Linking communication to engineering

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.