Faculty and Staff – Texts and Technology Ph.D.

Sonia H. Stephens, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Email: Sonia.Stephens@ucf.edu
Campus Location: TCH256A

Education

Ph.D. in Texts and Technology from University of Central Florida (2012)
M.S. in Botany and Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology from University of Hawaii at Manoa (2003)

Research Interests

Scientific and Technical Communication in Digital and visual Media; Narrative Information Visualization; Visual Risk Communication; Visual Metaphor; User Evaluation of Interactive Tools; Digital Humanities

Selected Publications

Articles/Essays

S. H. Stephens, D. E. DeLorme, and S. C. Hagen. (2020) “Coastal stakeholders’ perceptions of sea level rise adaptation planning in the northern Gulf of Mexico.” Environmental Management. 66: 407–418. DOI: 10.1007/s00267-020-01315
D. E. DeLorme, S. H. Stephens, M. V. Bilskie, and S. C. Hagen. (2020) “Coastal decision-makers’ perspectives on updating storm surge guidance tools.” Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management. 28(2): 158–168. DOI: 10.1111/1468-5973.12291
S. H. Stephens and D. P. Richards. (2020) “Story mapping and sea level rise: Listening to global risks at street level.” Communication Design Quarterly. 8(1): 5–18. DOI: 10.1145/3375134.3375135
S. H. Stephens and D. E. DeLorme. (2019) “A framework for user agency during development of interactive risk visualization tools.” 28: 391–406. Technical Communication Quarterly. DOI: 10.1080/10572252.2019.1618498
S. H. Stephens. (2018) “Using interface rhetoric to understand audience agency in natural history apps.” Technical Communication. 65(3): 280–292.
D. E. DeLorme, S. H. Stephens, S. C. Hagen, and M. Bilskie. (2018) “Communicating with coastal decision-makers and environmental educators via sea level rise decision-support tools.” Journal of Science Communication. 17(3): A03. DOI: 10.22323/2.17030203.
S. H. Stephens. (2019) “A narrative approach to interactive information visualization in the digital humanities classroom.” Arts and Humanities in Higher Education. 18(4): 416–429. DOI: 10.1177/1474022218759632
D. E. DeLorme, S. H. Stephens and S. C. Hagen. (2018) “Transdisciplinary sea level rise risk communication and outreach strategies from stakeholder focus groups.” Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences. 8:13–21. DOI: 10.1007/s13412-017-0443-8
J. D. Applen and S. H. Stephens. (2017) “Digital humanities, middleware, and user experience design for public health applications.” Communication Design Quarterly. 5(3): 24-34.
S. H. Stephens, D. E. DeLorme and S. C. Hagen. (2017) "Evaluation of the design features of interactive sea-level rise viewers for risk communication." Environmental Communication. 11(2):248-262. DOI:10.1080/17524032.2016.1167758
D. E. DeLorme, D. Kidwell, S. C. Hagen, and S. H. Stephens. (2016) “Developing and managing transdisciplinary and transformative research on the coastal dynamics of sea level rise: Experiences and lessons learned.” Earth’s Future. 4(5): 194–209. DOI: 10.1002/2015EF000346.
S. H. Stephens, D. E. DeLorme and S. C. Hagen. (2015) “Evaluating the utility and communicative effectiveness of an interactive sea level rise viewer through stakeholder engagement.” Journal of Business and Technical Communication. 29(3): 314-343. DOI: 10.1177/1050651915573963
S. H. Stephens, D. E. DeLorme and S. C. Hagen. (2014) “An analysis of the narrative-building features of interactive sea level rise viewers.” Science Communication. 36(6): 675-705. DOI: 10.1177/1075547014550371
S. H. Stephens. (2014) “Communicating evolution with a Dynamic Evolutionary Map.” Journal of Science Communication. 13(1): A04.
S. Stephens. (2012) “From tree to map: Using cognitive learning theory to suggest alternative ways to visualize macroevolution.” Evolution: Education and Outreach. 5(4): 603-618.

Conference Papers/Presentations

S. H. Stephens, October 2019. “Telling the stories of nonhuman agents in the Anthropocene.” SIGDOC 2019, Portland, OR.
S. H. Stephens, June 2019. “Using digital tools for community disaster response: Social media and the 2018 Kīlauea Volcano eruption.” Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Orlando, FL.
S. H. Stephens, March 2019. “Using deep mapping in participatory design.” Association for Teachers of Technical Writing, Pittsburgh, PA.
S. H. Stephens and D. P. Richards, August 2018. “Story mapping and sea level rise: Bringing a global risk home.” SIGDOC 2018, Milwaukee WI.
S. H. Stephens and D. P. Richards, June 2018. “Connecting to community concerns through sea level rise stories.” Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Washington, DC.
S. H. Stephens, D. E. DeLorme, R. C. Collini, and S. C. Hagen, June 2018. “An analysis of stakeholder advisory committees in coastal resiliency projects.” Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Washington, DC.
S. H. Stephens and D. E. DeLorme, December 2017. “Benefits, challenges, and best practices for involving audiences in the development of interactive coastal risk communication tools: Professional communicators’ experiences.” American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting 2017, New Orleans, LA.
S. H. Stephens. November 2017. "Rhetoric, agency, and risk visualization for diverse audiences." HASTAC 2017, Orlando, FL.
S. H. Stephens, August 2017. "Designer perceptions of user agency during the development of environmental risk visualization tools." SIGDOC 2017, Halifax, Canada.
S. Stephens and J. D. Applen, October 2016. “Rhetorical dimensions of social network analysis visualization for public health.” ProComm 2016, Austin TX.
S. H. Stephens and D. E. DeLorme, June 2016. “Making sea level rise risk research responsive to community needs.” Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Washington, DC.
S. H. Stephens, May 2016. “Bird identification guides as interface: Transformation and continuity.” Rhetoric Society of America, Atlanta, GA.
M. Shelton and S. Stephens, February 2016. “Connecting scientists to citizens regarding sea level rise.” Social Coast Forum, Charleston, SC.

