Missouri Western State University
Master of Applied Arts (MAA) in Written Communication

1. NEW PROGRAM PROPOSAL (Form NP)
Sponsoring Institution(s): Missouri Western State University
Program Title: Written Communication
Degree/Certificate: Master of Applied Arts
Options: 1.Writing Studies
2. Technical Communication
Delivery Site(s): Missouri Western State University
CIP Classification: 23.9999
Implementation Date: Fall 2008
Cooperative Partners: None
Expected Date of First Graduation: Spring 2010
AUTHORIZATION

Dr. Joseph Bragin, Provost and Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs

2A. Student Demand (Form SE):
Student Enrollment Projections

2B. Market Demand:

Writing Studies Option: The target audience for this option would be language arts teachers, grades 4-16. In addition to the required interdisciplinary core of written communication courses, the Writing Studies Option includes 12 of the required 18 hours in the Prairie Lands Writing Project Graduate Certificate in the Teaching of Writing. Eighty participants have already completed one or more of these graduate courses since the Certificate Program was approved by the Department of Higher Education in June 2006, with one graduate in May 2007 and up to 30 students expected to complete the Certificate Program by May 2009. We believe that the Writing Studies Option will attract recent BA graduates seeking a graduate degree to prepare them to teach writing at the college level as well as Certificate students wishing to continue on for an MAA with the Writing Studies option.

Technical Communication Option: Technical Communication was identified by Money magazine in May 2006, as one of the top twenty best careers, using criteria that included job growth and pay, as well as stress level, flexibility in work environment, hours, creativity, and ease of entry and advancement in the field. The need for well-prepared technical communicators has grown (and will continue to grow - the Money study projected ten-year job growth at 23.22%). Missouri Western State University Technical Communication alumni and members of the Kansas City chapter of the Society were surveyed about their interest in a Master's program in technical communication at Western. Of the forty respondents, 25% indicated that they would be interested in enrolling immediately, 42.5% indicated that they would be interested in enrolling within a year, and 50% indicated that they would be interested in enrolling in the program within two years.

Because technical communicators often work with engineers and other professionals with advanced degrees, they gain credibility with graduate degrees themselves. An indicator of the market value of a Master's degree in technical communication can be found in the Society for Technical Communication's 2005 salary survey. In that survey, the mean annual salary for technical communicators with Master's degrees was over $70,000.

2C. Societal Need:

Writing Studies Option: Throughout the nation - including in Missouri - education stakeholders are struggling with articulation issues, including the ability of high school students to complete academic writing when they matriculate to state universities. Inasmuch as the Writing Studies Option is designed for language arts teachers, grades 4 - 16, we believe the graduate course work and research opportunities across age and grade-levels will promote collaboration and improved articulation structures in northwest Missouri.
Education and industry leaders are now recognizing the relationship between writing skills and student achievement: "Writing is how students connect the dots in their knowledge." Consequently, many high stakes exams - including the Missouri Assessment Program, the ACT, SAT, and AP - have recently initiated a required writing component in all content areas undergoing testing.

This renewed emphasis on writing performance as a measure of student learning has resulted in a need to provide teachers with the tools to teach writing effectively, including using web 2.0 technologies. Since fall 2005 the Prairie Lands Writing Project has been a participant in the National Writing Project's (NWP) Technology Initiative, one of eight NWP sites selected nationwide to develop and implement technology teaching projects. Consequently, we have a growing cadre of area technophile communication arts teachers who recognize the need for and power of teaching with the new technologies.

Technical Communication Option: Technical communication can be understood as "applied rhetoric," that is, as the study of rhetorical principles as they are applied in professional and technical settings. The field has expanded from its writing and editing roots to on-line documentation and help files, information architecture, web design and content creation, international communication and technical translation, training, usability and user advocacy, technical illustration and document design, and project management.

Technical communicators are the bridge between technical specialists and less expert readers, between product designers and users, between government and citizens. Within organizations, they improve collaboration between co-workers, they provide necessary documentation, and they advocate for users' interests. As leaders in the Plain English movement, technical communicators have advocated for clarity in all areas of government and industry communication. Technical communicators can play a key role in globalization, as they seek to improve international communication and an understanding of local audiences. As "knowledge work" becomes more important in the economy, technical communicators will design documents and document-handling systems to make information more accessible to decision makers, workers, and citizens alike.

