The Care and Feeding of a PhD Student

What is Technical Communication?

2009-11-15T17:43:00.000-08:00

When I tell people I am pursuing my Ph.D. in Technical Communication and Rhetoric -- there is often a pause and then they ask "What is Technical Communication?". This is my definition -- still a work in progress -- but perhaps will answer the question for those inquiring minds.

In today's information age, technical communication may well be essential to success in all areas of life. While technical communication has long been linked with professional communication, today a broader and more inclusive definition is necessary to encompass the wide range of technical communication work possible. Technical communication is how the work of life gets done. This begins clearly with workplace and professional writing as well as work to support and use technology but also encompasses knowledge work that takes place in government, community, and private lives.

Many definitions of technical communication place technical communication firmly in the workplace with practical writing – which may or may not be scientific and technical. Rutter; Harrison; Sullivan & Porter; Selber; Brasseur; and Kynell & Tebeaux all connect technical communication with the workplace. Thralls and Blyler include technical communication within professional communication in “business, industry, and the professions” (p. 132). Driskill located technical communication within the business community which she uses synonymously with workplace (p. 57). Durack points out that traditionally technical communication focused on technology and science in the workplace (p. 36) however acknowledges the definition of workplace in today's world is rather loose and flexible. Durack defines the workplace as a “primary location” for “economically productive activities” which could well mean the workplace is the home (p. 41). While technical communication work certainly continues in that tradition today it has expanded to include a wide range of knowledge work – some of which is not for pay.

The old definition of technical communication did not simply limit the location of technical communication but also its scope. In the past, technical communication often seemed limited to work within a particular field, such as engineering, but that perception has changed dramatically. Newer definitions of technical communication now point to technical communication as “multidisciplinary” (Kynell & Tebeaux, p. 136) or “interdisciplinary” (Lay, p. 147). Even more important to shifting the definition of technical communication to knowledge work is understanding how the work of technical communication has changed. While Thralls & Zachry call technical communication “a shaping force” (as quoted in Kynell & Tebeaux, p. 139), Miller says in the past technical communication was often seen as only a “necessary evil” (p. 51). According to Slack, Miller, & Doak; Miller; Sullivan; and Blyler, technical communication was often seen simply as purveyor of information or sometimes as a mediator of information. However, the new definition of technical communication rearticulates the role of technical communication in society and empowers the technical communicator.

Sullivan and Blyler both argue that without this social action technical communication becomes rhetoric appropriate for slaves. Sullivan (1990) argues we must expand the scope of technical communication to include political discourse or technical communicators are powerless to make decision or take action (p. 216) – which is why he calls for making a serious commitment to technical communication as a social act (p. 217). Both Sullivan and Blyler say there is need for technical communication that solves practical problems and serves public needs which moves technical communication from a functionalist ideology to one that contributes to free and open communication while still maintaining its roots in practical rhetoric. Sullivan and Miller each argue that technical communication is more than a set of simple skills. Johnson-Eilola (1996) agrees as he makes the argument that technical communicators are expert at manipulating information and so should be central to the new information economy. He states that we have shifted from an industrial economy to an information economy and that so the model for technical communication should shift accordingly to rearticulate its emphasis from technical to communication with an emphasis on social contexts and processes. Johnson-Eilola’s new technical communicator is a symbolic-analytic worker who is highly skilled in information manipulation and abstraction as well as possesses the ability to identify, rearrange, circulate, abstract, and broker information. The symbolic-analytic worker works within and across information spaces which forever breaks technical communication free of its former confines.

However this new technical communication is not limited to the workplace. Rutter described the ideal technical communicator as a wise person “who can speak and write well” (p. 22) and “contributes usefully” to “practical endeavors” (p. 25). Rutter describes the ideal technical communicator as an “articulate citizen” who can also “accommodate technology to its users and see technology in a broader societal perspective” (p. 32). It is that broader societal perspective that gives Durack pause and ask “if it is possible to construct a single definition for technical communication that can flexibly accommodate past and future changes in the meaning and significance of work, workplace, and technology” (p. 41). Even as she links technical communication to work and technology, Durack warns against making any definition of technical communication exclusionary (p. 42).

Writing and communicating are still essential parts of technical communication, but more skills are required by today’s technical communication as Rutter (p. 21) and Little & McLaren (as quoted in Rutter, p. 29) point out. Now “judgment” and “problem solving” (Rutter, p. 21), “adapting to changing demands” (Little & McLaren as quoted in Rutter, p. 29), and “abstract reasoning” (Diehl et al, p. 414) are also important to technical communication. But both skill sets also require an understanding of people and the community where the communication is located. We can understand how key that knowledge is to offering “culturally based perceptions to the audience, rather than objective information and data” (Lay, p. 151), “applying broad knowledge to particular problems” (Whitburn as quoted in Rutter, p. 29), and understanding “how people communicate with each other” (Hughes & Hayhoe, p. 77). Rutter points out that “human” communication is essential to technical communication (p. 21). Perhaps it might better to say that technical communication is essential to human communication.

Diehl et al understand “writing as knowledge work” (p. 413) which they define as “analytical activity requiring problem-solving and abstract reasoning” (p. 414). This activity often utilizes advanced information technologies and involves acts of writing. Pointing out that “communities and citizens are entrenched in a knowledge society”, Diehl et al argue that citizenship is a function of knowledge work and citizen knowledge work is a “complex mix of technological and rhetorical writing tasks” (p. 431). Diet et al say “We are interested, therefore, in what knowledge work looks like, in the shape and function of writing as a type of knowledge work, and in the key differences in this activity as it is located in various domains of life” as they point out no domain of activity owns digitally mediated knowledge work” (p. 432). “Writing, as we understand it here, is essential to how work gets done as part of the everyday, but we do not think that the way writing research and teaching is typically bounded and focused enables us to see, adequately, the connections or imagine, boldly, creative and useful innovations” (p. 432).

Technical communication is interdisciplinary and multi-faceted – changing as needs and situations require to solve problems, facilitate human communication, and get the work of life done. Rhetorical skill is still an essential part of technical communication as part of the human communication, connection, and context that Miller, Rutter, and Hughes & Hayhoe describe, but also essential are judgment, abstract reasoning, and problem solving.

