| This study used a needs assessment, process analysis, process design, and textbook design to develop a new process and new textbook, based on Cargile-Cook's layered literacies, Quesenbery's five qualities of usability, and Carliner's information design theories, for use in technical writing service learning courses. The needs assessment was based on students attending the University of Central Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University - OKC along with employees at several workplaces I worked as a consultant. Using the recommendations from the needs assessment and a tool from process analysis called a SIPOC, I evaluated the composition model used in most technical writing textbooks to determine if the model met the recommendations from the needs assessment. Then I developed a new process model, Information Design, based on the analysis and recommendations. Finally, I developed a new textbook that integrated the new model smoothly through the chapters on genre, providing a more prescriptive model that still relied on heuristic strategies and addressed adult learners' needs.;More and more classrooms have adult learners and our process and approach to teaching technical writing needs to take this into account; furthermore, technical communication has matured into a discipline with a rich history and robust theories. In this study I sought to integrate our theories to develop a process model specific to technical writing, Information Design Model. The Information Design Model provides students with enough guidance for them to complete their work. In addition, students found the model usable because it used language specific to their workplace experiences, allowing them to quickly connect current knowledge to new knowledge, allowing for better retention. This study provides evidence that technical communication theories are ready for integration into our pedagogical approaches. |
