Online Teaching and Learning in Technical Communication: Continuing the Conversation

In 2007, Hewett and Ehmann Powers developed a special issue of Technical Communication Quarterly called “Online Teaching and Learning: Preparation, Development, and Organizational Communication” to consider organizational concerns and educators’ necessary professional development preparation and strategies for teaching in online settings. This special issue focused specifically on the teaching and administration of online education in rhetoric and technical communication, with contributors writing about such topics as training concerns with regard to global settings (St.Amant, 2007), instructors’ willingness and preparedness to teach online framed within cultural geography metaphors (Meloncon, 2007), and the need for immersing prospective online educators in the very environment into which they are expected to teach (Cook, 2007). Since the issue’s publication 10 years ago, the number of distance students across the country has increased, with online education outpacing traditional onsite (often referred to as “face-to-face”) enrollment (Kelly, 2015) and a reported 7.1 million students taking at least one online class (Allen & Seaman, 2014). Not coincidentally, the number of fully online and hybrid technical and professional communication (TPC) programs also has increased, with many institutions (e.g., Arizona State University, Texas Tech University, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, University of Cincinnati, and California State University) offering TPC programs online. Technical communication courses continue to evolve in the online arena, and the field must restructure its practices to provide distance education students access to the same learning opportunities as onsite students.

Providing access to distance students means that instructors need training to teach online (Breuch, 2015; Hewett & DePew, 2015); specifically, they need to be able to teach TPC and all of its features online, which is not the same as teaching a nonwriting focused course in an online setting or through a learning management system (LMS). According to Hewett (2015), teaching writing online involves being a strong teacher of writing, a strong teacher in an online setting, and a strong teacher of writing in the online setting—each of these requiring scaffolded levels of specialized skills and knowledge. Therefore, administrators must offer adequate professional development opportunities for educators working in this environment. With this special issue, we build on Hewett and Ehmann Powers’ (2007) work by providing instructors and administrators with a more current discussion of effective practices in teaching TPC online and developing or maintaining a successful online writing program that includes appropriate, environment-specific professional development opportunities. The publication of this special issue in 2017 provides important updates on relevant practices in online education for TPC, keeping scholarship in the field current and highlighting growth and differences in approaches to online writing instruction in technical writing education.

Current literature in online TPC professional development

With distance education continuing to grow at a rapid pace, composition scholars have increasingly studied and reported on the efficacy of online courses. These studies vary in content, from focusing on student-perceived success in the online classroom (Boyd, 2008) to measuring the comparability of online courses to their face-to-face (f2f) counterparts (Arbaugh, 2000; Collins & Pascarella, 2003; Neuhauser, 2002; Sapp & Simon, 2005). In this special issue, we extend the conversation by turning the focus to the field of TPC. Scholars of TPC have reported on pedagogy, administration, and development of online technical communication classes and programs. Since Hewett and Ehmann Powers’ (2007) special issue of Technical Communication Quarterly titled “Online Teaching and Learning: Preparation, Development, and Organizational Communication,” more programs across the country have added online degrees. Cook and Grant-Davie (2013) reported that only 22 U.S. colleges and universities offered online degree programs in 2005; however, this number had more than doubled in size by 2013, with the authors reporting at least 56 institutions offering programs or courses online. Such rapid growth strongly indicates a need to readdress online TPC, specifically the professional development of instructors when teaching in this environment.

The online writing instruction (OWI) survey results discussed in the Conference on Composition and Communication Committee for Effective Practices in Online Writing Instruction’s The State of the Art of OWI (Hewett et al., 2011) identified that few online writing instructors were required to attend training sessions before teaching. Of 158 respondents who were teaching fully online courses, only “48% indicated that they had some kind of mandatory training and 58% indicated that the training was optional” (Hewett et al., 2011, p. 12). Indeed, instructors expressed dissatisfaction with the levels of support they receive regarding technology, training, and professional development support relative to OWI (p. 7). The survey noted that “such dissatisfaction can lead to poor teaching, low expectations for students and for an online course, and insufficient retention of experienced instructors at a time when OWI continues to grow” (p. 12). Scholars have argued that this training is necessary for online success, not only for the instructors themselves, but also for the students taking distance courses (Capra, 2011; Schneckenberg, 2011; Trentin & Alvino, 2011).

