Warner & Hewett, "Technical Communication Coaching"
Warner, Robbin Z., and Beth L. Hewett. “Technical Communication Coaching: A Strategy for
Instilling Reader Usability Assurance in Online Course Material Development.” Technical Communication Quarterly, vol. 26, no. 3, 2017, pp. 300-13.
In this article, Warner and Hewett explain that online course material development often requires much more writing than instructors anticipate. Because instructors are not physically present to facilitate delivery, course content in online settings must provide sufficient material with enough clarity that students can navigate the course independently and foster their own learning. Consequently, Warner and Hewett categorize this kind of writing as “high-stakes” (301), and thus, we should pay particular attention to the composition of course content. Such content should be interactive, stimulating, self-explanatory, and increasingly, multimodal. Furthermore, they suggest that in moving course content from onsite to online, we need to consider how to scaffold differently and revise for the online learning environment. Yet, for a variety of potential reasons, online course materials are not often developed in these ways. In order to ensure the success of online courses, Warner and Hewett argue for readability testing for course content, and moreover, for technical and professional communication professionals to coach online course developers. Such coaching would involve the heightened role of examples in online environments the need to match writing style to writing purpose or goal, how to transform alphabetic text to multimodal writing, and how the course writing should receive the same degree of rigor as any other professional writing. Warner and Hewett’s main argument is the role that technical and professional communications professionals can play as coaches for instructors developing online writing courses; however, their attention to the importance of editing and testing course content is especially valuable. For online writing instruction to be effective, the course content needs to be effectively delivered prior to the course’s launch. During the course, instructors can engage with students directly and frequently, thus improving the quality of online education.
Instilling Reader Usability Assurance in Online Course Material Development.” Technical Communication Quarterly, vol. 26, no. 3, 2017, pp. 300-13.
In this article, Warner and Hewett explain that online course material development often requires much more writing than instructors anticipate. Because instructors are not physically present to facilitate delivery, course content in online settings must provide sufficient material with enough clarity that students can navigate the course independently and foster their own learning. Consequently, Warner and Hewett categorize this kind of writing as “high-stakes” (301), and thus, we should pay particular attention to the composition of course content. Such content should be interactive, stimulating, self-explanatory, and increasingly, multimodal. Furthermore, they suggest that in moving course content from onsite to online, we need to consider how to scaffold differently and revise for the online learning environment. Yet, for a variety of potential reasons, online course materials are not often developed in these ways. In order to ensure the success of online courses, Warner and Hewett argue for readability testing for course content, and moreover, for technical and professional communication professionals to coach online course developers. Such coaching would involve the heightened role of examples in online environments the need to match writing style to writing purpose or goal, how to transform alphabetic text to multimodal writing, and how the course writing should receive the same degree of rigor as any other professional writing. Warner and Hewett’s main argument is the role that technical and professional communications professionals can play as coaches for instructors developing online writing courses; however, their attention to the importance of editing and testing course content is especially valuable. For online writing instruction to be effective, the course content needs to be effectively delivered prior to the course’s launch. During the course, instructors can engage with students directly and frequently, thus improving the quality of online education.
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