Recordings from the Online Symposium: March 20, 2024
Organized by Eugene Crane, Associate Professor of English, Utah Valley University
This micro-conference aims to bring together scholars, educators, researchers, and practitioners to explore and share insights on the intersection of teaching technical communication and the rapidly mutating landscape of artificial intelligence.
Our objective is to continue the conversations that are taking place surrounding large language model artificial intelligence and its potential impact on the teaching and practice of technical communication.
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Keynote: An AI Manifesto for Technical Communication Programs
In the opening session of the AI symposium, Stuart Selber provides 5 tenets:
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Innovating Technical Communication Education with AI: Experiences from Mercer University
A discussion of the department’s current initiatives in integrating AI into its teaching methods and strategic plan. The workshop is intended for educators, researchers, and practitioners in technical communication and education technology interested in AI’s role in education. The goals of this panel discussion are to: 1. Present specific examples of AI use in technical…
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Autonomy and Ethics
In these 3 presentations, the speakers consider the importance of autonomy, authenticity, and how to make sense of AI outputs. A Model for Levels of Autonomy in Technical Communication Michael J. Klein and Philip L. FranaDepartment of Interdisciplinary LIberal StudiesJames Madison University The authors propose a pathway for understanding levels of autonomy in technical communication,…
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Rhetorical prompt engineering in an era of AI expedience
We designed a multi-week case study for technical writing students that incorporates AI into a complex risk-communication scenario. This case study introduces students to generative text technology through a scaffolded set of tasks in which they intervene in a classic professional and technical writing case study—the risk communication surrounding the Three Mile Island nuclear disaster.…
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Empathy and Interfaces
These 2 presentations take a deep look at users. The first considers how AI can build empathy for users, and the other critiques the extreme usability of the ChatGPT interface. AI for Empathy? AI-Generated Personas and Teaching Design Thinking Emma Kostopolus I will discuss how I use AI-generated personas in my Technical Writing and Editing…
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Keynote: A Humanistic Perspective on AI Adoption Bridging the Global North/South Divide
In this final Keynote, we consider how AI is perceived globally. Patrick Corbett shares his insights and experiences working internationally.