Madelyn Flammia | University of Central Florida (original) (raw)

Papers by Madelyn Flammia

Teaching and Training for Global Engineering

IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 1993

Those involved in journalism and communication programs recognize the need to teach students inte... more Those involved in journalism and communication programs recognize the need to teach students interviewing theory and techniques. Technical communicators rely on interviews for a significant percentage of the information they need to do their jobs. Interviewing techniques are ranked in the top ten topics that technical communicators think should be taught in technical writing programs. The author describes a course

Technical Communication, 2007

... below. Like Mill, Immanuel Kant (1996) believed it is neces-sary to have a set of general rul... more ... below. Like Mill, Immanuel Kant (1996) believed it is neces-sary to have a set of general rules to guide behavior. His maxims were a set of laws or general principles that gov-erned correct action; for example, it is wrong to lie. ...

Journal of technical writing and communication, 1993

Taylor & Francis

The 1993 ATTW Bibliography is organized on the premise of inclusion because our field is both bro... more The 1993 ATTW Bibliography is organized on the premise of inclusion because our field is both broad and interdisciplinary. Perhaps because of the committee's and my efforts to record entries from so many areas, two concerns arise which scholars should understand as they use this bibliography. First, I continue to watch our somewhat unwieldy taxonomy with great interest. Second, new issues arise as the committee members and I attempt to include new types of information relevant to scientific and technical communication.

Technical Communication Quarterly, 2008

In the 1997 bibliography, I've included all the categories of the taxonomy, even if the cont... more In the 1997 bibliography, I've included all the categories of the taxonomy, even if the contributors have submitted no entries in a given section. Several users informed me that they prefer to see the entire taxonomy since doing so facilitates their research; thus it seemed wise to return to our original list of sections. This year, we have added quite a few new sources; all are noted on the list of works consulted at the end of this bibliography. We have expanded in the areas of health, risk, and environmental communication ...

US-China Education Review A

This paper describes a collaborative project conducted in a senior-level technical communication ... more This paper describes a collaborative project conducted in a senior-level technical communication course to involve undergraduate students in the process of internationalizing the curriculum at the University of Central Florida (UCF). The students in the class were all majoring in English/technical communication. For their course project, they researched, wrote, edited, designed, and produced a Research Guide to help undergraduate students add international elements to their research and to heighten their awareness and understanding of intercultural communication and global issues. The project was created for UCF's Office of International Studies (OIS) and the assistant director of the office served as the students' client for the semester-long project. An increased global awareness and expanded knowledge of international issues were the primary benefits for the students who wrote the Research Guide. However, they also received numerous other benefits related to the development of skills vital to their professional success. The benefits of the Research Guide extend to the entire university community. On the most basic level, the very existence of the guide serves to raise awareness of international issues. The fact that it covers all the colleges and is intended for all students at the university, not merely those students pursuing majors in international business or political science, sends a message that international awareness is important for all majors, all students, and in fact, all members of the UCF community.

Journal on Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics, 2014

There is great value in helping students bridge bot h cultural and disciplinary divides as we pre... more There is great value in helping students bridge bot h cultural and disciplinary divides as we prepare them for the cha llenges of citizenship in the twenty-first century. This pape r describes, Global Perspectives, an interdisciplinary course ta ught by a faculty member in a technical communication program together with a faculty member in a political science depart ment. The course focused on issues of power and communication as they relate to global issues: world hunger, environment al concerns, world health, and human rights. Through this cour se, the faculty members addressed a major concern in higher education today: the need to educate students to be global c itizens capable of meeting the serious challenges facing the world in the twenty-first century. This concern is relevant for all college students regardless of their majors.

The International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 2019

The purpose of this article is to describe an internationalization project that was developed at ... more The purpose of this article is to describe an internationalization project that was developed at the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando, Florida to provide faculty across the disciplines with assignments they can use to foster the development of their students’ global competency. After describing the project and the series of assignments they developed, the authors focus on one of the assignments, a cultural interview, and describe how it was adapted in two disciplines: hospitality management and political science. Overall, the students found the experience to be a positive one. They gained confidence as a result of conducting the interview and developed a broader perspective on their chosen profession. Finally, many students reflected on the fact that before completing the interview they thought their level of cultural competence was much greater than it actually was. The interview assignment is a valuable tool for faculty who wish to help their students develop their g...

