Integrating Professional Ethics into the Technical Writing Course

Dean G. Hall Kansas State University ; Bonnie A. Nelson Kansas State University

Abstract

As communication teachers attempting to bridge the gap between school and industry, we need to give students a true understanding of what it means to be a professional. We may be spending too much time trying to get them to write and speak like professionals without also imbuing them with sufficient understanding of their responsibilities to behave as professionals. Students need to be practiced in the communication and decision-making situations they will encounter in their workplaces. These decisions involve ethical reasoning as well as technical problem solving. Teaching students to appreciate the consequences of their recommendations, through the use of fault-trees and cost/benefit analyses in realistic simulations, effectively bridges the gap between the classroom and boardroom. A sample situation is explained and analyzed for its use in any technical communications class.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
1987-01-01
DOI
10.2190/3a8m-6jvv-yukf-pnue
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (4)

  1. Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  2. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  3. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  4. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication

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