Writing4Practice in Engineering Courses: Implementation and Assessment Approaches
http://www.attw.org/TCQarticles/8.4/8-4Gruber.pdf
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  peer-reviewed

Gruber, Sibylle, Debra Larson, David Scott and Melvin Neville
Technical Communication Quarterly
1999

Abstract:

In this article, we analyze a two-semester effort to integrate writing instruction into a multi-disciplinary sophomore engineering design course in Northern Arizona University’s College of Engineering and Technology. Specifically, we describe the programmatic implementation and assessment approach to evaluate whether student writing improved over the course of the semester. After discussing the reasons for taking a writing-intensive approach to engineering, we analyze the results of a pre- and post-test administered over the span of an academic semester. Although the outcome of our assessment did not show significant improvement, we argue that writing instruction is important for increasing students’ overall learning skills. We conclude by pointing out several benefits and disadvantages of trying to assess writing improvement over two one-semester periods.