Implementing Technical Communication Instruction in a Civil Engineering Course: The Value of Knowledge Surveys and Peer Review

摘要

There is a growing need for engineers to be effective communicators, yet professional skills often are underdeveloped by college-level engineering curricula and undervalued by engineering students. To improve communication skills, we integrated a technical communication block of instruction into a civil engineering (CE) computer applications course. Applying strategies from self-regulated learning theory, we used self-assessments to measure effectiveness of the instruction. Specifically, we used a pre-course and multiple post-assignment knowledge surveys (KS) that comprised competency statements aligned with the learning outcomes for each assignment. We also reviewed scores students received on their technical writing assignment submissions. Then we compared students' KS assessments against instructor scores on each of the five writing assignments. Overall, the technical communication was deemed to be effective, as demonstrated by improved student technical writing competencies, including creating more-audience-centered, -accessible, and -usable deliverables. Results from KS demonstrated that self-assessments became better aligned with instructor's grades, indicating that students improved their ability to self-assess their own capabilities. This study reinforces the benefit of integrating technical communication instruction, even on a small scale, and highlights the usefulness of KS for self-assessment and learning. Recommendations for integrating peer review, in terms of both frequency and type, also are discussed.