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 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 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.  

scholarly journals WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS, UNDERGRADUATE LEVELS OF CONFIDENCE AND THE ENGINEERING PORTFOLIO

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Parker ◽  
Kathryn Marcynuk
Keyword(s):  
Academic Programs ◽  
Engineering Curriculum ◽  
Engineering School ◽  
Course Syllabi ◽  
University Of Manitoba ◽  
Second Year ◽  
The University ◽  
Written Assignments ◽  
Professional Context

Abstract – In this paper, we will summarize some of the results, first, from our course syllabi project that we conducted at the University of Manitoba and, secondly, from our study of second-year students’ levels of confidence in a communication class. In the course syllabi project, we discovered that course outlines in our Engineering school gave little information on the assignments expected of students, so much so that students may have found completing them to be difficult. In the second study, we found that students generally lacked confidence in writing tasks, especially at the beginning of term.  These two studies suggest that we need to find a way to guide students in the writing of the assignments that we expect of them if they are to develop the necessary confidence in their ability to write well within a professional context. One way to do that may be the introduction of a portfolio requirement within the Engineering curriculum, A portfolio will serve as a record of students’ ongoing achievements in written assignments throughout their academic programs and, as they compile their portfolios, they can reflect on that achievement and move forward – more communicatively competent and more confident.  

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.

Evaluation of Writing Assignments

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 214
Author(s):  
Anita Jokić
Keyword(s):  
Standardized Tests ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Task Completion ◽  
Writing Assignments ◽  
Listening Skill ◽  
Job Application ◽  
Written Assignments ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Teacher’S Responsibilities ◽  
Do So

Teaching English as a foreign language is now one of the most important subjects in Croatian secondary schools since English is one of the three obligatory subjects at 'matura' - standardized tests which the seniors need to pass to graduate. Writing is one of the three parts of the EL exam, the other two being listening and reading. When learning a language, students start from listening skill, move on to speaking and reading and finally to most difficult skill to master: writing. Teaching and learning writing faces a lot of challenges since it requires a lot of time to practice and even more to evaluate and monitor progress. Teacher's responsibilities are to regularly provide opportunities to write, encourage students to learn from their mistakes and promote their success. In order to do so, students should be given clear instructions on evaluation/assessment and concise feedback. Since grading written assignments takes up a lot of time, the author proposes rubrics which can be used to assess various types of writing taught at secondary level (description of place/event/person, letters of complaint, job application, invitation, discursive/opinion/for-and-against essay etc.). Author suggests four fixed rubrics and subdivisions: Task completion, Cohesion / coherence, Grammar and Vocabulary. All rubrics and subdivisions are described in the paper. A survey was also conducted on a sample of 140 students and has given an insight into students’ opinion on importance of assessment and feedback and its influence on their progress.

The Power of Giving Feedback: Outcomes from Implementing an Online Peer Assessment System

2014 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fred Phillips
Keyword(s):  
Peer Assessment ◽  
Individual Case ◽  
Assessment System ◽  
Financial Accounting ◽  
Writing Assignments ◽  
Quality Feedback ◽  
Course Work ◽  
Case Writing ◽  
Online Peer Assessment ◽  
Giving Feedback

ABSTRACTThis paper describes an online system that facilitates peer assessment of students' course work and then uses data from individual case writing assignments in introductory financial accounting to empirically examine associations between peer assessment and case writing performance. Through this description and empirical analysis, the paper addresses the following questions: (1) Why use peer assessment? (2) How does online peer assessment work? (3) Is student peer assessment reliable? (4) What do students think of peer assessment? (5) Does student peer assessment contribute to academic performance? Three key findings from this study are that students at the sophomore level were able to generate reasonably reliable feedback for peers, they valued the experiences involved in providing peer feedback, and giving quality feedback had a more significant and enduring impact on students' accounting case analyses than did receiving quality feedback, after controlling for differences in accounting knowledge and case writing skills.

Does the Addition of Writing Into a Pharmacy Communication Skills Course Significantly Impact Student Communicative Learning Outcomes? A Pilot Study

2010 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 525-530 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M. Lonie ◽  
Hamid Rahim
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Multiple Choice ◽  
Reflective Writing ◽  
Final Examination ◽  
Patient Counseling ◽  
Writing Assignments ◽  
Retrospective Comparison ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Quasi Experimental

