Designing distance-education courses in technical communication and human-computer interaction: reflections on the role of communication in technological education - historical perspectives and technological evolutions

Sometimes it is hard to keep up with the technology. Rapid advances in the ways we communicate, the audiences we communicate with, and the expectations of communication effectiveness often leave us gasping for breath. One area of rapid change and growth has been the application of technology to distance education. There are many "cool new toys" to play with and use, but our fundamental goal as educators remains the same: to ensure that our students have the best, most productive, educational experience we can provide them. This challenge may be most pressing in the areas of technical communication and human-computer interaction, where technology is both a tool for learning, a tool that we and our students use for communicating, and a large portion of the subject matter of our courses.