8th InterChange Technical Writing Conference - Call for Papers

[John Garison <JPG3 -at- ICHANGE -dot- COM>]

Dear Colleague:
This year marks the 8th annual InterChange conference, and with your
support and continued submissions of superb topics, it will be better
than ever. Last year we received tremendous kudos on the breadth and
depth of presentations and, since InterChange derives so much of its
good reputation from our presenters, once again we thank you for your
support.

We made some major changes last year, among them a well-received change
to a Tuesday-Wednesday format. This year, we're adding pre-conference
sessions on Monday, April 8. Pre-conference sessions will run in two
slots: 9:00 - 12:00 A.M. and 2:00 - 5:00 P.M. Our goal is to give you
the chance to cover topics more thoroughly in this extended format. If
interested in a pre-conference session, please call John Hurtado
(508-934-2467 or hurtadojo -at- woods -dot- uml -dot- edu) or John Garison (617-252-5160
or jpg3 -at- ichange -dot- com).

Thank you for continuing to make InterChange a success.

Sincerely,
John Hurtado, Conference Director
John Garison, Planning Committee Chair


Share Your Ideas at InterChange
InterChange is an annual spring conference co-sponsored by the
University of Massachusetts Lowell and the Boston and Northern New
England chapters of the Society for Technical Communication. It will be
held April 9 & 10, 1996 in the greater Boston area. The conference
promotes these goals:

*  To provide technical and scientific writers, managers, editors,
graphic artists, educators, and consultants with a forum for expressing
ideas and learning new theories and techniques

*  To build a bridge between technical communication theory and industry
 practice

The registration fee for participants is $285 for two days or $175 for
one day. The reduced registration fee for presenters and students is
$145 for two days or $75 for one day. Lunch is included. There is a $20
late fee for walk-in registrants.

Conference Call for Proposals
Experienced professionals are invited to submit proposals for conference
 sessions. The conference committee accepts proposals on the basis of
topic and quality of information. We welcome new and relevant research.
Sales-oriented material is not suitable. We actively encourage sessions
on advanced topics, especially innovative technology. Sessions can be in
 a lecture, discussion, or workshop format. All sessions last 75
minutes, which includes 60 minutes for your presentation and 15 minutes
for questions.

Pre-conference Sessions for 1996!
We're soliciting proposals for pre-conference sessions lasting a full or
 half day on April 8 to explore introductory or advanced topics. Share
your success stories!

Conference Committee
Conference Director: John Hurtado (UMass Lowell)
Conference Planning Committee Co-Chairs: John Garison (AT&T Interchange)
 and Suzy Kane (Digital Equipment Corporation)
Planning Committee: Cynthia Currie (Currie and Associates), Robert
Griffin (UMass Lowell), Ann-Marie Grissino (KeyPoint Consultants), Olga
Lauterbach (Marcam Corporation), Carol Peterson (Silver Platter
Communications), Teryl Sawosik (Parexel International), Dave Sciuto
(Digital Equipment Corporation), Eleanor Wachs (Information Resources,
Inc.), Mary Zoll (Freelance)


Requirements for Submitting Proposals
Proposals must be postmarked by November 15, 1995. Incomplete or late
proposals cannot be considered. All sessions are 75 minutes, which
includes 15 minutes for questions and answers.

Please include the following in your submission:

Basics: Name, mailing address, work phone, home phone, Email address,
job title, company (institution or organization)

Title of session: A short, descriptive title that clearly defines your
session

Audiovisual requirements

Description of audience: One sentence, suitable for publishing in the
program

Abstract: 50 - 75 words suitable for publishing in the registration
brochure, including a biographical statement describing yourself

Summary: About 300 words describing the organization and content of your
 session, to be used by the Planning Committee to evaluate your proposal

Biographical statement: About 75 words describing your expertise as it
relates to your session, suitable for publishing in the proceedings

Resume

Upon acceptance you may submit a paper (maximum four pages) describing
your session for publication in the conference proceedings.

Send all information and direct all inquiries to:
John Hurtado
University College/Continuing Education
University of Massachusetts Lowell
One University Avenue
Lowell, MA 01854
508-934-2467 or hurtadojo -at- woods -dot- uml -dot- edu



Proposal Registration Form

Name:
Title:
Firm or Institution:
Business Address:
City, State, Zip:
Business Telephone:
Home Address:
City, State, Zip:
Home Telephone:
Email:



Session (pick one):
Regular (75 minutes)
Pre-conference, half day (3 hours)
Pre-conference, whole day (6 hours)

Stem to which you are submitting (pick one):
Communication Techniques
Education and Training
Marketing Research and Writing
New Technologies
Professional Development
Scientific and Medical Writing

Format (pick one):
Lecture (by individual or panel)
Discussion (very interactive with audience)
Workshop (directed activity, may limit audience to 20)

Audience level (pick one):
  Introductory
  Intermediate
  Advanced

Stem Descriptions

InterChange Technical Writing Conference Stems

Communication Techniques
*    Principles of design: white space, typography, use of color,
graphics development, screen design, human factors issues
*    Writing: standards and conventions, usability testing, writing
methodologies, editing guidelines, review processes
*    Applications of learning theories: whole-brain model, experiential
learning cycles, super learning, advanced organizers, self-paced
learning, online documents
*    Language issues: jargon, grants, numbers, audience identification,
readability, foreign translation, multi-cultural markets

Education and Training
*    The nature of technical writing: definition, scope, rhetorical
tradition, status as a profession
*    Teaching technical writing: academic versus industrial programs,
course content, liberal arts versus science and engineering curriculum,
technology as a teaching tool, new teaching technologies
*    Programs in technical writing: degree and certificate programs, job
 prospects
*    Technical training: needs analysis, audience analysis,
instructional objectives, testing, interactive methods, appropriate
media selection

Marketing Research and Writing
*    Planning: marketing communications planning, document definitions,
audience analysis
*    Research techniques: questionnaires, focus groups, telephone
interviews, end-user research
*    Analytical methods: statistical analysis, market size and structure
 assessment, trend evaluation
*    Writing: styles, market research, definitions, report structure,
company profiles, financial data


New Technologies
*    Media: hypertext, multimedia, electronic books, interactive media,
computer-based training, CD-ROM publishing, virtual reality, user
interface design
*    Systems: groupware, workgroup computing, document and image
management, interactive authoring
*    Tools: graphical word processors, grammar and style checkers, text
search, indexers, tool integration, screen capture, graphics and image
generation, SGML
*    Management: cost justification, new system implementation
strategies

Professional Development
*    Management skills: performance reviews, peer reviews, budgeting,
productivity enhancement, interviews, networking to locate resources
*    Project leader skills: task analysis, planning, assigning
resources, scheduling, estimating, project tracking
*    Personal and professional issues: personal goals versus corporate
expectations, ethics, roles of writers in organizations of various sizes
*    Interpersonal skills: presentation skills, communication with
others, peer reviews, team building

Scientific and Medical Writing
*    Disciplines: biology, chemistry, physics, medicine, pharmacology,
biotechnology, engineering
*    Writing: styles, standards, terminology, technical training,
research papers, scientific editing, peer reviews, journal articles
*    Teaching: developing courses in academia, working with professional
 societies, training scientists to write, teaching technical writers to
write about science