Writing in Engineering Sandra 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 diversity 2. 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   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 information 2. Learn how to write effectively 3. 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 Technology Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA  Stanford University Stanford University Stanford, CA  Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA  Cornell University Cornell University Ithaca, NY  University of Texas--Austin University of Texas--Austin Austin, TX  Purdue University--West Lafayette Purdue University--West Lafayette West Lafayette, IN [11]

Testimonials Majd Chaaya Mechanical Engineer w/ an MSC in Solar Energy SunEdison - 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: [November 2, 2013] [2] Vest, Charles M. “Educating Engineers for 2020 and Beyond.” Internet: ducatingEngineersfor2020andBeyond.aspx, [November 2, 2013]. ducatingEngineersfor2020andBeyond.aspx [3] “Engineering Megatrends.” Internet: [November 2, 2013] [4] ASME. “The State of Mechanical Engineering Today and Beyond.” Internet: [November 3, 2013] [5] Stone, Adam. “What Employers Wish You’d Learned in College.” Internet: wish-youd-learned-in-college.html, 2012 [November 3, 2013]. wish-youd-learned-in-college.html

References [6] Salzman, Hal & Leonard Lynn. “Engineering and Engineering Skills: What’s Really Needed for Global Competitiveness.” Internet: SalzmanLynn2010APPAM-vx.pdf, 2010 [November 4, 2013]. SalzmanLynn2010APPAM-vx.pdf [7] “Dr. Robert Lane, Writing in Engineering.” Internet: [November 3, 2013]. [8] Cunningham, Don & Jill Stewart. “Perceptions and Practices: A Survey of Professional Engineers and Architects.” Internet: pdf, 2011 [November 4, 2013]. pdf [9] Waters, Jeff. “How to Increase Your Engineering Salary.” Internet: [November 4, 2013]. [10] “Engineers: Communication and Writing Skills.” Internet: [November 3, 2013]. [11] “Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs.” Internet: colleges/rankings/engineering, 2013 [November 4, 2013]. colleges/rankings/engineering