Tag: Marcia Shannon

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IDL Student Article Competition deadline extended!

By Marcia Shannon

Good news! You have more time to submit an article to the IDL Student Article Competition. We have extended the deadline to Monday, June 19. We will publish the two best essays in the third quarter issue of IDL’s newsletter, IDeaL: Design for Learning.

We hope this extension will encourage potential entrants to take part. We are asking technical communication and instructional design educators to encourage their students to submit an article based on their recent class work. Being published in an international newsletter is a useful addition to any professional portfolio. 

Why does IDL sponsor this competition? We believe this is a way to support the next generation of technical communicators, be they traditional students preparing for their first steps to a career or career-changers who are seeking ways to convert their experiences into technical communication pursuits.

Undergraduate and graduate degree program students and those enrolled in a certificate program for instructional design are eligible to submit an essay. Essay length should be 500 to 1,500 words.

It’s difficult to choose a topic for a short essay, so here are a few suggestions. Look over your class work for ideas. You could discuss how you applied an ID theory to a project or explore how you have changed your writing to be more inclusive or gender neutral. Perhaps you have built a file of all-purpose phrases that work well when explaining certain processes or concepts. Are there neurodivergent conditions that require a different approach to designing instructional materials? These topics are worth exploring.

The prize for each published essay is a one year paid student membership in STC and the IDL SIG, to be awarded in the year after the essay is published. If you will not be a student in that year, you will receive that amount toward your STC membership.

If you have questions about the submission process or would like to discuss a topic, please send an email to SEC Coordinator.

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2022 SIG award recipients!

By Maralee Sautter, IDL SIG Manager

It gives me great pleasure to announce the recipients of IDL SIG awards for 2022. These are SIG-specific awards to celebrate the contributions of our great volunteers and make recognition within the reach of more SIG members. Awards are given to outstanding volunteers who work hard to make our SIG the amazing community that it is.

There are two awards that may be given for the calendar year:

  • SIG Volunteer Achievement Award recognizes the services of a SIG volunteer over time. To be eligible, the recipient demonstrates consistent service to the SIG over a period of two or more years, either as a volunteer in a recurring role, or as a volunteer who has served in many ways without having held an elected office or appointed position.
  • SIG New Volunteer Award recognizes a SIG member who demonstrates consistent service in a short period of time. To be eligible, the recipient needs to be a SIG member for longer than one year, but who has offered significant volunteer activity for the first time in the history of their membership.

This year’s winners are…

Continue reading “2022 SIG award recipients!”

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Membership Report – 2022 Q4

By Marcia Shannon, Membership Manager

We’re ready to welcome to a new year of challenges and opportunities. Wait a minute, that’s every year, isn’t it? Yes, it is, and we have another chance at making good choices. Choosing to be part of the tech comm communities is one of those good. 

First of all, thank you, everyone who joined or renewed your membership in STC and IDL. Welcome or welcome back to the many aspects and variations of being a technical communicator. If you have not renewed or joined for the first time, do not despair, you can join right now, or next week or whenever your circumstances favor you taking that step. 

When I was thinking about what to report to the IDL Community about the fourth quarter of 2022, these questions popped up: Who are we? Who are these folks who are interested in instructional design? Where do we live and work or work remote from? What hints do our job titles give to explain what we do in our careers? How long have we been involved with STC? As membership manager, I ran our roster through several data filters to discover the answers to those questions. I hope you benefit from these quick views of the IDL community members.
Continue reading “Membership Report – 2022 Q4”

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Membership Report – 2022 Q3

By Marcia Shannon, Membership Manager

Another quarter, another change of season. I’ve always felt that Autumn is my personal new year/start fresh time. The shift in the landscape from green to brown feels like a natural time to take stock and make changes. 

September is the opening month of STC membership renewal season. December 31, 2022 is the deadline to renew your membership. It’s a good time to check out how you use membership benefits. Consider increasing those benefits by becoming more involved through volunteering. Continue reading “Membership Report – 2022 Q3”

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Membership Report – 2022 Q2

By Marcia Shannon, Membership Manager

Our SIG continued to welcome new and returning members throughout second quarter. I spent a bit of time analyzing the membership roster because I was curious about who joins IDL. About half the members have been STC members for fewer than ten years, an indication of growing interest in the SIG among newer tech comm professionals and students. Students and new tech comm professionals are 14% and 9% of our membership. There are several ways to segment our SIG population, but these figures interested me the most. They represent a group of TC practitioners and students who participate in growing the profession and themselves. Thanks for being here. Continue reading “Membership Report – 2022 Q2”

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