Writing in EngineeringSandra 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 Expectations for Future Engineers

Future Industry Trends Who is getting hired?

Current Engineering Duties How much time do engineers spend

communicating? An Interview with Dr. Robert Lane

Advancing in Your Engineering Career

Leading Engineering Programs

Testimonials

Engineer of 2020 NAE Committee on Engineering Education

Initiative Engineer curriculums = Needs of new era

NAE encourages educators develop curriculums:1. Recognizes & celebrates diversity2. Engages with multi-disciplinary stakeholders

How can we satisfy this without comm. skills?

[2]

Attributes of the 2020 Engineer

Keen analytical skills

Strong communication competencies—oral, written, cultural

Sharp business, management,& leaderships skills

Practical ingenuity

High ethical standards and professionalism

Creativity, agility, & flexibility[2]

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 Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)

Participants: Industry Mechanical Engineers

Survey: What are the “most needed skills” for success?

Survey style: open-ended questions

[4]

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 University Research Study (2011)

185 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: How to Increase your Engineering Salary?

1. Learn how to present information2. Learn how to write effectively3. 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 TechnologyCambridge, MA Stanford UniversityStanford, CA Carnegie Mellon UniversityPittsburgh, PA Cornell UniversityIthaca, NY University of Texas--AustinAustin, TX Purdue University--West LafayetteWest Lafayette, IN[11]

TestimonialsMajd ChaayaMechanical Engineer w/ an MSC in Solar EnergySunEdison - 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/EducatingEngineersfor2020andBeyond.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-employers-wish-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/EngineeringDemandSkills-SalzmanLynn2010APPAM-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/best-colleges/rankings/engineering, 2013 [November 4, 2013].