Exploring Engineering instructors’ views about writing and online tools to support communication in Engineering

ABSTRACT

To be fully prepared for the professional workplace, Engineering students need to be able to effectively communicate. However, there has been a growing concern in the field about students’ preparedness for this aspect of their future work. It is argued that online writing tools, to engage numbers of students in the writing process, can support feedback on and development of writing in engineering on a larger scale. Through interviews and questionnaires, this study explores engineering academics’ perceptions of writing to better understand how online writing tools may be integrated into their teaching. Results suggest that writing is viewed positively in the discipline, but it is not believed to be essential to success in engineering. Online writing tools were believed to support a larger number of students, but low knowledge of the tools limited academics’ understanding of their usefulness in teaching and learning. Implications for innovation in undergraduate teaching are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Technology integration
• writing
• online feedback
• Engineering education
• higher education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Sarah K. Howard, PhD (2009), is a Senior Lecturer in Information and Communication Technologies in Education. Her research considers individual and cultural factors influencing the selection and integration of digital technologies in teaching and learning, at the school and university levels.

Maryam Khosronejad is a PhD candidate at the Centre for Research on Computer Supported Learning and Cognition (CoCo) at the University of Sydney, Australia. She has a mixed academic background in engineering and education. Her research interests include engineering and mathematics education and professional development in higher education.

Rafael A. Calvo, PhD (2000), is Professor at the University of Sydney and Co-Director of the Software Engineering Group that focuses on the design of systems that support well-being in areas of mental health, medicine and education.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Australian Office for Learning and Teaching Innovation Grant [2013–2015; OLT-ID12-2409].