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1www.tekom.eu
Dr. Birgitta Meex - KU Leuven
Dr. Joyce Karreman – Universiteit Twente
Information Energy 2017
TecCOMFrame: From a competence framework to academic
training programmes for Technical Communication
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What is TecCOMFrame?
▪ Technical Communication Competence Framework
▪ A European collaboration project to improve higher education in
the field of Technical Communication (TC)
▪ Was launched in the autumn of 2015
▪ Runs until August 2018
▪ EU-funded as Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership
▪ 9 project partners
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Overview
▪ Background to the project▪ Project partners
▪ Objectives
▪ Methodological approach
▪ The framework
▪ Developing prototype curricula
▪ Zooming in on one curriculum (specialisation in a master’s programme in language studies)
▪ Your comments
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Project consortium
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Project consortium
Onsite meetings
Online meetings
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Other project partners
“Silent” partners:▪ Stakeholders from industry and service companies▪ Other European Higher Education Institutions▪ You?
→ provide feedback & valuable inputto ensure maximum compatibility with thework environment
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How to educate future
technical communicators?
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Why?
Only few Higher Education Institutions offer
study programmes in TC
There is a shortage of graduates in the field
→ Companies hire graduates from related
study programmes such as translation & engineering
As a consequence:
▪ The occupational profile is unclear
▪ The competencies and qualifications
for technical communicators
are unclear
Higher Education Institutions therefore need help in the establishment of appropriate curricula for training in TC
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(Long-term) impact and goals
Increasing number of:
▪ Study programmes in TC (specialisation, bachelor and master)
▪ Graduates in TC
▪ Qualified professionals in TC
Facilitating:
▪ Better understanding of the profession and its requirements
▪ Job mobility through definition of standards
▪ Student and staff exchange through availability of programmes
▪ Employability of students from related studies throughspecialization in TC
▪ Employee recruitment due to clear assessment criteria
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Scope
Based on the existing Cross-industry Competence Framework: http://competences.technical-communication.org/
But with a different focus and scope!
This new framework focuses on:▪ The competencies to be taught in higher education
programmes in TC▪ The establishment of appropriate curricula for training in TC
→ These curricula may in the longer term also lead to the strengthening of the occupational profile
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Objective
The project aims to a common academic
qualification and competence framework.
The framework will help to build a solid
academic and curricular basis for the
growing field of Technical Communication.
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Major output
▪ TecCOMFrame: Academic Competence Framework for TC based on the existing tekom cross-industry competence framework
▪ Development of curricula at three levels (cf. European Qualifications Framework):▪ EQF level 5: Specialization courses for
language/translation studies and engineering studies
▪ EQF level 6: Bachelor programme
▪ EQF level 7: Master programme
▪ Update TecDocNet Guideline 2018
▪ Competence and Qualification Profiling Tool
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Methodological approach
The academic qualification and competence framework
needs to meet several requirements so that it can serve as
a solid basis for developing curricula and can be
transformed into a profiling tool.
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Method: requirements
1. To define the content of the framework, empirical and iterative data gathering techniques are used
→ The content is described in a systematic, comprehensible way according to the Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives in the cognitive area (Bloom et al., 1956)
2. Tailored to the needs of academic training
→ Apart from competencies that are specifically related to the field of TC, general academic competencies should also be included in the framework
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Method: requirements
3. The framework should have the potential to become a European-wide standard
→ It should be consistent with EU-standards and tools, such as the levels defined in the European Qualifications Framework (EQF; 2016) & ECTS grades (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System)
→ It should cover the higher EQF levels: 5, 6 and 7
4. The framework strives to be as inclusive and comprehensive as possible
→ It shows the full scope of potential relevant teaching disciplines and covers all relevant subjects
→ It allows stakeholders to select competencies that are useful in their specific situation or from their specific viewpoint
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Method: requirements
5. The framework should be user-friendly, allowing different stakeholders to use it effectively and efficiently
→ The framework should be consistent in its terminology, generic in its content, and easy to understand on an international level
6. The framework should be useful for industry with respect to qualification needs, transferability of competencies, and employability
→ Stakeholders in industry provide feedback at several junctures during the development process of the framework
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Method: developing a taxonomy
The first step towards developing the framework was to define the main subjects of relevance when studying TC at an academic level, together with the general competencies related to each subject.
Taxonomy with two levels
▪ 1st level: relevant subjects and related
competencies
▪ 2nd level: relevant sub-subjects and
related competencies
Description according to a prescribed format
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The framework (finalised in jan. 2017)
▪ The project team strived to compose a comprehensive list of subjects.
▪ This resulted in an unordered list of 22 subjects.