References

Blyler, N.R. (1998). Contesting the Objectivist Paradigm: Gender Issues in the Technical and Professional Communication Curriculum. In J. Johnson-Eilola & S. A. Selber (Eds.), Central Works in Technical Communication (illustrated edition., pp. 268-280). New York: Oxford University Press.
Brasseur, L. E. (1982). Contesting the Objectivist Paradigm: Gender Issues in the Technical and Professional Communication Curriculum. In J. Johnson-Eilola & S. A. Selber (Eds.), Central Works in Technical Communication (illustrated edition., pp. 3-19). New York: Oxford University Press.
Diehl, A., Grabill, J. T., Hart-Davidson, W., & Iyer, V. (2008). Grassroots: Supporting the Knowledge Work of Everyday Life. Technical Communication Quarterly, 17(4), 413.
Driskill, L. (1989). Understanding the Writing Context in Organizations. In J. Johnson-Eilola & S. A. Selber (Eds.), Central Works in Technical Communication (illustrated edition., pp. 55-69). New York: Oxford University Press.
Durack, K. T. (1997). Gender, Technology, and the History of Technical Communication. In J. Johnson-Eilola & S. A. Selber (Eds.), Central Works in Technical Communication (illustrated edition., pp. 35-43). New York: Oxford University Press.
Harrison, T. M. (1987). Frameworks for the Study of Writing in Organizational contexts. In J. Johnson-Eilola & S. A. Selber (Eds.), Central Works in Technical Communication (illustrated edition., pp. 255-267). New York: Oxford University Press.
Hughes, M. A., & Hayhoe, G. F. (2007). A Research Primer for Technical Communication: Methods, Exemplars, and Analyses. Lawrence Erlbaum.
Johnson-Eilola, J. (1996). Relocating the Value of Work. In J. Johnson-Eilola & S. A. Selber (Eds.), Central Works in Technical Communication (illustrated edition., pp. 175-192). New York: Oxford University Press.
Johnson-Eilola, J., & Selber, S. A. (2004). Central Works in Technical Communication (illustrated edition.). New York: Oxford University Press.
Kynell, T., & Tebeaux, E. (2009). The Association of Teachers of Technical Writing: The Emergence of Professional Identity. Technical Communication Quarterly, 18(2), 107.
Lay, M. M. (1991). Feminist Theory and the Redefinition of Technical Communication. In J. Johnson-Eilola & S. A. Selber (Eds.), Central Works in Technical Communication (illustrated edition., pp. 146-159). New York: Oxford University Press.
Miller, C. R. (1979). A Humanistic Rationale for Technical Writing. In J. Johnson-Eilola & S. A. Selber (Eds.), Central Works in Technical Communication (illustrated edition., pp. 47-54). New York: Oxford University Press.
Rutter, R. (1991). History, Rhetoric, and Humanism. In J. Johnson-Eilola & S. A. Selber (Eds.), Central Works in Technical Communication (illustrated edition., pp. 20-34). New York: Oxford University Press.
Selber, S. A. (1994). Beyond Skill Building: Challenges Facing Technical Communication Teachers in the Computer Age. In J. Johnson-Eilola & S. A. Selber (Eds.), Central Works in Technical Communication (illustrated edition., pp. 449-465). New York: Oxford University Press.
Scott, J.B., Longo, B., & Wills, K.V. (2006). Critical Power Tools: Technical Communication and Cultural Studies. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
Slack, J.D., Miller, D.J., & Doak, J. (1993). In Scott, J.B., Longo, B., & Wills, K.V. (Eds.), Critical Power Tools: Technical Communication and Cultural Studies (pp. 25-46). Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
Sullivan, D.L. (1990). Political-Ethical Implications of Defining Technical Communication as a Practice. In J. Johnson-Eilola & S. A. Selber (Eds.), Central Works in Technical Communication (illustrated edition., pp. 211-219). New York: Oxford University Press.
Sullivan, P., & Porter, J. E. (1993). On Theory, Practice, and Method: Toward a Heuristic Research Methodology for Professional Writing. In J. Johnson-Eilola & S. A. Selber (Eds.), Central Works in Technical Communication (illustrated edition., pp. 300-313). New York: Oxford University Press.
Thralls, C., & Blyler, N. R. (1993). The Social Perspective and Professional Communication: Diversity and Directions in Research. In J. Johnson-Eilola & S. A. Selber (Eds.), Central Works in Technical Communication (illustrated edition., pp. 124-145). New York: Oxford University Press.

Beyond Skill Building

2009-09-09T12:59:00.000-07:00

Notes on Stuart A. Selber's "Beyond Skill Building":

Too many courses decontextualize computer skills

Trying to characterize the kind of student we should be trying to develop

Literacies = Functional, critical, rhetorical

Humanistic goals call for critical and rhetorical as well as technical skills

Feminist Theory and the Redefinition of Technical Communications

2009-09-09T12:46:00.000-07:00

Reflections on Mary M. Lay's "Feminist Theory and the Redefinition of Technical Communications":

Characteristics of Feminist Theory:
1. Celebration of difference
2. Theory activating social change
3. Acknowledgement of scholars' backgrounds and values
4. Inclusion of women's experiences
5. Study of gaps and silences in traditional scholarship
6. New sources of knowledge

Issues in Feminist Theory:
1. Emphasize similarities or differences?
2. Differences located in cultural or biological traits?
3. Should these issues promote or displace binary opposite?

In affiliating with scientific positivism and objectivey, traditional technical communication ranks higher than subjective types of writing, engages in dualistic thinking and maintains closeness with patriarchy -- and resists redefinition

Interdisciplinary, collaborative nature of technical communication will lead field in direction of feminist theory

Gender, Technology, and the History of Technical Communication

2009-09-09T12:19:00.000-07:00

Reflections on Katherine T. Durack's "Gender, Technology, and the History of Technical Communication"

Women largely absent from history due to cultural blinders

What is technical writing?
1. Close relationship with technology (as either subject or function)
2. Associated with work and workplace

David Dobrin - writing that accommodates technology to the user

Killingsworth - technical writing exists to help readers achieve work-related goals -- to perform work, to solve problems in a work context

Inclusive definitions challenge dualistic thinking
- public vs. private
- household vs. industry
- masculine vs. feminine

Technical writing is social action, exists to accomplish something

Technical writing's close relationship to technology (knowledge, action, tools) -- not just inventions but innovations and implementations

Technical writing makes tacit knowledge explicitly

History, Rhetoric, and Humanism

2009-09-09T12:02:00.000-07:00

My reflections on Russell Rutter's "History, Rhetoric, and Humanism":

