Improving Technical Writing for Civil Engineering Students Through Short Written Assignments

Kun Zhang; Pablo K. Cornejo; Chris Fosen

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Conference: 2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access
Location: Virtual Conference
Publication Date: July 26, 2021
Start Date: July 26, 2021
End Date: July 19, 2022
Conference Session: Supporting the Capstone Experience
Tagged Division: Civil Engineering
Page Count: 16
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--37312
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/37312
Download Count: 556

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Paper Authors

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Kun Zhang P.E. California State University-Chico

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Dr. Kun Zhang is an assistant professor at the Department of Civil Engineering at California State University Chico. He received his doctoral degree from Washington State University in 2016. Dr. Zhang teaches Statics, Soil Mechanics and Foundation (Lectures and Labs), and Transportation Engineering Laboratories at CSU Chico. His research focuses on materials recycling for pavement construction and numerical analysis in engineering applications.

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Pablo K. Cornejo California State University-Chico

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Dr. Pablo K. Cornejo is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at California State University, Chico. Dr. Cornejo received his Ph.D. and Master's degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of South Florida (USF) and B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder. His research focused on the sustainability of water, wastewater, and integrated resource recovery systems; water and sanitation issues in the developing world; and sustainability in engineering education. Pablo is passionate about teaching and increasing the participation of underrepresented students in STEM.

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Chris Fosen California State University-Chico

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Dr. Chris Fosen is a professor of rhetoric and writing in the English Department and leads writing across the curriculum efforts at CSU, Chico. He received his PhD from the University of South Carolina in 2001. He teaches courses in rhetoric, environmental rhetoric, and tutoring writing at Chico State, and his research focuses on writing mentorship and issues in writing across the curriculum.

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Abstract

Competent technical writing for civil engineering undergraduate students is an essential skill that can enhance effective communication, data analysis, and interpretation of results to make conclusions. These abilities are closely aligned with the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) criteria of outcome 6 starting from the 2019-2020 accreditation cycle, which requires students to be able to conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and discuss results, and draw conclusions based on engineering judgment. This study explores the use of a one-page letter report as a short written assignment to improve technical writing for junior and senior students. The one-page letter report emphasizes a logical structure used in technical reports and provides various benefits, such as providing a format that enables students to practice the entire writing process (e.g. drafting, revising, and proofreading) and facilitating instructors to grade manageable reports to provide timely feedback. The specific objectives of this study are to (1) assess the effectiveness of one-page letter report assignments and associated activities, such as written instruction, individual practice, peer review, faculty feedback, and use of a good writing sample to improve students’ technical writing and (2) assess the improvement of the new ABET outcome 6 by using the one-page letter report at a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). Direct measurements were assessed based on scores of students’ reports following a rubric, which was created according to the ABET outcome 6 and basic requirements of technical writing. Indirect measurements were conducted using a questionnaire survey in a Transportation Engineering laboratory course. The itemized report scores and survey results show that data analysis and interpretation of results are the most challenging section for students to write. Faculty feedback was ranked by students as the most effective activity to help them improve technical writing skills, followed by the individual practice and use of a good writing sample. Additionally, students who initially perceived their writing skills to be weak reported a higher degree of improvement at the end of the course. Student surveys also affirmed that short written assignments moderately improved ABET outcome 6 because the writing process allowed students to reflect on experimentation and interpretation of results. Future work will explore curriculum planning and design at the departmental level to continuously improve technical writing for civil engineering undergraduate students from their first-year courses to their senior capstone design projects.

Citation
Format

Zhang, K., & Cornejo, P. K., & Fosen, C. (2021, July), Improving Technical Writing for Civil Engineering Students Through Short Written Assignments Paper presented at 2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual Conference. 10.18260/1-2--37312

TY - CPAPER
AB - Competent technical writing for civil engineering undergraduate students is an essential skill that can enhance effective communication, data analysis, and interpretation of results to make conclusions. These abilities are closely aligned with the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) criteria of outcome 6 starting from the 2019-2020 accreditation cycle, which requires students to be able to conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and discuss results, and draw conclusions based on engineering judgment. This study explores the use of a one-page letter report as a short written assignment to improve technical writing for junior and senior students. The one-page letter report emphasizes a logical structure used in technical reports and provides various benefits, such as providing a format that enables students to practice the entire writing process (e.g. drafting, revising, and proofreading) and facilitating instructors to grade manageable reports to provide timely feedback. The specific objectives of this study are to (1) assess the effectiveness of one-page letter report assignments and associated activities, such as written instruction, individual practice, peer review, faculty feedback, and use of a good writing sample to improve students’ technical writing and (2) assess the improvement of the new ABET outcome 6 by using the one-page letter report at a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). Direct measurements were assessed based on scores of students’ reports following a rubric, which was created according to the ABET outcome 6 and basic requirements of technical writing. Indirect measurements were conducted using a questionnaire survey in a Transportation Engineering laboratory course. The itemized report scores and survey results show that data analysis and interpretation of results are the most challenging section for students to write. Faculty feedback was ranked by students as the most effective activity to help them improve technical writing skills, followed by the individual practice and use of a good writing sample. Additionally, students who initially perceived their writing skills to be weak reported a higher degree of improvement at the end of the course. Student surveys also affirmed that short written assignments moderately improved ABET outcome 6 because the writing process allowed students to reflect on experimentation and interpretation of results. Future work will explore curriculum planning and design at the departmental level to continuously improve technical writing for civil engineering undergraduate students from their first-year courses to their senior capstone design projects.
AU - Kun Zhang P.E.
AU - Pablo K. Cornejo
AU - Chris Fosen
CY - Virtual Conference
DA - 2021/07/26
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Improving Technical Writing for Civil Engineering Students Through Short Written Assignments
UR - https://peer.asee.org/37312
DO - 10.18260/1-2--37312
ER -