Transcript Writing in Engineering

Writing in
Engineering
Sandra Knight
Something to think about…
(a) Why is “communication” an essential
measure of ABET accreditation for the NAU
Engineering program?
(b) Why was I sought out by NAU Engineering
course coordinators to emphasize
communication practices throughout the D4P
sequence?
[1]
Agenda
 Employer


Future Industry Trends
Who is getting hired?
 Current


Expectations for Future Engineers
Engineering Duties
How much time do engineers spend communicating?
An Interview with Dr. Robert Lane
 Advancing
 Leading
in Your Engineering Career
Engineering Programs
 Testimonials
Engineer of 2020
 NAE

Committee on Engineering Education Initiative
Engineer curriculums = Needs of new era
 NAE
1.
2.
encourages educators develop curriculums:
Recognizes & celebrates diversity
Engages with multi-disciplinary stakeholders
 How
[2]
can we satisfy this without comm. skills?
Attributes of the 2020 Engineer
 Keen
analytical skills
 Strong
communication competencies
—oral, written, cultural
 Sharp
business, management,& leaderships skills
 Practical
 High
ingenuity
ethical standards and professionalism
 Creativity,
[2]
agility, & flexibility
Engineering Megatrends
 Partnering,
or “Technical Alliance”

Pooling resources

Engineering, marketing, manufacturing, etc.
“To compete, engineers must collaborate”
-Dr. Jordan Lewis, Engineer Industry Analyst
[3]
“Most Needed Skills”
 American
(ASME)
Society of Mechanical Engineers
 Participants:
Industry Mechanical Engineers
 Survey:
What are the “most needed skills” for success?
 Survey
[4]
style: open-ended questions
ME Survey Results [4]
What Employers Wish You Learned
 New

grads lack “soft skills”:
Interpersonal abilities that go beyond technical knowledge
 Lack
of “soft skills” affect the bottom line
 “A
big part of what we do as engineers is write
reports and specifications for out plans, and we
find that writing isn’t really something that is taught
to engineers”
-Recruiting Director Civil Engineering Firm: George, Miles, & Buhr
[5]
Engineering Industry Employer Needs
 Study
funded by National Science Foundation
 Interview



with Engineers & Managers:
Mismatch: Employer needs vs. Engineer skills
Consistent reports of “communication skills deficit”
Engineer grads have great technical skills
“Our research suggests that the most essential upgrading
of engineering education needed to ensure U.S.
technological competitiveness is less a deepening of
specific technical skills than it is imparting
communication skills”
[6]
An Interview with Dr. Robert Lane


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGw8nHPM36A
Questions:
1.
Are effective writing skills essential in the engineering
industry?
2.
How much time did Dr. Lane spend writing while
working in the industry?
3.
How do engineers “win” attention from above?
4.
What advice does Dr. Lane have for engineers who
“hate writing and want to avoid it”?
[7]
How Much Writing Do Engineers Do?
 Radford
 185
University Research Study (2011)
participants
 Time
spent by engineers and architects on reading,
writing, and evaluating information products
[8]
Survey Questions [8]
Results of Study
 See


results on Word Document
Table 4 – Percentage of responses per category
Figure 9 – Graphical representation of mean
 Other
results:
Professionals in engineering and technology careers
spend between 40% - 70% of their time writing
[8]
Advancing in your Engineering Career
 Article:
1.
2.
3.
How to Increase your Engineering Salary?
Learn how to present information
Learn how to write effectively
Learn your business
[9]
“Reports are the most widely used tool for job promotion.”
“The higher in the corporate field you go, the more writing
skills and communication skills are required.”
[10]
Leading Engineering Programs
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA
 Stanford University
Stanford, CA
 Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA
 Cornell University
Ithaca, NY
 University of Texas--Austin
Austin, TX
 Purdue University--West Lafayette
West Lafayette, IN
[11]

Testimonials
Majd Chaaya
Mechanical Engineer w/ an MSC in Solar Energy
SunEdison - Berlin, Germany - Project Manager
 First language is English; Speaks Arabic & German
 How
did you achieve being a Project Manager?
Strong verbal & written communication skills
 What
percentage of communication is done
writing? 85% - Proposals, Technical Reports,
Correspondence
“Engineers who cannot communicate
effectively are disposable.”
References
[1] “ABET.” Internet:
http://main.abet.org/aps/Accreditedprogramsearch.aspx, 2013 [November
2, 2013]
[2] Vest, Charles M. “Educating Engineers for 2020 and Beyond.” Internet:
http://www.nae.edu/Publications/Bridge/ReformingEngineeringEducation/E
ducatingEngineersfor2020andBeyond.aspx, [November 2, 2013].
[3] “Engineering Megatrends.” Internet:
http://www.designnews.com/document.asp?doc_id=213053, 1995
[November 2, 2013]
[4] ASME. “The State of Mechanical Engineering Today and Beyond.”
Internet: http://files.asme.org/asmeorg/Campaigns/MS/2012/32754.pdf, 2011
[November 3, 2013]
[5] Stone, Adam. “What Employers Wish You’d Learned in College.” Internet:
http://www.onlinedegrees.com/degree360/workplace/what-employerswish-youd-learned-in-college.html, 2012 [November 3, 2013].
References
[6] Salzman, Hal & Leonard Lynn. “Engineering and Engineering Skills: What’s
Really Needed for Global Competitiveness.” Internet:
http://policy.rutgers.edu/faculty/salzman/EngineeringDemandSkillsSalzmanLynn2010APPAM-vx.pdf, 2010 [November 4, 2013].
[7] “Dr. Robert Lane, Writing in Engineering.” Internet:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGw8nHPM36A, 2010 [November 3, 2013].
[8] Cunningham, Don & Jill Stewart. “Perceptions and Practices: A Survey of
Professional Engineers and Architects.” Internet:
http://www.radford.edu/dacunning/articles/IPCC%202011%20Paper%20ID%2044.
pdf, 2011 [November 4, 2013].
[9] Waters, Jeff. “How to Increase Your Engineering Salary.” Internet:
http://lifeupfront.com/2012/11/15/how-to-increase-your-engineering-salary/, 2012
[November 4, 2013].
[10] “Engineers: Communication and Writing Skills.” Internet:
http://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=22752, 2013 [November 3, 2013].
[11] “Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs.” Internet:
http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/bestcolleges/rankings/engineering, 2013 [November 4, 2013].