2D. Methodology used to determine "B" and "C" above:
Writing Studies Option:
Current enrollments in the Graduate Certificate in Teaching Writing Program.
The National Commission on Writing for America's Families, Schools, and Colleges. The Neglected 'R': The Need for a Writing Revolution. College Entrance Examination Board. April 2003. 3.
Sullivan, Patrick, and Howard Tinberg. What Is "College-Level" Writing? NCTE, 2006.
Graham, Steven and Delores Perin. Writing Next: Effective Strategies to Improve Writing of Adolescents in Middle and High Schools. Alliance for Excellent Education. New York, Carnegie Corporation, 2007.
National Writing Project and Carl Nagin. Because Writing Matters: Improving Student Writing in Our Schools. New York: Jossey-Bass, 2006.
Reports, consultations with the Missouri Writing Projects Network directors.

Technical Communication Option:
Allen, Nancy and Stephen T. Benninghoff. "TPC Program Snapshots: Developing Curricula and Addressing Challenges." Technical Communication Quarterly 13 (2004): 157-185.
Johnson-Eilola, Johndan and Stuart A. Selber. "Sketching a Framework for Graduate Education in Technical Communication" Technical Communication Quarterly 10 (2001): 403-437.
Kalwarski, Tara, et. al. "50 Best Jobs in America." Money May 2006: 94.
"Press-Related FAQs." Society for Technical Communication. . 29 October 2007.
Rainey, Kenneth T. et. al. "Do Curricula Correspond to Managerial Expectations? Core Competencies for Technical Communicators." Technical Communication 52 (2006): 323-352.
Survey of Missouri Western State University technical communication alumni and members of the Society for Technical Communication Kansas City chapter conducted Sept-October, 2007 http://tinyurl.com/2lko4n.
"Writers and Editors." U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook. 4 August 2006. .

3. Duplication and Collaboration:

The Master of Applied Arts in Written Communication differs from other graduate programs in writing because of its interdisciplinary core that includes courses in media, organizational communication, and data analysis. It blends elements from more traditional Composition Studies, English Education, and Technical Communication programs with an emphasis on the application of theory to the study, production, and evaluation of written texts in workplace and classroom settings.

Three Master's programs in Missouri share some elements with the proposed Master of Applied Arts in Written Communication, but there are important differences between the program proposed by Missouri Western State University and those currently in place at University of Missouri, Missouri University of Science and Technology, and Missouri State University. University of Missouri offers Composition and Rhetoric as an option in a traditional Master of Arts in English, and Missouri University of Science and Technology offers a traditional Master of Science in technical communication, only three credit hours taken outside of the Technical Communication program. Missouri State University does offer a Master of Arts in Writing with options in Rhetoric and Composition, designed primarily to prepare college teachers, and Technical/Professional Writing. However, Missouri State's program includes a more traditional Master of Arts in English core, requiring courses in linguistics and literature. It does not include the interdisciplinary and applied elements in Missouri Western's proposed degree.

Finally, Missouri Western's Master of Applied Arts has been designed to meet the needs of educators and industry professionals in northwest Missouri. The Prairie Lands Writing Project, the only National Writing Project in northwest Missouri, has strong ties with area teachers. Kansas City area technical communicators, as well as professionals in other technical fields, have already expressed a strong interest in Missouri Western's proposed program.

