Credibility Strategies of Popular Health Websites: A Rhetorical Analysis of Parkinson\u27s Information Pages

Though using e-health is a common patient practice, unregulated and inaccurate online medical content can pose real dangers. To effectively convey important and accurate health messages, online health organizations must make their information stand out as trustworthy. To identify credibility strategies, I conducted a rhetorical analysis of Parkinson’s disease content from the two most popular U.S. health websites: NIH.gov and WebMD. Based on the range of credibility strategies identified in these webpages, I recommend that medical writers and e-health designers convey both expertise and trustworthiness to build credibility in their content

Credibility Strategies of Popular Health Websites: A Rhetorical Analysis of Parkinson’s Information Pages

Though using e-health is a common patient practice, unregulated and inaccurate online medical content can pose real dangers. To effectively convey important and accurate health messages, online health organizations must make their information stand out as trustworthy. To identify credibility strategies, I conducted a rhetorical analysis of Parkinson’s disease content from the two most popular U.S. health websites: NIH.gov and WebMD. Based on the range of credibility strategies identified in these webpages, I recommend that medical writers and e-health designers convey both expertise and trustworthiness to build credibility in their content

Disabling the Rhetoric of Prenatal Genetic Testing: A Critical Analysis of Online Pregnancy Self-Help Literature

Drawing on literature about the disability rights critique of prenatal genetic testing, this article consists of a critical analysis of a type of text in which socially-constructed negative attitudes about disability may be present: online pregnancy self-help literature about prenatal testing. The critique incorporates scholarship on the intersection of genetics and rhetoric in order to clarify rhetorical strategies used by writers of these online articles. The analysis shows that disability is rhetorically constructed as part of a tragedy narrative through negatively-connoted word choices and reductionist descriptions in the writing. Furthermore, the benefits of testing are construed as the ability of parents to treat or emotionally prepare for their child’s condition, as well as consider abortion, though the success of treatment and the possibility of abortion are masked or glossed over, giving parents an inaccurate picture of prenatal testing’s purpose and benefits. Keywords: pregnancy, genetics, prenatal testing, rhetorical analysis, disability rights critiqu

Podcasting for Social Justice: An Interview Series

Podcasts support inclusivity and access in classrooms in several ways. For instance, students from oral cultures or for whom English is not a first language may find listening more accessible than reading, students can multitask while listening to course material, and students can become exposed to new perspectives. Instructors should be intentional about curating diverse voices in the podcasts they assign. Furthermore, instructors can create podcasts to form a more personal connection with students in a large lecture course or online course. Finally, instructors can assign students to create a podcast as a course project, which can support students’ connections with each other and with community members, and help them see themselves as knowledge creators with perspectives worth sharing with the world. In this series, you will read about the advantages of using podcasts to support social justice in the classroom. You will hear stories from instructors and students who have used podcasting in the classroom in various ways to support social justice learning

2018 Scholars at Work Conference Program

Program for the 2018 Scholars at Work Conference at Minnesota State University, Mankato on March 30, 2018

2019 Scholars at Work Conference Program

Program for the 2019 Scholars at Work Conference at Minnesota State University, Mankato on March 29, 2019

Credibility Strategies of Popular Health Websites: A Rhetorical Analysis of Parkinson’s Information Pages

Though using e-health is a common patient practice, unregulated and inaccurate online medical content can pose real dangers. To effectively convey important and accurate health messages, online health organizations must make their information stand out as trustworthy. To identify credibility strategies, I conducted a rhetorical analysis of Parkinson’s disease content from the two most popular U.S. health websites: NIH.gov and WebMD. Based on the range of credibility strategies identified in these webpages, I recommend that medical writers and e-health designers convey both expertise and trustworthiness to build credibility in their content.The template says I need rights to the images. Would screenshots from public websites count as fair use in this case? If there's a question, I can easily remove the images.</p

Aligning a Tech Comm Research Methods Course with the Workplace: Results of an Alumni Survey

The MA in Technical Communication is meant to provide students with the theoretical and practical skills needed for the modern technical communication workplace. Key among those skills is research. Yet, research can take many forms for technical communicators: surveys, interviews, content analysis, usability testing, and more. As a profession, technical communication evolves quickly, raising the question of how our program can best keep pace with the research requirements of the workplace. To address that question, we conducted a survey of alumni. Alumni were using methods such as interviewing and surveying in their work, but desired more authentic applications of the methods in the course

Everyday Googling: Results of an Observational Study and Applications for Teaching Algorithmic Literacy

Students, and internet users generally, rely heavily on search engines for academic and personal research. Search engines, driven by algorithms, are so central to students’ research practices as to be nearly invisible. Yet, the role of algorithms in research is not typically addressed within information literacy instruction in composition. To learn the role that search engines play in everyday research processes, I observed participants search personal health topics and tracked their use of search engines. Findings showed that 1) Google was the driver for all participants’ searches, 2) search terms influenced the search process and results, and 3) rankings influenced the sources chosen. Most importantly, these sophisticated searchers were not especially aware of how the search interface and algorithms influenced their process. I recommend that writing instructors incorporate algorithmic literacy instruction into their classrooms. A Search Reflection assignment, in which students record, analyze, and evaluate their search practices, helps students become more critical and intentional as they research

Writing for Patients on the Participatory Web: Heuristics for Purpose-Driven Personas

Background: The participatory web complicates professional communicators\u27 goals of providing accurate, usable, and trustworthy content, especially for health and medical topics. Professionals can better reach their audiences by understanding individuals\u27purposes for using e-health. Literature review: Previous literature has shown the need for audience analysis in e-health, and has called for personalized, nuanced, and contextualized methods for developing audience-centered content. Professional communicators in e-health can use personas as a strategy to help account for users\u27 diverse, evolving, and extra-institutional purposes in accessing e-health, whether that content is professionally-generated or user-generated. Research questions: 1. What are patients\u27 larger information-seeking contexts? 2. For what purposes do patients use e-health? 3. How can professional communicators leverage this deepened understanding of their audience\u27s purposes to improve their content? Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted with seven community members who self-identified as e-health users. They were asked about their larger health information-seeking practices, specific instances of using e-health, and website preferences. Results: Participants use e-health among other sources including medical professionals. They use an array of e-health sites, including professional and user-generated sites, and have diverse purposes in using that array of sites. Conclusion and implications: The results suggest that professional communicators deepen their audience analysis to account for informational context, emotional context, and the diverse and shifting purposes of their users. Heuristics for professionals are provided to develop purpose-driven personas