Points out technical communication is most known for its emphasis on workplace practicality

Quotes a project manager who says technical writing
- 1/3 writing proficiency
- 1/3 problem solving
- 1/3 ability to work with people

TC more than profiency in writing, more than facts

TC training should not simulate corporate training but produce competent communicators and effective problem solvers

Bruffee -- Civilization, society, conversation place people and knowledge ahead of systems and activities

Quintilian - being precedes doing

Humanist tradition - What a person knows and is determines what that person will do and how well he or she will do it

TC rhetorical above all

Writing creates its own reality then convinces readers to accept its version of reality

TC not a closed system but dynamic

Its task not to serve technology in abstract but to produce writing that can accommodate technology to the user

Technical communicators are rhetoricians

People in professional and technical occupations spend more than one day in five writing

Technical communicators must know how to do more than write
- adapt to changing demands
- function in collaborative context of workplace

Discourse community knowledge is key

Technical communicators are not channels of information but senders, not just shape medium but also matter of message

Can accommodate technology to user and see technology in broad social perspective

The Rise of Technical Writing Instruction in America

2009-09-09T11:07:00.000-07:00

My reflections on Robert J. Connors "The Rise of Technical Writing Instruction in America":

While the Civil War and the two Morrill Acts changed the status of the technical fields, it was World War II that gave birth to the field of technical writing. For the first time it was more than an adjunct function of some other activity. The focus moved from engineering to technology.

Mills and Walter 1954 survey of 300 technical writing situations yielded two important assumptions:

1. Rhetorical approach (rather than types of reports) was a better approach to technical writing instruction

2. The only good criterion -- does it work -- the writer-reader relationship is the most important aspect

1965 Britton - technical writing defined by effort of the author to convey one meaning and only one meaning in what he says

A Humanistic Rationale For Technical Writing

2009-09-05T14:40:00.000-07:00

My reflections and take-aways for Carolyn R. Miller's "A Humanistic Rationale For Technical Writing":

Positivist view of science puts science (objective facts) and rhetoric (emotional language/symbols) at opposition. The old stuff vs. fluff dichotomy. This relegates technical writing to a skills course which causes a myriad of problems for both instructors and students as well as field in general. I see this as a problem that not only holds true for technical writing but all writing courses (with the exception of creative writing).

The new (well in 1979 anyway) epistemology makes human knowledge thoroughly relative and science fundamentally rhetorical -- what we know of reality is created by individual action and communal assent.

Miller asserts that good technical writing becomes, rather than the revelation of absolute reality, a persuasive version of experience.

Sociological and rhetorical truism -- communication takes place in communities.

Technical writing should not be taught as a set of techniques but as a way to participate in a community; not just a set of skills but also an understanding of one's own activity within that community.

I agree with this wholeheartedly but I also happen to believe this is the way to teach writing in general -- so what separates a general writing course from a technical writing course then?

Status Report and Plans

2009-06-29T08:18:00.000-07:00

I have IRB approval from both TTU and MSU and have started gathering data. Already have a lot but expect it to continue for another year before I'm done.

I've started working on my reading list and think it may be good to send off to committee soon.

Hope to begin drafting pre-proposal following submission of reading list.

Have to decide on strategy for dealing with stacks of reading material around my office. Have to decide on strategy for dealing with all this data.

One more class to go and then quals in the Spring. Whew!

What do I mean?

2009-05-18T06:50:00.000-07:00

As the channels for communication continue to increase then so does the importance of our understanding of writing and communication. Negotiation is key to technical communication today. Not so much for the intransitive form it is so often taken to be, conferring to arrive at a settlement, but for the transitive form, which is to bring about through conference, discussion, and compromise. Negotiated writing is simply writing, created either by a single author or in collaboration, which is shared with a group which offers both discussion and feedback. While this form of writing support has proven effective when writers are situated in a class or workshop setting, we know little about whether or not writers can recreate negotiated writing for their personal and professional writing purposes after leaving the class or workshop.

Negotiating the dissertation question

2009-05-17T11:06:00.000-07:00

Negotiated writing

Negotiated meaning making

Negotiating in writing workshop

If we want what we teach in writing classes/workshops to promote self-sponsored learning (transfer/self efficacy) we must teach writers the art of "negotiated writing"/"negotiated rhetoric".

Writers can have a transformative experience in a writing class/workshop but the key is to help them transfer those skills into new writing situations - learn how to create a support system/network as well as how to use that system.

Wikipedia -- Negotiation

Negotiation all too often focuses on setting disputes but the reason I'm attracted to this word is this definition:

to craft outcomes to satisfy various interests. It is the primary method of alternative dispute resolution.

• What can we learn about negotiated writing from online writing workshop?
◦ Can negotiated (as in crafting outcomes to satisfy various interests) writing experience extend beyond the workshop/class for knowledge transfer and self efficacy?

I'm still working things through but it seems I might be getting there with these questions. I think they address the questions my committee raised. Perhaps enough to be able to write my IRB. Maybe.

Writing a dissertation question is messy

2009-05-15T10:25:00.000-07:00

Then we met with my full committee (Fred Kemp and Becky Rickly) and that is when things got really messy.

Problems:
~ Writing workshop has been done a lot (even online writing workshop)
~ Community is problematic (not accurate, overused)
~ Knowledge doesn't transfer or contribute to self-efficacy

Solutions:
~ Look at the "why" workshop does (or does not work) in specific context
~ Look at how we can create a "community" (need to find a new term) that extends beyond the finite context (of a class) to promote transfer and self-efficacy

Some points to think about:
~ What can make the lessons/benefits of writing workshop longterm and sustainable?
~ What can help writers create their own writing "communities"?
~ What can motivate writers to continue with this work on their own (self motivation)?
~ Self-sponsored learning is transfer
~ How can this work contribute to tc?

The evolution of a dissertation question

2009-05-14T10:22:00.000-07:00

Clearly, that was too much and too unfocused so we distilled it down to:

What is the role of community in developing transfer and self-efficacy in writers?

Where I started...

2009-05-12T10:17:00.000-07:00

My chair, Brian Still, suggested I come to May Seminar with a list of possible questions/topics and so this is where I started:

• Do writers prefer face-to-face or online writing workshop? Why?
• Do writers develop a sense of community through online workshop?
• Does face-to-face interaction change that? How so?
• How long does it take writers (of differing ages and backgrounds) to feel comfortable with online workshop?
• Does online workshop help writers improve? In what ways?
• Is technology a bridge or wall for communication/community?
• How can online workshop be supported and facilitated to be more effective?
• Does the type of writing matter? (for a class or not)

The Last Crazy Semester?

