Technical Communication (BS)
Students are expected to demonstrate competency in rhetorical knowledge; critical thinking, analysis, and research; practices and processes of the field; and technology.
Rhetorical Knowledge
- Recognize and understand the ways in which genres shape communication
- Understand the importance of user-centered design
- Analyze, articulate and respond to the needs of specific audiences and communication situations
- Apply conventions of genre and form appropriate to specific audiences and contexts
Critical Thinking, Analysis, and Research
- Understand a variety of theoretical approaches to technical communication
- Understand relationships among language, knowledge, and power
- Recognize, analyze, and understand the contexts within which language, information, and knowledge are produced, managed, organized, and disseminated
- Integrate previously held beliefs, assumptions, and knowledge with new information and the ideas of others
- Understand ideological perspectives regarding research methods and research design
- Read, interpret, and evaluate research studies
- Identify and apply appropriate methods for investigating particular research questions
Practices and Processes
- Develop flexible strategies for drafting, revising, and editing
- Demonstrate ability to communicate verbally and visually in multiple genres
- Understand the collaborative and social aspects of research, writing, and design processes
- Demonstrate awareness of community and cultural patterns in communication
- Demonstrate understanding of legal and ethical uses of information and technology
Technology
- Demonstrate a critical perspective of technology, its uses, users, and contexts
- Understand the role of technologies/media in accessing, managing, developing, and communicating information
- Choose appropriate technologies for presenting, organizing, and communicating information for a range of audiences, purposes, and genres
- Demonstrate ability to use a range of technologies for writing, editing, and designing
- Develop flexibility in adapting to new technologies