Leveraging authentic materials in learning task design in a technical communication course: an example of teaching user manual writing

Abstract

The effectiveness and issues of authentic materials in promoting foreign language learning has received significant attention, but less study has been devoted to how they can be leveraged in the design of learning tasks for specific genres in the context of technical communication. This pilot study attempts to introduce the rationale and approach to employing authentic materials in design learning tasks in an English-in-the-discipline course on writing a user manual on a portable electrocardiogram device (a heartbeat measurement device) for a group of second-year medical engineering undergraduates in the University of Hong Kong. I will first explain how the collaboration with a medical engineering professor and the analysis of past student texts informed the selection of various authentic texts, and then discuss the way they were incorporated into learning tasks to illustrate structural and linguistic features characteristic of manual writing. Questionnaire findings suggest that students were generally receptive of the approach in terms of the clarity of learning outcomes, the relevance of learning materials, the enhancement of subject understanding and knowledge application, and the perceived level of difficulty. A review of the post-pilot manual writing also appears to indicate some application of the concepts introduced and avoidance of common pitfalls. Challenges to teachers, on the other hand, may necessitate more time and subject matter knowledge in selecting and adapting various authentic materials, and in eliciting responses from students. I will attempt to offer recommendations and future directions in this respect to not only improve the quality of learning activities but also facilitate partnership between subject matter experts and language teachers.