Assessing the written word: The engineering students' experience

Vygotsky's (1987) premise is that students write to learn, and that this learning stretches across the curriculum. The lecturer in the field of engineering has therefore to evaluate teaching and learning through writing tasks as they are traditionally known, and ask why assessment focuses on students' weaknesses - why does assessment instead not meet the student at his point of strength, and lead him from there? It is at this point that the various factors contributing to the learning experience of the student merge into one multi-faceted concept - assessment. Assessment skills are part of the learning process, yet equipping engineering lecturers with such skills in theory and practice is minimal. Assumptions are that if one is qualified in a content area, one can teach that content and objectively assess one's students. This is not always true. Reviewing assessment of the written word is vital because language is the means to academic success. The responsibility lying with the engineering lecturer when assessing writing tasks is further compounded by the education context, the worldview of the educator and the experience of the learner. Common issues confronting engineering educators and students emerge. This paper addresses some such issues.