2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This Complete Evidence-Based Practice paper describes a two-semester STEM-focused English composition sequence developed as part of an Engineering Learning Community (ELC) at a public urban research university. To create a course that achieves the goals of the standard two-course composition sequence taught to all students and prepares engineering students for writing challenges in their field, the English Department designed a two-course composition sequence for the students enrolled in the ELC. The engineering version of Composition I and II teaches traditional core writing skills, including rhetorical analysis, informational literacy, critical reading, and the importance of drafting and revision. In addition to these skills, students learn key writing and research skills for their major, including scientific citation formats, how to read and interpret scientific papers, and how to present technical information clearly and in a range of formats. Key assignments include the completion of a design report in the first semester and a technical report in the second semester. Finally, course readings have been chosen in order to prompt discussion of the role of the scientist in society. Conclusions are drawn from seven years of basic data collected about the class, including D/F/Withdraw (D/F/W) rates, Faculty Course Questionnaire (FCQ) scores, and FCQ comments in order to assess student reception of the course. It was found that the ELC composition sections compared to regular composition sections taught by the same instructor had lower D/F/W rates and higher FCQ scores. In addition, numerous student comments identified the scientific content as adding particular value to the course. Future work will include more formal outcome assessment, including surveys administered to graduating seniors, alumni of the program, and writing assessments.