Innovation Across the Curriculum: Three Case Studies in Teaching Science and Engineering Communication

Craig, Jennifer; Lerner, Neal; Poe, Mya

doi:10.1109/tpc.2008.2001253

Cited by 60 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Student scientists are now reaping the rewards of pedagogical shifts that emphasize communication training (Craig et al ; Mogull ; Nisbet and Mooney 2005). For example, all new doctoral students in environmental and climate scientists at Stockholm University are offered training in speaking with the media (Reddy ), while other major research universities, including the University of Wisconsin–Madison (Crone et al ; Dunwoody ) and Stanford University (Reddy ), offer similar programs to help bolster the communication capabilities of their graduate students.…”

Section: The Public Communication Of Sciencementioning

confidence: 99%

Scientists, the Media, and the Public Communication of Science

Dudo

2015

Sociology Compass

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The relationship between scientists and journalists has evolved in recent years with the advent of numerous sociocultural changes and drastic shifts within the media ecosystem. Media professionals have traditionally been the gatekeepers of scientific information, but new media technologies grant scientists more power than ever before to be proactive about their public communication. In this article, I provide an overview of the science–media relationship and scientists as public communicators. Specifically, I recount the relationship that has traditionally existed between scientists and media professionals, explain how this relationship has evolved over recent years, and highlight what I believe are some of the most salient and exciting areas for future research examining scientists' efforts to engage with the public.

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Section: The Public Communication Of Sciencementioning

confidence: 99%

Scientists, the Media, and the Public Communication of Science

Dudo

2015

Sociology Compass

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“…Leydens [8] concludes his extensive qualitative study of students and professionals perspectives on writing in the engineering workplace by articulating the need for students to practice communicating in situations specific to that community: "To teach rhetoric well in technical contexts is to humanize the making of scientific and engineering knowledge and material artifacts, to work toward an ideal of engineers who can learn to communicate effectively in any activity system, especially in high-stakes situations, and to work toward an ideal of engineers whose curriculum allows them to be and to enact more fully integrated selves" [8]. This task is not easy because research reported on in that same issue shows that identity creation is an iterative process: "Students struggle to develop a professional identity, even within the space of seemingly simple writing activities in the disciplines and, thus, reveals how we must constantly revise and update our approaches to help students gain a professional identity in that discipline" [5]. Rather than focusing on teaching communication, engineering educators are now called upon to create situations where students participate in the culture of engineering through their writing practices.…”

Section: : Identity Culture and Resourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At MIT, they offer what they call a communicationintensive (CI) version of integrated communication instruction within engineering programs which were made up of four CI classes, including two of which are in their majors. Their goal was "to work with engineering and science faculty to design meaningful, well-defined assignments, use revision and peer review to improve student writing, develop learning goals, and effectively assess student writing" yet found they ended up "mov[ing] beyond these initial steps to writing and speaking activities that resemble more the advanced challenges of engineering communication that occur in the practice of doing engineering" [5]. Communication education in engineering was moving towards more comprehensive integration to help professionalize engineering students.…”

Section: : Identity Culture and Resourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Tale of Two Pedagogical Perspectives: A Literature Review of Writing Program Administration Within Engineering Programs

Patterson

2018

PCEEA

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–While communication and writing programs are typically housed in humanities-focused departments, engineering programs often employ full-time writing specialists to teach their students effective communication in engineering-specific contexts. However, bringing together humanities-focused writing instruction within a science-focused engineering program has some inherent complications in administering a program within a program. The challenge of these writing programs is the misunderstanding that can arise between communication faculty and engineering faculty and administration. The opportunities and challenges embedded within communication and writing pedagogy is not always understood by the engineering-educated administrators, nor sold particularly well by the communication faculty. These challenges are made evident when we see that the modern conversation around engineering communication has morphed from convincing a composition audience to broaden their conception of writing for the unique writing needs of their engineering students, to a post-outcomes based world where engineering identity and culture are the center of curricular discussions aimed at fellow engineering educators. While the complete history of writing program administration in engineering education is much longer, this literature review explores key works in the last 25 years to demonstrate themes in current curricular programming challenges in administering writing and communication programs within engineering departments in Canada and the United States.

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“…Budgetary constraints: Teaching writing is resource-intensive (Craig, Lerner, & Poe, 2008). With the current economic situation, technical communication resources are being placed on the chopping block, both directly and indirectly.…”

Section: Challenges To Incorporating Writing In Engineeringmentioning

confidence: 99%

Writing to Learn Engineering: Identifying Effective Techniques for the Integration of Written Communication into Engineering Classes and Curricula (NSF RIGEE project)

Troy¹,

Jesiek²,

Boyd³

et al.

2016 ASEE Annual Conference &Amp; Exposition Proceedings

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As engineering continues to grow as a global career, effective communication in the form of technical writing becomes more essential. Professional engineering organizations and universities continually list the ability to communicate technical information as a highly sought attribute in recently-graduated engineers. Unfortunately, numerous logistical challenges prevent many programs from implementing extensive technical writing education within the engineering curriculum. These challenges include budgetary constraints, curriculum credit hour reductions, availability of communication expertise, and both student and faculty resistance to the inclusion of communication instruction in engineering programs. This study aims to identify and refine effective, low-overhead exercises that allow instructors to implement technical writing education into technical existing technical courses. These exercises have the benefit of embedding technical communication into the curriculum, with minimal curricular disruption, and in the context of the technical material that will ultimately need to be communicated. The project proposes innovative application of writing interventions that have been proven effective in other contexts, with the goal of transforming core technical courses in engineering to enhance both the technical capabilities and writing skills of participating students. Initial analysis focuses on the implementation of two technical writing interventions developed and applied to Civil Engineering courses. Preliminary study results on a large course paragraph writing exercise point to the importance of the development of a robust assessment and feedback strategy for the implementation of writing in large classes, as well as the different types of writing that can successfully be incorporated into such classes, in spite of their technical nature.

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Innovation Across the Curriculum: Three Case Studies in Teaching Science and Engineering Communication

Cited by 60 publications

References 21 publications

Scientists, the Media, and the Public Communication of Science

Scientists, the Media, and the Public Communication of Science

A Tale of Two Pedagogical Perspectives: A Literature Review of Writing Program Administration Within Engineering Programs

Writing to Learn Engineering: Identifying Effective Techniques for the Integration of Written Communication into Engineering Classes and Curricula (NSF RIGEE project)

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