The objective of this study was to determine if the addition of a reflective writing component in a fourth year (P-2) pharmacy communication skills course would significantly affect 2 measures of learning: (1) objective multiple choice examination questions and (2) a patient counseling Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) score. Using a nonequivalent group quasi-experimental retrospective comparison design, 98 randomly selected final examination scores from students taking a nonwriting intensive (NWI) communication skills course were compared with 112 randomly selected final examination scores from students that took a communication skills course in which students engaged in several reflective writing assignments. In addition, 91 randomly selected patient counseling OSCE scores from a NWI course were statistically compared with 112 scores from students that took the writing intensive (WI) course. There were statistically significant improvements in multiple choice examination scores in the group that took the reflective writing communication skills course. There was not a statistically significant difference in patient counseling OSCE scores after students completed the WI course. Studying the effects of using reflective writing assignments in communication skills courses may improve the retention and retrieval of information presented within the course.

scholarly journals Experiences With A Hybrid Class: Tips And Pitfalls

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joy L. Colwell
Keyword(s):  
Traditional Classroom ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Writing Assignments ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Traditional Course ◽  
Class Time ◽  
Hybrid Nature ◽  
Hybrid Class ◽  
Written Assignments ◽  
Traditional Assessments

This paper will discuss the authors experiences with converting a traditional classroom-based course to a hybrid class, using a mix of traditional class time and web-support. The course which was converted is a lower-level human relations class, which has been offered in both the traditional classroom-based setting and as an asynchronous online course. After approximately five years of offering the two formats independently, the author decided to experiment with improving the traditional course by adopting more of the web-based support and incorporating more research and written assignments in out of class time. The course has evolved into approximately 60% traditional classroom meetings and 40% assignments and other assessments out of class. The instructors assessment of the hybrid nature of the class is that students are more challenged by the mix of research and writing assignments with traditional assessments, and the assignments are structured in such a way as to make them more customizable for each student. Each student can find some topics that they are interested in to pursue in greater depth as research assignments. However, the hybrid nature of the class has resulted in an increased workload for the instructor. The course has been well received by the students, who have indicated that they find the hybrid format appealing.

scholarly journals Mini-essays: Using Writing for Fun and Creativity

HortScience ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 432F-433
Author(s):  
N.K. Lownds
Keyword(s):  
Communication Skills ◽  
Real World ◽  
Fourth Graders ◽  
Ornamental Plant ◽  
Written Communication ◽  
Plant Identification ◽  
Writing Assignments ◽  
Student Responses ◽  
Writing Students ◽  
Good Writing

Good written communication skills are essential for the success of our graduates. To promote good writing, students in Ornamental Plant Identification classes have been required to write mini-essays, one-page responses to real-world scenarios. Student's responses have been good and their writing has been very acceptable. The mini-essays were, however, just assignments to complete. In an attempt to get students truly involved and passionate about their writing, assignments were designed to illicit creative, fun responses. Students were asked to explain concepts to fourth graders. This brought responses that ranged from exercises where kids were to stick out their tongues to imitate humming birds, to a short play demonstrating the importance of plant nomenclature. Another assignment asked students to complete a story about the famous detective, Hortus paradoxa. Student responses were incredibly creative, and some of the best writing I have ever seen. In addition, students had fun. It seems clear that, if students know that it is OK to be creative, they will greatly exceed your expectations. Just be prepared to have lots of fun while learning. Samples of the assignments, responses, and what is next will be presented.

scholarly journals The difficulties faced by students in producing free-writing: A study at STKIP Bina Bangsa Getsempena

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-28
Author(s):  
Rahmi Fhonna
Keyword(s):  
Social Context ◽  
Teacher Assessment ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Writing Assignments ◽  
Lexical Choice ◽  
Grammatical Errors ◽  
Free Writing ◽  
Written Assignments ◽  
Verb Tense ◽  
Made In

Writing is a means of communication to convey meaning as well as a medium for self-expression and self assessment and also for teacher-assessment. In the tertiary context, writing even has more complex meanings because of its social context and epistemological issues of knowledge. This study was conducted to identify errors and mistakes made in free-writing by students at STKIP Bina Bangsa Getsempena and to investigate the reasons they faced numerous difficulties in producing good free-writing as well as to investigate the students’ opinions towards the activity of writing in general and also the comments of their lecturers on their free-writing assignments. 18 free-writing assignments were collected from 18 students as samples for this study. A questionnaire was also distributed to strengthen the data obtained from the writings. The written assignments were then analyzed by using the form feedback framework, in terms of conventional grammatical errors, adapted from Ashwell (2000). The findings showed 6 categories of grammar that were often misused in the students’ free-writing, namely agreement/verb-tense, spelling, articles/determiners/plurals, lexical choice, pronoun and preposition/collocation. The results from the questionnaires revealed that the main obstacles faced by the students in producing free-writing were their lack of ideas/difficulties in organizing ideas as well as their problems with grammar.

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