Building a Social Justice-Focused User Experience Approach to Technical Editing

Authors

  • Krista Speicher Sarraf California Polytechnic State University
  • Morgan White California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
  • Danielle Daugherty California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
  • Madelyn Cruz California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

Keywords:

Technical editing, User experience, Social Justice, Access and Engagement, Academic Libraries, program design, inclusive TPC pedagogy

Abstract

This program showcase highlights the redesign of a technical editing course within a Technical and Professional Communication (TPC) certificate to center user experience (UX) and social justice. Through a sustained partnership with the academic library, students engage in experiential projects that emphasize accessibility, stakeholder advocacy, and ethical editing. The revised course, ENGL 3317: Humanistic Perspectives in Technical Editing, integrates UX methods with sociolinguistic and rhetorical theory to prepare students for audience-centered, justice-oriented communication work. Guided by a polyvocal collaboration among faculty, librarians, and students, the curriculum aligns program outcomes with inclusive editing practices. The showcase offers a model for other programs aiming to embed equity and usability into editing instruction through sustainable, real-world partnerships and reflective pedagogy.

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Author Biographies

Krista Speicher Sarraf, California Polytechnic State University

Krista Speicher Sarraf is Assistant Professor of Technical and Professional Communication at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, where she directs the Technical and Professional Communication Program. Her research draws on the interdisciplinary field of creativity studies to explore how technical and professional communicators use creative thinking to address wicked problems.

Morgan White, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

Morgan White is a lecturer at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. She teaches composition courses, including technical editing in the Technical and Professional Communication Program. She has co-authored and edited several textbooks and has presented her research on UX, cross-campus partnerships, inclusive editing, and Open Educational Resource (OER).  

Danielle Daugherty , California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

Danielle Daugherty is the Digital Initiatives and Engagement Librarian for the Robert E. Kennedy Library at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. As a tenure-track faculty member, her research explores inclusive user experience modeling in academic libraries, with a focus on supporting marginalized communities in digital environments.  

Madelyn Cruz, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

Madelyn Cruz graduated from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo with an MS in Engineering Management. She also earned her B.S. in Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies, with concentrations in Technical Communication and Computer Science: Usability Studies.

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Published

2026-01-07

How to Cite

Sarraf, K. S., White, M., Daugherty , D., & Cruz, M. (2026). Building a Social Justice-Focused User Experience Approach to Technical Editing. Programmatic Perspectives, 16(2). Retrieved from https://programmaticperspectives.cptsc.org/index.php/jpp/article/view/129

Issue

Vol. 16 No. 2 (2025): Programmatic Perspectives

Section

Program Showcases

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Krista Speicher Sarraf, Morgan White, Danielle Daugherty , Madelyn Cruz

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.