A new engineering communications course based on a professional communications process

Abstract

Given the nationally recognized need to improve engineering students' communication skills, a new engineering communication course was developed by the Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering department at Iowa State University and offered in the Fall of 2007. Initial assessment results provide insight into student learning needs related to specific professional communication skills. The course is characterized by a high degree of interaction and formative assessment of students along with a unique core professional communication process consisting of (1) Analysis, (2) Formulation, (3) Creation, (4) Delivery, and (5) Assessment. Students participate in multimodal communication exercises that require ongoing practice and application of this process. This paper describes why the course was developed, the premise of the course, course content and logistics, examples and assessment of student work and perceptions, and future plans for long term impact and course/curriculum assessment. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2008.