![[PDF]](/pb-assets/Icons/adobe-pdf-icon-1498649896243.png){kind=icon}
Abstract
Quad charts are a genre frequently used in scientific and technical environments, yet little prior work has evaluated their potential for reinforcing technical communication fundamentals. This article provides background information about quad charts and notes the benefits of implementing quad charts in the classroom. In particular, introducing engineering students to this genre appeals to their tendency to outline information and incorporate visuals in the planning stages of the composing process. The authors share their approach for integrating quad charts within a collaborative project in a fluid dynamics course and note the ways in which the genre facilitated effective project planning and communication within student teams.
References
Section:
| Artemeva, N., Logie, S., St-Martin, J. (1999) From page to stage: How theories of genre and situated learning help introduce engineering students to discipline-specific communication. Technical Communication Quarterly 8(3): 301–316. doi:10.1080/10572259909364670. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
| Berkenkotter, C., Huckin, T. N. (1993) Rethinking genre from a socio-cognitive perspective. Written Communication 10(4): 475–509. doi:10.1177/0741088393010004001. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
| Craig, J. L., Lerner, N., Poe, M. (2008) Innovation across the curriculum: Three case studies in teaching science and engineering communication. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication 51(3): 280–301. doi:10.1109/TPC.2008.2001253. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
| Fox, S. (2005) Serious graphics: How a picture can make or break it. Engineering Management 15(3): 47.. doi:10.1049/em:20050313. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
| Freedman, A., Artemeva, N. (1998) Learning to teach writing to engineers. Technostyle 14(1): 1–20. Google Scholar | |
| Frost, E. (2010). Navigating genre: How a technological pedagogy can empower millennials. Association of Business Communication 75th Annual Conference Proceedings, pp. 1–10. Google Scholar | |
| Hutto, D. (2007) Graphics and invention in engineering writing. Technical Communication 54(1): 88–98. Google Scholar | ISI | |
| Quad Charts. (2014). Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quad_chart. Google Scholar | |
| Selber, S. (1998) The social formation of technical communication studies. College Composition and Communication 50(2): 263–276. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
| Stamey, J., Honeycutt, T. (2005) Quad charts in software project management. Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges 21(2): 322–327. Google Scholar | |
| Steiner, J. (2011) The communication habits of engineers: A study of how compositional style and time affect the production of oral and written communication of engineers. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication 41(1): 33–58. doi:10.2190/TW.41.1.c. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | |
| Winsor, D. (2003) Writing power: Communication in an engineering center, Albany: State University of New York Press. Google Scholar |
