2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Design of an Aerospace Industry-Informed Technical Writing and Communication Course

Presented at Aerospace Division (AERO) Technical Session 2

Many engineering disciplines recognize the need for cross-functional skills such as technical writing and communication (TWC) in addition to the engineering-specific knowledge gained in an undergraduate education. Industry constituents expect engineering graduates to communicate technical content efficiently and effectively to disseminate technical information.

Specifically, the aviation industry requires a considerable amount of documentation to support the design, development, maintenance, and safety of operations; as such, skill in technical writing is required to accomplish these activities effectively. However, in traditional, humanities-based writing courses, (which are often the main source of writing preparation for engineering students) the focus of such writing courses is not on technical writing. Instead, students are taught rhetorical, argumentative, and analytical style writing, when technically-oriented writing is required.

This paper presents a Project-based Learning (PBL) approach to the design and implementation of a Technical Writing and Communication course that is embedded in an Aerospace Engineering curriculum. PBL focuses on writing assignments that are authentic, situational assignments in response to real project demands rather than responding to hypothetical situations. To generate enthusiasm for the course, the topics chosen for each of the writing assignments were selected to be of personal and/or professional value to the students.

Authors

Glen Roderic Coates Pennsylvania State University [biography]

Glen R Coates received his B. S. degree in Environmental Engineering from Penn State University. He then went on to receive an M. S. degree in Mechanical Engineering at Penn State and a second M. S. degree in Management of Technology from Rensselaer Polytechnical Institute. Working in the Aerospace industry as a Senior Analytical Engineer for the past 45 years, he also has taught undergraduate mathematics and physics at several institutions as an adjunct professor. These experiences fueled his passion to bring real world engineering into the classroom. Mr. Coates is currently teaching at Penn State for the Aerospace Engineering Department.
Dr. Alyson G. Eggleston Pennsylvania State University [biography]

Alyson Eggleston is an Associate Professor in the Penn State Hershey College of Medicine and Director of Evaluation for the Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute. Her research and teaching background focuses on program assessment, STEM technical communication, industry-informed curricula, and educational outcomes veteran and active duty students.
Dr. Robert J. Rabb P.E. Pennsylvania State University [biography]

Robert Rabb is the associate dean for education in the College of Engineering at Penn State. He previously served as a professor and the Mechanical Engineering Department Chair at The Citadel. He previously taught mechanical engineering at the United States Military Academy at West Point. He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the United Military Academy and his M.S. and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. His research and teaching interests are in mechatronics, regenerative power, and multidisciplinary engineering.

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