2009-04-20T04:10:00.000-07:00

Things are heating up as the end of the semester nears.

Have to wrap up projects and write papers for both classes but no finals -- whew! Still have much to do to make sense of collaborative grading from two different perspectives but have made plans for use of this project in the future for publications. Not sure how far away that is and how much I will have to do for further research.

Of course my real job is wrapping up too with grading and planning for Summer Institute as well as final site visits etc.

I'm already thinking about a research project for this summer -- am I crazy for starting another? Should I focus on finishing up collaborative grading? I know how hard it is to juggle multiple projects but this really interests me. Note: Sent in usability revision and still waiting to hear about digital networking chapter.

Anyway I want to look at writing self efficacy and writing workshop (online writing workshop in particular). Likely tools include pre and post surveys, forum archives for workshops, interviews, writing reflections?

This is likely to be the last really crazy semester though. No more two classes at a time. I think this summer I will only need to take document design during the May Seminar and then this summer I can focus on Summer Institute, wrapping up research, and starting preproposal and reading list. In the fall I will have my last class -- and with only one class I should be able to continue work on research, preproposal and reading list. My goal is to take exam over MSU Spring Break. We'll see if I make it!

I have a committee

2009-04-04T04:19:00.000-07:00

I have a committee and it is the one I wanted!

I'm so glad after months of agonizing over this decision that everyone I asked said yes and we all feel good about this team. I think it is a good team with the right mix of knowledge, talent, and coaching traits I need to get the job done well.

Chair: Brian Still
Committee: Rebecca Rickly and Fred Kemp

Looking Backward and Forward

2009-01-21T18:49:00.000-08:00

Whew! I managed to survive the Fall Semester but it was a rough one. Too many new challenges all at once. The Spring Semester should be no less busy but hopefully I have learned from those terrible fall experiences how to manage the spring.

This semester I'm coordinating my research projects and my classes so they will complement each other rather than conflict (and cause mucho stress). I'm also working on a better balance with my writing project work -- we'll see how that works out.

This semester I am taking Field Methods of Research and Data Mining.

I also started my collaborative grading project at Morehead -- and plan to use that work for Field Methods.

Julie, Tisha and I are working on a joint project, Digital Connections and Learning Styles, that will come to a head this semester but I'm hoping to use that for Data Mining.

Still mulling my choices for my Committee -- might be getting closer to a decision but then I've thought that before!

Current Projects

2008-10-31T06:02:00.000-07:00

I have had an incredibly busy Fall.

The Morehead Writing Project has been challenging:
~ Learning about my role and duties
~ Working with MSU, KWP, KDE, NWP to administrate grants
~ Conferences and meetings hither and yon
~ Traveling to schools all over Eastern Kentucky to visit Fellows in their classrooms
~ Planning new programs

My classes have been great although I am still working to smooth out the kinks in my redesigned Writing I and II. Technical Composition this Fall is an improvement on what I taught in the Spring (which was pretty good). Maybe by the third time I teach it the class will be perfect. The students indicate they are pleased.

My TTU classes have also kept me busy. Of course, I'm taking two classes so that is a challenge. So far I'm surviving. We'll see how I feel at the end of the semester.

In Research Methods I have focused my projects on freshman composition at MSU -- conducting a study of the types of writing assignments students are expected to write in Writing I.

In Argumentation I have focused on the intersection (praxis?) of audience and argument in composition.

Just to add a bit of spice to my life, I joined the General Education Writing Committee for my department. We don't have a writing program administrator although the chair of the GEWC could be considered to hold that position. In fact, the committee does much of the work that a WPA would do. We have a number of initiatives underway to address concerns raised with our undergoing program audit and General Education reform.

Plus, I've got two more things in the hopper but I don't want to post them here for fear of jinxing them.

Thinking about Fall projects

2008-08-24T13:29:00.000-07:00

I'm taking two classes this Fall: Argument and Introduction to Research Methods in Technical Communication and Composition.

I've been told either I will benefit tremendously from taking these together or my brain will explode. Stay tuned!

The advice I've been given by others successfully completing two classes is to choose a topic that can serve both classes. Clearly project and papers must be written separately, but some research can serve double-duty and time spent thinking and planning can overlap as well.

Right now I'm thinking about continuing my study of the online writing workshop. I would like to frame an argument for it becoming the prevailing method of teaching composition rather than the standard lecture with papers written outside of class model that certainly is the prevailing method at my institution. (Perhaps I'm wrong about that but I'd like to find out). I will have to undertake two microstudies for research methods so I could do a faculty survey looking at how composition is taught now (time spent on lecture, group work, peer review, etc.) and how many instructors either teach online or use it to support instruction. I could also survey syllabi to extrapolate some information. I'm interested in doing some study of my online class archives but that may have to wait.

Surviving the Summer

2008-08-14T13:27:00.000-07:00

This summer was incredibly hectic but somehow I survived.

I took a class and taught two classes. That spanned June and July.

I attended MWP's Summer Institute in June.

I attended a NWP conference in July.

I taught my first PD in August.

Somehow I survived, succeeded in my class and the one I taught, and am now looking forward to Fall.

Anyway, that explains why I lagged behind on my posts. It was all I could do to keep my head above water.

I love my subconscious

2008-06-12T12:16:00.000-07:00

I actually practiced what I preach today.

I always push my writing students to harness the power of their subconscious (unconscious mind?) for their writing.

Today I wrote out my worries, concerns, and ideas (here) and then went on with my life and other things.

Now I'm starting to see the glimmerings of hope and focus.

I think perhaps a very good place to start would be to work on a literature review on my various areas of interest (starting with discourse and technology and any points of overlap with other topics). That I think may not only help me refine my ability and understanding of this important research tool (the lit review I mean) but also deepen my understanding of the topics and give me a better understanding of the gaps in knowledge so I can do a better job when the time comes to actually create a research project.

I feel better for having a plan and a starting point. That is what was making me so crazy -- having so many ideas and thoughts rambling (or rather pinging around like racquetballs or a game of pong on steroids) in my head.

My research interests

2008-06-12T09:22:00.001-07:00

Discourse and Technology
Composition Studies
Writing Pedagogy

OK, so how do I come up with a magical research agenda/project/dissertation focus that covers all 3 of these?

