Teaching a Technical Writing and Research Course to Engineering Students

2021 ◽  
pp. 22-38
Author(s):  
Anna-Maria Andreou
Keyword(s):  
Communication Skills ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Technical Writing ◽  
Course Development ◽  
Engineering Profession ◽  
Engineering Programs

Training in communication skills is considered extremely important in the engineering profession. However, educational organisations and most specifically engineering programs and departments have often been criticised for failing to adequately prepare engineering students for the situations they will face in the workplace. This chapter describes a technical writing and research course that is offered as a required course to engineering students and analyses the advantages and limitations of the course pointing to changes in the course development that will enable students to perform successfully as communicators in the workplace.

scholarly journals Assessing Process Skills in Engineering Students

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darlene Spracklin-Reid ◽  
Susan Caines ◽  
Andrew Fisher
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Students ◽  
Close Connection ◽  
Course Development ◽  
Process Skills ◽  
Engineering Profession ◽  
Capture Process ◽  
Graduate Attributes ◽  
Capstone Design

Assessing process skills in an undergraduateengineering program is an important and complex issue.Attributes like teamwork, ethics and professionalism aresubjective skills that are difficult to accurately assess. AtMemorial University’s Faculty of Engineering andApplied Science (FEAS), these skills are developed andassessed in ENGI 7102, The Engineering Profession. Thecourse uses one-on-one interviews, small groupdiscussions, a close connection to capstone design workand a blended approach to theory that allows for face-tofaceactivities and assessment. This paper will describethe methodology for the course development andinstructional design, along with a discussion of theactivities and assessments that capture process skillattributes for evaluation. In addition, ENGI 7102’s role inassessing graduate attributes for accreditation will behighlighted.

Using Multiple Methods in Assessing Oral Communication Skills in the Final Year Project Design Course of an Undergraduate Engineering Program

2012 ◽  
pp. 263-287
Author(s):  
Rohani Othman ◽  
Zubaidah Awang
Keyword(s):  
Communication Skills ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Performance Indicator ◽  
Electrical Engineering ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
Course Assessment ◽  
Communication Assessment ◽  
Multi Method Approach

Engineering education researcher Rogers (2006) proposed that an assessment of engineering programs should use a multi-method approach to maximize validity and reduce the biasness of any one approach. Based on this reason, this study used two methods in the direct assessment of oral communication skills performance outcome of an undergraduate electrical engineering students’ Final Year Project (FYP) design experience. In the first method, the Oral Communication Assessment Rubrics adapted from Norback et al. (2008) was tested for its reliability, consistency in the scores and ease of use. This was to ensure that the results were descriptive of the expected students’ performance (Miller & Olds, 1999). Once faculty rater reliability was achieved and verified, the rubrics were refined and redrafted to obtain inter-rater scores for the assessment of the oral communication skills during the FYPII seminar presentation. Descriptive statistics were used to draw inferences from the inter-rater scores. In the second method, the researcher used the final grades of these students which were obtained from the faculty end-of-course assessment of their FYPII seminar presentation through the use of the faculty Seminar Evaluation Form (SEF). The scores obtained from SEF were reported in the Course Assessment Summary Report (CASR) in the form of the achieved Key Performance Indicator (KPI) of the students in each department in the Electrical Engineering Faculty (FKE).

The Development of an English Course based on the Integration of Project-Based Learning Approach and Blended Learning Module for Enhancing English Communication Skills at Workplace for the ASEAN Community of Thai Undergraduate Engineering Students

1970 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 201-208
Author(s):  
Raveewan Wanchid
Keyword(s):  
Blended Learning ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Course Evaluation ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
Needs Analysis ◽  
Course Development ◽  
Learning Approach ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering ◽  
Learning Module

The objectives of the study were to investigate the needs of English communication skills at workplaces of engineers and to provide guidelines on how to develop the English course based on the Integration of Project-based Learning Approach and Blended Learning Module to enhance English communication skills at work of undergraduate engineering students. To develop the course, it is generally composed of three main phases: needs analysis, course development, and course implementation and the course evaluation. However, this research reports the results of the needs analysis and provides suggestions for the course development based on the Integration of Project-based Learning Approach and Blended Learning Module. The questionnaires were used to investigate the needs analysis of three main groups of subjects: 15 engineers, 98 engineering students, and 10 ESP teachers. The semi-structured interview was used to gain more in-depth data from the representatives of the three main groups. However, only the perspectives of the students will be presented in this paper. The results of the study theoretically and practically shed some new light to the area of English language instruction for engineers.

Techniques for Teaching Communication Skills to the Millennial Generation

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Candice Bauer
Keyword(s):  
Communication Skills ◽  
Generation X ◽  
Millennial Generation ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Technical Writing ◽  
Lesson Plan ◽  
Team Building ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Lesson Plans ◽  
K 12

