Education in Technical
Communication
Past, Present, India’s Future?
Presented to The STC India Annual
Conference, Bangalore
Presented by Carol M. Barnum, Ph.D.
Email: cbarnum@spsu.edu
What we’ll cover
• the evolution of technical writing
• the rapid U.S. expansion of programs
• the development of a professional
community
• the situation in India
• the early efforts at collaboration
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Part 1: The Evolution of Technical
Writing
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How it started
• emerged in the U.S. during World War II
• supported the technology developed in
– engineering
– computer science
– medicine and health care
– other technical fields
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After WWII
• G.I. Bill - older, career-oriented college
population
• increased interest in engineering
programs
• service course in technical writing for
engineers
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Service course broadened to
reflect growing need
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pharmacy
agriculture
chemistry
home economics
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Where technical writers worked
• military, manufacturing, or domestic
product industry
• engineering departments or
organizations
• science and research labs
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Where technical writing was
taught
• Engineering schools
– by engineers
– for engineers
• English departments
– to engineering, science, and technical
majors
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Course content
• reports
– feasibility studies
– recommendation reports
– status/progress reports
– investigative reports
• proposals
• instructions (procedures)
• descriptions
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First textbooks - 1960s
• large increase in composition and
technical writing courses
• rhetoric based - emphasis on writing
process and audience
• focus on products or genres
• new interest in proposal writing
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Professional organizations
• Society of Technical Writers and Editors
(1953)
• The Association of Technical Writers
and Editors (1954)
• two organizations merged to become
the Society of Technical Writers and
Editors (1957)
• Renamed the Society for Technical
Communication (1971)
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First programs - 1958
• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
– MA in Rhetoric and Technical
Communication
– Technical Writers Institute
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Part 2: Paradigm shift
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Computers entered the
mainstream
• Mainframe computers found commercial
uses in 1960s
• 1960— 2000 computers in U.S.
• 1970—125,000 computers in U.S.
• 1978 Apple II; 1981 IBM PC;
1984 Apple Macintosh
• 1985— 500,000 computers in U.S.
• 1990—World Wide Web
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Discipline of technical
communication - 1970s
• 10 academic programs
– graduate programs added at MIT and
Michigan
• Short courses for industry
– offered by many institutions including MIT,
Michigan, Georgia Tech
• Academic journals
– Journal of Technical Writing and
Communication - 1970
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Academic organizations -1970s
• Association of Teachers of Technical
Writing/Technical Writing Teacher - 1973
• Council for Programs in Technical and
Scientific Communication - 1973
– 19 programs in 1976 directory
– 51 programs in 1981 directory
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Technical writing majors -1980s
• technical writing developed into
technical communication
• graduate programs increased
• research published
• National Council of Teachers of English
Committee on Technical and Scientific
Communication established annual
awards for technical communication
publications
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Technical communication -late
1980s to 90s
• shift from writing practice to theory
• shift from product emphasis to process
approach (using composition theory)
• 203 programs (11 doctoral programs) in
STC survey -1993
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Technical communication majors
write
• documentation (instructions) for
computer hardware and software
– on paper
– online
• reports and proposals
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Technical communication majors
also write and design
• advertising materials
• articles, newsletters, press releases
(marketing)
• newspaper and magazine pieces
(journalism)
• training materials (print and online)
• Corporate communication
• web pages
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Technical communication majors
edit
• writing of others
– documentation
– engineering
– medicine/healthcare
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Careers in technical
communication
• US Department of Labor - in top 10
fastest growing fields
• high starting salaries
• excellent career mobility
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Work in many industries and
government
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computer industry
all areas of engineering
local, state, and national government
environmental safety
health care and medicine
training
translation and localization
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Future of technical
communication
• continued expansion into new areas
– internet (World Wide Web)
– intranet
– usability testing
• continued need to learn new tools and
technology
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Society for Technical
Communication
• 25,000 members worldwide
• chapters around the world including
– Canada
– Europe (10 chapters)
– New Zealand, Australia
– Singapore
– Taipei
– Tokyo
– India
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Education in technical
communication today
• more than 220 programs listed on STC
website
– most are in U.S.
– Canada
– France, Sweden, Netherlands
– Germany (just starting 4-yr. program)
– New Zealand
– India (more about this later)
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Types of programs
• two-year programs in technical schools
• certificates (undergrad, post grad and
noncredit)
• BA and BS programs in colleges and
universities
• distance learning/internet programs
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Types of programs (cont.)
• Post-graduate programs
– technical communication
– rhetoric and composition
– journalism
– English
– instructional technology
– information design
• STC website lists 22 Ph.D. programs
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Close ties with industry
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Advisory boards
internships for students and faculty
relevant work experience by faculty
guest speakers from business and
industry
• scholarships for students
– from industry & business
– from STC chapters
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Part 3: Situation in India
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IT software service professionals
in India
• 1998-99:
• Jan. 2001:
280,000
410,000
(according to Profit Magazine, Aug. 2001)
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Technical communicators in India
• estimate of 600
(according to Frederick Menezes, article on twin-india.org)
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Number of university degree
programs in India
• zero
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STC website lists program in India
• Indian National Scientific
Documentation Center
– A constituent of Council of Scientific and
Industrial Research, Govt. of India
– 2-yr. Certificate, Associate of Applied
Science
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Other efforts underway
• SA International, Chennai, in association with
Simon Fraser University, Canada
– Certificate in technical writing
• Calicut University, as part of Mass
Communication/Journalism course
– Optional paper in technical writing
• Technowrites, Pune
– Some basic courses in technical writing
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India has 213 universities
• Resident university programs needed
• More collaborations needed that lead to
BA, BS, and MA/MS degrees
• STC India is in the forefront of efforts to
educate about the need
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Collaboration efforts continue
• 350,000 students in University of
Bombay
• 23 universities in Hyderabad Sind
National Collegiate Board (HSNCB)
• Exchange agreement in place between
University System of Georgia and
HSNCB
• Interest in developing technical writing
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Technical writing seminar
• 3 days in March, 2002
• Program for management students in
business college
• Program for faculty and administrators
• Outcome unknown …to be continued?
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Let’s work together to make it
happen
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