▪ The subjects were then organized into six major competence dimensions
www.teccom-frame.eu
www.teccom-
frame.eu/competenceframework/
Content
AcademicPerspective
Communication and Culture
ManagementTechnology and
Media
TransversalCompetencies
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Categorizing the subjects
1. Academic perspective
Academic research Understand and be able to
apply the types of academic
research methods and
approaches that are typical
in this field
Philosophy and ethics Be aware of the ethical
implications when making
decisions on how to
develop technologies and
the accompanying
information
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Categorizing the subjects
2. Communication and Culture
Communication theory and
models
Understand basic communication
concepts and theories, and
understand concepts in the fields of
corporate and marketing
communication
Interculturality Be sensitive to differences between
cultures
Multilingual workflow Be able to manage communication
processes across languages and
cultures
Terminology Understand the basic principles and
methods of terminology science and
work
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Categorizing the subjects
3. Content (1)
Content development Be able to select among content
development strategies in order to
develop appropriate information
products for different purposes and
audiences
Evaluation and user experience Understand and apply concepts of
evaluation to create information
products that are usable and that
result in a positive user experience
Information architecture Be able to ensure that information is
retrievable and accessible, presents
a cohesive mental model and is
consistent across products and
media
Information mining Be able to collect, analyze and
select appropriate information to
design an information product
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Categorizing the subjects
3. Content (2)
Legal requirements and
standards
Know the laws, regulations, and
standards that are relevant for
Technical Communication in order
to provide correct information
Training and e-learning Understand principles and theories
of instructional design to apply
these in a systematic way to ensure
that training and e-learning modules
will be effective, efficient and
satisfying
Visualization Be able to design visual aspects of
information products, as part of the
overall design process of
information products
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Categorizing the subjects
4. Management
Corporate Management
Principles
Be able to manage projects, to work
with multiple sources of information
in the enterprise, and to strategically
communicate and cooperate with
others in a globally networked
society
Information Management Be able to manage and to overview
and access large amounts of
information
Project Management Be able to manage information
development processes from project
planning to project closure including
reporting on and archiving those
processes
Quality Management Be able to implement quality
processes and deliver quality
products by adopting quality
assurance principles and strategies
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Categorizing the subjects
5. Technology and Media
Content delivery Understand the process of
publishing an information product at
the different stages within this
process
Domain knowledge Understand fields that are relevant
for technical communicators
(computer science, mechanical
engineering, physics, etc.)
sufficiently, and be able to
cooperate with experts from the field
Information technology Know about hardware and software
that is used in Technical
Communication
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Categorizing the subjects
6. Transversal competencies
Language skills: native language
and foreign language(s)
Be able to use the four traditional
language skills (reading, listening,
writing and speaking) in the
workplace to communicate
effectively and efficiently with people
with varied functions, roles and
levels of knowledge
Personal competencies Combine a technical aptitude with
good communicative, managing,
problem solving, as well as critical
and innovative thinking skills.
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Developing prototype curricula
Working in teams based on expertise, we have started to develop these curricula:
▪ Bachelor’s degree in Technical Communication
▪ Consecutive master’s degree (for students who have studied Technical Communication at bachelor’s level)
▪ Non-consecutive master’s degree (for students from any disciplinary background who have not studied Technical Communication)
▪ Subject stream: specialisation course in a master’s degree in another field (e.g. language studies, engineering, economics)
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Purpose of the prototypes
▪ Prototypes are meant to serve as inspiration for institutions planning to introduce a curriculum at one of these levels
▪ Prototypes serve as templates from which higher education institutes can derive their own curricula and which can be tailored according to their needs and the local conditions
▪ For institutions already offering programmes in Technical Communication, they are a point of comparison
▪ The prototypes are indicative of the amount and level of depth of coverage of content in different scenarios
▪ For example, a bachelor's degree in technical communication will cover more content, more deeply than a specialisation course as part of another degree
▪ Templates will include key information (module title, credit weighting, indicative syllabus, learning outcomes) commonly found in module outlines in universities throughout Europe
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Challenges and solutions
▪ Scope of the competence framework▪ Filtering the relevant subjects
▪ Partners working in teams to agree on content
▪ Lack of standardisation across institutions▪ Focus is on prototypes that serve as examples/inspiration
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Designing the curricula
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Designing the curricula
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Zooming in on one curriculum
Specialisation in a master’s programme in language studies (1 semester)
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The target group
Intended audience• Students of translation studies• Students of (applied) language and communication studies
Assumed prior knowledge on which the curriculum builds• Good language skills• Insight in communication theories and processes • Experience with text and discourse
→ linking new knowledge to existing knowledge
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Designing the curriculum
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Designing the curriculum
Curriculum (prototype)Specialisation in a master’s programme in language studies (1 Semester)
Module name #ECTS
1. Catching the Context 3
2. Planning 8
3. Creating and Testing 8
4. Supporting Planning and Creation 8
5. Managing Projects 3
ECTS credits represent the workload
and defined learning outcomes
("what the individual knows,
understands and is able to do") of
a given course or programme.