Writing Pedagogy

2008-06-12T08:55:00.000-07:00

This encompasses a lot of questions and topics that overlap with my interest in composition studies so perhaps I'll just lump them all here and let them sort themselves out.

I'm attending the Morehead Writing Project Summer Institute in preparation for taking over as Site Director in July. The MWP is doing some great work but the leadership team would like to see it expand its reach and programming.

Of course in order to do this we will need to know what our stakeholders need and want.

MWP Stakeholders:

Teachers
Students
Administrators
Community
Government
Writing Project Leadership

Some research has been done and I'll need to get up to speed on that as well as many other things related to WP and MWP in specific.

But I'd also like to get a better handle on what our English teachers in general need to know to effectively do their jobs (and at different levels) which has some overlap with above but may also be distinct in some areas.

I'm also interested in what writers need to know to successfully negotiate from high school to college to work which comes back to what do we need to teach our students (in college?). What specific skill sets and experiences?

I'm also really interested in process pedagogy as I think developing a unique and individual writing process is one of the keys to writing success (this is based more on my own experience as a writer and writing teacher than any research which is why I'd really like to study this hypothesis). Again this would aid my teaching but could also be of interest to WP. Definite overlap there. Heck I could even study the current fellows.

And of course coming back to the idea of discourse community. I'm really intrigued by this idea and think this could be a very key concept in terms of writing instruction as it is the community that drives so many of the specifics of writing (everything from correctness issues to genre) and it is the community that provides the audience and rhetorical situation. It is the discourse community that makes writing relevant and meaningful and real. I think this can come back and feed both my interest in writing pedagogy and composition studies.

Back full circle now. I'm so conflicted and confused. What to do, what to do...

What to do?

2008-06-12T08:37:00.001-07:00

I am so conflicted and confused. My mind is overflowing with ideas for research projects and I just can't choose. I know I need to focus and direct my reading. In fact that was my plan for the summer but all these ideas keep creeping in.

A top priority for the summer obviously needs to be:

Discourse and Technology: Computers and Writing

as that is the class I'm taking and I have to do a paper for that:

* The first draft, of about 8-10 pages, is due by class time July 24. Awarded 10% of the course grade. Contains a developing argument, prose format (no outline), and preliminary works cited.

* The final draft of 15-20 pages is due by class time July 31. Awarded 30% of the course grade. Contains a developed argument, supported points, works cited.

OK, that's easy enough to focus on as it is also an interest area of mine (which is why I'm taking the class) as I teach online and also my chair is interested in the concept of distributed grading.

So I'm fumbling around with some ideas. At first I was thinking about doing something with building/developing a sense of community as I'm interested in the idea of discourse community but now I'm thinking along the lines of studying the benefits of using technology to teach/support writing. I think this would support the distributed grading concept as well as demonstrate the benefits of using technology to support and teach writing classes (whether f2f or web, synchronous or asynchronous). I'm teaching online this summer so I have a captive audience and probably I could coerce Steve Penn (who is also teaching online this summer) into letting me at least survey his students. If I want to do something along those lines what should I focus on? How do I research this? What background reading do I need to do?

Lots to think about...

Some thoughts inspired by Ede

2008-06-10T16:58:00.001-07:00

Gap? What do our students "need" to know?

Composition - Pedagogy - Computers and Writing

My research agenda - what do we need to teach our writers, how do we best teach writing, how can we best use technology to teach and assist writing

For me, process helps students understand writing better so they fear and dread it less -- I can't make them all love writing but I can raise their comfort level and ease that dread and fear which can only work to raise their ability and willingness to continue working on their writing -- raising their awareness and understanding of how writing works and develops (the process) can also help them learn how to improve their writing -- more awareness translates into stronger writing.

Is there one way to teach? One way to write? NO!

Writing process is important to creation of product and limbering those writing muscles but social process is key to situating that writing and transferring knowledge from one writing task to another.

What percentage of internet to tradition...
successful completion (c or better)
breakdown (A,B,C)
enrollment

Interview with teachers -- connection to teacher and other students -- asynchronous or synchronous

Pre and post survey

confidence
ability
test score
college english grade
high school english grade
experience with genre
process/practice

Is taking an internet class a necessity or a convenience?

Study professionalism/training in comp teachers

Grant proposal to test a writing center pilot (online?)

Pilot test distributed grading

paper/project - benefits of electronic portfolios and distributed grading -- system solution

I believe (learning/teaching) process essential for developing writers (those learning or attempting "new" tasks) but experienced/expert writers have moved beyond the need for process as they have internalized an individual process that is effective for the writing tasks they face.

I wonder how many of those who dismiss process actually work with struggling/developing writers?

vignette about teaching freshman composition?

What is the real/perceived value of fyc -- admin, faculty, teachers, students

Situating Composition

2008-06-10T16:43:00.000-07:00

I just finished "Situating Composition" by Lisa Ede and found it a really interesting book.

The book was part history and part discussion of theory and pedagogy flavored of course by Ede's unique perspective. I found much of what she said resonated with me.

She helped me work through some of my own issues in regard to process theory and helped me clarify my position.

She also gave me a lot of direction for future study, research, and reading.

I was struck by her discussion of "paradigm hope" which encourages scholars to believe the "right theory" can effect change at the level of practice. She is bothered by paradigm hope as she feels it devalues practice and distances scholars work from the scene of the classroom.

Similarly "Theory Hope" which she defines as the general hope that if we can work through an idea or issue at the level of theory it will inevitably have significance for practice.

I was also interested in her discussion of her own pedagogy and its evolution over time

Some quotes that resonated with me:

"I believe that writing needs to be understood in its "community context"

"Current focus on correctness was misplaced since what is most critical in writing are global issues of process, form, and content."

"What difference might it make if scholars in composition recognized the need for and value of multiple approaches to literacy?

"What is at stake ... our ability to enact a model of disciplinary progress that does not require the continual disvaluing of previous theories and practices."

"I have been concerned with pedagogical change and the relationship between those engaged in the practice of theory and those engaged in the practice of teaching."

"What does it mean to enact progress in a field committed to pedagogical and scholarly action."

