The Future of Technical Communications

Your Department

is widely successful. UNTs technical communication department was ranked 3rd in the
United States by Education Portal and enjoys a 100% post-graduation employment rate. However, these rankings and
successes are based largely on the perceptions of outsiders. If UNTs own students had the same information and the
same power, would UNTs technical communication department enjoy the same applause it does today? We, the members
of the French Toast Mafia, have gained skills and incite through our experiences with the technical communications
department, but have also noticed some severe lacking in the utilization of both space and resources. For this reason, we
ask you, Dr. Brenda Sims, to hear our story and make the necessary changes to continue the success of the Technical
Communications Department and to simultaneously improve the experiences and performances of your students.

Now the average technical writing classroom is

Cluttered & Cramped
The lack of adequate workspace hurts students as they try to communicate because they cannot
work as efficiently as they have the potential to. With the given layout groups do not have
sufficient space to communicate without shouting, and cannot all easily see the same screen. Not
only do TECM students struggle talking in their groups, but are also forced to listen to all the
surrounding groups crammed next to them. Because the different groups are so close together,
students in class cannot perform to an adequate standard in the classroom since there is not a
quiet work environment. There isnt even sufficient presentation or desk space for the professor,
whose desk sits in a small corner blocked in by a podium and students desks.

Distracting
The current layout of the classroom interrupts the thought processes of both
students and teacher. Students coming in late must walk in front of the lecturing
professor to get to their seats, and students leaving at different times disrupt other
groups. During the lecture all students have to turn from their desks to see the
presentation because not one of the computers faces the smart board. The professor
struggles to maneuver around the room to hand back papers and help the students
who ask, making the task both difficult and time consuming.

Inconvenient & Inefficient

The scratch drive can be overloaded easily when all students try to open
the same document at once, hurting students and teachers by causing
delays for assignments, tests, and notes. When tests crash many people
do not have enough time to complete them. Even when the scratch drive
is functioning properly, documents cannot be accessed on most parts of
campus or at home. If the scratch drive crashes all documents are lost.

Limiting
In the modern era, technical communication has expanded into a
multimedia realm, and yet technical communications students
are limited to only written documents. With all of societys
technical advances many companies communicate by audio
and/or video. TECM students will be at a disadvantage if the
program does not evolve to teach them the skills necessary to be
competitive and effective in these media. Furthermore, there is
no professional space to film videos for projects, hold
interviews, or practice presentations without background noise

Its not too late to make a change.

Replace the desktops with laptops. This will give students much more desk space, will be much
easier for groups to move around the room, and to show each other the work on their
screens. Students would be more productive because groups could more easily maneuver in the
small space they do have, or even take their work into the hall, or another room to use the time
given in class.

Rearrange the furniture. A new layout with the desks facing the smart board
makes a huge difference. Students will no longer bump into their neighbors and
strain their necks, but most importantly they will be forced to face the board which
inclines them to pay more attention and improve grades.

Enforce the use of Blackboard instead of the scratch drive. Many

students can access files on Blackboard at once, which will solve the filesharing problem. This solution will make it easier when there is a test that
needs to be taken in class, or a document many students need to access at
once. The scratch drive can still be used as a way for professors to back
up files that are on Blackboard. With Blackboard, not only will students
have access to the TECM resources they need from home, but they will
be able to complete tests and in class assignments in a timely fashion.

Build a soundproof space. Students could make presentations

with audio, and hold mock interviews in order to enhance their
TECM skills.

Figure 1: The Current Classroom Layout

Figure 2: The Proposed Classroom Layout

The Cost of these improvements is relatively low, with high returns and room for a flexible budget. The most
significant cost comes from the laptops, but this is an adjustment that could be made over several years. Most students
will have their own laptop that they could be encouraged to bring to class. The school laptops would only be for
students who didnt have one that they could check out for the class period. Using this system, not all classrooms
would need to have enough laptops for all students. Even replacing just a few laptops a year would help create more
space and a better group environment. Note that the projected cost below assumes all desktops in the department
would be replaced. Replacing all the desktops is ideal, though not necessary to produce a marked change in the student
environment. A summary of the costs and a proposed time table can be seen below.

Task
Rearrange Furniture
Integrate Laptops
Soundproof AUDB 312A
Replace Scratch Drive

Projected Start Date

June 1st 2015
June 1st 2015
August 1st 2015
August 17th 2015

Projected End Date

June 5th 2015
June 1st 2025
July 1st 2015
Ongoing

Estimated Cost
$0
$58,800,800,880/year
$2000
$0

Total Cost

$60,800

The Future of this department depends on whether or not it can be competitive. Making space for students to
collaborate, introducing a multimedia environment, and ensuring students have access to the resources they need are
just a few steps in this direction. These days its pretty easy to get left behind technologically; technical writing is a
continually evolving field, and to keep up so should be the education of our technical writers.