Research

Presentations

Presence, Participation, and Empowerment: Reimagining Engagement in the Virtual Classroom
Focus on Teaching and Technology Conference · Sep 30, 2022
Co-Presenters: Dr. Jossalyn Larson, Dr. Daniel Reardon, and Ms. Elizabeth Reardon

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a flurry of new pedagogical and technological tools aimed at mimicking the engagement of the seated classroom in virtual environments. Instructors have found, however, that the energy of face-to-face engagement cannot be recreated digitally, just as the energy of a live theatre performance cannot be recreated in cinema. Rather than attempting to digitize live environments, therefore, this panel proposed reimagining a species of engagement that is unique to virtual instruction.

The purpose of this workshop was to provide tools by which instructors can galvanize student participation in virtual and blended classrooms. Session participants assumed the role of “student” in a synchronous Zoom class, and the workshop was divided into three fifteen minute blocks. Approximately five minutes of each block was devoted to a brief description of the pedagogy behind the techniques presented; the remainder of each block consisted of a demonstration of those techniques.

Rethinking First-Year Writing Goals and Objectives: Alternatives to Traditional Papers
Focus on Teaching and Technology Conference · Sep 27, 2019
Co-Presenters: Dr. Daniel Reardon and Ms. Elizabeth Reardon

ePortfolios: Assessing and Reinforcing Skills through a Variety of Genres
Focus on Teaching and Technology Conference · Sep 26, 2019

Finding Each Student’s Voice: Utilizing Canvas Analytics to Encourage Active Participation
Conference on College Composition and Communication · Mar 15, 2018
Co-Presenters: Dr. Jossalyn Larson, Dr. Daniel Reardon, and Dr. Rachel Schneider

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Publications

The Mandative Subjunctive in Technical Writing, or the Gap between Subconscious and Conscious Grammatical Knowledge
Technical Communication · Mar 17, 2021
Co-Author: Dr. Edward A. Malone

Purpose: In technical writing, the consistent use of the present subjunctive in mandative that-clauses can promote stylistic clarity by distinguishing the not-yet actualized from the already actualized. A grammar rule requires the use of the present subjunctive in such contexts. We tested a group of STEM majors at our university to see whether they were predisposed to use the present subjunctive in such clauses when they were composing new content or editing existing content.

Results: In the mandative clauses across both versions of the test, the present indicative was used in 51% of the responses, while the present subjunctive was used in 28%. The present subjunctive was used in 249 out of 720 responses (35%) on the complete-the-sentence version of the test, while it was used in 191 out of 828 responses (23%) on the fill-in-the-blank version.

Conclusions: The students used the mandative subjunctive frequently, but they used the mandative indicative more frequently. They were more likely to use the mandative subjunctive when they were generating complete predicates (applying the grammar rule subconsciously in composing/drafting) than when they were supplying only simple predicates (applying the grammar rule consciously in editing/revising).

Practitioner’s Takeaway:
• The indiscriminate use of indicative and subjunctive verb forms in mandative that-clauses can result in inaccurate, unclear, or inconsistent writing.
• In most cases, technical writers and editors should use the subjunctive rather than the indicative or modal should in mandative that-clauses for American audiences.
• The gap between subconscious and conscious grammatical knowledge may interfere with competent revision and editing; closing that gap requires formal study of grammar.

Technical Communication at Missouri S&T: Challenges and Strategies
Programmatic Perspectives · Jan 1, 2014
Co-Authors: Dr. Edward A. Malone and Dr. David Wright

This article provides an overview of technical communication programs at Missouri University of Science and Technology. In addition to describing the profile of our faculty and students, we discuss the challenges we have faced because of the newness of our degree programs, the small number of faculty and majors in our programs, and the institutional environment in which we operate. As a contribution to the Council for Programs in Technical and Scientific Communication’s growing body of “program showcases,” this article is intended to be another source of ideas, examples, and precedents (both positive and negative) for current and future program administrators.

A History of the Future: Prognostication in Technical Communication: An Annotated Bibliography
Technical Communication Quarterly · Jan 1, 2021
Co-Authors: Dr. David Wright, Dr. Edward A. Malone, Gowri G. Saraf, Tessa B. Long, and Irangi K. Egodapitiya

Since the 1950s, technical communicators have been trying to predict future developments in technology, economics, pedagogy, and workplace roles. Prognosticators have included founders of the profession, academics, business leaders, and practitioners. This article examines their predictions to determine what they reveal about technical communication as a discipline.

The History of Technical Communication Instruction at Missouri University of Science and Technology: The Evolution of a Curriculum
Missouri University of Science and Technology · Jan 1, 2011
Advisor: Dr. Edward A. Malone
Committee Members: Dr. Elizabeth Cummins and Dr. David Wright

This thesis provides a written record of the history of technical communication instruction at Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T). Beginning with the school’s inception in 1871 as the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy (MSM) through to the year 2005, I have examined course catalogs and department files and conducted interviews to provide an overview of the evolution of technical communication instruction at this institution. To better understand this evolution, I have also provided a framework for the development of the English department from a single course in 1871 to the current Department of English and Technical Communication. In addition to recording the history of technical communication instruction at Missouri S&T, I have conducted research on the history of technical communication instruction at colleges and universities similar to Missouri S&T. This research involved reading literature on the history of technical communication instruction at these similar universities. I also read literature on the influences of technical communication instruction in general. This research allowed me to contextualize the evolution of technical communication instruction at Missouri S&T within the appropriate framework of technical communication instruction at similar colleges and universities in the United States and to contribute a case study to the developing research of the history of the teaching of technical communication in the United States.