scholarly journals ATTRIBUTE 7 AND ASSESSING WRITTEN COMMUNICATION SKILLS IN ENGINEERING

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Parker ◽  
Kathryn Marcynuk ◽  
Roger Graves
Keyword(s):  
Communication Skills ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
National Study ◽  
Written Communication ◽  
Undergraduate Program ◽  
Written Assignments ◽  
Target Attribute

This paper will focus on Attribute 7,“Communication Skills” – and, specifically, on writtenassignments. This paper has grown out of twoinitiatives, one at my institution and one undertakenindependently as part of a national study. For thefaculty-wide initiative, we are preparing rubrics thatcan be used throughout the faculty as guidelines forattribute assessment in undergraduate Engineeringcourses. However, we have little information onAttribute 7; which courses, for example, target Attribute7 and how is it assessed? What kinds of assignments arestudents being asked to complete? More broadly, whatshould we be teaching and assessing if we choose totarget Attribute 7 in our outlines?Interestingly, it is the independent nationalstudy that may help us in this endeavor. After collectingcourse outlines from all the Engineering departments,we can first determine which courses target Attribute 7and then analyze the written course assignmentsaccording to 20 identifiable variables, such as length,genre and grading criteria. The challenge will be incalibrating Attribute 7 and our undergraduate program,including the undergraduate communication courses inour school that instantiate Attribute 7. In this paper, wewill report on our progress thus far, both in the processof identifying the written assignments our students arebeing asked to do and in the development of facultywiderubrics.Finally, although linking attributes to learningobjectives and determining the levels of communicativecompetence can be very challenging, we hope to showthat these two initiatives may help to make the tasks lessdaunting and more manageable for all the stakeholdersin the education of our Engineering students.

scholarly journals UNDERGRADUATE WRITING ASSIGNMENTS IN ENGINEERING: TRACKING ATTRIBUTE 7 IN TWO ACCREDITATION CYCLES

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Marcynuk ◽  
Anne Parker
Keyword(s):  
Political Science ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
National Study ◽  
Writing Assignments ◽  
The Social ◽  
Course Syllabi ◽  
University Of Manitoba ◽  
The University ◽  
Written Assignments

This paper reports on two iterations of our study of course syllabi in the Faculty of Engineering, University of Manitoba. The first iteration was part of a national study investigating the writing demands placed on students in a variety of disciplines, including those in the Social Sciences and the Humanities as well as Engineering. This first iteration followed an accreditation visit and the Faculty’s introduction of the C.E.A.B. graduate attributes and outcome-based assessment. Although one would expect Engineering to have far fewer written assignments than these other disciplines, such was not always the case. For example, the national study captured results for Political Science that closely matched those for Mechanical Engineering; Political Science students typically wrote, on average, 2.3 written assignments in year 2 of their program, 2.4 written assignments in year 3, and 4.2 written assignments in year 4, while Mechanical Engineering students wrote 4, 3 and 4.2 written assignments in those same years. Such a finding suggested that more writing was happening in the Faculty of Engineering than we might realize – and quiteapart from that done in the mandatory communication class. So, our second iteration of the study followed another accreditation cycle, but this time we focused solely on the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Manitoba. In this second iteration, our goal was to refresh the data so that we could clarify how Attribute 7, “communication skills,” is being met in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Manitoba.  

scholarly journals Project Based Learning in Teaching Communication Skills in English as a Foreign Language to Engineering Students

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (04) ◽  
pp. 153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yulia Yurievna Kovalyova ◽  
Alexandra Vladimirovna Soboleva ◽  
Argen Kerimkulov
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
English Language ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Teaching Method ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
Professional Activity ◽  
Written Communication

The aim of this paper is to consider project based learning as one of the most efficient and productive methods used in teaching English as a foreign language to engineering students of Russian technical universities. Special emphasis is put on communication skills to be mastered by future engineers through project based learning. It is of great importance to note that highly developed oral and written communication skills are valuable for engineering students wishing to become successful and competitive in the international arena. Hence, engineering students must be trained well to develop their communication skills in English in the field of professional activity, mainly in the science research area. An inter-disciplinary project designed on the basis of project based learning for the second year students of Tomsk Polytechnic University is reviewed in this work. The authors come to the conclusion that project based learning is an ideal teaching method since it allows engineering students to improve significantly their oral and written communication skills as well as apply the content knowledge in the field of their professional activity within the English language course.

scholarly journals UNDERGRADUATE WRITING ASSIGNMENTS IN ENGINEERING: TARGETING COMMUNICATION SKILLS (Attribute 7)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Parker ◽  
Kathryn Marcynuk
Keyword(s):  
Communication Skills ◽  
National Study ◽  
Writing Assignments ◽  
Engineering School ◽  
Quality Feedback ◽  
Course Syllabi ◽  
Writing Genres ◽  
Solid Foundation ◽  
Course Outcomes ◽  
Written Assignments

