Panel L1

TITLE: The Changing Face of Technical Communication: New Directions for the Field in a New Millennium

AUTHORS(s) & AFFILIATION(s): Mark Zachry, Utah State University; Brenton Faber, Clarkson University; Kelli Cargile Cook, Utah State University; Dave Clark, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

KEYWORD(s): documentation

PRESENTER / CONTACT PERSON: Mark Zachry

CONTACT EMAIL: mzachry@english.usu.edu

ABSTRACT:

At the beginning of this new millennium, the field of technical communication is experiencing a radical reconfiguration. The language and delivery methods of technical communication are shifting, while at the same time new alliances are emerging. To work effectively, professionals in technical communication now find it necessary to immerse themselves in fields and collaborations often considered external to technical communication-human-computer interaction, instructional technology, business information systems, product design, ergonomics, and management. As distinctions between these areas become increasingly blurred, it becomes more and more difficult to point to a body of knowledge and methods that technical communication can call its own.

The four papers on this panel examine new and significant factors that are shaping the future of the field. Specifically, the panelists will address developments in user-centered design, the corporate education movement, psychology, and knowledge management. In conjunction, the four studies point to how technical communication will become increasingly complex as it responds to the demands of the new millennium. The presenters will also address how technical communication as a field can play an active role in shaping the future of organizations.

POSITION PAPERS:

•  Mark Zachry: "User-Centered Design: Promise and Peril for Next Generation Technical Communicators", Utah State University, USA
•  Brenton D. Faber: "Corporate Training and Corporate Education: The Technical Communicator as Change Agent", Clarkson University, USA
•  Kelli Cargile Cook: "Learning with Hyper(active)media: The Technical Communicator as Research Partner", Utah State University, USA
•  Dave Clark:  "Revisioning Content Production: The Technical Communicator as Knowledge Officer", University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA

Last modified October 28, 2001 by Scott Tilley.