As Hewett and Ehmann/Ehmann Powers (2004, 2007) have suggested, teachers need professional development opportunities that will aid them in creating their online courses, developing curriculum, and teaching in what may be a new environment. Moving beyond teaching instructors to use such technology as their LMS (e.g., Blackboard, Canvas), teachers need instruction regarding how to “cultivate technological and pedagogical understandings for online environments […] to engage them in active teaching and learning online” (Hewett and Ehmann, 2004, p. xiii). In other words, whereas instructors can turn to instructional design teams for assistance in using the LMS and its functions, they need pedagogical training for facilitating a technologically distributed classroom. Beyond learning technological skills, OWI teachers need to use the technology to learn in the pedagogical context for firsthand, immersive learning.

Scholarship surrounding professional development for educators in online settings is indeed growing. Ten years ago, for example, there were so few submissions to Hewett and Ehmann Powers’ (2007) special issue for TCQ that only three pieces were accepted for publication. This year, however, more than 20 scholars submitted proposals, and nine were accepted, including work from all three authors featured in the original issue. In fact, there is more interest now than ever before in preparing educators for the rigors of online instruction in three core literacies of reading, alphabetic writing, and digital composition generally and in technical communication specifically. For instance, the recent publication of Hewett and DePew’s (2015) Foundational Practices in Online Writing Instruction addressed the challenge of providing adequate access and inclusivity, teaching multilingual students, implementing multimodal composition in online classes, and training instructors to teach online. As previously mentioned, Cook and Grant-Davie’s (2013) collection Online Education 2.0: Evolving, Adapting, and Reinventing Online Technical Communication offered readers—administrators, teachers, and scholars—with guidance when teaching online and establishing and administering online programs; their collection addresses many challenges, including budgetary and professional development opportunities, and they also offer theoretical and practical advice for using specific technology in the distance class. This book also offered a more recent contribution to the conversation of online education in technical communication; however, as the landscape of such courses and programs continually changes, it is necessary for the field to conduct additional study and provide thoughtful scholarship that focuses on current issues and cutting-edge effective—or “best”—practices. Even with this growth of scholarship, there remains a direct need for research—both theoretical and practical—in regard to teacher-training for online TPC instructors specifically.

Areas of discussion

The purpose of this special issue of TCQ is to help TPC practitioners, teachers, and researchers to understand training and development principles specifically geared toward the delivery and conduct of online educational programs; issues of communication among administrators, online trainers, and online trainees; technologies and organizational dynamics as related to preparing for online education at various levels; and research and materials that educators have found successful when teaching students of technical communication. This issue offers new insights into the training and teaching of online TPC classes, including strategies that have worked for instructors, failed strategies or approaches, challenges encountered, and lessons learned. This special issue also offers administrators scholarship that can guide them in their online training efforts, as well as developing, assessing, and maintaining a successful online program. Finally, it addresses some areas of growth for technical communicators in online educational venues. Some of the articles offer practical, adaptable guidance for instructors where training is not available, and all provide administrators and instructors with both theoretical and practical frameworks from which to structure individual online classes or entire online technical communication programs.

Kirk St.Amant, a returning author from the original 2007 special issue in TPC-focused preparation, professional development, and organizational communication, considers the fraught nature of global online TPC courses in “Of Friction Points and Infrastructures: Rethinking the Dynamics of Offering Online Education in Technical Communication in Global Contexts.” He presents the notion of friction points and hard and soft infrastructural issues as key areas for educating TPC instructors in the potential pitfalls in globally distributed online TPC courses.

David Grover, Heidi Harris, Kevin DePew, and Kelli Cargile Cook present research from three different institutions that offer training for graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) in “Immersion, Reflection, Failure: Teaching Graduate Students to Teach Technical Writing Online.” The authors give context for their institutions before offering practical advice for others seeking to immerse GTAs in professional development programs for online education.

In “Contingent Faculty, Online Writing Instruction, and Professional Development in Technical and Professional Communication,” Lisa Meloncon reports on data from a survey of online TPC educators, many of whom worked in online settings and some who were contingent workers needing additional support from their institutions and departments. From these data, she recommends that TPC program administrators (PAs) should provide targeted professional development opportunities in terms of using first a heuristic model to read the landscape of the program, implementing a community of practice (CoP) support system, and providing appropriate pedagogical models stemming from the landscape reading and CoP.

Laura Gonzales and Isabel Baca, in “Developing Culturally and Linguistically Inclusive Online Technical Communication Programs,” argue for training online technical communication teachers to interact with diverse students and to develop culturally sensitive curriculum that promotes cultural and linguistic inclusivity. Through a description of the Community Writing Partners Program at the University of Texas, El Paso, Texas, the authors illustrate how such programs can help instructors incorporate community engagement work in their online writing courses, with the goal toward preparing students to work as responsible stewards within a wide range of organizations.

