Professor of Technical Communication
- 58 years old, with a PhD in Rhetoric
- Professor of English who teaches in a Technical Communication Program
- Has taught and researched as program administrator and scholar
- Has always been known for his work in bringing professionals and academics together
- Member of the STC, and the Council for Programs in Scientific and Technical Communication
“We should see to it that the boundaries of industry and academia are crossed frequently and with an open mind as to what might occur. The closer relationship we desire will follow.”
Professor Baake has taught at all levels of technical communication and has been a pioneer in identifying ways that knowledge can be shared between academics and practitioners. As a faculty member he understands student needs and as an administrator has been a leader in academic program designs. He enjoys working with professionals in technical communication. His interests are in workplace writing and program administration.
Key Attributes
- Strong sense of practical writing
- Loves to try out new ways of engaging students
- Willing to invest the hours in commenting on student writing
- Wants to bring knowledge of rhetoric and writing into digital media
Tasks
- Studies workplace writing, rhetoric, scientific writing
- Comes up with ways to engage in conversations about writing and learning
- Enjoys fly fishing and agility training of his pet Labrador Retriever
Informational Needs/Goals
- Wants to find ways to get students interested in practical knowledge in the workplace
- Needs to find ways to make work with the STC BOK an on-going effort
Scenario of Use: Stephen Baake
My goal was to have students find places in the existing tree to make contributions. We used the editing tools to stage our work. I know seeing comments emphasizes the ragged nature of the enterprise. We’ll clean up this spring when we return to the site. Because the STC team already had a structure in place, we looked for where we could fit it, creating new nodes under existing ones where we needed to do so. We worked right at the site, posting drafts, reviewing what other teams were doing, and revising. That’s why my comments are out there in public.