Technical Communication Education in the Valley of the Sun
by Clare Turner
I recently asked Dr. Barry Maid from Arizona State University about technical communication educational opportunities at ASU. Dr. Maid is a member of the Phoenix STC Chapter and of the Academic SIG.
Currently, ASU offers a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Applied Science Degree as well as an Undergraduate and a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Multimedia Writing and Technical Communication (MWTC).
The degrees and certificates are offered at the Polytechnic campus in Mesa (formerly known as ASU-East). The Polytechnic campus was the logical place to start a course of study in Multimedia Writing and Technical Communication. It is located on the former Williams Air Force Base in Mesa. When it first opened, the school had 1,000 students enrolled in approximately ten degree programs. The small campus started with two schools -- the School of Technology, and the School of Agribusiness and Resource Management.
Today, more than 5,000 students are enrolled in 30 degree programs at the Polytechnic campus. ASU shares more than 700 acres at Power and Williams Field roads with Chandler-Gilbert Community College, Mesa Community College, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and a Maricopa County elementary school. These entities make up what is known as the "Williams Campus."
The MWTC program was originally approved by the Arizona Board of Regents on June 30, 2000. Courses in the program were first available during the Spring 2001 semester. It is currently possible to complete both the undergraduate major and the certificates entirely online. The program presently has approximately 40 undergraduate students and around a dozen graduate certificate students.
While this may be old news for many Phoenix STC members, the MWTC Program is making progress. In the fall of 2004, they hired Barbara D’Angelo, a specialist in information literacy and a PhD student at Texas Tech University, as a full time lecturer. According to Barry, Barbara has already created several new courses focusing on information issues, including intellectual property and copyright.
In fall of 2005, two tenure track positions were added--one in multimedia and one in medical rhetoric. Claire Lauer, who is finishing her Ph.D. at the University of Arizona, will be a new Assistant Professor in the fall. She will fill the multimedia position. Unfortunately, the position in medical rhetoric was not filled. The will continue the search next year.
With the increase in personnel, Barry is presently drafting a proposal for a Master of Science Degree. More news regarding ASU technical communication opportunities will be included in upcoming issues of the Rough Draft.
If you’d like to contact Barry, email him at barry.maid@asu.edu.
April 2006