Teaching technical communications to engineering technology students: A case study approach

One alternative to a long term-paper assignment in a technical writing course is the short memo. Engineering technology students enrolled in Ms. Ford's sections of Technical Writing, English 202C, at Penn State University - Altoona College are required to write a number of memos and short reports in response to case studies. These case studies are designed to approximate the types of writing students will be doing in their careers. When English instructors work together with engineering faculty, they can write more realistic cases and can build upon skills the students are learning in their engineering technology classes. Similarly, engineering faculty can consult with the English instructor to incorporate memo and report writing skills into the students' engineering projects. This paper reports on efforts by the English and engineering faculty members to complement each other's assignments so mat students will acquire skills in both engineering and communication. Sample cases are presented.