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New Course: CE 399
Engineering Faculty Document
No. 44-02
TO: The
Engineering Faculty FROM: The
Faculty of the School of Civil Engineering DATE: SUBJECT: New Undergraduate Course The Faculty of the CE 399 Oral
and Written Communications for Civil Engineers. Sem.1and 2, Class 3, cr. 3, Prerequisite: A course in English composition and
COM114 Oral and written communication as utilized in
professional/business environments.
Technical writing and presentation style: purpose, audience, voice,
format, and illustration. Practice in
preparing written correspondence and reports; practice in preparing and
delivering oral presentations. Reason: As emphasized by current ABET criteria
and advice from the practitioners, the
practice/business of civil engineering requires excellence in
communication. This course provides a
vehicle for practice in producing written documents (email, letters,
memorandums, resumes, executive summaries, reports, etc.) and oral
presentations in simulated professional settings. An extant 1 cr. hr version of
this course (CE 292) is deficient in that insufficient time is available for
coverage of subject matter and conduct of practice writing and speaking
exercises. The 3 cr hr course proposed herein will provide for expanded topical
coverage and weekly practice exercises. This course is to be a (required) upper
level core course in a revised curriculum. _________________________________ Fred L. Mannering, Head Supporting Documentation
Develop and understand strategy for planning and researching Develop and understand strategy for drafting, revising
and editing documents Develop organizational skills necessary to present
information concisely Develop effective oral communication skills Develop clear technical writing style Demonstrate ability to write technical and business
documents Demonstrate report writing skills Have knowledge of formats for proposals, reports,
memorandums, electronic, and other business
correspondence Gather and manage data, graphics and information
effectively Present information in a manner appropriate for the
audience Understand that accuracy is an ethical consideration of
technical communication 6. Course topics include: Understanding the Writing Process (1 week)* Outlining
a document Drafting
a document Using
the word processor as a tool Revising
a document Research and documentation (1 week)* Organizing Information (1 week)* Basic
patterns of organizing information Problems–methods-solution Managing
graphics Managing
data Drafting and Revising Definitions
and Descriptions (1 week)* Understanding the role of
definitions Using graphics in definitions and
descriptions Using data in definitions and
descriptions Using examples in definitions Using partitions in definitions Describing a principle of operation Designing
the Document (1 week)* Understanding
the goals of document design Using
visual contrast to emphasize important information Arranging
information clearly on the page and in the document Striving
for moderation Managing
data, figures, and graphics Letters
Memorandums Emails Instructions Minutes
of meetings Polices
and procedures Reports Instructions
and manuals Proposals Preparing Job-Application Materials (1 week)* Researching
potential employers Online
application Resumes Letters Preparing and
Delivering Oral Presentations (3
weeks)** Preparation Using
the computer as a tool Delivery
skills *Weekly assignments offering individual
writing practice based on scenarios taken from civil engineering practice. ** A minimum of three oral
presentations per student delivered in simulated practice settings. |
