Assessing writing style in engineering courses through a dynamic data collection method

At Carnegie Mellon University, collaborators in engineering, English, and design are piloting a novel method for integrating writing instruction, assessment, and feedback in the context of a junior-level Civil and Environmental Engineering course. Specifically, we developed a series of technical communication modules, which couple short instructional videos with interactive assessment activities, accessible via students' computers or smartphones. The modules supplement rather than supplant the course's embedded writing instructor, and are presented to the students as just-in-time, self-study aids to their drafting and revision processes for major assignments. Through this combined approach, we aim to explore the strengths and limitations of integrated, digital/human writing instruction techniques for engineering classrooms. In this paper, we discuss the instructional design of the online learning environment, the technological affordances the environment supports, and the research questions it generates as a dynamic data collection method.

Introduction

Previous research has illustrated the value of technical communication in engineering education; for example, surveys of engineering graduates indicate their acute awareness of the role communication skills play in promotion and advancement [1]. Additionally, writing instructors would argue that these skills, which fall under ABET's category of “professional skills,” are not only valuable, but can be taught [2].