This paper will report on some of our findings from a national study investigating the writing demands placed on students in various disciplines,   including   Engineering.   This  is  a  timely study given that Reave notes that a “well-­‐designed program  [in  Engineering]  will  include  a  solid foundation  in  communication  skills,”  something  she says also requires high quality feedback. For our part of the study, we investigated which courses in our Engineering school target Attribute 7 (A7, Communication Skills) and then analyzed the course syllabi to determine whether they required written assignments. We then described these assignments according to 20 variables, such as the total number of assignments  written per year, feedback provided and genre.Ever   since   the   accreditation   board introduced them, the graduate attributes and their assessment  have  become  the  focus  of  most Engineering   schools,   so  much  so  that  Engineering course syllabi will necessarily include both a series of course outcomes and a complex chart of the expected competency levels. However, information on the assignments themselves can be far less detailed. Consequently,     our    findings    tend    to    be    more suggestive than definitive, though certain trends do stand out. For example, while many writing scholars, such as Paretti and Reave, would argue that students should   learn   the  various   discipline-­‐specific   writing genres  and  then  be  able  to  shape  their  material  to satisfy the specific rhetorical demands, many course syllabi in our study simply listed “assignments”  rather than  specifying  the  kind  of  assignment:  Civil Engineering listed 16 “assignments” of 33 (total) and Mechanical Engineering 47 of 105.Finally,  even  though  this  paucity  of  detail may  reflect  what  Broadhead  calls  the  general “paucity of requirements for writing instruction” in an Engineering  school,  one of the goals  of the national study   was   to   initiate   discussions   about   the   way writing     is    taught     and     supported     within     the departments   of   the   schools   involved.   Our   study’s findings,   suggestive   as   they   are,   may   be   able   to initiate that discussion.

scholarly journals TEACHING ENGINEERING COMMUNICATION TO FIRST YEAR ENGINEERING STUDENTS

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolyn Labun
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
First Year ◽  
Written Communication ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Design Project ◽  
Engineering Communication ◽  
University Of British Columbia ◽  
The University ◽  
Written Assignments

At the University of British Columbia Okanagan School of Engineering (SOE), first year engineering students take a 3-credit course in Engineering Communication. Designed to replace the traditional 3-credits of English taken by other first year students, APSC 176 introduces students to the fundamentals of engineering communication, with a strong emphasis on written communication. The paper is describes the types of assignments given to first year students, the techniques used to encourage meaningful revision of written assignments, and the methods used to evaluate written assignments. Particular attention will be paid to a two-week first term design project (such as the assignment, supplemental materials including exercises, and marking guidelines). It should be noted that the design is entirely conceptual - students are not required to develop a prototype, but rather to work with a team to develop (and subsequently, explain and market) a concept in response to an RFP.

scholarly journals UNDERGRADUATE WRITING ASSIGNMENTS IN ENGINEERING: TRACKING ATTRIBUTE 7 IN TWO ACCREDITATION CYCLES

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Marcynuk ◽  
Anne Parker
Keyword(s):  
Political Science ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
National Study ◽  
Writing Assignments ◽  
The Social ◽  
Course Syllabi ◽  
University Of Manitoba ◽  
The University ◽  
Written Assignments

This paper reports on two iterations of our study of course syllabi in the Faculty of Engineering, University of Manitoba. The first iteration was part of a national study investigating the writing demands placed on students in a variety of disciplines, including those in the Social Sciences and the Humanities as well as Engineering. This first iteration followed an accreditation visit and the Faculty’s introduction of the C.E.A.B. graduate attributes and outcome-based assessment. Although one would expect Engineering to have far fewer written assignments than these other disciplines, such was not always the case. For example, the national study captured results for Political.  Science that closely matched those for Mechanical Engineering; Political Science students typically wrote, on average, 2.3 written assignments in year 2 of their program, 2.4 written assignments in year 3, and 4.2 written assignments in year 4, while Mechanical Engineering students wrote 4, 3 and 4.2 written assignments in those same years. Such a finding suggested that more writing was happening in the Faculty of Engineering than we might realize – and quite apart from that done in the mandatory communication class. So, our second iteration of the study followed another accreditation cycle, but this time we focused solely on the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Manitoba.  In this second iteration, our goal was to refresh the data so that we could clarify how Attribute 7, “communication skills,” is being met in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Manitoba.  

CLEAR Opportunities: Technical Writing and Communication for Engineering Students

2014 ◽  
Vol 1716 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aditi Risbud
Keyword(s):  
Communication Skills ◽  
Research Program ◽  
Student Outcomes ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Technical Writing ◽  
Written Communication ◽  
Leadership Ethics ◽  
University Of Utah ◽  
Clear Communication ◽  
The University

ABSTRACTDespite being well versed in scientific and technical concepts, engineering students often struggle with technical writing and communication. The CLEAR (Communication, Leadership, Ethics and Research) program at the University of Utah prepares engineering undergraduates for success in their careers through coursework aimed to improve oral and written communication skills, teamwork and ethical understanding. Along with an evaluation of ongoing CLEAR curricula in engineering laboratory and design classes, we are developing tools to assess student outcomes as defined by ABET criteria. These outcomes will inform how best to implement CLEAR curricula at the University of Utah, and ensure our graduates are better prepared to join the engineering workforce.

Addressing the Content Vocabulary With Core: Theory and Practice for Nonliterate or Emerging Literate Students

2012 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 74-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debbie Witkowski ◽  
Bruce Baker
Keyword(s):  
Communication Skills ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Written Communication ◽  
Academic Tasks ◽  
Meaningful Participation ◽  
Core Theory ◽  
Communication Needs ◽  
Core Vocabulary ◽  
Personal Success

Abstract In the early elementary grades, the primary emphasis is on developing skills crucial to future academic and personal success—specifically oral and written communication skills. These skills are vital to student success as well as to meaningful participation in the classroom and interaction with peers. Children with complex communication needs (CCN) may require the use of high-performance speech generating devices (SGDs). The challenges for these students are further complicated by the task of learning language at a time when they are expected to apply their linguistic skills to academic tasks. However, by focusing on core vocabulary as a primary vehicle for instruction, educators can equip students who use SGDs to develop language skills and be competitive in the classroom. In this article, we will define core vocabulary and provide theoretical and practical insights into integrating it into the classroom routine for developing oral and written communication skills.

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