scholarly journals DEVELOPMENT AND INTEGRATION OF TECHNICAL WRITING SKILLS ORIENTED TOWARD ENGINEERS’ NEEDS

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anouk Desjardins ◽  
Evelyne Doré ◽  
Raymond Desjardins
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Students ◽  
Civil Engineering ◽  
Technical Writing ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
Small Degree ◽  
Bachelor's Degree ◽  
Student Response ◽  
Written Communication ◽  
Writing Practices ◽  
Capstone Projects

Written communication is among the skills future engineers must develop and master in order to excel in their profession. Employers and the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board also require this skill. Students in all Polytechnique Montréal programs have one course credit in their program devoted to written and oral communication. The training is provided by Polytechnique’s Centre d’études complémentaires (centre for complementary studies) for all programs. Despite the implementation of this process, we noted that civil engineering students had difficulty employing good technical writing practices in their work, such as capstone projects, lab reports and hands-on assignments. The students saw written communication workshops as satellite training and employed their learning only to a small degree in their other courses. The students were essentially stagnating instead of making progress throughout the bachelor’s degree. In response to these issues, a common approach was put into place for the entire civil engineering program as a complement to the trainings provided by the Centre d’études complémentaires. This approach has been a success; student response has been positive and improvement has been observed in the courses where writing is required. The students especially appreciate this when they perform their mandatory internship, because they feel this training makes a difference and helps them distinguish themselves.  

“Collective Undergraduate Research: A Teaching / Learning Tool For MSE Students”

2000 ◽  
Vol 632 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wafeek Samuel Wahby
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Subject Matter ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Technical Writing ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
Learning Tool ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Eastern Illinois University ◽  
Teaching Learning

ABSTRACTA new experiment to implement and collectively publish undergraduate students' research was started at the School of Technology, Eastern Illinois University in the Fall of 1998. A summary of the procedures followed in this experiment, its assessment and its progress are presented. Collective research publications, authored by undergraduate engineering students and edited by their faculty can be used as an effective teaching / learning tool that benefits students/authors, their peers, faculty/editors, local and other institutions, and industry at large, particularly when this research is interactively posted on the Internet. Through a research study format, undergraduates learn the subject matter much better, become familiar with research methods and techniques early in their careers, and polish their technical writing abilities. As the experiment also fosters teamwork and peer collaboration and evaluation, undergraduates sharpen their oral communication skills through group discussions and in-class presentations. The experiment provided an opportunity for students to independently select and research a particular topic and helped them discover the research resources and reference materials available on the subject matter. As one of the few creative opportunities offered in a class, this experiment presented a variety of learning environments to undergraduates and helped promote their creativity and self-directed learning. It was confirmed that most undergraduate students hold unlimited potential for success as researchers, and that enthusiasm, hard work, self-motivation, and dedication of students are likely to constitute better indicators of success than the conventional grades they earned in the past.

Motivating Engineering Students to Publish

1972 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-146
Author(s):  
Herman A. Estrin
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Students ◽  
Civil Engineering ◽  
Technical Writing ◽  
Science Literature ◽  
Science And Engineering ◽  
Technical Report ◽  
Writing Course ◽  
Engineering Writing ◽  
College Of Engineering

In a technical writing course, students analyze the classics of engineering literature, prepare annotated bibliographies of articles concerning engineering writing, write an in-depth technical report on a civil engineering topic, and analyze the various articles in science and engineering magazines. To acquaint the students with the different magazines to which they may submit manuscripts, they also analyze a professional magazine. In this way, they are prepared for publication. After having reviewed science books for children, the students prepare their own manuscripts of science literature and submit them to consultants at the Writers' Conference held annually at Newark College of Engineering during April.

scholarly journals The Use of Passives and Impersonal Style in Civil Engineering Writing

2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Conrad
Keyword(s):  
Corpus Linguistics ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Civil Engineering ◽  
Technical Writing ◽  
Multidimensional Analysis ◽  
Engineering Practice ◽  
Journal Articles ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
Workplace Writing ◽  
Student Reports

Claims abound about passives and the impersonal style they create. Few studies, however, check the claims with a large, systematic analysis of texts from either academia or industry. Motivated by the need to teach effective workplace writing skills to undergraduate engineering students, this study investigates the use of passives and associated impersonal style features in 170 practitioner reports, journal articles, and student reports from civil engineering. Using multidimensional analysis (a technique from corpus linguistics) and interviews of practitioners, students, and faculty, the study found that, as expected, engineering texts, compared to nontechnical texts, have a frequent use of impersonal style features; however, they use passives for a wider range of functions than is typically described in technical writing literature. Furthermore, compared to the journal articles and student reports, the practitioner reports use significantly fewer features of impersonal style. The findings inform teaching materials that present a more realistically complex picture of the language structures and functions important for civil engineering practice.

