{"id":120798,"date":"2020-04-03T10:04:53","date_gmt":"2020-04-03T16:04:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/?p=120798"},"modified":"2022-04-21T15:35:08","modified_gmt":"2022-04-21T21:35:08","slug":"board-of-regents-approve-states-first-technical-communication-and-information-design-degree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/?p=120798","title":{"rendered":"Board of Regents approve state\u2019s first Technical Communication and Information Design degree"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Students enjoy warm weather on the grass near Columbine Hall, home to the College of Letters, Arts & Sciences.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Board of Regents approved the state\u2019s first standalone bachelor’s degree in technical communication and information design at UCCS during its regular session on April 2. The bachelor\u2019s degree will prepare students for rapidly growing career fields and high-salary positions in user experience design, technical writing, web creation, business and professional writing and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis degree is one of only a handful of programs in the\nentire country that is a dedicated technical communications program,\u201d said Sean\nWilliams, associate professor and director of the program. Williams joined UCCS\nin 2019 and has been working to convert the English department\u2019s professional\nand technical writing track into the new technical communication and information\ndesign degree program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAmong the unique features is our focus on user experience design,” Williams said. “User experience is a field that\u2019s increasingly important in our world, but it\u2019s not well-integrated into many technical communications programs. It\u2019s a centerpiece of ours. And the program\u2019s interdisciplinary focus will prepare our students to be very competitive for the very best jobs \u2013 including a scarcity of about 8,000 jobs by 2026.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of a track housed within the Department of English, the new technical communication degree will stand as an independent program within the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Students elect three to four courses in one of four interdisciplinary tracks to prepare them, as professional technical communicators, to work with subject matter experts in other fields. A strong diversity, inclusion and equity thread runs through the curriculum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEquity is at the core of our curriculum,\u201d Williams\nexplained. \u201cTechnical communication as a field shares a lot of history with\nfields like rhetoric, ethics and philosophy. There is always an equity aspect\nto it, because when you talk about technology, someone \u2013 whether it\u2019s the poor,\nthose with lower levels of education \u2013 is always getting left out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forty-two current professional technical writing students are expected to move into the new technical communication and information design degree program. By the end of the program\u2019s fifth year, Williams conservatively estimates that 140 students will be enrolled in the program. Courses are capped at 19 students, and students in upper-level courses often enjoy even smaller class sizes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are a discipline that puts people first,\u201d Williams said. \u201cOur lives are increasingly integrated with technology. More and more, we need instruction and documentation and people who understand the software in order to create access to those technologies.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur students learn to always start with people and work backwards when they craft the user experience. In a world where all of us are used to adapting to the technology, our students are learning to adapt the technologies to the people.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The College of Letters, Arts and Sciences enrolls 5,800 students among 21 departments and programs. The college offers 20 majors and 53 minors in the arts, humanities, social sciences and natural sciences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students interested in the Technical Communication and Information Design program can learn more on the program\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Software donation will open doors for Technical Communication and Information Design students<\/a><\/blockquote>