ATTW Proposal, 2008: Ethos, pathos, logos, kairos: Rhetorical strategies in digital survey research

I examine the challenges and affordances of conducting programmatic research virtually, and the role of rhetoric in executing such studies. As part of a two-year study on rhetorical invention in copyright imbued environments, I examined knowledge and understanding of US copyright law among digital writers (both students and teachers) in US technical/professional writing programs. The study’s first phase included administering an online survey to a randomly selected population of such programs. I outline three different rhetorical strategies used when administering this survey to different but equivalent populations and the widely differing responses. Further, I discuss ironic glimmerings of resistance-to-digital-research in TPW– as the field simultaneously holds itself out to value knowledge production in the new economy. At issue are the methodological problems arising when a field fails to see itself as a “community.”

I end the presentation by offering a heuristic to facilitate successful online programmatic research. Finally, I imagine a digital architecture that breaks out of content silo effects of “membership lists” posted to various websites. Such architecture might engender online collaboration, distributed models of work-research, and cross-programmatic/cross-global communication such that the field of TPW could self-reflect, model the processes it upholds, and gain disciplinary strength through cohesion.

As part of a two-year study on rhetorical invention in copyright imbued environments, a survey was administered to randomly selected TPW programs examining knowledge and understanding of US copyright law among digital writers. The effectiveness of differing rhetorical strategies is discussed when conducting online survey research. A heuristic is offered to facilitate success in these types of studies.