IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication Mar 2017

Taken Under Advisement: Perspectives on Advisory Boards From Across Technical Communication

Lars Soderlund ; John Spartz ; Ryan Weber University of Alabama in Huntsville

Abstract

Research problem: Advisory boards provide an opportunity for technical communication programs to connect consistently with industry practitioners and on-campus stakeholders, and yet few recent studies examine best practices for advisory boards in technical communication programs. Research questions: (1) What is the typical makeup of a technical communication program advisory board? (2) What function do these advisory boards serve? (3) What are the typical successes and challenges of starting and maintaining a technical communication advisory board? (4) What are best practices for starting and maintaining a successful advisory board? (5) What are the similarities and differences in how program administrators and board members perceive the benefits and functions of the board? Literature review: Literature on advisory boards in technical and business communication-and in related fields such as communication, journalism, and marketing-reports that advisory boards are beneficial and effective, though many include caveats or recommendations about ways to improve board function. Methodology: To provide perspectives from both sides of the academy-industry relationship, we conducted 18 semistructured phone, Skype, and in-person interviews with program administrators (n = 10) from a host of nationwide programs and with board members (n = 8) from a single advisory board. Results and discussion: The study finds that the typical advisory board involves a mix of industry, faculty, and student members, with an emphasis on industry members. They advise the program about its curricular concerns, often foster students' academic and professional maturation, and support the program in conflicts with university administration. The typical successes of advisory boards included positive curricular amendment and the recruitment of students for jobs and internships, while characteristic challenges included meeting logistics and board members' concerns regarding the program's response to their advice. Program administrators and board members both perceive a board as useful, but some members expressed concern about the uncertainty of their role and influence. The results suggest that all technical communication programs should seriously consider forming an advisory board based on disciplinary best practices, that existing advisory boards should ensure that they have clarified the board's role for their program, and that stakeholders are aware of and attend to their board members' concerns.

Journal
IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
Published
2017-03-01
DOI
10.1109/tpc.2016.2635693
CompPile
Open Access
Closed
Topics
writing program administration technical communication professional writing book reviews editorial matter
Export
BibTeX RIS

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (3)

  1. Chong et al. (2021)
    Student Recruitment in Technical and Professional Communication Programs
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  2. Schreiber et al. (2019)
    Creating a Continuous Improvement Model for Sustaining Programs in Technical an…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  3. Duin et al. (2019)
    Cultivating code literacy: course redesign through advisory board engagement
    Communication Design Quarterly

References (31) · 4 in this index

  1. 10.1300/J111v44n03_08
     ↗
  2. barclay (1991)
    Technical communication in the international workplace: Some implications for curriculum…
    Tech Commun
  3. 10.1177/108056990206500407
     ↗
  4. sides (1998)
    Corporate advisory boards
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  5. 10.2190/PMEC16
     ↗
Show all 31 →
  1. Gilbertson (1987)
    Balancing technical communication programs
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  2. Carter et al. (2003)
    Assessing Technical Writing in Institutional Contexts: Using Outcomes-Based Ass…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  3. Johnson-Eilola et al. (2001)
    Sketching a Framework for Graduate Education in Technical Communication
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  4. jennings (2012)
    Technical communication practitioner-student interaction: An opportunity for students to…
    Tech Commun
  5. limberg (1994)
    Internships, exit interviews, and advisory boards
    Assessing Communication Education A Handbook for Media Speech and Theatre Educators
  6. 10.1177/107769581106600105
     ↗
  7. henderson (2004)
    A survey of advisory board ABCs ... advice, balance, and change
    J Mass Commun Edu
  8. glaser (1967)
    The Discovery of Grounded Theory
  9. 10.1080/08832323.2010.480989
     ↗
  10. kvale (2009)
    InterViews Learning the Craft of Qualitative Research Interviewing
  11. 10.1177/108056999706000104
     ↗
  12. 10.1016/0748-5751(89)90048-1
     ↗
  13. lincoln (1985)
    Naturalistic Inquiry
  14. 10.1080/08832323.1988.10117303
     ↗
  15. 10.1002/j.2168-9830.2009.tb01015.x
     ↗
  16. 10.1109/FIE.2002.1158119
     ↗
  17. brockman (1982)
    Advisory boards in technical communication programs and classes
    Tech Writing Teacher
  18. 10.1177/108056999605900315
     ↗
  19. hayhoe (1998)
    The academe-industry partnership: What's in it for all of us?
    Tech Commun
  20. miller (1975)
    Schools with advisory committees are enthusiastic about benefits
    Education Journal
  21. 10.1061/(ASCE)1052-3928(2008)134:1(7)
     ↗
  22. sener (1999)
    Incorporating industrial advisory boards into the assessment process
    Age
  23. 10.1201/9781420017007.fmatt
     ↗
  24. Eubanks et al. (2003)
    Using Focus Groups to Supplement the Assessment of Technical Communication Text…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  25. 10.1177/105065198800200202
     ↗
  26. sullivan (1992)
    Qualitative research in technical communication: Issues of value, identity, and use
    Tech Commun
CrossRef global citation count: 12 View in citation network → Build reading path →

Related Articles

  1. Pedagogy Apr 2022
    Contributors ↗
    rhetorical criticism writing pedagogy creative writing writing across the curriculum teacher development collaborative writing assessment writing program administration technical communication professional writing digital rhetoric literacy studies gender and writing disability studies literary studies book reviews editorial matter
  2. Pedagogy Apr 2024
    Contributors ↗
    modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism feminist rhetorics first-year composition writing pedagogy creative writing teacher development collaborative writing assessment technical communication professional writing grammar and mechanics literacy studies gender and writing literary studies book reviews editorial matter
  3. Pedagogy Jan 2022
    Contributors ↗
    modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism genre theory discourse analysis african american rhetorics decolonial rhetorics first-year composition writing pedagogy basic writing writing across the curriculum graduate education teacher development argument collaborative writing transfer assessment portfolios writing program administration writing centers peer tutoring technical communication professional writing archival research digital rhetoric social media grammar and mechanics literacy studies race and writing gender and writing disability studies public rhetoric community literacy literary studies editorial matter
  4. The Peer Review Jun 2021
    Gentle Excavations: Mindfully Shifting to an Explicitly Antiracist Writing Center ↗
    Kristi Girdharry; Kristi Girdharry
    rhetorical criticism first-year composition writing pedagogy teacher development writing program administration writing centers peer tutoring professional writing multilingual writers grammar and mechanics race and writing gender and writing body and rhetoric book reviews editorial matter
  5. Journal of Writing Analytics Jan 2018
    Evolution of Instructor Response? Analysis of Five Years of Feedback to Students ↗
    Susan Lang
    discourse analysis first-year composition writing pedagogy graduate education teacher development revision threshold concepts writing program administration professional writing book reviews editorial matter