Get started
Work

Development of Embedded Technical Writing in a Junior-level Geotechnical Engineering Laboratory Class

Year: 2025
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: Written communication is an essential skill for civil engineers working in the consulting field.The results of field and laboratory investigations typically include a report, and, in some cases, the report is the entire artifact of the work.The clients are broad, ranging from other professionals in the field to persons with no technical background.The engineers writing the reports need to identify the possible audiences for the report and write for that audience or audiences.The engineers writing the report need to know the technical aspects of the project; however, this is the price of entry to the consulting industry.The engineers writing the report also need to compose the report so that each reader can obtain the necessary information.A formal framework that includes audience analysis can help the engineers write these reports.Engineering laboratory classes provide an opportunity for students to gradually develop their report writing skills.The approach at our department uses embedded technical writing in a sequence of laboratory classes.The first engineering laboratory class with report writing is Mechanics of Materials Laboratory.This class has extensive in-class activities for audience analysis, communication issues, and some report writing.The next course in the sequence is the Geotechnical Engineering Laboratory.This course starts with a review of the audience analysis and communication issues covered in the previous course.The course has more reports than the previous course, and the reports are more involved.Some preliminary results indicate that the students can apply the material from the first course and extend it to mid-level course content.Given the mismatch between the importance of effective written communication and the students' attitudes, various researchers have developed pedagogical approaches and course content to improve the students' skills with preparing laboratory reports and, by extension the students' attitudes about writing and confidence in writing.The term technical communication is used in this paper to describe the process and artifacts associated with report writing and presentation preparation.This paper presents a summary of different approaches to technical communication in engineering classes, the summary of a previous paper co-authored by the first author of this paper, and the extension of that previous work to a subsequent course in the curriculum.The subsequent class is a junior-level laboratory class in Geotechnical Engineering.
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--54658
Language: English
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4409944501
FWCI:
Cites: 7
Cited by:
Related to: 10