This survey of 73 top-ranked U.S. and Canadian engineering schools examines initiatives that engineering schools are taking to improve communication instruction for their students. The survey reveals that 50% of the U.S. schools and 80% of the Canadian schools require a course in technical communication. About 33% of the schools utilize some form of integrated communication instruction, and another 33% offer elective courses in communication. Just 10 schools have created engineering communication centers to provide additional individualized coaching and feedback for their students. The most comprehensive preparation that engineering schools provide is a communication-across-the-curriculum approach that combines these instructional methods to offer concentrated instruction, continual practice, situated learning, and individualized feedback.W orkplace and alumni surveys show that communication skills are essential to success in engineering practice, yet much of the instruction provided in engineering schools is not clearly related to these practice needs. To examine initiatives that engineering schools are taking to improve communication instruction for their students, including required courses in technical communication, integrated instruction, elective courses, and engineering communication centers, I surveyed 73 top-ranked U.S. and Canadian engineering schools. The survey reveals that about 50% of the U.S. schools and 80% of the Canadian schools require a course in technical communication. About 33% of the schools I surveyed utilize integrated instruction, in which communication specialists and engineering professors collaborate to provide communication instruction within engineering courses. Another 33% provide more advanced 452
Today's managers expect employees to be able to contribute not just their labor but also their analysis and ideas, yet little training is provided for writing the major document that contains such ideas: the internal proposal. Business and academic textbooks, as well as academic courses, focus almost entirely on external propos als, which are most appropriate in areas such as consulting and sales. The internal proposal (also known as the justification report), on the other hand, is applicable for almost any student's future career. It provides an opportunity for students to develop the competence and confidence to express their ideas in the workplace, encouraging them to demonstrate awareness and initiative, utilize problem-solving skills, and create a persuasive strategy. Because students are motivated to com plete this real-world assignment, it also inspires some of their best work.
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