Communication Skills Course: Enhancing Presentation and Proposal-Writing Skills of Chemical Engineering Students

Kamarza Mulia; Elsa Krisanti

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Conference: 2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Publication Date: June 15, 2014
Start Date: June 15, 2014
End Date: June 18, 2014
ISSN: 2153-5965
Conference Session: Liberal Education/Engineering & Society Division Poster Session
Tagged Division: Liberal Education/Engineering & Society
Page Count: 11
Page Numbers: 24.291.1 - 24.291.11
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--20182
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/20182
Download Count: 437

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Paper Authors

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Kamarza Mulia Chemical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia

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Kamarza Mulia is a faculty member of the chemical engineering department at Universitas Indonesia. He received his bachelor degree in chemistry from Bandung Institute of Technology in 1984 and doctor of philosophy degree in chemical engineering from Colorado School of Mines in 1992. His research interests are thermodynamics, controlled release of bioactive compounds, and innovative teaching-learning methods.

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Elsa Krisanti Chemical Engineering Department, Universitas Indonesia

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Elsa is a chemical engineering faculty member at the Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia. She received her bachelor degree in Chemistry from Bandung Institute of Technology in 1984 and doctor of philosophy degree in Applied Chemistry from the Department of Chemistry and Geochemistry, Colorado School of Mines, USA, 1992. Since 2000 she is implementing Problem based Learning (PBL) method in Analytical Chemistry, Introduction to Polymers and Basic Chemistry courses in the Department of Chemical Engineering, Universitas Indonesia.

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Abstract

Enhancing Communication Skills of First-Semester Chemical Engineering Students: Presentation and Proposal Writing SkillsHigher education students must be prepared to work in a very different working world than existed twenty yearsago. The problems that they have to solve will be more complex and interdisciplinary and will demand applyingcertain skills. ABET has identified that communication skills to be one of the most useful skills in the workingworld [1].A first semester communication skills course has been developed, emphasizing audience analysis and problem-solving approach throughout the course [2]. By the end of the course, students are expected to demonstrateability to: identify the key elements of effective oral and written communication, write clear and accuratesummaries or proposals, and make an effective and clear oral presentation that address audience appropriately.The numerous in-class activities will culminate in writing and presenting a technical proposal based on aselected paper from a peer-reviewed journal.The assessment of the written proposals is based on criteria used to judge university-wide competitive creativityproposals submitted by final-year students. Therefore, this scheme would allow first semester students to facehigher-level challenges usually experienced by the more advanced students. Peer-assessment and clearassessment criteria are emphasized, providing students opportunities to critically appraise the messages of othersand also to receive feedbacks. Since the students are not native speaker of English, they receive extra credit forusing English in writing proposals and giving presentations. It addition to improved communications skills,students will also gain problem-solving, English as second language, and assessment skills as well. All of theseskills are not only useful after graduation, but also help students to be better prepared for student-centeredlearning approaches such as problem-based learning in the subsequent semesters.1. Dearing, R (1997), Higher education in the learning society, Report of the National Committee of Enquiry into Higher Education, HMSO, London.2. Woods, D. R., Hrymak, A. N., Marshall, R. R., Wood, P. E., Crowe, C. M., Hoffman, T. W., Wright, J. D., Taylor, P. A., Woodhouse, K. A. and Bouchard, C.G. K. (1997), Developing Problem Solving Skills: The McMaster Problem Solving Program. Journal of Engineering Education, 86: 75–91.

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Mulia, K., & Krisanti, E. (2014, June), Communication Skills Course: Enhancing Presentation and Proposal-Writing Skills of Chemical Engineering Students Paper presented at 2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Indianapolis, Indiana. 10.18260/1-2--20182

TY - CPAPER
AB - Enhancing Communication Skills of First-Semester Chemical Engineering Students: Presentation and Proposal Writing SkillsHigher education students must be prepared to work in a very different working world than existed twenty yearsago. The problems that they have to solve will be more complex and interdisciplinary and will demand applyingcertain skills. ABET has identified that communication skills to be one of the most useful skills in the workingworld [1].A first semester communication skills course has been developed, emphasizing audience analysis and problem-solving approach throughout the course [2]. By the end of the course, students are expected to demonstrateability to: identify the key elements of effective oral and written communication, write clear and accuratesummaries or proposals, and make an effective and clear oral presentation that address audience appropriately.The numerous in-class activities will culminate in writing and presenting a technical proposal based on aselected paper from a peer-reviewed journal.The assessment of the written proposals is based on criteria used to judge university-wide competitive creativityproposals submitted by final-year students. Therefore, this scheme would allow first semester students to facehigher-level challenges usually experienced by the more advanced students. Peer-assessment and clearassessment criteria are emphasized, providing students opportunities to critically appraise the messages of othersand also to receive feedbacks. Since the students are not native speaker of English, they receive extra credit forusing English in writing proposals and giving presentations. It addition to improved communications skills,students will also gain problem-solving, English as second language, and assessment skills as well. All of theseskills are not only useful after graduation, but also help students to be better prepared for student-centeredlearning approaches such as problem-based learning in the subsequent semesters.1. Dearing, R (1997), Higher education in the learning society, Report of the National Committee of Enquiry into Higher Education, HMSO, London.2. Woods, D. R., Hrymak, A. N., Marshall, R. R., Wood, P. E., Crowe, C. M., Hoffman, T. W., Wright, J. D., Taylor, P. A., Woodhouse, K. A. and Bouchard, C.G. K. (1997), Developing Problem Solving Skills: The McMaster Problem Solving Program. Journal of Engineering Education, 86: 75–91.
AU - Kamarza Mulia
AU - Elsa Krisanti
CY - Indianapolis, Indiana
DA - 2014/06/15
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Communication Skills Course: Enhancing Presentation and Proposal-Writing Skills of Chemical Engineering Students
UR - https://peer.asee.org/20182
DO - 10.18260/1-2--20182
ER -