Know your learners

What are the prerequisites for your course?

• • What do you expect your students to know when they enter?

  • What kinds of high-impact learning experiences have they had?

Case Study from a Technical Communication Course

Who are the learners and what are the expectations upon entrance?

Students entering the course (juniors/seniors/few sophomores) will likely have had some high-impact experiences including common intellectual experiences in other courses, including collaborative assignments, service experience, internships, or jobs. They likely will have had some exposure to diverse environments (i.e., contexts where they have worked with diverse stakeholders or people with different perspectives), though they may not have consciously considered the influence of different perspectives on communication deliverables.

Prior to the course, students should have completed English 104 (Composition and Rhetoric) in which they analyzed arguments and prepared formal expository and persuasive papers, applying critical thinking and writing skills. Therefore, they should have been introduced to the importance of the rhetorical context in shaping the message.