Collection

2024 ASEE North Central Section Conference

Authors

Mary M McCall M.A., University of Detroit Mercy; Nassif E Rayess, University of Detroit Mercy

work.ENGR 1020 – Basic Engineering Graphics and Computer Aided Design – In their first semesterof college life, students on Day One see how business and industry value the “people” (soft)skills they will bring to the workplace (Figure 1). “Soft skills include interpersonal (people)skills, communication skills, listening skills, time management, problem-solving, leadership, andempathy, among others. They are among the top skills employers seek in the candidates they hirebecause soft skills are important for just about every job.” [9] Figure 1. First-year students learn the practical value of the communication skills taught in their engineering classes. This is an excerpt from “Why We Need Technical Writing in Engineering Classes

Collection

2024 ASEE North Central Section Conference

Authors

Craig J. Gunn, Michigan State University

Department of Mechanical Engineering Michigan State University East Lansing, MI 48824There are many things that a university must focus on when deciding on what to teach ourincoming and ongoing students. For engineering we hope that during their first years on campusstudents become acquainted with ethics, writing, speaking, and all the “soft skills” associatedwith the more liberal side of the institution. Many people do not realize that our students willsink or swim with their ability to function in a society that does not contain 100% engineers. Butthat is of little concern to many who simply say that controls, fluids, thermal sciences, and themany other engineering topics are the

Collection

2024 ASEE North Central Section Conference

Authors

John William Lynch, University of Cincinnati; Sheryl A. Sorby, University of Cincinnati; Betsy M. Aller, Western Michigan University; Teri J Murphy, University of Cincinnati

Tagged Topics

Diversity

current trends in technical communicationfor engineers.Technical Communication Skills in EngineersMany of the studies regarding communication skills of engineers focus on technicalcommunication, or the broad ability of engineers to create, write, and communicate with non-engineering audiences about projects or content. This skill is recognized as a core skill by ABETand academic institutions. 2, 3, 4 Engineering students have also stated this is a critical skill, asrecent research found engineering undergraduate students self-identify the importance of soft-skills, which include empathy, listening, and active collaboration, regardless of their extrinsicfactors of gender and major. 5 First-semester engineering students also state they think

Collection

2024 ASEE North Central Section Conference

Authors

Matthew Cavalli, Western Michigan University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

engineering graduates regularly provide theirperspective regarding the importance of skills beyond math and science for career success.Sometimes referred to as ‘soft’ skills or ‘professional skills’ these traits are also referred to in theliterature as ‘transversal competencies’3. In 2005, Martin et al. reported on a study with a small 1 Proceedings of the 2024 ASEE North Central Section Conference Copyright © 2024, American Society for Engineering Educationgroup of chemical engineering graduates in South Africa who self-assessed their preparation inboth technical expertise and transversal competencies after

Collection

2024 ASEE North Central Section Conference

Authors

Nicholas Brown, Western Michigan University; Johan Fanas Rojas, Western Michigan University; Alyssa K. Moon, Western Michigan University; Ali Alhawiti, Western Michigan University; Pritesh Yashaswi Patil, Western Michigan University; Parth Kadav, Western Michigan University; Kira Hamelink, Western Michigan University; Wendy R. Swalla, Western Michigan University; Zachary D. Asher, Western Michigan University

its beginning in Spring 2020 to its mostrecent version in Spring 2023 reveals a notable advancement in the curriculum and acorresponding increase in student knowledge and self-assurance. The course began by teachingfundamental skills in sensor technologies and computer vision. It then quickly progressed tocover more advanced topics such as ML, AI, and complete sensor communication and analysiswith ROS. These topics were included in the Summer II 2021 session of the course. Thecurriculum now extensively explores the subsystems of the AV system, supported by thepractical implementation of Python programming and the development of other soft skills, whichare crucial for solving real-world problems. The impact of this enhanced and