In “Revising the Online Classroom: Usability Testing for Training Online Technical Communication Instructors,” Joseph Bartolotta, Tiffany Bourelle, and Julianne Newmark argue that TPC can supply the critical practices of usability testing and user-centered design (UCD) analysis to teacher-training, online course building, and instructional delivery for technical communication courses. They outline how TPC PAs can integrate usability testing into instructor training as ways to help them develop and revise TPC courses for usability, but also as a training method that helps online instructors by enculturating them into both online instruction generally and tools, such as UCD, that are specific to TPC.

Robbin Zeff Warner and Beth L. Hewett, in “Technical Communication Coaching: A Strategy for Instilling Reader Usability Assurance in Online Course Material Development,” argue that coaching online instructors and master course subject matter experts in developing readable online course material is a natural extension of TPC professional development. They suggest that TPC educators and other professionals are well poised to test for and coach others in readability, which is one necessary aspect of usability testing and one that they suggest may be neglected in the final moments before a course goes live.

Rochelle Rodrigo and Cristina Ramirez argue for using master, template courses in “Balancing Institutional Demands with Effective Practice: A Lesson in Curricular and Professional Development.” The authors acknowledge the criticism of such training methods, making a clear case for involving instructors in the constant revision and improvement to the curriculum within the master course in an effort to not only improve the curriculum but to also motivate instructors’ participation in both expertise and community building activities.

Jennifer Bay, in “Training Technical and Professional Communication Educators for Internship Courses in Online Environments,” discusses training TPC educators to teach an online internship practicum through immersion into an online course much like the ones they would create to teach undergraduate student interns. Based on her own experiences, Bay offers her readers advice regarding developing such a training mechanism at their own institutions, including creating a similar training course with thoughtfully designed technological infrastructure, theoretical scholarship to guide educators, and opportunities for reflection.

In “Training Online Technical Communication Educators to Teach with Social Media: Best Practices and Professional Recommendations,” Stephanie Vie discusses how teacher-trainers can effectively train instructors to use social media in the classroom beyond the big three: Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube. Based on a study conducted of online educators and their use of social media, Vie presents a clear picture of professional development for using social media, giving tangible advice for teacher-trainers based on her own experience at the University of Central Florida.

Conclusion

As online education continues to change and evolve, this special issue offers educators current models and practices they can adapt and adopt at their own institutions. With the growth of online technical communication programs and the number of distance students increasing across the globe, professional development of online instructors remains more important now than ever, and the need is no less in TPC. Even with this growth, professional development of online instructors remains scarce. To succeed in online environments and with online media, professionals cannot solely rely on methods deemed “successful” in conventional, onsite situations; rather, they need new instructional approaches that address distinctive qualities of teaching and learning online. As such, professionals need adequate orientation about online teaching and learning approaches. Of equal importance, the individuals responsible for creating/organizing orientation for colleagues must also consider training methodologies that are most appropriate for this type of professional development. This special issue offers a variety of effective methodologies and practices toward implementing professional development that meets the needs of the instructors and the demand for pedagogically sound curriculum in TPC. We hope our readers will consider the scholarship and further the work in teacher training that is so necessary for developing and maintaining successful online TPC programs.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Beth L. Hewett

Beth L. Hewett has been a leader in the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) Committee for Effective Practices in Online Writing Instruction. A college-level writing instructor for more than 30 years, Beth is the author, coauthor, and editor/coeditor of multiple articles and books, to include Foundational Practices of Online Writing Instruction, Preparing Educators for Online Writing Instruction: Principles and Practices, Virtual Collaborative Writing in the Workplace: Computer-Mediated Communication Technologies and Practices, and Technology and English Studies: Innovative Professional Paths. Beyond online writing instruction, Beth’s interests include using digital technologies to understand the characteristics of college-level writing, the public rhetoric of eulogies, and practical connections between postsecondary writing and the world-at-large.

Tiffany Bourelle

Tiffany Bourelle is an assistant professor at the University of New Mexico where she currently teaches first-year writing and technical communication in face-to-face and online environments. She is the co-creator and director of eComp, a first-year online writing program that focuses on training graduate teaching assistants to teach online. Her work has appeared in such journals as Computers and Composition, Kairos, Technical Communication Quarterly, and WPA: Writing Program Administration Journal.