David Bartholomae "Writing on the Margins"

2008-06-09T12:22:00.000-07:00

Just finished reading David Bartholomae's "Writing on the Margins"

Jane Hindman's abstract: David Bartholomae's notion of "Writing on the Margins" is intriguing. He claims that good writers are those who "poise themselves on the margins in a tenuous and hesitant relationship to the language and methods of the university." This paradox is captivating because the margins serve as a place to which one is banished for not knowing the rules--and as a place from which one can earn authority for resisting the rules. Particularly enthralling are the splits--the essays that receive the highest and the lowest scores possible. These essays create gaps in the institutionally "obvious" notions of what constitutes good writing. As an example, in a submission of a feminist reading of "Gorgias" to "Rhetoric Review," two reviewers were at opposite ends of the positive/negative spectrum, one rejecting and the other offering suggestions for revision and resubmission. After submission of the revision, a second set of "conflicting" reviews were offered and a lively discussion about the essay ensued with one of the readers. Why are there not more discussions about what puts pressure on the margins of an individual's scholarly discourse, conversations about subversive practices. Ways to access the disciplinary formations and paradigm shifts that occur when new propositions or ideas put pressure on the boundaries of what reviewers and editors consider to be correct should be considered.

Jeffrey Williams says this: David Bartholomae is a leading figure in composition. But, initially trained as a Victorianist, he has stressed composition's link with literature rather than its separation, and resisted trends toward "writing without teachers" or without academic models.

Writing on the Margins: Essays on Composition and Teaching (Bedford, 2005) collects a wide sampling of Bartholomae's articles, such as his well-known "Inventing the University." See also his survey of "Composition" in Introduction to Scholarship in Modern Languages and Literatures, ed. David G. Nicholls (MLA, 2007), and his debate with Peter Elbow, "Writing with Teachers," CCC 46.1 (1995). Alongside his essays, Bartholomae has had substantial influence with his textbook, now entering its eigth edition, Ways of Reading, co-written with Anthony R. Petrosky (Bedford, 1987; 7th ed. 2005). He and Petrosky have also written the text Reading the Lives of Others: History and Ethnography (Bedford, 1994) and co-edited The Teaching of Writing: The Eighty-fifth Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education (Chicago, 1986) and Facts, Artifacts and Counterfacts: Reading and Writing in Theory and Practice (Boynton, 1987). In addition, he co-edits the Pittsburgh Series in Composition, Literacy, and Culture for the University of Pittsburgh Press.

I read this book after being told some of my ideas/thoughts were "pure Bartholomae" so I thought it would be a good idea to find out just how much that was true.

I believe as it Bartholomae does that composition should be student-centered and where learning and writing is an active experience.

He also talks quite a bit about discourse community (language of the tribe) which is what I think the above quote referred to.

However I don't agree with his methods of working so closely with literature. I'd rather focus more on the student text. I also find more agreement at times with Elbow and the process movement.

I have come around more to his way of thinking than I once was in regard to where composition should be situated in the academy. I think it should remain within the English department. I can sympathize with those who wish to move it away from literature as far too many literature folks teach writing without thinking about what writers need to learn and grow.

Some thoughts inspired by Bartholomae

2008-06-09T11:51:00.000-07:00

I am a writing teacher but really I am a thinking teacher -- in order to be a good writer one must first be a good thinker -- too often my students have not been taught to think and question but only to memorize and listen. This can't be good for them or the future.

----------

What is college for?

I have three college degrees and am working on my fourth. I have taught at the college level for 9 years. Yet when my 7 year old asked me that question I couldn't answer right away.

For the undergraduate I teach, and for the general public, the easy answer -- the only answers is to provide entry or pave the way to a professional. A college degree is the price of admission to achieve the American Dream today. Without a degree my students envision a life of working service sector jobs or hard manual labor. They see struggle, poverty, and painful uncertainty if they fail to earn that degree.

Yes, college is the gate keeper for many professions but it is much more than that. College should also be about thinking, questioning, and challenging both yourself and the ideas that others force upon you. Some of those ideas may settle on your rain and other bear fruit.

-----

Share at least one tip you've gleaned from this exercise to help you better understand "academic writing" or writing within the academic discourse community

----

Discourse is dialogue -- you are entering a conversation...continuing it...advancing it if you will. When you enter the discourse you have to ask yourself: What do you have to say about this topic? What can you add to the conversation?

Some writing in collee will be the kind of writing you do for an abstract -- condensing and spitting back another's idea in your own words. That is writing as learning but often writing in college (and indeed beyond) will require much more from you. This is writing as knowledge making. You start with someone's ideas (words) and bring in your ideas/words then synthesize these to advance (move) the conversation to a new place.

------

A discourse community has its own unique rules and conventions. They existed before you entered and will likely remain unchanged by your presence. You can contribute to and challenge the discourse within the community but in order to do so effectively (to be taken seriously by other members) you need to do so within its rules and conventions.

Writing within a discourse community is like a game -- you must learn the rules in order to succeed.

A Tribute To Barb

2008-05-28T08:44:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Barbara D'Angelo of Arizona State University at the Polytechnic Campus for sharing her presentation "Learning From Our Stakeholders: Using Research To Redesign A Business Writing Course" as I can see her ideas helping shape not only my dissertation topic (of the moment?) "What should we teach in FYC?" but also my work with the Morehead Writing Project.

Back To Life...Back To Reality

2008-05-27T13:19:00.000-07:00

Now that I am back home and trying to swing back into a routine (probably will have more success with that next week) I'm setting up my goals and plans.

This summer I will be taking "Discourse and Technology: Computers and Writing" which should be interesting due to my interest in that intersection of knowledge.

I also plan to do more reading about composition theory and pedagogy as well as research basics this summer to help me think about and plan future research. I really want to develop a better understanding (and support) for what I think about discourse community awareness.

Understanding The Discourse Community and Its Implications For The Teaching Of Writing

My other self directed reading project will be developing a better understanding of the Writing Project so I can do a better job as Morehead Writing Project Site Director.

I hope that will lead into some research about the population we serve and how best to meet their needs.

That should keep me busy for the summer and equip me to better make decisions about where I want to go in the Fall.

Oh, and I plan to work up my reading list and my personal web site, Deanna Mascle, to reflect my work and research interests.

Last Day

2008-05-24T23:17:00.000-07:00

We finished up our project for better worse and now are done with Usability Testing.

What an experience!

We finished up the May Seminar with dinner at a Japanese Steak House. It was fun and delicious.

We called it an early night as Julie has an early flight Sunday morning.

I am so excited to be going home but sad to say good-bye as well.

Presentation Day

2008-05-23T21:34:00.000-07:00

My presentation "What Should We Be Teaching In Freshman Composition?" went well and I received some nice response. So glad that is over.

