Design Discourse - Composing and Revising Programs in Professional and Technical Writing, 2010a
Design Discourse - Composing and Revising Programs in Professional and Technical Writing, 2010a
Design Discourse - Composing and Revising Programs in Professional and Technical Writing, 2010a
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10 Re<strong>in</strong>vent<strong>in</strong>g Audience through Distance<br />
Jude Edm<strong>in</strong>ster<br />
Andrew Mara<br />
The follow<strong>in</strong>g describes our attempt to extend <strong>and</strong> resituate the graduate<br />
programs <strong>in</strong> Scientific <strong>and</strong> <strong>Technical</strong> Communication at Bowl<strong>in</strong>g Green<br />
State University. Our revision<strong>in</strong>g of our program <strong>in</strong>cludes develop<strong>in</strong>g an onl<strong>in</strong>e<br />
graduate certificate program <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>ternational technical communication.<br />
overcom<strong>in</strong>g discipl<strong>in</strong>arity<br />
One of the challenges <strong>in</strong> offer<strong>in</strong>g a certificate program <strong>in</strong> Northwest<br />
Ohio comes from the lack of high-technology jobs <strong>in</strong> the area. Although onl<strong>in</strong>e<br />
programs ostensibly hold the promise of eras<strong>in</strong>g distance limitations altogether,<br />
there still seems to be a general rule that people will look for programs<br />
<strong>in</strong> their area. This is not surpris<strong>in</strong>g, consider<strong>in</strong>g that people who work <strong>in</strong> technology<br />
centers like Aust<strong>in</strong>, Palo Alto, <strong>and</strong> the Research Triangle have likely<br />
heard little to noth<strong>in</strong>g about Bowl<strong>in</strong>g Green State University. So, with few<br />
technology workers to tra<strong>in</strong>, our S & TC program wanted to offer someth<strong>in</strong>g<br />
more recognizable to the bus<strong>in</strong>ess writers that physically <strong>and</strong> professionally<br />
<strong>in</strong>habit the area from Columbus to Detroit, an area that roughly corresponds<br />
with the I-75 corridor. Thus, our challenge <strong>in</strong>cluded th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g of courses that<br />
would apply more generally to professional writers of all stripes. Because our<br />
goal was a graduate certificate program, <strong>and</strong> not a full-blown onl<strong>in</strong>e graduate<br />
degree (we already had a resident graduate program <strong>in</strong> S & TC), it was easier<br />
to create a more generalized program.<br />
Although the strategy of add<strong>in</strong>g a certificate program may seem either<br />
an overt attempt at pure growth, or even a step back from our resident undergraduate<br />
<strong>and</strong> graduate degree programs, it really has had more of a leaven<strong>in</strong>g<br />
effect. By demonstrat<strong>in</strong>g that a program can occur exclusively onl<strong>in</strong>e, <strong>and</strong> by<br />
demonstrat<strong>in</strong>g its value to the enterprise community, our program can make<br />
a case that future expansion <strong>and</strong> curricular realignment can <strong>and</strong> should take<br />
these two approaches. Fortunately for us, this also helps the S & TC program<br />
DOI: https://doi.org/10.37514/PER-B.2010.2348.2.10<br />
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