Kenneth R. Price
SECTION II: INDUSTRY CONTEXTS
CHAPTER 4 Creating Bridges with Internships Susan M. Katz
CHAPTER 5 Collaborating with Industry Using Mentoring Programs and Internships Herb J. Smith
CHAPTER 6 Academic/Government Partnerships: Theoretical Underpinnings for Improving Online Writing Barbara A. Heifferon
SECTION III: ENGAGEMENT VENUES
CHAPTER 7 Engagement Through Emerging Technologies: A Humanistic Perspective on Academe-Industry Relationships and Partnerships Russell G. Carpenter
CHAPTER 8 Accommodationist and Constructivist Approaches to Academic-Industry Partnerships in a Usability and User-Experience Facility Tharon Howard
CHAPTER 9 Making Space for Community Voices: Rhetoric, Engagement, and the Possibilities for Partnerships James M. Dubinsky
SECTION IV: RESEARCH AND WRITING OPPORTUNITIES
CHAPTER 10 Research Agendas for Technical and Professional Communication Programs Stephen A. Bernhardt
CHAPTER 11 Theorizing a Practical Rhetoric for Virtual Collaboration among Writers in Academia and Industry Charlotte A. Robidoux, Beth L. Hewett, and David W. Overbey
Afterword: A Neophyte Discovers Technical Writing and Is On His Own Dan Riordan
Contributors
Index
