Argument against Separate Writing Courses for Engineers
Publication: Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 122, Issue 3
Abstract
Separate writing courses offered by language specialists without the benefit of collaboration from their engineering colleagues can do little to improve the ability of engineers to express themselves in writing. The most effective way of dealing with issues of human communication in engineering curriculums is to consciously and deliberately integrate these processes into ongoing engineering courses in collaboration with language specialists. Doing so virtually eliminates the universal timetabling problem of trying to find a slot for yet another course. Putting a focus on human communication in engineering classrooms promotes multidisciplinary interaction among people of diverse backgrounds with various kinds of knowledge and experience, a major objective of the new engineering curriculums.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
1.
AIT Alumni 1961–1990 employer study. (1992). Asian Inst. of Technol. (AIT), Bangkok, Thailand.
2.
Amyotte, P. (1991). “A communications course for engineers.”Engrg. Educ., (May/June), 436–438.
3.
Bates, G.(1983). “Upgrading written communication: your firm's and your own.”J. Prof. Issues in Engrg., ASCE, 109(1), 26–36.
4.
Bridgeman, B., and Carlson, S. (1983). “A survey of writing and technical writing courses in engineering colleges.”Engrg. Educ., Vol. 73, 110–113.
5.
Buell, M. Z. (1991). “As the professors see it: assignment descriptions and perceptions of international student performance in academic reading and writing,” MS thesis, Ohio Univ., Athens, Ohio.
6.
Casanave, C., and Hubbard, P. (1992). “The writing assignments and writing problems of doctoral students: faculty perceptions, pedagogical issues, and needed research.”English for Specific Purposes, Vol. 11, 33–49.
7.
Cherry, C. (1978). On human communication . Science Editions, New York, N.Y.
8.
Cooper, M. (1989). “Unhappy consciousness in first-year English: how to figure things out for yourself.”Writing as social action, M. Cooper and M. Holzman, eds., Boynton/Cook, Portsmouth, Ohio, 28–60.
9.
Day, R. W.(1995). “Written document and civil litigation.”J. Prof. Issues in Engrg. Educ. and Practice, ASCE, 121(1), 21–24.
10.
Duin, A. H., Jorn, L. A., and DeBower, M. S. (1991). Collaborative writing in industry: investigations in theory and practice, M. Lay and W. Karis, eds., Baywoods Tech. Communication Ser., Baywood Publishing, Amityville, N.Y.
11.
Eliot, N., and Kilduff, M.(1991). “Technical writing in a technological university: attitudes of department chairs.”J. Tech. Writing and Communication, 21(4), 411–424.
12.
Jenkins, S., Jordan, M. K., and Weiland, P. (1993). “The role of writing in graduate engineering education: a survey of faculty beliefs and practices.”English for Specific Purposes, Vol. 12, 51–67.
13.
Kuo, C.(1992). “Personal view.”Int. J. of Engrg. Educ., 8(1), 7–8.
14.
Littlejohn, S. (1989). Theories of human communication . Wadsworth Publishing, Belmont, Calif.
15.
Malone, E. (1991). “Facilitating groups through selective participation: an example of collaboration from NASA.”Collaborative writing in industry: investigations in theory and practice, M. Lay and W. Karis, eds., Baywoods Tech. Communication Ser., Baywood Publishing, Amityville, N.Y.
16.
Marcuse, H. (1967). One dimensional man: studies in the ideology of advanced industrial society . Beacon, Boston, Mass.
17.
National science foundation engineering education coalitions program. (1995). World Wide Web, http://www.che.ufl.edu/NSF/eng-edu-coalitions/.
18.
Parsons, G.(1992). “A cautionary legal tale: the bose versus consumers union case.”J. Tech. Writing and Communication, 22(34), 377–386.
19.
Saliba, J. E., and Krisher, T.(1993). “Developing competent civil engineering writers.”J. Prof. Issues in Engrg. Educ. and Practice, 119(1), 71–74.
20.
Shaughnesy, M. (1977). Errors and expectations . Oxford University Press, New York, N.Y.
21.
Shirk, H. N. (1991). “Collaborative editing: a combination of peer and hierarchical editing techniques.” Collaborative writing in industry: investigations in theory and practice, M. Lay and W. Karis, eds., Baywoods Tech. Communication Ser., Baywood Publishing, Amityville, N.Y., 242–262.
22.
Vesilend, A.(1991). “The social role of engineers: a philosophical perspective.”Engrg. Educ., 81(3), 376–379.
23.
Wald, M. (1993). “Making an engineer: learning from international comparisons.”Int. J. of Engrg. Educ., 9(1).
24.
Winsor, D. A. (1990). “Engineering writing/writing engineering.”Coll. Composition and Communication, Vol. 41, 58–70.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 122 • Issue 3 • July 1996
Pages: 111 - 113
Copyright
Copyright © 1996 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Published online: Jul 1, 1996
Published in print: Jul 1996
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.