Lunch Dr. Rice shared some interesting work he is doing with chess and connecting it to reading and writing. Quite interesting.

The Quadrophonics rolled out their new name to tremendous applause. I think we were a big hit.

Usability was just brutal. This is hard work and we are not working well as a team.

Handed off our part late but done for now. Can't face salads (again!) for supper. A nice dinner at a little family restaurant away from campus.

Went for a walk when we got back and then some time chatting with others before calling it an early night.

I can't believe tomorrow is the last day -- well I can because I'm exhausted but it has flown by as well.

The Slough of Exhaustion

2008-05-22T21:25:00.000-07:00

Today was just grueling.

Up early to attend presentations. Lunch speaker (interesting presentation from Dr. Barker about his planned research project -- made a lot of notes about activity theory which I found interesting). Class was just brutal. Trying to write. Trying to crunch numbers. Our group not working particularly well together.

When time for the drop off dinner of wraps (again!) came around we ditched it and went off campus. Bar food. Greasy hamburgers. Heaven just to escape campus and the grind.

A late night polishing my presentation but lots of fun just chatting and socializing with folks. Everyone must be feeling the same need to let off steam as people seem to be out and about everywhere -- shouting from balcony to balcony and hanging out in the laundry room. Actually a pretty fun night to cap off a not so fun day.

My birthday

2008-05-21T21:17:00.000-07:00

My birthday today. I'm still weak from yesterday but feeling better. I wasn't up for breakfast though. Lunch was OK but dinner was a mistake (burrito?). It stayed down -- barely.

Had a great talk with Dr. Still and I'm OK even though I missed class (a big deal when there are only 12!). He says it might be a good thing that I can look at the data with fresh eyes.

Dr. Rickly did a great lunch talk today about the lessons (and successes) that can come out of failure.

Affinity diagramming today in usability!?!

Very hard to only get a happy birthday from my son on the phone. I miss him so much.

Julie took me out for ice cream for my birthday which was nice.

Elvira to the rescue

2008-05-20T21:13:00.000-07:00

I was so sick today. I woke up just terribly sick. No classes. No workshops. Just being sick and laying down trying not to be sick again. This is test day for usability. I hope my cohort doesn't hate me!

In the afternoon housekeeping arrives to tell me that the water has been turned off. Oh no! This is not the day for me not to have water. This sickness is bad enough without being able to wash up!

Elvira calls someone and gets the water issue addressed. She is so nice and sympathetic. Very nice when I feel so sick and alone with everyone else gone for the day.

Annual Review

2008-05-19T20:50:00.000-07:00

Whew! Annual review over!

I was nervous about the whole review. After all, there is a spot on the form about the student's fitness to continue with the program. I stayed up late slaving over my degree plan and then stopped by the computer lab early to print off the documents. As I'm printing I share my worries with Lennie and Pete (Frodos) and they tell me they have the same worries every year. That didn't allay my fears.

Then as I'm walking down the hall Dr. Still tells me that Dr. Kemp has a conflict (ironically with Pete) so he (Brian) will try to bring in Dr. Carter.

They both indicated they were pleased with my progress in the program and were interested in my discourse community research idea. They revised the fall schedule I had planned and indicated I should be done with course work next fall. Wow.

Another exhausting day planning working on our test plan for usability. Up late to finish my portion and I just can't do any more. I'm tired and I just don't feel well.

The Plan

2008-05-18T14:08:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I have my annual review and I have spent a lot of time planning and thinking about my future in academia.

Where do I want to be in five years?

What do I want to do with my life?

How do I want to define myself as an academic?

Where do I want my research to take me?

Those are big questions and I don't need all the answers tomorrow but I need to think about them as they shape the future of my experience in this program and my professional life.

Scrutinizing the required course work it appears I could be done with classes by next summer or fall. Then I'll need another 1 to 1-1/2 years to wrap up my comps and dissertation (theoretically) so I could be Dr. Mascle within the next 3 years. Wow.

But maybe tomorrow my committee will shoot my plan out of the water...

How do I define myself?

I'm definitely interested in writing studies. Not sure the term composition studies really defines who I am.

I'm interested in three areas beneath the larger umbrella:

* What do students need to know to succeed in academic and professional writing
* What do teachers need to know to be more effective writing teachers
* What is the impact of technology (computers, internet, etc.) on writing and the teaching of writing

A Day Of Rest

2008-05-18T13:59:00.000-07:00

Sunday is truly a day of rest for us. Nothing scheduled. No events, meals, or deadlines. We slept in and then walked to Starbucks. As it was already late morning by the time we were done we picked up a lunch and brought it back with us. Today is Julie's birthday so we plan to take her out tonight.

Today is just about recuperating from our first stressful, action-packed week and preparing for the week to come.

Part of me hates the idea that we are already halfway done but part of me will be so glad to get home again.

Changing Faces

2008-05-17T22:43:00.000-07:00

While four members of our cohort went to their annual reviews, Julie Davis, Chris Ryan, and myself went to Ihop for breakfast and worked on pulling together our project plan. It was a nice break.

At lunch Dr. Carter talked about Gender Identity Disorder and internal arguments for making decisions about how to live with it (or not). It was a very interesting look into future research plans as well as personal struggles.

The afternoon started out well as we pulled together our plan and worked to finalize our project plan but in the afternoon as we grew more tired and the pressure mounted we had some group tension. We managed to work through it though.

We got done much later with the project than we expected. Then I called home to discover Noah had been sick. It is so hard to be away from him and even more so when I know he is sick and I'm not there to take care of him.

Although we were dragging and tired when we got back we decided to take advantage of Joyce and Becky's invitation to an informal party at their home. It was a good choice to get away and relax as well as enjoy a beer, music, food, and conversation. Just a reminder there is life after the May Seminar.

Exhaustion Sets In

2008-05-16T23:33:00.000-07:00

The day started out rather relaxed with a bit of fun.

No morning program as annual reviews are scheduled. But we met up with M2 Alec Hosterman to shoot some photographs of our cohort that we can use for our big name rollout. We decided to go with a "rock band" album concept and it was a lot of fun and the pictures turned out pretty cool. See Quadrophonics!

At lunch Dr. Angela Eaton talked to us about IRB protocol for research. Not exciting but interesting and important to know. Then off to class when it became clear we had a lot of work ahead of us to get our project plan in place.