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1: Catching the Context
Subject Sub-subject Learning goal (examples)
Multilingual Workflow Globalisation Understand the global information product life cycle
Internationalisation Understand the principles of multilingual document design
Localisation Understand the concept of target locale
Legal requirements andstandards
Risk assessment Understand the legal significance of risk assessment
Product safety Know basic principles of product safety
Product compliance Know basic principles of product compliance
Legal and standard research
Understand interplay between standards, regulations, directives and national law
Standards Know standard IEC/EN 82079 for preparation of instructions for use
Compliance with standards Be able to check compliance with standards
Corporate Managementprinciples
Organisation andManagement
Understand the interactions between organization and macro- and micro-environment
Strategic Management Know the components of the model of strategic management (e.g. mission and strategic vision, goals)
Customer and RelationshipManagement
Understand CRM as a continuous process to build loyalty, and define "value" of each customer through continuous acquisition and use of information
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2: Planning
Subject Sub-subject Learning goal (examples)
Information Mining Target group analysis Understand and apply methods of characterizing, for instance TG analysis
Target groupcharacteristics
Characterize features of target groups
Culture-specific aspectsof TG
Understand culturally-specific differencesregarding expected ways in whichinformation is presented
Product analysis Analyse use of product (e.g., use-case analysis, observation)
Product features andinformation product
Understand features of the product andresulting requirements, restrictions andoptions for the information product
Information specification Determine and specify the product-specificthemes for which information needs to beobtained (e.g., technology)
Information acquisition Determine exploitable information sources
Knowledge domain Understand the specific requirements for a particular industry or knowledge domain (e.g., technical, medical)
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2: Planning (continued)
Subject Sub-subject Learning goal (examples)
Information architecture Model theory forinformation
Know model theory for information architecture for all kind of media
Classification andmetadata
Use taxonomies and ontologies todefine metadata
Access and retrieval Define local and global navigation, e.g., table of contents
Content analysis Define a content map (visualise thecontent structure)
Content structure Use techniques for developing andvisualising a content structure
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3: Creating and Testing
Subject Sub-subject Learning goal (examples)
Contentdevelopment
Types of information products Specify and select types of information products
Product life-cycle support Dovetail the development of information products with product development
Information creation planning Understand the stages in the writingprocess
Continuous improvementprocess
Understand how to analyse data fromevaluation and user experience
Content development process Draft content
Standardisation methods Understand language standardisation (e.g., depending on translatability)
Writing according to rules andguidelines
Use plain and controlled languages
Visualisation Concepts on visualisation andinformation design
Understand visual rhetorics
Digital design Design comprehensible tables anddiagrams
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3: Creating and testing
Subject Sub-subject Learning goal (examples)
Evaluation anduser experience
Usability and user experience Apply usability methods
Evaluation Understand different methods of evaluation and select appropriate methods
Corporate feedback Analyse and evaluate corporate feedback
User feedback Assess user feedback and itsmeaningfulness
Observation Conduct user observation and self-testing
Web feedback Use web monitoring methods (e.g., click rates)
Qualitymanagement
Quality managementmethods
Define quality in information products
Quality assurance Understand quality assurance for text, illustration and structure
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3: Creating and testing
Subject Sub-subject Learning goal (examples)
Content delivery Printed material Know about specifications for printing(formats, paper quality, bindings)
Digital printing Know the requirements on content fordigital delivery
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4: Supporting Planning and Creation
Subject Sub-subject Learning goal (examples)
Information Management Content Management Understand the benefits, advantages and disadvantages of component content management systems, conditions for efficient use, assessment of cost-benefit ratios
Document management Know about the document management principles
Archiving documents Know the different motivations
Corporate information management
Know about information management, principles and organization of information management (e.g., push and pull processes) depending on information needs in Technical Communication
Product data management
Understand the meaning and principles of Product Data Management and Product Life Cycle Management
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4: Supporting Planning and Creation
Subject Sub-subject Learning goal (examples)
Information Technology
Technology knowledge Know principles of Human-Machine-Interaction
Database principles Understand database concepts and techniques
Media and formats Understand types of media that are inherentlyrepresentational (e.g., text, image, graphic) or inherently interactive (e.g., hypertext)
Markup languages Know key concepts of XML/SGMLmeta language (e.g., well-formedness, validity, …)
Internet technology Understand principles of web page design
App technology Understand App design
Social media Understand the role of social media for Technical Communication
Content creation and management tools and systems
Know some known CMS (e. g. open source, closed, proprietary)
Backup and archiving Understand backup purposes and techniques
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5: Managing Projects
Subject Sub-subject Learning goal (examples)
Project Management Principles of project management
Know about tasks, objectives and need for Project Management
Project management technics and tools
Know the Project management technics and tools
Project planning Know about workflow, deadline and resource planning
Project communication Know about project communication tasks and objectives
Project reporting Know the ways of project reporting
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Thank you!
Questions?
Suggestions for cooperation?...
On behalf of the TecCOMFrame project team
