Memorandum

TO: Dr. Julianne Newmark-Engberg, Director of the Technical and Professional

Communication Program at UNM.
FROM: Kyle Browder, Graduate Student at UNM.
DATE: Sunday, March 31, 2024
SUBJECT: Reflection on the work done for the GCERT in TPC Portfolio
Purpose
This memorandum reflects on my portfolio of work completed during my time in the GCERT in
the TPC program at UNM. My goal was to pick a variety of my work that best embodied my
learning in the program and demonstrated my understanding of its learning outcomes.
My Learning
One of the most important things I’ve learned is how diverse the TPC field is. It encompasses a
wide variety of genres and document types, leaving a lot of room for adapting and learning new
skills, both critical to me in a future career. I also learned that while technical writing “is thus
associated with what were low forms of practice,” such as merely writing an instruction manual
or scientific report, it has the potential to enact deeper change in the world (Miller 62). Through
these documents that most people think of as insignificant, we can influence change in science,
medicine, and even environmental policy.
I also learned that there are various problems for writers to navigate while working in these
fields. In the ENGL 513 course, we had to write a document to help lessen the tensions between
a group of conservationists and the community affected by the conservation efforts. Even in
writing a ‘simple’ brochure, I had to research the communities and find common ground to bring
the groups together. Writers also must deal with ethical problems in rhetoric and technical
writing, where “from the standpoint of technical communication, it is an almost perfect
document…[but] the focus is on expediency, on technical criteria as a means to an end.” (Katz
256-7). They have to write their text thoughtfully without oppressing groups of people or
betraying their employer’s trust, making the TPC field quite a minefield at times.
Final Portfolio
In selecting the documents for my portfolio, I wanted to select the examples I was most proud of
that embodied the program’s learning outcomes. I chose an informational brochure, my editing
final, and an analysis I did on the HIV/AIDS epidemic in journalism.
The brochure assignment was a great learning experience as I had to inform, educate, and guide
the readers into the Krochet Kids organization. My document needed to be well-organized with
its text and photos. It was a bit of a collaborative effort as I had to utilize the website’s
information to create my brochure. I had to analyze the organization's history and work with
women in Uganda and Peru, groups not often represented in the media. I wanted to represent
these women and this nonprofit in a way that would really showcase the good things they’re
doing.
For my editing final, I had to assess the needs of the housing complex's tenants and edit the
tenant guidelines document to best serve them. The document needed to be edited so that the
tenants were informed of the guidelines and could easily access them. This involved reorganizing
sections so they were easier to read and understand. In the editing field, you often have to
collaborate with the document author (in this case, the housing complex staff) to create
documents, either remotely or locally.
When working on my analysis, I focused a lot on the ethical side of communication. While this
assignment didn’t consist of us making a document, we did have to analyze the ethical problems
with a document and suggest revisions for future documents. I did a lot of research into TPC and
its characteristics to make the connection to journalism. Journalism isn’t considered technical
communication, but they do share similarities like the strive for factual, truthful information. I
examined the LGBTQ community and how the magazine article was oppressive towards this
group. In my video, I wanted to educate viewers on this oppression and guide them on potential
solutions for future media. It was also different from my other works, as the analysis video was
more multi-media-based than some of my other examples.
These three examples didn’t involve much collaboration with colleagues or other people.
However, I think this portfolio shows how far my learning has come in this program and
addresses many of the program’s learning outcomes.

Works Cited
Katz, Steven B. “The Ethic of Expediency: Classical Rhetoric, Technology, and the
Holocaust.” College English, vol. 54, no. 3, Mar. 1992, pp. 255–75. EBSCOhost,
https://doi-org.libproxy.unm.edu/10.2307/378062.
Miller, Carolyn. "What’s Practical About Technical Writing? " Technical Writing: Theory and
Practice, edited by Bertie E. Fearing and W. Keats Sparrow, Modern Language
Association of America, 1989, pp. 61-70.