Engineering Communication
Project introduction and background information
Nowadays, engineers face complex engineering problems crossing even engineering domains. Solving societal problems requires collaboration and communication in multidisciplinary, inclusive teams. In fact, the global CDIO community (innovative educational framework for producing the next generation of engineers) underlines the importance of communication, as it is 1 of the 4 learning outcomes they pose crucial within engineering programmes. That is one of the reasons why the Twente Onderwijs Model (TOM) has been developed. It educates students to work collaboratively in teams in solving such problems. However, these TOM based projects as primarily performed by students following the same BSc programme. Also, a recent analysis of the ILOs of 12 UT BSc programmes shows that engineering communication is thought quite differently per engineering discipline, which seems to contradict the necessity to be able to collaborate with all stakeholders as stated in the majority of BSc ILOs. Within this project an evidence-informed approach is executed to form the basis for the development of a future proof coherent learning line for engineering communication regardless what engineering programme or university students are enrolled.
Objective and expected outcomes
1) Make a thorough analysis of the current engineering communication education across 12 BSc programs of University Twente, by retrieving detailed information at course level from Osiris and by interviewing a minimum of 12 teachers, 12 students and 6 working field committee members.
2) Based on input from Objective 1 and literature review build a community to explore and define overarching ideas and concepts that form the basis for a generic framework for engineering communication education regardless of the type of engineering programme, and exchange best practices and discuss cases at recurrent meetings
3) Create an annual engineering communication teaching event in which all teachers and students from the BSc programmes participate, and which will form the basis to spread the results of Objective 2
Results and learnings
Objective 1: Results analysis
Engineering communication is defined as a process by which engineering information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of writing, graphics, speech, symbols, signs, equations, code or behaviour.
12 BSc programmes (Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Design Engineering, Civil Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Business & IT, Technical Computer Science, Creative Technology, Electrical Engineering, Advanced Technology, Biomedical Technology, Chemical Science & Engineering, Applied Physics cover a wide range of established and newer engineering profiles, and have sufficient overlap with the programmes offered at other 4TUs. The intended learning outcomes of all 12 BSc programs of the year 2023-2024 contained three common terms regarding engineering communication: communication, collaboration and interdisciplinary. Engineering communication was split in 5 categories: written, oral, graphic, programming and mathematical. Analysis of the learning outcomes of all courses offed by the 12 BSc programs shows that on average, engineering communication is offered in about 31% of their courses (ME 24% and BMT 42%). Furthermore, written communication has the largest share with being present as a learning outcome in 51% of the courses, and programming receiving the lowest attention with being present as a learning outcome on average in 22% of the courses.
Objective 1: Results interviews
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Recommendations
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Practical outcomes
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