Michael Albers is an associate professor at East Carolina University, where he teaches in the professional writing program. In 1999, he completed his PhD in technical communication and rhetoric from Texas Tech University. Before coming to ECU, he taught for 8 years at the University of Memphis. Before earning his PhD, he worked for 10 years as a technical communicator, writing software documentation and performing interface design. His research interests include designing documentation focused on answering real-world questions and online presentation of complex information.

Degrees
B.A. Coe College
M.S. North Carolina State University
Ph.D. Texas Tech University

Primary Areas of Research/Teaching
Communication of Information for Decision making and Problem Solving
Socio-Cognitive Aspects of  the Design of Complex Information
Communication Methods to Reduce Cognitive Load

Courses Taught
8780:  Theory of Professional Communication
3880:  Writing for Business and Industry

Selected Publications and Presentations
Communication of Complex Information: User Goals and Information Needs for Dynamic Web Information. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. 2004.

Content and Complexity: The Role of Content in Information Design. Albers, (eds). Michael J. and Beth Mazur. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. 2003.

“Multidimensional Audience Analysis for Dynamic Information.”  Journal of Technical Writing and Communication.  33.3 (2003): 263-279.

“Web Design Issues When Searching for Information Using Handheld Interfaces.”  Technical Communication  49.3 (2002): 314-329.  With Loel Kim.

“The Technical Editor and Document Databases:  What the Future May Hold”  Technical Communication Quarterly. 9.2 (2000): 191-206.

E-mail & Website Links
Personal Website