4. Program Structure: Form PS

A. Total credits required for graduation: 34 credits

B. Residency requirements, if any: Usual University residency requirements apply

C. General education: Total credits: None

Professional Core Courses (22 credits)

AIM 512 Converging Media Theory and Practice (3 credits)
MAT 509 Technical Analysis for Decision-Making (4 credits)
COM 501 Professional and Organizational Communication (3 credits)
OR
MGT 503 Organizational Theory (3 credits)
ENG 520 History and Theory of Rhetoric (3 credits)
EPR 620 Proposal and Grant Writing (3 credits)
ENG 695 or ETC 695 Thesis (6 credits)

D. Options (12 credits)

Writing Studies Option

Required course (3 credits)
ENG 512 or EDU 512 Teaching Writing With Technology (3 credits)
Electives (9 credits)
ENG 501 or EDU 501 Topics in Teaching Writing (1-2 credits; may be repeated for a total of 4 credits)
ENG 502 or EDU 502 Professional Learning Community (1-2 credits; may be repeated for a total of 4 credits)
ENG 503 Literature for Children (3 credits)
ENG 567 Grammar and the Teaching of Grammar (3 credits)
ENG 574 History of the English Language (3 credits)
ENG 601 Practicum in the Teaching of College Writing (3 credits)
ENG 610 or EDU 610 Prairie Lands Writing Project Invitation Institute (6 credits)
ENG 612 or EDU 612 Seminar in Professional Writing for Teachers (3 credits)
ENG 640 Writing for Management and Supervision (3 credits)
ENG 664 Composition Theory and Pedagogy (3 credits)

Technical Communication Option

Required courses (6 credits)
ETC 600 Graduate Studies in Technical Communication (3 credits)
ETC 616 Internship in Technical Communication (3 credits)
Electives (6 credits)
AIM 520 Professional Writing for Media (3 credits)
AIM 540 Interactive Web Design (3 credits)
ENG 601 Practicum in the Teaching of College Writing (3 credits)
ETC 520 Publications Management (3 credits)
ETC 612 Seminar in Professional Writing (3 credits)
PSY 610 User Centered Design Methods and Tools (3 credits)

E. Free elective credits: None

F. Requirements for thesis, internship or other capstone experience:

Writing Studies Option: Students will complete a research-based thesis project. This project may be a traditional thesis or an applied thesis, and will be developed in consultation with members of the student's thesis committee. A key component of the project will be students' submitting their research results for publication.

Technical Communication Option: Students in the Technical Communication Option will be required to complete an internship. They will also complete a research-based thesis project. This project may be a traditional thesis or an applied thesis, and will be developed in consultation with members of the student's thesis committee. A key component of the project will be students' submitting their research results for publication.

G. Any unique features such as interdepartmental cooperation:

What distinguishes this Master of Applied Arts in Written Communication degree program from many graduate degrees and makes it professional in content as well as orientation are the interdisciplinary core courses that provide a strong foundation for students interested in pursuing administrative or supervisory positions.

The technical communication option has been designed to meet the recommendations of a survey of technical communication managers published in August 2006 in Technical Communication, the journal of the Society for Technical Communication. (See full citation above.) It recognizes the field's humanistic roots through rhetorical theory, but also responds to trends in industry through work in a variety of media.

Additionally, the courses to be offered in the writing studies option will be supported and augmented by the Prairie Lands Writing Project's network affiliation with the National Writing Project, the "professional development program for teachers [initiated at the University of California - Berkeley in 1974] whose primary goal is to improve student writing achievement" (See http://www.writingproject.org/About/).
Students in both options will examine writing for diverse media in a variety of professional contexts.

5. Form NP Financial Projections (Deleted)

6. Program Characteristics and Performance Goals (Form PG):

Writing Studies Option:

Student Preparation

• Graduate admission requirements for the university: Bachelo''s degree or Master's degree from an accredited college or university; 2.75 undergraduate GPA; Completion of the Graduate Record Examination.
• Admission requirements for the MAA Written Communication Writing Studies Option: Successful review of writing portfolio and interview with program admissions committee; at least one year of teaching experience or concurrent enrollment in Practicum in the Teaching of College Writing as a graduate teaching assistant in a college composition course at Missouri Western.

