Improving the data information literacies of technical communication undergraduates

Introduction: Promoting a Sustainable Collective Identity for Technical and Professional Communication

“…Particularly for less experienced instructors, issues of purpose or genre took precedence over issues of content or detail in the service course; this result contrasts with more experienced instructors' attitudes toward phronesis (Doan, 2020). Instead, less experienced instructors relegated detail and content to lower-order issues and discussed higher-order issues such as purpose or context, when content should be considered a higher-order and high-stakes issue that could strengthen TPC's connections to industry (Boettger et al, 2017;Spilka, 2009).…”

“…Despite the field's robust theorizing about genre as social action, activity theory, and actor-network theory, these terministic screens have not always translated into actionable pedagogical methods that enable students to learn how to solve problems using workplace documents (Melonçon, 2018b;Morrison, 2017). TPC pedagogy needs to be "moving away from form-based discussions toward more productive rhetorical ones" (Lawrence et al, 2017, p. 2) by building a functional vocabulary for instructors to use when building students' information literacies (Boettger et al, 2017) and discussing content-centric writing issues (Doan, 2020;Spilka, 2009). These productive rhetorical conversations are the phroneses largely absent from a form-based approach to teaching the TPC service course.…”

A strategic approach to information literacy: data literacy. A systematic review

“…For this reason, there are various programs that integrate both literacies into the curricula on the basis of a diagnosis of the needs encountered (Carlson et al 2011;Maybee et al 2015;Frank;Pharo, 2016;Macy;Coates, 2016). Other studies demonstrate the crucial nature of these competencies for subsequent professional development (Boettger et al, 2017;Phillips;Jahanshahi, 2017). Overall, the available satisfaction scores are good, with both teachers and students confirming that they stimulate their interest in data and competence in their interpretation and management, with an overall positive impact on their learning and curricular advancement, as well as regarding the relevance of Infolit as a foundation for DL (Koltay, 2015a;Šorgo, 2018;Braun;Huwer, 2022).…”

“…In terms of recommendations, the authors share the urgency that DL competencies be acquired in undergraduate education, depending on the different fields of specialization, as they contribute decisively to critical thinking and basic citizenship skills (Pothier; Condon, 2019; Martín-González; Iglesias-Rodríguez, 2022). In this sense, there is a demand for investment in DL training, at both the curricular and professional level (Boettger et al, 2017;Ophoff et al, 2017a;Ophoff et al, 2017b), and it is recommended that teachers, librarians, and researchers delve deeper into the relevance, dimensions, and variables of DL (Marzal, 2020;Pinto et al, 2021). Further deepening of the development of a consensual competency framework integrated with but set apart from other literacies is also recommended (see review by Ghodoosi et al, 2023).…”

Chapter 7: Applied Rhetoric as Disciplinary Umbrella: Community, Connections, and Identity

“…Within typical TPC assignments, space exists to engage students with project management (Dicks, 2010;Hackos, 2005), user experience , data visualization (Welhausen, 2017;Wolfe, 2015), and the rhetoric of health and medicine (Hannah & Arduser, 2017). Becoming an effective technical writer now means going beyond a focus on grammar or word choice and zooming out to engage larger wicked problems, such as using information literacies (Boettger et al, 2017) to create content tailored specifically to a certain audience (Doan, 2020;Spilka, 2009). TPC faculty should familiarize themselves with these content areas, even if they are "only" teaching the service course, because these areas lend exegesis to assignments and course objectives.…”