Practices in Technical Writing in Agriculture and Engineering Industries, Firms, and Agencies

1988 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura E. Casari ◽  
Joyce T. Povlacs
Keyword(s):  
Technical Writing ◽  
Geographical Region ◽  
Instructional Materials ◽  
Written Communication ◽  
Writing Practices ◽  
Basic Understanding ◽  
Engineering Firms ◽  
Engineering Industries ◽  
Region Information

This article describes a study of written communication on-the-job and reports writing practices found in seventeen agricultural and engineering firms and agencies in the authors' immediate geographical region. Information was gathered by questionnaire and on-site interviews. Data confirmed the importance of writing on-the-job. Our findings demonstrate the importance of context and reveal the variations in types and length of documents, rhetorical genres, and strategies. The study proved useful for designing instructional materials and strategies and for expanding our basic understanding of what on-the-job writing entails.

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.

scholarly journals How to Win Friends and Influence Industry Collaborators

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Perks ◽  
Rozalina Dimitrova
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Students ◽  
Civil Engineering ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Recent Experience ◽  
Environmental Pressures ◽  
Faculty Advisors ◽  
Student Teams ◽  
Project Portfolios ◽  
Capstone Projects

The Capstone process helps prepare Civil Engineering students for a rapidly evolving practice now facing many urgent social, economic and environmental pressures. Recent experience in identifying suitable capstone projects and working effectively with industry collaborators and student teams will be discussed. The project portfolios will be reviewed, and the approach to recruiting and retaining collaborators, working with faculty advisors, and supporting student teams will be summarized. Lessons learned from all these perspectives provided important adjustments to the uOttawa approach, which in past semesters has succeeded in providing all students in as many as to 25 teams in a semester with an industry collaborator and a valuable opportunity to enhance their skills in communications, planning, creative engineering solutions, and interdisciplinary teamwork.  

scholarly journals Uma proposta de análise de itens da prova preparatória para o Enade aplicada aos discentes de engenharia civil do IFMG – Campus Avançado Piumhi

ForScience ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. e00706
Author(s):  
Milene Cunha Costa ◽  
Samuel Henrique Oliveira Lima ◽  
Denilson Junio Marques Soares
Keyword(s):  
Classical Theory ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Civil Engineering ◽  
Minas Gerais ◽  
Bachelor's Degree ◽  
Statistical Hypothesis ◽  
Statistical Hypothesis Testing ◽  
Engineering Software ◽  
Federal Institute ◽  
De Se

Considerando a necessidade cada vez maior de se produzir avaliações consistentes, capazes de fornecer informações válidas sobre seus respondentes, este artigo tem o objetivo de analisar dois provões aplicados aos discentes do curso de Bacharelado em Engenharia Civil do Instituto Federal de Minas Gerais – Campus Avançado Piumhi e comparar seus resultados. Trata-se de uma avaliação aplicada semestralmente aos estudantes, visando a oferecer-lhes um preparo para o Exame Nacional de Desempenho de Estudantes (ENADE). Para isto, foram considerados três índices psicométricos provenientes da Teoria Clássica dos Testes: dificuldade, discriminação e confiabilidade. Também foram realizados Testes de hipóteses para verificar se estes provões apresentaram resultados equiparáveis. Estas análises foram realizadas com o auxílio do software estatístico R. Os resultados demonstram que os valores de referência, dispostos na literatura, não foram, em sua maioria, atingidos, apontando para a necessidade de uma revisão sistemática no processo de elaboração dessas provas e de um debate sobre os diferentes resultados obtidos por estudantes matriculados em períodos distintos no curso. Palavras-chave: Teoria Clássica dos Testes (TCT). Engenharia Civil. Software R.   A proposal for analysing the items of the Enade preparatory assessment applied to civil engineering students of Instituto Federal Minas Gerais - IFMG - Campus Avançado Piumhi Abstract Considering the increasing need to produce consistent assessments able to provide valid information about your respondents, this article has the objective of analyzing two tests applied to students of the Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering course of the IFMG – Campus Avançado Piumhi (Federal Institute of Minas Gerais - Piumhi Advanced Campus) and compare your results.This is an evaluation applied to the students every semester, aiming to offer them a preparation for The National Assessment of Students Performance (ENADE). For this, it were considered three psychometric indexes from the Classical Theory of Tests: difficulty, discrimination and reliability. Statistical hypothesis testing were also performed to verify whether these tests had comparable results. These analyzes were carried out with the aid of statistical software R.The results show that the reference values, presented in the literature, were mostly not reached, pointing toward the need for a systematic review in the elaboration of these tests, besides a debate on the different results obtained by students enrolled in different periods of  the course. Keywords: Classical Theory of Tests (CTT). Civil Engineering. Software R.

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