Writing Performance: A Comparison Between Engineering and Engineering Technology Students

Abstract

Writing performance is a critical workplace skill for engineering and engineering technology pupils To examine how well scholars develop this critical skill, this paper statistically analyzes the performance of these sum of two units groups of students on an exit writing examination. It compares the pass rates within engineering and engineering technology majors including civil, electrical, mechanical, and computer (engineering only) Secondly it evaluates factors that may influence pass rates of that kind as skills in English as a next to the first language (ESL) and transfer status. The close attention shows that while there is an empirical difference in the performance between engineering and engineering technology pupils on an undergraduate Exit Examination of Writing Proficiency, this difference is not statistically significant. Concerning factors that may influence pass rates, ESL status had a highly negative influence and transfer scholar status had a positive influence. The paper identifies areas for additional investigation and proposes approaches to address these research questions.

Introduction

Academicians and industry practitioners have discussed broadly the critical importance of the ne for engineering and engineering technology (E&T) learners to write proficiently in the workplace. A typical example is the 1997 report through the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) that set industry leaders were not satisfied with the ability of fresh hires to communicate by means of written reports and technical specifications.1 Similarly, Katz reviewed practicing engineering managers from a range of career areas (industry, consulting, and government) and base a consistent theme that graduates are not prepared for the written and oral communication wants required by the workplace.2 In nevertheless another example, Black supported these findings from a workplace skill perspective, rating verbal and written communication among the greatest in quantity important job skills, second sole to technical knowledge.3

It has been noted that the disclosure of writing skills ideally should be oriented toward a particular discipline. For example, Kurfis fix that it is particularly important in scientific and technical fields that writing be discipline specific.4 Boyd and Hassett reach outed this concept to develop a specific writing a whole for engineering and engineering technology (ET) students5

Scientific and technical writing may also play a fundamental character in the education process by the agency of actively promoting learning. As an example, Randolph studied the learning impact of writing and communication, and improved learning by the agency of using a teaching methodology based upon "Writing Across the Curriculum," a general [i]or[/i] abstract notion that views writing as a tool for pupils to draw meaning out of experience.6,7 "Writing Across the Curriculum" is a routinely implemented way of refining a student's written communication skills by the agency of increasing the quantity of written work. This increased writing requirement reach forths beyond an English department's curriculum to other corporations and departments within the learning institution.

This material part of literature on the importance of writing skills in the technical workplace, the necessity of discipline-specific writing instruction for scientific fields, and the general impact of writing as a tool for learning all illustrate the ne for developing writing skill as an essential foundation for engineering and ET careers. However, there is a critical item missing in these research papers. Specifically, there is a lack of quantitative and comparative studies that provide specific measures of the writing performance of engineering and ET graduates. of that kind numerical studies can identify important insights to direct more detailed research into the specific issues related to improving the writing proficiency of E&T students

This paper contributes to the quantitative literature upon writing performance by analyzing five years of exit writing examination pass rate data for graduating E&T seniors. The investigation specifically examines three questions. The first question concentrates upon the performance of E&T pupils as a group (in various engineering and ET majors) in fortunately passing the exit writing examination:

1 Do the pass rates of E&T scholars vary within the two disciplines? Specifically, are there statistical differences in pass rates between E&T majors?

The nearest two questions examine demographics that may identify factors influencing writing examination performance:

2 Domestic E&T programs attract a significant number of scholars for whom English is a next to the first language, and some disciplines similar as electronics may attract an smooth higher proportion. How does ESL status impact writing examination pass rates of E&T majors?

3 E&T programs attract a large number of transfer learners who may have completed their first sum of two units years at a community corporation Do E&T transfer students have a pass rate that is statistically different from non-transfer students?

To provide words immediately preceding [i]or[/i] following for the data analysis portion of this paper, the nearest section discusses the exit writing examination, the university that administered it, and the composition of the general learner body.