Developing and Scaling Engineering Communication (EC) for New 
Engineering Education

Alyson Grace Eggleston; Robert J. Rabb

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Conference: 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Baltimore , Maryland
Publication Date: June 25, 2023
Start Date: June 25, 2023
End Date: June 28, 2023
Conference Session: International Division (INTL) Technical Session #5: Best Practices
Tagged Division: International Division (INTL)
Page Count: 17
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--43065
Permanent URL: https://strategy.asee.org/43065
Download Count: 139

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Paper Authors

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Alyson Grace Eggleston Pennsylvania State University

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Alyson Eggleston is an Associate Professor in the Penn State Hershey College of Medicine and Director of Evaluation for the Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute. Her research and teaching background focuses on program assessment, STEM technical communication, industry-informed curricula, and educational outcomes for veteran and active duty students.

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Robert J. Rabb P.E. Pennsylvania State University

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Robert Rabb is the associate dean for education in the College of Engineering at Penn State. He previously served as a professor and the Mechanical Engineering Department Chair at The Citadel. He previously taught mechanical engineering at the United States Military Academy at West Point. He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the United Military Academy and his M.S. and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. His research and teaching interests are in mechatronics, regenerative power, and multidisciplinary engineering.

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Abstract

Engineering curricula are being increasingly adapted to foster skillsets in social intelligence, empathy, and professional skills. Revisions to ABET criteria are partly in response to changes in engineering industry culture. Post-graduation, new engineers can expect to function on multidisciplinary teams that may span geographic, cultural, and disciplinary differences. Engineering firms have used remote, international, and hybrid collaborative team structures to be successful during COVID-19, a trend that has gained momentum. Engineering curricula must prepare graduates for this changing workforce dynamic. Aligning the engineering communication curriculum to real-world communication challenges positions engineers-in-training to be adaptive, empathetic, and prepared problem-solvers.

The demand for the engineering mindset to grow and develop as problem-solvers, requires additional skills such as entrepreneurship, leadership, and communications. Engineering entrepreneurship and engineering leadership programs have proliferated in recent years. Despite this, there is less emphasis on communication skills and intercultural competence, which are essential for many additional skills. Approaches to STEM curriculum design in Asia include implementing intercultural awareness and communication competencies, as the relationship between employability and professional skills is well studied, adapted, and implementable.

This paper proposes a process for building an engineering-focused communications course that can be tailored and scaled to program size and needs. Using needs-based assessments and research-based approaches, this paper aims to improve communication and learning outcomes in engineering curricula. This paper also provides case studies for building an engineering communications (EC) class or embedding assignments that are project-based, industry-informed, and produce measurable improvements in student communications competency if implemented early in the curriculum. In this report, we examine several institutional examples involving the integration of EC into existing engineering programs to support ABET and modern General Education learning outcomes, including modular, co-teaching, and entire course implementations. EC assessments can directly support: cultural awareness, audience awareness, and collaborative teamwork and leadership, as specified in ABET criteria 2, 3, and 5, respectively. Effective EC pedagogy and industry partnerships can be an effective and measurable approach to supporting these criteria.

Citation
Format

Eggleston, A. G., & Rabb, R. J. (2023, June), Developing and Scaling Engineering Communication (EC) for New Engineering Education Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--43065

TY - CPAPER
AB - Engineering curricula are being increasingly adapted to foster skillsets in social intelligence, empathy, and professional skills. Revisions to ABET criteria are partly in response to changes in engineering industry culture. Post-graduation, new engineers can expect to function on multidisciplinary teams that may span geographic, cultural, and disciplinary differences. Engineering firms have used remote, international, and hybrid collaborative team structures to be successful during COVID-19, a trend that has gained momentum. Engineering curricula must prepare graduates for this changing workforce dynamic. Aligning the engineering communication curriculum to real-world communication challenges positions engineers-in-training to be adaptive, empathetic, and prepared problem-solvers.

The demand for the engineering mindset to grow and develop as problem-solvers, requires additional skills such as entrepreneurship, leadership, and communications. Engineering entrepreneurship and engineering leadership programs have proliferated in recent years. Despite this, there is less emphasis on communication skills and intercultural competence, which are essential for many additional skills. Approaches to STEM curriculum design in Asia include implementing intercultural awareness and communication competencies, as the relationship between employability and professional skills is well studied, adapted, and implementable.

This paper proposes a process for building an engineering-focused communications course that can be tailored and scaled to program size and needs. Using needs-based assessments and research-based approaches, this paper aims to improve communication and learning outcomes in engineering curricula. This paper also provides case studies for building an engineering communications (EC) class or embedding assignments that are project-based, industry-informed, and produce measurable improvements in student communications competency if implemented early in the curriculum. In this report, we examine several institutional examples involving the integration of EC into existing engineering programs to support ABET and modern General Education learning outcomes, including modular, co-teaching, and entire course implementations. EC assessments can directly support: cultural awareness, audience awareness, and collaborative teamwork and leadership, as specified in ABET criteria 2, 3, and 5, respectively. Effective EC pedagogy and industry partnerships can be an effective and measurable approach to supporting these criteria.

AU - Alyson Grace Eggleston
AU - Robert J. Rabb P.E.
CY - Baltimore , Maryland
DA - 2023/06/25
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Developing and Scaling Engineering Communication (EC) for New
Engineering Education
UR - https://strategy.asee.org/43065
DO - 10.18260/1-2--43065
ER -