Abstract:
There are many different educational models for developing communication skills and there
is no conclusive research to determine which model is 'best' for teaching communication
to undergraduate engineerrng students. Restructuring of the engineering curriculum in the
Faculty of Engineering at the University of Technology, Sydney has provided an opportunity to
develop a subject in Engineering Communication to link communication as a core competency to
engineering as required for graduates, for example, by the Institution of Engineers, Australia. In
this paper, the authors discuss a multi-disciplinary approach to develop link communication
across the curriculum. The development team was formed from academics and practitioners
from engineering, humanities, education and language teaching. The challenge for this group
was to initiate learning strategies to ensure that both content and process of students' learning
about communication met current demands and future expectations. In this paper, significant
features of the multi-disciplinary approach to communication education are described and
findings from implementing the core subject, Engineering Communication, from 1999 to 2001
are given. The benefits of collaboration for all members of the multi-disciplinary team of educators
are also indicated.