After class most students gathered for a casual pizza dinner in the English Dept. and then off to our various pursuits. During dinner I had a few moments when I really missed Noah. It is so hard being away from him. But I did have a great conversation with Rich Rice about teacher research.

Our cohort decided to gather to do laundry and work on our project plan. We brainstormed some important info for our blog an then focused on the plan. After a couple of productive hours we split up to deal with our assigned tasks. Christine and I worked on the script for our test and that was actually kind of fun.

Looking into the crystal ball

2008-05-15T22:37:00.001-07:00

More great presentations and then our Keynote Lunch Speaker Mary Sue MacNealy shared her inspiring and informative advice for career and research.

Also had a great talk with Dr. Fred Kemp and Dr. Rich Rice about my research plans.

I can see my research and my future coming together.

Coming Together

2008-05-14T22:32:00.000-07:00

More amazing presentations from our peers that taught important lessons about their research as well as the process involved. Again, so impressive how willing people are to share their experience and lessons.

At lunch Dr. Fred Kemp shared his research plans with us.

After dinner our cohort took an off-campus break to get to know each other better, plan our project, and work on our all-import cohort designation.

Kicking It Up

2008-05-13T22:17:00.000-07:00

Today I really started to feel my research agenda (and hence program planning) coming together.

Dr. Fred Kemp and Dr. Angela Eaton led a session discussing research questions in preparation for the dissertation. Then Dr. Sean Zdenek led a session about assembling a reading list for qualifying exams.

Their explanations of how this process works together made these daunting tasks seem much more reasonable and actually rather excited me to think about what I want to do.

At lunch Dr. Craig Baehr shared his research plans for the upcoming year.

A day filled with learning and advice and a whole lot of thinking!

I'm starting to really think about my own research agenda. I think I really want to focus on writing studies (I just don't feel that composition studies defines what I do and what interests me). Dr. Eaton stresses that you should really have 3 research areas to strengthen your position in the job market.

Writing Studies

* What do our students need to know to successfully negotiate college and professional discourse communities
* What do writing teachers need to know to effectively teach writing
* What impact does technology have on the teaching, development, and sharing of writing

We ended the day by taking a walk around campus. This really is a beautiful campus. The exercise and break was a great way to relieve the stress and refocus.

Information Overload

2008-05-12T19:02:00.000-07:00

That is the only description for my first day in the May Workshop.

Overwhelming, awe inspiring, amazing, full -- very, very full.

We kicked off at 8 a.m. with brief meet and greet over breakfast and then launched into talks by the Director of Graduate Studies in TCR, Dr. Joyce Joyce Locke Carter, and Dr. Sam Dragga, English Department Chair.

Dr. Carter told us more about the history of the program and its ongoing development as well as how closely we had been vetted before admission. More than 75% of program applicants are rejected. Dr. Carter emphasized how much the faculty wanted the program as well as the individual students to thrive and succeed.

Dr. Dragga emphasized how closely we were being scrutinized as the pioneers in this new type of program and that how important it is that we represent TTU well now and in the future.

We then moved on to hear Dr. Ryan Boettger's dissertation defense.

Lunch included informal conversations with faculty and fellow students and concluded with Dr. Dragga sharing his research project involving the ethics of graphical images.

The afternoon was filled with Usability testing (four hours worth!)

Then dinner and more information from Dr. Carter followed by Dr. Susan Lang, Director of Composition, presenting about her research with the composition database.

This cannot even begin to convey all the tidbits of information shared by faculty and the other cohorts about classes, research, and the job market.

By the day's end we were completely overwhelmed with information.

Poor planning on my part. I didn't bring my phone and so didn't get to talk with Noah before bedtime. I miss him so much!

The Arrival

2008-05-11T23:16:00.000-07:00

I arrived in Lubbock and am already overwhelmed by how warm and welcoming everyone is to the "newbies".

The trip was terrible. I hated leaving my boy on Mother's Day and I miss him terribly. I cried much of the flight. Usability reading got me through it (you can't stay emotional when reading that material). The connection in Dallas was nerve-wracking at best. I was on the ground about 15 minutes and ran from one terminal to the next afraid I would miss my connection. I made it but only just.

Sue Henson collected Marc Dimaggio and myself at the airport. They are both in the second cohort and were so nice and welcoming. The introductions came fast and furious after arriving on campus. Then I got to meet my roommates. I quickly bonded with Lora Arduser of the University of Cincinnati, Julie Davis of Clarkson University, and Christine Hubbell of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs over dinner and Wal-Mart shopping. We stayed up late chatting, worrying, and planning.

The Care and Feeding of a PhD Student

2008-05-10T18:28:00.000-07:00

My name is Deana Mascle.

I grew up in Williamson, New York, and now live in Mt. Sterling, Kentucky. I am married and have a 7-year-old son. I am active in the First Presbyterian Church of Mt. Sterling (I serve on the session, am a youth leader, teach Sunday School, and sing in the choir).

For as long as I can remember I have always loved writing and words. I can't actually remember a time when I wasn't writing. I am a voracious reader and possess an avid curiosity.

All these things were a great help to me in my first career as a reporter and editor for both newspapers and magazines.

If writing is my first love then teaching follows as a close second. When I completed my Master's in Secondary Education/English I truly was torn. I loved teaching high school but hated the school system organization and missed writing. I was able to fulfill my need to teach by teaching G.E.D. for years both in New York and Kentucky but it wasn't until I returned to school and earned my MA in English from Eastern Kentucky University that I truly realized I had found my niche in life. I could teach writing. I cannot imagine more fun than spending my days filled with writing, talking about writing with other writers, helping other writers find their way, and learning more about writing and the teaching of writing.

I am still able to fulfill my writing urge by working as a freelance writer. I have now transitioned from working for magazines and print publications to writing entirely for my own online publications from Squidoo to web sites to articles.

After teaching at EKU for a while, I have settled in at Morehead State University where I teach mostly Writing I and II but have also taught sections of creative writing and technical composition. I will start a new gig as the Site Director for the Morehead Writing Project this summer. I started our online general education writing classes which has given me tremendous flexibility for my schedule.

It became increasingly clear to me that to reach my professional goals I would need to pursue a PhD however my program options were limited due to the fact my job and family rooted me in Kentucky. However the Texas Tech Online PhD Program in Technical Communication and Rhetoric seemed a good fit.

Now that I am one semester in I can truly say this was a great choice. I am impressed with the faculty as well as the level of the students in the program. I am confirmed in my choice many times over.

And now we are into the May Seminar...