Techniques for teaching communication skills to engineering students of the Millennial Generation are reviewed. A detailed outline of the characteristics of the Millennial Generation are described and compared to the traits of other generations. The Millennial Generation has several distinct characteristics such as developing inclusive relationships, tolerating authority, and leading by collaboration. This contrasts with the characteristics of the Baby Boomers and Generation X (the majority of professors and the students’ parents); however, the characteristics align closely with the Traditionalist Generation (higher administration and the students’ grandparents). Strategies for working among the generations are detailed resulting in the creation of an understanding of how to teach to the Millennial Generation. In order to aid the understanding, lesson plans which focus on creating a learner-centered environment are detailed. The lesson plans include objectives, strategies, content, activities, assessment techniques, and ABET alignment. The topics include team building, effective meetings, a term project, writing skills, and speaking skills. Team building illustrates why and how a team achieves its objectives. Example activities include the development of a team charter. The effective meetings lesson plan details techniques on how to teach students project management skills. Criteria for developing term projects to match the Millennial Generation characteristics are detailed, and an example which also includes K-12 outreach activities is presented. The lesson plan for speaking and writing skills defines grading rubrics for the evaluation and assessment of technical writing and presentations. This work has been in development and implemented for nearly five years in a junior level, multidisciplinary course entitled, Engineering Communications, at the University of Nevada, Reno. The lesson plans are evaluated based on course evaluations, industry interviews, case studies, and an alumni survey.

scholarly journals Flipped Learning in Engineering Modules Is More Than Watching Videos: The Development of Personal and Professional Skills

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (21) ◽  
pp. 12290
Author(s):  
Fernando Suárez ◽  
Juan Carlos Mosquera-Feijóo ◽  
Isabel Chiyón ◽  
Marcos García Alberti
Keyword(s):  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Collaborative Work ◽  
Flipped Learning ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
Literacy Outcomes ◽  
Two Phases ◽  
Character Building

The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) has highlighted two key outcomes for students of all accredited engineering programs: the ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences and the capacity to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies. Likewise, in recent years, written exams, assignments, and oral presentations show transmission-skill deficiencies among engineering students. Flipped teaching serves to boost students to meet these outcomes and other competencies: comprehension reading, communication skills, character building, collaborative work, critical thinking, or creativity. So, flipped learning is more than watching videos. This research proposes two evidence-based transferable learning strategies built on a flipped-teaching model and was applied by the authors in engineering courses during the second year of the global pandemic caused by COVID-19: problem-based learning and teamwork assignments. The study comprised two phases. First, a systematic review of reports, writings, and exams delivered by students. It included some video-watching analytics to detect misuse. In the second stage, the authors ascertained trends of these outcomes. Student perceptions and other achievement indicators illustrate the possibilities for encouraging learners to achieve transmission, communication, and literacy outcomes. Results indicate that these learner-centered approaches may help students learn better, comprehend, apply, and transmit knowledge. But they require an institutional commitment to implementing proactive instruction techniques that emphasize the importance of student communication skills.

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.

First-Year Engineering Computing Courses in Canadian Engineering Programs

1969 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean Maw ◽  
Janice Miller Young ◽  
Alexis Morris
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Expected Value ◽  
Knowledge Development ◽  
First Year ◽  
Recent Past ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
Digital Computation ◽  
Pedagogical Philosophies ◽  
Introductory Computing

Most Canadian engineering students take a computing course in their first year that introduces them to digital computation. The Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board does not specify the language(s) that can or should be used for instruction. As a result, a variety of languages are used across Canada. This study examines which languages are used in degree-granting institutions, currently and in the recent past. It also examines why institutions have chosen the languages that they currently use. In addition to the language used in instruction, the types and hours of instruction are also analyzed. Methods of instruction and evaluation are compared, as well as the pedagogical philosophies of the different programs with respect to introductory computing. Finally, a comparison of the expected value of this course to graduates is also presented. We found a more diverse landscape for introductory computing courses than anticipated, in most respects. The guiding ethos at most institutions is skill and knowledge development, especially around problem solving in an engineering context. The methods to achieve this are quite varied, and so are the languages employed in such courses. Most programs currently use C/C++, Matlab, VB and/or Python.

Admission to University Engineering Programs in Sweden: A Multipurpose Approach

2004 ◽  
Vol 94 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1125-1126
Author(s):  
Simon Wolming ◽  
Per-Erik Lyrén
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Current System ◽  
Upper Secondary School ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
Scholastic Assessment Test ◽  
New Ideas ◽  
Admission Test

This brief article provides a description of some new ideas about admission of university engineering students in Sweden. The current system of admission is based on upper-secondary school grades and the Swedish Scholastic Assessment Test. These measures are used for admission to all higher education. For many reasons, ideas for a new admission model have been proposed. This model includes a sector-oriented admission test, which the universities are supposed to use for different purposes, such as selection, eligibility, diagnostics, and recruitment.

scholarly journals The Sound of Silence?

2005 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 392-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Hassall ◽  
J. Joyce ◽  
M.D. Bramhall ◽  
I.M. Robinson ◽  
J.L. Arquero
Keyword(s):  
Communication Skills ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Communication Apprehension ◽  
Vocational Choice ◽  
Communication Performance ◽  
Vocational Skills ◽  
Communication Development ◽  
Current Thinking ◽  
High Level

Employers often consider graduates to be unprepared for employment and lacking in vocational skills. A common demand from them is that the curriculum should include ‘communication skills’, as specific skills in their own right and also because of the central role that such skills can play in developing other desirable attributes. Current thinking in communication has indicated a split between communication apprehension and communication development. There are indications that techniques designed to develop communication skills will not resolve communication apprehension and that, if an individual has a high level of communication apprehension, these techniques will not result in improved communication performance. This paper compares and contrasts the levels and profiles of communication apprehension exhibited by accounting and engineering students. The implications of the findings are then discussed and the need for further research in the area of vocational choice is identified.

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