Courses

Course Number	Course	Title	Mode	Date and Time	Syllabus
20562	ENC6225	User-centered Design for Tc	World Wide Web (W)		Unavailable
ENC 6225 (Sp 21) User-Centered Design for Technical Communication This course is an introduction to user-centered design, and is oriented toward practical methods for approaching a design problem in technical communication. User-centered design is an approach to design and development that centers the needs and desires of users. It incorporates research to understand the goals and needs of both clients and users, employs techniques and heuristics for task-based usability testing, involves an iterative process of design and development, and concludes with reflective assessment of both process and product. Design problems in technical communication are broad; they can include technical systems like software applications and communication products such as web sites or publications. User-centered design can also address other issues such as community development, architecture, and wayfinding. The general goals of this course are to help you develop an appreciation for the theory and philosophy of user-centered design as it pertains to technical communication, develop skills in using and applying usability methods that are specifically applicable to user-centered design, and improve individual and collaborative skills in design-based problem solving. This will be a highly interactive course. We will begin by learning about user-centered design theory and techniques through course readings and practice exercises. We will then conduct a user-centered design project that solves a problem for an external client.
19359	ENG6808	Narrative Info Visualization	Video Strmng (V) COVID DL exmp	Th 06:00 PM - 08:50 PM	Unavailable
No Description Available

Course Number	Course	Title	Mode	Date and Time	Syllabus
80918	ENC4218	Visual Technical Communication	World Wide Web (W)		Unavailable
This course focuses on visual technical communication in the form of charts, tables, and diagrams, as well as full-page informational graphics that blend text and visuals to tell data-based stories. We will focus on visual design principles and practice using tools to produce graphics. We will begin with an introduction to graphic design and practice producing effective graphics that complement the text elements of documents. We will then study persuasive aspects of visual design and learn to develop information graphics that inform or persuade audiences about technical or scientific topics. The course concludes with a project in which you will plan, research, and create a full-page informational graphic on a technical or scientific topic.
81677	ENG6812	Res Methods for Texts and Tech	Video Strmng (V) COVID DL exmp	Tu 06:00 PM - 08:50 PM	Unavailable
No Description Available

No courses found for Summer 2020.

Course Number	Course	Title	Mode	Date and Time	Syllabus
18461	ENC6261	Tech Writing Theory & Practice	World Wide Web (W)		Available
This course focuses on major issues and trends in technical communication theory and the relevance of current theory to practitioners. You will read and discuss essays by leading technical communication theorists on the history of the discipline, rhetorical perspectives, philosophies and theories, and the impacts of digital tools and technologies. You will also conduct research in the literature and develop an annotated bibliography and a literature review.
19918	ENG6801	Texts & Technology in History	Face to Face Instruction (P)	Tu 06:00 PM - 08:50 PM	Available
This course explores the history of relations between texts and technology. We will examine how various technologies have influenced the nature of texts they produce.

Course Number	Course	Title	Mode	Date and Time	Syllabus
89727	ENC4218	Visual in Tech Documentation	World Wide Web (W)		Available
This course focuses on visual technical communication in the form of charts, tables, and diagrams, as well as full-page informational graphics that blend text and visuals to tell data-based stories. We will focus on visual design principles and practice using tools to produce graphics. We will begin with an introduction to graphic design and practice producing effective graphics that complement the text elements of documents. We will then study persuasive aspects of visual design and learn to develop information graphics that inform or persuade audiences about technical or scientific topics. The course concludes with a project in which you will plan, research, and create a full-page informational graphic on a technical or scientific topic.
91946	ENC6257	Visual Tech Comm	World Wide Web (W)		Available
ENC 6257 Visual Technical Communication In this course, we will learn about visual technical communication, which includes charts, maps, tables, and diagrams, as well as in full-page informational graphics that blend text and visuals to tell complex data-based stories. This course will cover contemporary research on visual technical communication and teach you to use digital tools to produce graphics. We will begin with a broad introduction to the principles of graphic design and practice producing effective graphics that complement the text elements of documents. We will then study the rhetorical dimensions of visual design and learn to develop information graphics that inform or persuade audiences about complex technical or scientific topics. Throughout the course, we will consider the ethical responsibilities of visual technical communicators, and focus on developing visuals that help audiences find the information that they need for decision-making and deep individual exploration. The course concludes with a project in which you will plan, research, and create a full-page informational graphic on a technical or scientific topic of your choice.
90607	ENG6812	Res Methods for Texts and Tech	Face to Face Instruction (P)	Tu 06:00 PM - 08:50 PM	Available
This course will prepare you to design, conduct, and critique interdisciplinary humanities research that focuses on textual technologies. We will study a range of issues related to theory, method, and evidence as they relate to project- or problem-based research. As we position ourselves as scholars of specific textual or technological artifacts, we will look at examples of research that focus on three different stages in the project lifecycle: project development as research, the analysis of existing artifacts, and understanding how audiences receive and use texts and technologies. Our focus will be on empirical research, and we will look at examples of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods approaches.

Updated: Aug 18, 2020