Welcome to the Post-Class Discussion

Greetings students in the Tech Comm Manager course:

One of the recurring themes in the comments in class was that you wanted to continue the conversation we started.

This blog provides us with a means of doing so. To ensure that the discussion continues, I will post a question from time-to-time.

But please do not limit your discussions to my questions. If you have some--please send them to me so we might generate discussions that will be helpful to you, too.

Please note, too, that I have hidden this blog from search engines and the list of blogs on Blogger, to ensure a certain amount of privacy.

I look forward to continuing this conversation--and to learning from you.

Best,

Saul

Helping instructors to better review materials

One of the concerns raised in class is that reviewers of technical materials don't always review the materials we send them. In some instances, reviewers are late. In other instances, they don't review at all.

Our depends, however, on getting strong technical reviews to ensure that the content we publish is accurate and complete.

Some ideas for promoting the responsibilities of reviewers were discussed in the chat in class. And people wanted more--more ideas for "marketing" the reviewers' responsibilities, and samples of resources they might use.

So for our first post-class discussion, I thought we might take up the challenge of getting reviewers to review materials in a timely manner.

Please share your ideas, suggestions, and resources.

Best,

Saul

Week One--Students Whose Last Names Begin with Q-Z

The reading, More than Grammar: Expectations of Technical Editing New Hires, identifies competencies expected of new technical editors. So what’s the difference between a new technical editor (or technical communicator—if that’s more comfortable for you to address) and an intermediate one? Senior one? Be as specific as possible.

Week One--Students Whose Last Names Begin with H-P

The reading, HR Professionals’ Beliefs about Effective Human Resource Practices: Correspondence between Research, explores how the practices of managers diverge from the evidence collected through research. What role does evidence play in making managerial decisions? What role does instinct play?

Week One--Students Whose Last Names Begin with A-G

Several of the readings explain letters of agreement for working with vendors and contractors.

How is a performance plan like a letter of agreement? How does it differ?