Challenges in Developing Technical Communication Leaders in Client-Based, Content Strategy Projects: A Teaching Case

Purpose: This teaching case examines challenges in developing technical communication students as organizational leaders managing content strategy through analysis of a graduate course incorporating a client project. Method: Forty-five graduate students enrolled in a content strategy course conducted content audits and assessments for six clients. Their final strategic roadmap reports were analyzed to determine their aptitude for aligning content strategies with business goals. Results: While students adeptly identified technical content quality issues, the majority struggled to connect these to business implications. A minority of students explicitly linked their strategic recommendations to business metrics, such as revenue growth. This outcome suggests a deficiency in achieving the course’s intent to instill a business-oriented approach to content strategy. Conclusion: The case identifies several challenges, including client maturity levels, the intricacy of business contexts, and the ambitious scope of the course’s objectives. Proposed enhancements involve restructuring client interaction, integrating more industry expertise, focusing the project’s reporting component, and refining the course’s aims. These measures aim to strengthen the strategic business thinking and leadership capabilities of technical communication students.