As part of Phase 4 of the NASA/DoD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project, two studies we... more As part of Phase 4 of the NASA/DoD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project, two studies were conducted that investigated the technical communication practices of Russian and U.S. aerospace engineers and scientists. Both studies had the same five objectives: first, to solicit the opinions of aerospace engineers and scientists regarding the importance of technical communication to their professions; second, to determine the use and production of technical communication by aerospace engineers and scientists; third, to seek their views about the appropriate content of the undergraduate course in technical communication; fourth, to determine aerospace engineers' and scientists' use of libraries, technical information centers, and on-line databases; and fifth, to determine the use and importance of computer and information technology to them. A self administered questionnaire was distributed to Russian aerospace engineers and scientists at the Central Aero-Hydrodynamic Inst...

Tecnnical writing programs housed in geographically isolated universities face great challenges i... more Tecnnical writing programs housed in geographically isolated universities face great challenges in regard to getting students career-related work experience. A course in desktop publishing can provide students at rural schools with experience equivalent to internships. In a desktop pUblishing course taught at Murray State University in Kentucky, in addition to learning principles of layout and design, stadents faced many challenges like those that will confront them in a workplace. They worked on projects that entailed real financial constraints and deLdlines, and they were required to modify their work after receiving reviews from several different individuals. In addition to providing students with experience, the course provided benefits to the university in terms of service and public relations. (Twenty-four references are attached.) (Author/SR)

Journal on Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics, 2009

In the modern world, everyone must recognize that i t is nearly impossible to separate many domes... more In the modern world, everyone must recognize that i t is nearly impossible to separate many domestic and international problems and managing international challenges will take the efforts of all nations. A s a result, each and every person must think like a global citi zen and practice mindfulness in daily life. Using the compl ex interdependence model as a basis for examining citi zen diplomacy, this paper suggests ways that new media can be used to introduce students to a global perspecti ve on the world. Further, it provides faculty members wi th a set of guidelines for structuring projects that tas k students with the challenge of taking positive action to eff ect political and societal change.

US-China Education Review A, Sep 28, 2017

Journal of Technical Writing and Communication

This article reports on a qualitative study of strategies and competencies used by technical comm... more This article reports on a qualitative study of strategies and competencies used by technical communication and translation students to address challenges inherent in global virtual team collaboration. The study involved students from three universities collaborating in virtual teams to write and translate instructional documents. Qualitative content analysis of students’ reflective blogs and team transcripts was used to examine their experiences while collaborating. Students faced challenges related to communication, leadership, and technology, and developed various strategies to address those challenges. Although the students did not face cultural challenges, they reported increased awareness of cultural issues. Students also reported that the project helped them better understand the workplace and define career goals.

IEEE International Professional Communication Conference, 2003. IPCC 2003. Proceedings., 2003

This essay is mainly based on our experience in team-teaching two interdisciplinary courses (Glob... more This essay is mainly based on our experience in team-teaching two interdisciplinary courses (Global Perspectives in Spring 2001 & Communication Across National Boundaries in Fall 2001) in addition to our regular classes, in which we have used a combination of new technologies, innovative methods, and diverse materials. Our interdisciplinary courses introduced students to global issues both from the perspective of

IPCC 2005. Proceedings. International Professional Communication Conference, 2005., 2005

Technical communicators need to be prepared for the challenges of international communication. Th... more Technical communicators need to be prepared for the challenges of international communication. This article focuses on the need for technical communication faculty to prepare students to be skilled intercultural communicators and to play a role on the translation team. The article begins with a discussion of the importance of writing for translation in the international workplace and then presents specific

2012 IEEE International Professional Communication Conference, 2012

ABSTRACT The spread of online access creates an environment in which cultural groups interact via... more ABSTRACT The spread of online access creates an environment in which cultural groups interact via visual media for many purposes including commerce, virtual work, education and training, and social exchanges. Because cultural differences influence rhetorical expectations of how information should be presented visually, individuals and organizations wishing to participate in the global online dialogue will need to understand cultural expectations related to visual rhetoric. The paper introduces a framework (based on ideas from rhetorical theory and prototype theory) that individuals can use to analyze visual displays in order to create more rhetorically effective materials for audiences from different cultures.