There's a lot of stuff out there relating to visual rhetoric. I don't do any visual rhet in WRT 407. I figure the engineers have plenty to deal with by this point in their course work. The basic concept of visual rhet is easy enough to get your head around. But beyond the basic, you start getting into things like metaphoric representation. Yeah, a fourth-year electrical engineer needs that. Then again, maybe they do.
One of the WRT 407 individual assignments asks the students to render a block diagram from a textual process description. This year's submissions have surprised me for their depth of visual representation, as well as a consistent use of narrative and declarative information to explain or describe the representation. This is a more mature move than I've seen in the past. It might be because I'm doing such an exceptional job this year. It's more likely due to the fact that this year's small group (15 in all) is highly creative and exceptionally attuned to the requirements I place before them. They really are making this a fun year for me.
Back on an instructional level: I do think there is space to introduce basic concepts of visual rhetoric and the role the visual plays (can play) in effective technical communication.
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