Senior Capstone Experience Class: Technical and Scientific Communication Client: McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital Project: Self-study packet on back safety Typically completed in the senior year, the Senior Capstone Experience allows students to apply the expertise they've learned in their major to real-world issues. The capstone often culminates in a major client project that addresses problems or needs in the community while preparing students for their professional careers. This year's Technical and Scientific Communication class used their expertise to create educational materials for employees at Oxford's McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital. "Learning to Love Your Back" will provide staff in all areas of the hospital with instructions for preventing back injuries on the job. According to McCullough-Hyde's Education Director Scheryl Moore, the experience also provided an avenue for valuable service. "Besides helping the hospital meet OSHA requirements, the manual will help employees gain knowledge to provide a safer and more comfortable experience for the patient." Working as One After drafting a communication plan and submitting a proposal for the project, the class spent weeks collecting information, writing content, conducting user tests, and then revising the document to make it user-friendly. Team members found that one of the most difficult aspects of working together was learning how to allow for different writing styles. "Any time you work with a team, you have to figure out a way to divide the project into sections, and we all have our own way of writing, our own style," Matt said. Despite their different writing styles, however, the students considered this experience working as a team especially positive. "This was probably the best group project I've ever worked on," Sari said. "What we were working for wasn't just a grade—it was for the community, for the hospital—and the project was being put into use, so that kind of pushed everyone and made everyone want to do a good job." "We're all seniors and we're all so close to graduation," Matt said. "It's something that we will potentially be doing in a few weeks, so you want to take it seriously." The students also appreciated the guidance of Dr. Lutz and her willingness to share the load as a participating team member. "She didn't tell us, 'This is what you need to do.' Instead, she gave us the resources to help us come up with solutions on our own," Mary said. "I appreciated the freedom of the class more than anything," Chris said. "It was more fluid, like the real world would be. Projects were introduced as problems we needed to find solutions to rather than assignments with specific requirements." Choosing a Specialty Majors in Technical and Scientific Communication choose either a computer, environmental, or medical specialty. Although this project with McCullough-Hyde focused on the medical field, all majors take specialized courses in writing, design, and multimedia so they can tailor communications to users' needs. "Having chosen a computer science specialty, I didn't know anything at all about back safety, but that doesn't mean I couldn't research the subject and write about it," Robert said. Sari's recent internship experience provided her with convincing evidence of the major's flexibility. "This past summer I had an internship at the EPA as a technical writer, and I felt like even though the subject matter wasn't necessarily something I was familiar with, I was prepared. In this major, we are taught how to make any type of information accessible to the public and easier to understand." Finding a Job Matt found the capstone experience especially reassuring. "We studied the history as well as the future of the profession, and we really focused on how we as technical communicators can bring value to any organization. For example, those with a computer science specialty can do a lot more than just document software. They can become web developers, marketing specialists, trainers, usability experts, or project managers." For Sari, it was all about confidence. "Before this class, I wasn't sure how I was going to find a job, but Jean had us interview others in the field and ask questions about job-searching. With technical writing, there are so many avenues—so many ways you could go. A big part of the capstone was helping us determine how to go out and get the jobs that we want."