Faculty Characteristics

• Most courses required of this graduate degree program will be taught by full-time Ph.D. faculty members approved for graduate faculty status by Missouri Western State University. If conditions warrant the need for adjunct faculty, they will be approved for adjunct graduate faculty status.
• Special requirements: Faculty must be certified as National Writing Project Teacher Consultants if they teach courses in the Writing Studies Option which are part of the Prairie Lands Writing Project Graduate Certificate in the Teaching of Writing.
• We estimate that 90 percent of the total credit hours in the Written Communication core and in the Technical Communication option will be taught by full-time university faculty. At least 80 percent of the total credit hours in the Writing Studies option will be taught by full-time university faculty. Courses in the Writing Studies Option which are part of the Prairie Lands Writing Project Graduate Certificate in the Teaching of Writing must be taught by National Writing Project (NWP) Teacher Consultants (TCs). At present, there are seven full-time English/journalism professors at Western who are NWP TCs (six tenured/tenure track with doctorates). We expect to hire master teachers with National Writing Project Certification to deliver the Professional Learning Communities and Topics in Teaching Writing courses.
• We would expect that faculty will work with teachers in the MAA Written Communication Writing Studies option in developing teaching writing research projects and presentations which will be disseminated through the National Writing Project
• Faculty in graduate writing studies courses are generally expected to participate in local, regional, or national conferences and organizations such as the Conference on College Composition and Communication, Computers and Writing, the National Council of Teachers of English, and the Missouri Writing Projects Network

Enrollment Projections

• We project 22 student FTEs majoring in the program by the end of five years.
• We project 50 percent of students will attend full time and 50 percent will attend on a part time basis by the end of five years.

Student and Program Outcomes

• Upon completion of the Writing Studies option of the MAA in Written Communication graduates will be able to

(1) Understand a variety of pedagogical, rhetorical and semiotic paradigms as they are applied to the teaching of writing in many genres and contexts
(2) Apply quantitative and qualitative empirical research to the development and critical analysis of writing pedagogies, technologies, and theories
(3) Understand principles and applications of digital technologies, and apply critical theory to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching writing with these technologies.
(4) Create a philosophy of writing that leads to consistency in practice when researching, teaching, creating, assigning, and assessing writing.
(5) Join the professional community of writing specialist by engaging in academic discourse, developing scholarly research, and preparing written work for publication
(6) Understand a variety of professional roles, including cooperative/ collaborative teaching, curriculum design, and professional development related to improved literacy instruction

Alumni and Employer Survey

• Given the very successful history of this program in the past, we expect high satisfaction rates for alumni.
• Given the very successful history of this program in the past, we expect high satisfaction rates for employers.

Technical Communication Option:

Student preparation

• Graduate admission requirements for the university: Bachelor?s degree or Master's degree from an accredited college or university; 2.75 undergraduate GPA; Completion of the Graduate Record Examination.
• Admission requirements for the MAA Written Communication Technical Communication Option: Successful review of writing portfolio.
• Students in this program are primarily 1) recent graduates of Baccalaureate programs in English, Rhetoric, Technical Communications, or other similar bachelor's degree programs; 2) Professional technical communicators with Baccalaureate degrees seeking professional advancement and job-related academic courses.

Faculty Characteristics

• Most courses required of this graduate degree program will be taught by full-time Ph.D. faculty members approved for graduate faculty status by Missouri Western State University. If conditions warrant the need for adjunct faculty, they will be approved for adjunct graduate faculty status.
• Current faculty members are active in professional technical communication organizations and have published in the field. One faculty member has published a textbook Writing for the Web: A Practical Guide, while another faculty member has assumed responsibility for a textbook, Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, that will have its seventh edition published in 2008.
• At least 75 percent of the total credit hours in the Technical Communication option will be taught by full-time university faculty.
• Faculty in graduate technical communications courses are generally expected to participate in local, regional, or national conferences such as the Association of Teachers of Technical Writing, the Council of Programs in Technical and Scientific Communication, the Society for Technical Communication and the Conference on College Composition and Communication.

Enrollment Projections

• We project 20 student FTEs majoring in the program at the end of five years.
• We project 40% of students will attend full time and 60% will attend on a part time basis by the end of five years.

