Participatory Assessment: Negotiating Engagement in a Technical Communication Program
Authors: Salvo, Michael J.; Ren, Jingfang
Source: Technical Communication, Volume 54, Number 4, November 2007 , pp. 424-439(16)
Publisher: Society for Technical Communication
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Abstract:
This article narrates the experience of conducting an internal assessment of Purdue University's well-established undergraduate program in professional and technical writing. This assessment is characterized by negotiation and dialog among various internal stakeholders, including students, administrators, faculty and instructors. Ultimately, the article offers a new model for program assessment—Participatory Assessment—which is built on recent research in participatory and user-centered design. The authors carefully distinguish Participatory Assessment from traditional expert review by reporting the processes and results of conducting such an assessment in a particular institutional and programmatic context. They conclude with a discussion of the relative merits of the Participatory Assessment model and its implications for practitioners and researchers in technical communication.Document Type: Journal article
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