Details of Graduate School

Some people have wondered what I actually do in my graduate school classes. I recently wrote an e-mail to some of my family members, so I figured I'd just post that (slightly modified with more detail) and save myself some time.

I just finished up a large project for one of my classes. It is a usability test, which I'm sure most of you won't be interested to hear about! So you can skip farther down this e-mail if you want. I am working with a group of four people to conduct usability testing on a website for Utah State University; I had to write the entire test plan--it was only 8 pages, but getting the details right is a little tough. Now we just have to instigate the plan--there is only one person on the actual campus who can do the testing, but the other three of us (located around the country) will help evaluate the results and write the report. We have three weeks to turn it in.

My final project for this class to compile some examples of work I've done that display my use of usability. I have a bunch of projects at work that I can use, but I can use basically anything that shows me as a usability professional (ha ha). I can also use the results of the usability test we are doing, which will also look really good on a resume since we're researching a website of extreme significance to the university.

For my second class (focuses more on theory of usability than actual usability testing), I completed a midterm paper on the definition of technical communication and got 195/200 on it, so I am very proud of that. I also have to write a book review, the proposal of which I actually sent to a technical journal called Technical Communication, and they invited me to submit the review to them! So that is exciting as well. Perhaps I will be "semi-published." That book review is due in two weeks, and after that I have to write a final paper/research argument found in professional communication (due the first part of December), and also directed at the same journal or another one called Intercom, which are actually both journals that I receive regularly as being a member of the Society for Technical Communication. At any rate, my November is going to be quite busy. At least I can relax during the holidays! I love graduate school because there are no "finals," just projects. I'll take projects over standardized tests any day.

I just registered for next semester's courses as well. I will be taking a theory in document design class (I love document design, so combining theory with it will be interesting), and also advanced editing (in several mediums, not just writing). I am excited for that.

In summer I hope to take a publications management course, which will teach me how to manage projects such as magazines, newspapers, etc. On a smaller scale, of course. But I am very excited about that because it will help me get closer to my goal of learning how to be a managing editor. Knowing how a publishing process works will help me a lot. I'm really leaning towards working with magazines right now.

That's the update for now. I'm sure you'll get more updates as I launch through my November filled with death-defying projects.