Student and Program Outcomes

• Upon completion of the Technical Communication option of the MAA in Written Communication graduates will be able to
1. Develop, manage, and lead teams of technical communicators and cross-functional teams in the workplace
2. Work with Subject Matter Experts in a variety of institutional, professional, and industrial settings to provide interface communication and single-source documentation.
3. Understand the technical, economic, institution, social, and cultural factors that help shape the technology-rich spaces in which they create, revise, design, and exchange texts.
4. Develop information management models and systems, and spearhead both ongoing and finite content development team projects.
5. Understand how and why to use design approaches in developing technical communication
6. Understand deep structures and models of language, rhetoric, and technical writing that provide rich underpinnings for information and communication in a wide variety of professional settings.
7. Join the professional community of technical communicators by conducting both primary, experientially-based research and secondary-source research

Alumni and Employer Survey

• In a recent online survey MWSU Technical Communication graduates, current and past members of campus chapter of Society for Technical Communicators, members of Kansas City chapter of Society for Technical Communicators were polled, and 40 responders provided the following information:

• 84.6% indicated interest in further education in technical communication.
• Of the technical communicators polled, 97.4% indicated that college credit matters to them, with 94.9% indicating that graduate credit would be most useful,
• 33.3% indicating that certification completion would be useful, and 15.4% indicating that continuing education credits would be useful.
• 50% indicated interest in enrolling within the next two years (Fall 2009).
• 42.5% indicated interest in enrolling within a year.
• 25% indicated interest in enrolling immediately, if a Masters degree in technical communication were currently offered at Missouri Western State University.
• 37.5% indicated interest in working toward an MAA (Master of Applied Arts) degree.
• 63.2% indicated that they would be eligible for either full or partial reimbursement for further education in technical communication.
• 48.7% indicated interest in taking MWSU graduate technical communication classes on the Northland (North KC) campus.

• Survey comments indicating interest in graduate courses in technical communication from a survey of local technical communicators and MWSU graduates:

• "...as a senior STC member and tech writer at work, I do mentor younger staff and students who are looking for a master's program in technical communications. I was astounded that a single online course for one semester cost over $3,000 for a graduate program on the East Coast. A good quality reasonably priced program in the KC metro area would be most welcome. In addition, my employer has historically offered summer and school year internships in relevant fields. Good luck."
• "...There are certain technical skills that I am having difficulty learning on my own that are related to technical communication. For example, learning to set up a large-scale documentation system based on XML. Or setting up and administering a wiki using MediaWiki. I would take courses that help me acquire these skills."
• "I would want to start a masters program soon. I want to further my education."
• "I currently have a BA in English with an Emphasis in Tech Comm - and a Masters Program would be GREAT!"

Survey conducted Sept-October, 2007 http://tinyurl.com/2lko4n.

• Area employers have continued to seek out and hire graduates from Missouri Western's undergraduate technical communication. Several Kansas City area employers regularly contact the department to ask Western to send them applicants. In addition, because many of the students in the Technical Communication option will already be employed, they will be receiving employer support. Members of the Kansas City area chapter of the Society for Technical Communication, through email messages and conversation at chapter meetings, have expressed strong interest in enrolling in this program, and in hiring its graduates.

7. Accreditation:

Writing Studies Option: Writing Studies option courses in the MAA in Written Communication program are offered through Prairie Lands Writing Project, affiliated with the National Writing Project, and in order to maintain its NWP site status, Prairie Lands must reapply for funding and undergo a rigorous review/analysis of its programs every year.

Technical Communication Option: There is no accrediting body for technical communication programs. However, the Council of Programs in Technical and Scientific Communication offers program review upon request.

8. Institutional Characteristics:

Mission Statement: Missouri Western State University is a learning community focused on students as individuals and as members of society. Western offers students at all stages of life the opportunity to achieve excellence in the classroom and beyond, as they prepare to be leaders in their work and in their communities. As a leader itself, Western is committed to the educational, economic, cultural, and social development of the people and the region that it serves.
Missouri Western State University's commitment to applied learning is a focal point of Western's core values and will continue to grow. Eighty percent of students who graduated from Western last year had experience in applied learning through internships in business and industry, local and state government, schools, hospitals and research laboratories. The Master of Applied Arts in Written Communication is ideally suited to become part of Missouri Western's applied learning focus. Academic institutions such as Missouri Western State University that focus on applied learning, applied research, and applied community service programs are what is frequently referred to as the "new American regional university" and such a focus is growing in popularity among other regional colleges and universities across the nation.