Incorporating Component Content Management and Content Strategy into Technical Communication Curricula

ABSTRACT

Technical communication (TC) students who are familiar with component content management (CCM) and content strategy have better opportunities for job placement and for making carefully thought-through, rhetorically grounded choices in the workplace. In this article, we describe four ways of incorporating elements of CCM and content strategy into existing classes in TC. We demonstrate that even without a dedicated CCM/content strategy class, educators can help students gain familiarity with related methodologies, processes, standards, and technologies.

References

1. J. Hackos, "Foreword," in Digital Literacy for Technical Communication: 21st Century Theory and Practice, New York, NY: Routledge Publishing, 2009, pp. VII--X.
2. R. S. Dicks, "The effects of digital literacy on the nature of technical communication work," in Digital Literacy for Technical Communication: 21st Century Theory and Practice, New York, NY: Routledge Publishing, 2009, pp. 51--82.
3. J. Hackos, "Following the Trends 2016 -- An Analysis of the Survey Results," CIDM eNews, 2016. {Online}. Available: http://www.infomanagementcenter.com/publications/e-newsletter/cidm-enews-04-16/following-the-trends-2016-an-analysis-of-the-survey-results/.
4. S. Abel, "2012 technical communication benchmarking survey summary results," The Content Wrangler, 2013. {Online}. Available: http://www.slideshare.net/abelsp/technical-communication-industry-benchmarking-survey-2012.
5. D. Dayton and K. Hopper, "Single sourcing and content management: A survey of STC members," Tech. Commun., vol. 57, no. 4, pp. 375--397, 2010.
6. L. Meloncon and S. M. Henschel, "Current state of U.S. undergraduate degree programs in technical and professional communication," Tech. Commun., vol. 60, no. 1, pp. 45--64, 2013.
7. P. Land, Content Audits and Inventories: A Handbook. Laguna Hills, CA: XML Press, 2014.
8. A. Rockley and C. Cooper, Managing Enterprise Content: A Unified Content Strategy, 2nd ed. Indianapolis: New Riders, 2012.
9. K. Halvorson and M. Rach, Content Strategy for the Web, 2nd ed. Berkeley, CA: New Riders, 2012.
10. M. Carey, M. McFadden Lanyi, D. Longo, E. Radzinsk, S. Rouiller, and E. Wilde, Developing Quality Technical Information: A Handbook for Writers and Editors, 3rd ed. Indianapolis, IN: IBM Press, 2014.
11. J. Hackos, Introduction to DITA--Second Edition: A Users Guide to the Darwin Information Typing Architecture Including DITA 1.2. Denver, CO: ComTech Services, Inc., 2011.