Technical Communication Quarterly Jan 2016

The Pedagogy of Usability: An Analysis of Technical Communication Textbooks, Anthologies, and Course Syllabi and Descriptions

Felicia Chong Oakland University

Abstract

Usability has been widely implemented in technical communication curricula and workplace practices, but little attention has focused specifically on how usability and its pedagogy are addressed in our literature. This study reviews selected technical communication textbooks, pedagogical and landmark texts, and online course syllabi and descriptions and argues that meager attention is given to usability, thus suggesting the need for more in-depth and productive discussions on usability practices, strategies, and challenges.

Journal
Technical Communication Quarterly
Published
2016-01-02
DOI
10.1080/10572252.2016.1113073
Open Access
Closed
Topics
technical communication

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (14)

  1. Rose et al. (2025)
    Trust the Process: A Scalable Model for UX Pedagogy
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  2. Wright (2024)
    Perspectives on Usability Testing with IoT Devices in Technical Communication Courses
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  3. Turner (2022)
    Key-notes: A Content Analysis of ATTW Conferences 1998-2018
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  4. Tham (2021)
    Engaging Design Thinking and Making in Technical and Professional Communication…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  5. Lanius et al. (2021)
    User Experience Methods in Research and Practice
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Show all 14 →
  1. Rose et al. (2021)
    User Experience and Technical Communication: Beyond Intertwining
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  2. Watkins et al. (2020)
    Sequential Mapping: Using Sequential Rhetoric and Comics Production to Understa…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  3. Sánchez (2019)
    Trans Students’ Right to Their Own Gender in Professional Communication Courses…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  4. Melonçon et al. (2018)
    Advocating for Sustainability: A Report on and Critique of the Undergraduate Ca…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  5. Vie (2018)
    Effective Social Media Use in Online Writing Classes through Universal Design f…
    Computers and Composition
  6. Bartolotta et al. (2018)
    Co-Editors’ Welcome to the Special issue on Usability and User-Centered Design
    Computers and Composition
  7. Shivers-McNair et al. (2018)
    User-Centered Design In and Beyond the Classroom: Toward an Accountable Practice
    Computers and Composition
  8. Bartolotta et al. (2017)
    Revising the Online Classroom: Usability Testing for Training Online Technical …
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  9. Albers (2017)
    Quantitative Data Analysis—In the Graduate Curriculum
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication

Cites in this index (19)

  1. Alexander (2013)
    The Usability of Print and Online Video Instructions
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  2. Simmons et al. (2012)
    Productive Usability: Fostering Civic Engagement and Creating More Useful Onlin…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  3. Yu (2011)
    Integrating Technical Communication Into China’s English Major Curriculum
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  4. Johnson (2010)
    The Ubiquity Paradox: Further Thinking on the Concept of User Centeredness
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  5. Wolfe (2009)
    How Technical Communication Textbooks Fail Engineering Students
    Technical Communication Quarterly
Show all 19 →
  1. Scott (2008)
    The Practice of Usability: Teaching User Engagement Through Service-Learning
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  2. Matveeva (2007)
    The Intercultural Component in Textbooks for Teaching a Service Technical Writi…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  3. Sun (2006)
    The Triumph of Users: Achieving Cultural Usability Goals With User Localization
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  4. Schneider (2005)
    Usable Pedagogies: Usability, Rhetoric, and Sociocultural Pedagogy in the Techn…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
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    Lost in the Translation: Shifting Claims in the Migration of a Research Technique
    Technical Communication Quarterly
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    Layered Literacies: A Theoretical Frame for Technical Communication Pedagogy
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  7. Devoss et al. (2002)
    Teaching Intracultural and Intercultural Communication
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
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    Ethics of Engagement: User-Centered Design and Rhetorical Methodology
    Technical Communication Quarterly
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    What Are Students being Taught about the Ethics of Technical Communication?: An…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  11. Mirel et al. (1998)
    Social and cognitive effects of professional communication on software usability
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  12. Miles (1997)
    Globalizing Professional Writing Curricula: Positioning Students and Re-Positio…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  13. Johnson (1997)
    Audience involved: Toward a participatory model of writing
    Computers and Composition
  14. Johnson (1994)
    The unfortunate human factor: A selective history of human factors for technica…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
Also cites 13 works outside this index ↓
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CrossRef global citation count: 52 View in citation network →

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