Safe passage through the engineering curriculum: guiding subject experts toward integration of communication instruction and outcomes assessment

Abstract

Industry demands, crowded curricula, tight budgets, new educational technologies, and accreditation directives are relentlessly pushing engineering educators into unfamiliar - sometimes threatening - new frontiers. Frequently, the guide most qualified to guarantee safe passage across this daunting terrain is the technical communication professional. Experienced technical communicators accustomed to thriving on the chaotic borders between subject experts and users, engineering departments and management, old procedures and new technologies are adept at achieving multi-purpose objectives without compromising core requirements. Recent literature reveals that some of the most effective work in achieving adherence to new accreditation standards is occurring at engineering schools with established technical communication leadership. At the University at Buffalo (UB), the State University of New York for example, our Center for Technical Communication (CTC) is working with representatives from five engineering departments to develop strategies for achieving full integration of technical communication instruction within the engineering curriculum. This work, however, looks beyond instructional approaches to examine how technical communication professionals are guiding the institutionalization of effective engineering communication strategies within engineering curricula. Full integration of this core capability promises significant benefits not only to engineering students and their employers, but also to engineering schools seeking improved content mastery, higher retention rates, and higher competitive ranking.