STC IDL SIG - Page 68 of 79 - Website for the STC Instructional Design & Learning Special Interest Group, a Community of Practice

May 6, 2016May 7, 2016

Improving Technical Communication Education in India

Embarking on a training mission to India and realizing that more and more companies are offshoring their technical communication/instructional design functions, I was surprised to find that the offshoring of these jobs to India is not the major force for the employment of Indian technical communicators, but that there is a need to train individuals in the profession. In Offshoring and Serving the Needs of Indian Technical Communicators with Online Technical Communication Programs: A Feasibility Study, Wang and Baake, the former a PhD student and the latter a professor at Texas Tech University, state that in India, not only the growth in information technology has fueled the need for technical communicators, but also the industrialization of the country. India is investing in manufacturing and with this comes the need to document the products being produced for the global economy. This increase has spurred a demand for education in technical communication. According to Wang and Baake, ” there is little training in technical communication offered at Indian universities.” According to the Society for Technical Communication (STC) India chapter’s Web site, there is no formal education curriculum in the field of technical communication, although since the 1990s there has been a rise in the number of technical communication professionals. Wang and Baake analyze the barriers to educate Indian individuals interested in further enhancing their technical writing skills through an online program of learning.

Barriers involve:

The time difference of almost ten to thirteen hours between the western university and the learner
The ability of the learner to attend onsite classes and web meetings
The tuition to obtain a graduate degree or graduate certificate from a western university

Personal experience reveals that the Indian technical communicator is good at delving into source documents but due to the lack of education in technical communication techniques is not good at discerning what is important and what can be eliminated from publication. This results in the need to edit and reformat documents received from the Indian technical communicator. This has also resulted in companies, not educational institutions, to educate Indian technical communicators in the formal methods of technical communication. Universities though may be able to license their programs to Indian universities thus deriving royalties for their curriculums. This may be a way to introduce a universal standard into Indian technical writing based on a body of knowledge and benefit from input from Indian technical communicators.

Source: Baake, K. & Junhua Wang, (2006). Offshoring and Serving the Needs of Indian Technical Communicators with Online Technical Communication Programs: A Feasibility Study. Technical Communication, 53(4), 427-438. doi: Article

April 27, 2016May 1, 2016

See you at the Summit?

Where to find your IDL SIG colleagues at the #STC16 Summit (pdf)

Hello, I am happy to communicate with you ahead of the STC 2016 Summit next month, where I hope Robert Hershenow and I can meet you in person (if we haven’t before). We are the co-managers of the Instructional Design and Learning SIG, and sometimes it’s lonely volunteering for a virtual community such as the SIG. We do have this one opportunity each year to meet our members and we really look forward to it.

Attend our IDL SIG Business Breakfast on Wednesday, May 18th at 7 am Pacific in the Marquis Ballroom of the Anaheim Marriott. Join us for breakfast and an entertaining, informative State-of-the-SIG discussion! Open to all IDL SIG members. Wear your Disney swag to be eligible for door prizes.

Here is a quick overview of where you can find us, how you will recognize us, and ways to network with us – and each other, of course.

2016 Summit Email to Members

You know, if you haven’t registered for the Summit yet… there is still time. They are taking registrations up until May 15th. Register at summit.stc.org right now: it’s not too late!

Thank you.
Mellissa Ruryk
IDL SIG co-manager

PS: If you are a student IDL SIG member and you are participating in any of the Student activities or volunteering at the Summit, please send me an email at manager@stcidlsig.org.

April 21, 2016April 22, 2016

Thursday, April 21, 2016 Mary Whalen (Sojoodi) presents “Getting Started With Video Training”

“Getting Started With Video Training” webinar with Mary Whalen (Sojoodi).

10:30 am Pacific / 11:30 am Mountain / 12:30 pm Central / 1:30 pm Eastern

Thank you for attending our STC IDL SIG webinar on April 21, 2016.

Link to the recording:
http://stc.adobeconnect.com/p9lo5c6qfqk/

Link to the slides as pdf:
Slides from “Getting Started With Video Training” webinar with Mary Whalen (Sojoodi)

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Thursday, April 21, 2016

About the webinar

More and more companies are looking to use videos as a training and support solution. Mary will share her lessons learned through a case study of developing over 70 demo-style training videos for two software systems using Camtasia Studio. Mary will give advice for scripting videos, strategies for conducting reviews, guidelines for setting up a recording area, and tips and tricks for producing video.

Intended Audience

All Audiences. The content will be introductory (e.g., > “101 level”)

About the Speaker: Mary Whalen (Sojoodi)

Mary Whalen (Sojoodi)

For over 20 years, Mary has been helping companies use training and documentation solutions to improve employee performance, increase customer satisfaction, and ensure regulatory compliance. Mary has designed and developed live and online training programs, technical and user manuals, and online help for a wide range of companies in various industries, from start-ups to Fortune 500 clients. Mary has taught through the Society for Technical Communication Institute at Northern Illinois University, and her work has received awards from the Society for Technical Communication.

Mary Whalen

March 31, 2016October 21, 2022

SuMM+IT+2106 = Summit 2016!

by Crista Mohammed

Well folks it’s that time of year, when all STC members get antsy in happy anticipation of the the STC’s Annual Summit. The 63rd Summit (can you believe it?) is carded for May 15-18 2016 and takes place in Anaheim, CA.

For those in the Technical Communication community, the Summit is a momentous occasion both professionally and personally. On the professional side, it marks the culmination of a year’s work and the start of another.The summit offers countless opportunities to network; to stay in touch with cutting-edge practice and research; and to interact with the rest of the STC community. On the personal side, old friends get that cherished once-a-year opportunity to reconnect; volunteers who work together virtually can meet face-to-face; and always there is the hard-won chance to kick-back or party hard ( however briefly) with like-minded folk.

Whether you’re a veteran or newbie to the STC’s Summit, here are some tips on making the most of Summit 2016:

Read, read and read again the Summit Schedule.
Create your individual schedule, taking account of training opportunities; presentations; meetings and social events that you MUST attend.
Prepare a list of alternative events, should there be changes to your initial plans.
Insert flexible time in your schedule. This will prove a godsend when you are faced with unanticipated yet fortuitous opportunities—a business hook-up or a meeting with a potential employer.
Plan your communication. Time is short and precious: You need to distill and precisely present your ideas for each anticipated communication scenario—What will you say to a potential employer? What suggestions will you put forth at your SIG business meeting?

Of all the events, arguably the most exciting is the IDL SIG Business Meeting. Last year, the wildly creative and fun-loving IDL Management Committee held a teddy-bear themed meeting. They caught everyone’s attention and injected whimsy into otherwise very serious business!

Can you guess this year’s theme? Mum’s the word, but I’ll concede to giving you a clue. The Committee is drawing its inspiration from the great state of California. Could it be a surfing theme—with co-manager Robert Hershenow rocking a wet-suit and hunting for A-Frames? Or will it be Hollywood inspired—James Bousquet, Treasurer, as Colin Firth; Lori Meyer, Secretary, as Maggie Smith; Co-Manager, Mellissa Ruryk as Michelle Pfeiffer; and Program Manager, Viqui Dill as the stunning Meryl Streep? …

Well, you will never know, unless you go! Have a great Summit 2016!