Technical Communication Quarterly Oct 2017

Integrating Quantitative Literacy into Technical Writing Instruction

Crystal Broch Colombini The University of Texas at San Antonio ; Sue Hum The University of Texas at San Antonio

Abstract

The authors argue that skills in quantitative literacy (QL) and quantitative reasoning (QR) augment students’ communicative effectiveness. This article offers a pedagogical framework and model for how QR can be productively interwoven with the rhetorical know-how of technical writing pedagogy. The authors describe their course redesign, present preliminary assessment data, and conclude by highlighting some implications not only for student learning, but also for the QL movement itself.

Journal
Technical Communication Quarterly
Published
2017-10-02
DOI
10.1080/10572252.2017.1382259
CompPile
Search in CompPile ↗
Open Access
Closed
Topics
rhetorical criticism writing pedagogy curriculum design assessment technical communication literacy studies
Export
BibTeX RIS

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (4)

  1. Robledo et al. (2025)
    Critical and Creative Quantum Literacies
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  2. DeJeu (2024)
    Using Generative AI to Facilitate Data Analysis and Visualization: A Case Study…
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  3. Sonnenberg et al. (2024)
    Implementing a Continuous Improvement Model for Assignment Evaluation at the Te…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  4. Robles et al. (2019)
    Using Case-Method Pedagogy to Facilitate Audience Awareness
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication

References (53) · 22 in this index

  1. Banks J. (2002)
    An introduction to multicultural education
  2. Barker et al. (2007)
    The Perception of Communication Related Value-Added Educational Activities: A S…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  3. Bok D. (2006)
    Our underachieving colleges: A candid look at how much students learn and why they should…
  4. Bourelle (2014)
    Adapting Service-Learning into the Online Technical Communication Classroom: A …
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  5. Cook (2002)
    Layered Literacies: A Theoretical Frame for Technical Communication Pedagogy
    Technical Communication Quarterly
Show all 53 →
  1. Carpenter J. H. (2011)
    Currents in Teaching and Learning
  2. Chun M. (2002)
    Peer Review
  3. Cope L. (2006)
    A field guide for science writers
  4. Feigenbaum (2015)
    Rhetoric, Mathematics, and the Pedagogies We Want: Empowering Youth Access to T…
    College English
  5. Few S. (2004)
    Show me the numbers: Designing tables and graphs to enlighten
  6. Frankel F. C. (2012)
    Visual strategies: A practical guide to graphics for scientists & engineers
  7. Freedman A. (2000)
    Transitions: Writing in academic and workplace settings
  8. 10.2307/1512100
     ↗
  9. Graham et al. (2015)
    Statistical Genre Analysis: Toward Big Data Methodologies in Technical Communication
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  10. 10.1002/ir.379
     ↗
  11. Grawe N. D. (2012)
    Liberal Education
  12. 10.5038/1936-4660.3.1.3
     ↗
  13. 10.5038/1936-4660.2.2.2
     ↗
  14. 10.5038/1936-4660.7.1.5
     ↗
  15. Gulbrandsen K. (2012)
    Programmatic Perspectives
  16. 10.5038/1936-4660.5.2.2
     ↗
  17. Kimball M. (2008)
    Document design: A guide for technical communicators
  18. 10.5038/1936-4660.4.2.3
     ↗
  19. KOSTELNICK (1994)
    From Pen to Print:The New Visual Landscape of Professional Communication
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  20. Kostelnick (2007)
    The Visual Rhetoric of Data Displays: The Conundrum of Clarity
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  21. Lauer (2013)
    Examining the Effect of Reflective Assessment on the Quality of Visual Design A…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  22. Lauer et al. (2011)
    Visuospatial Thinking in the Professional Writing Classroom
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  23. Lutsky M. (2008)
    Calculation vs. context: Quantitative literacy and its implications for teacher education
  24. MacNealy (1999)
    Strategies for Empirical Research in Writing
    College Composition and Communication
  25. 10.5038/1936-4660.2.1.1
     ↗
  26. McNely (2012)
    Big data, situated people: humane approaches to communication design
    Communication Design Quarterly
  27. Northcut et al. (2010)
    Resisting the Lure of Technology-Driven Design: Pedagogical Approaches to Visua…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  28. O’Neill (1998)
    From the Writing Process to the Responding Sequence: Incorporating Self? Assess…
    Teaching English in the Two-Year College
  29. Orrill R. (2001)
    Mathematics and democracy: The case for quantitative literacy
  30. Portewig (2004)
    Making Sense of the Visual in Technical Communication: A Visual Literacy Approa…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  31. Powell M. (2012)
    Journal of Teaching Writing
  32. Rude (2009)
    Mapping the Research Questions in Technical Communication
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  33. Salvo (2012)
    Visual rhetoric and big data: design of future communication
    Communication Design Quarterly
  34. Schneider (2005)
    Usable Pedagogies: Usability, Rhetoric, and Sociocultural Pedagogy in the Techn…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  35. Scott (2004)
    Rearticulating Civic Engagement Through Cultural Studies and Service-Learning
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  36. Sorapure (2010)
    Information Visualization, Web 2.0, and the Teaching of Writing
    Computers and Composition
  37. 10.5038/1936-4660.1.2.3
     ↗
  38. Steen L. A. (2001)
    Mathematics and democracy: The case for quantitative literacy
  39. Steen L. A. (2004)
    Achieving quantitative literacy: An urgent challenge for higher education
  40. Tufte E. R. (2001)
    The visual display of quantitative information
  41. 10.5038/1936-4660.8.1.1
     ↗
  42. Washington G. (1984)
    Technical Communication
  43. Whitin P. (2008)
    10.58680/la20086631
    Language Arts  ↗
  44. Williams F. (2001)
    Reasoning with statistics: How to read quantitative research
  45. Winne P. H. (2012)
    Handbook of educational psychology
  46. Wolfe (2009)
    How Technical Communication Textbooks Fail Engineering Students
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  47. Wolfe (2010)
    Rhetorical Numbers: A Case for Quantitative Writing in the Composition Classroom
    College Composition and Communication
  48. Wolfe (2015)
    Teaching Students to Focus on the Data in Data Visualization
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
CrossRef global citation count: 4 View in citation network → Build reading path →

Related Articles

  1. 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
  2. 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
  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. Technical Communication Quarterly Jun 1999
    Pre‐professional practices in the technical writing classroom: Promoting multiple literacies through research ↗
    Ed Nagelhout
    rhetorical criticism writing pedagogy assessment technical communication digital rhetoric literacy studies book reviews
  5. Pedagogy Oct 2025
    Contributors ↗
    modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism genre theory cultural rhetorics first-year composition writing pedagogy advanced composition creative writing writing across the curriculum graduate education two-year college service learning teacher development technical communication professional writing labor and working conditions archival research multimodality artificial intelligence literacy studies race and writing gender and writing disability studies literary studies editorial matter