The field of technical communication is rapidly expanding in both the academic world and the private sector, yet a problematic divide remains between theory and practice. Here Stuart A. Selber and Johndan Johnson-Eilola, both respected scholars and teachers of technical communication, effectively bridge that gap. Solving Problems in Technical Communication collects the latest research and theory in the field and applies it to real-world problems faced by practitioners—problems involving ethics, intercultural communication, new media, and other areas that determine the boundaries of the discipline. The book is structured in four parts, offering an overview of the field, situating it historically and culturally, reviewing various theoretical approaches to technical communication, and examining how the field can be advanced by drawing on diverse perspectives. Timely, informed, and practical, Solving Problems in Technical Communication will be an essential tool for undergraduates and graduate students as they begin the transition from classroom to career.

This book explicates the relationships between design thinking, critical making, and socially responsive technical communication. It leverages the recent technology-powered DIY culture called "the Maker Movement" to identify how citizen innovation can inform cutting-edge social innovation that advocates for equitable change and progress on today’s "wicked" problems. After offering a succinct account of the origin and recent history of design thinking, along with its connections to the design paradigm in writing studies, the book analyzes maker culture and its influences on innovation and education through an ethnographic study of three academic makerspaces. It offers opportunities to cultivate a sense of critical changemaking in technical communication students and practitioners, showcasing examples of socially responsive innovation and expert interviews that urge a disciplinary attention to social justice advocacy and an embrace of the design-thinking principle of radical collaboration. The value of design thinking methodologies for teaching and practicing socially responsible technical communication are demonstrated as the author argues for a future in the field that sees its constituents as leaders in radical innovation to solve wicked social problems. This book is essential reading for instructors, students, and practitioners of technical communication, and can be used as a supplemental text for graduate and undergraduate courses in usability and user-centered design and research.

A practical, stimulating resource for professional writers, editors, and teachers, Solving Problems in Technical Writing shows how to use the latest research in linguistics and rhetoric and insights from today's business world to write, edit, format, and use graphics more effectively. The contributors, all outstanding professionals from academic or corporate settings, address twelve of the most fundamental questions in technical writing, including how to plan and structure a document, how to make technical information coherent and readable, and how to integrate text and graphics. Since the essays are organized the same way many functional documents are structured--a clear statement of a problem and its implications, followed by a comprehensive review of the pertinent literature and concrete recommendations for solutions--they provide elegant models of the technical writer's craft as well as a mine of useful information.

Taking a research-based, integrated problem solving approach to technical and professional writing, this volume provides a model that illustrates real working-world solutions to problems that readers are likely to encounter in the workplace. Designed to show that problem solving is a multidimensional process, each chapter begins with a short scenario case study that deals with theoretical or applied issues of technical and professional communication, thereby preparing users to excel in the professional world. The volume addresses a variety of forms of professionalism and problem solving including technical and rhetorical problem solving, solving problems through research, reports and completion reports, proposals, letters and memoranda's, solving problems through trip reports, feasibility studies, and lab reports, policy statements, manuals, and procedures, as well as solving problems in the professional job search, through document design, and through oral presentations. For business professionals and others who would benefit from enhanced problem-solving skills.

Comprehensive and truly accessible, Technical Communication guides students through planning, drafting, and designing the documents that will matter in their professional lives. Known for his student-friendly voice and eye for technology trends, Mike Markel addresses the realities of the digital workplace through fresh samples and cases, practical writing advice, and a companion Web site — TechComm Web — that continues to set the standard with content developed and maintained by the author. The text is also available in a convenient, affordable e-book format.

Devised with a focus on problem solving, Geotechnical Problem Solving bridges the gap between geotechnical and soil mechanics material covered in university Civil Engineering courses and the advanced topics required for practicing Civil, Structural and Geotechnical engineers. By giving newly qualified engineers the information needed to apply their extensive theoretical knowledge, and informing more established practitioners of the latest developments, this book enables readers to consider how to confidently approach problems having thought through the various options available. Where various competing solutions are proposed, the author systematically leads through each option, weighing up the benefits and drawbacks of each, to ensure the reader can approach and solve real-world problems in a similar manner The scope of material covered includes a range of geotechnical topics, such as soil classification, soil stresses and strength and soil self-weight settlement. Shallow and deep foundations are analyzed, including special articles on laterally loaded piles, retaining structures including MSE and Tieback walls, slope and trench stability for natural, cut and fill slopes, geotechnical uncertainty, and geotechnical LRFD (Load and Resistance Factor Design).