The Society for Technical Communication (STC) recently awarded the Jay R. Gould Award for Excellence in Teaching to Dr. Kim Sydow Campbell, professor in the Department of Technical Communication at UNT.

The award recognizes someone who sets the example for academic mentorship and teaching technical communication with innovative and creative methods. In addition to winning this prestigious award, Dr. Campbell is also involved in STC, and she is the author of several books and more than 40 research papers and book chapters.

Throughout her career, Dr. Campbell--or "Dr. Kim" as her students know her--has been developing tech comm courses and teaching in ways that prepare students to secure jobs and become successful as tech comm professionals.

Examples of her creative teaching at UNT include

• the iFixit Technical Writing Project that teaches students about technical documentation,
• a graduate-level content strategy course to teach the business value of technical content, and
• a gateway course for students getting started in the tech comm major.

"I consistently search for ways to engage my students in professional development activities outside the classroom," she said in a letter to STC. "Since 2016, when I joined UNT, one of my primary goals has been to facilitate quality interactions between students and technical communication professionals."

Dr. Campbell invited industry guests to speak with students, collaborate on class projects, and provide workshops to the Eagle Technical Communicators student organization. She also helped guide students through their internship experiences and coursework. Six of her former students wrote letters to support her nomination.

"I believe they all learned technical communication skills and gained respect for anyone with those skills through my teaching and mentorship," Dr. Campbell said of her former students.

"There is no greater satisfaction than seeing these extraordinary young people thriving in their careers (and lives) and thinking you helped them along their way," she said.

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Text by Kathleen Sanchez