Innovations in Composition Programs that Educate Engineers: Drivers, Opportunities, and Challenges

Abstract

Recent developments in engineering education have shaped the nature of composition programs at institutions or programs that emphasize engineering and science. Among these developments are revised accreditation guidelines and a curricular debate with a long history. Such developments highlight collaborative opportunities between technical and humanities/social sciences faculty. This multi-case study investigates how composition programs have responded to such drivers, opportunities, and challenges. The study draws from historical, observation, document, and interview data, and particularly interviews with composition program administrators at six institutions with significant technical emphases. Findings indicate shifts in historical emphasis on culture and utility, and three contemporary responses. Reductions, transformations, and innovations are occurring in first-year communication courses. Also, multimodal communications, including written, oral, and visual components, are being integrated across multiple instructional contexts. Finally, strong crosscurricular communication programs are emerging in which composition faculty partner with technical faculty. Implications of these findings are discussed.