Infused Communication Skills in an Engineering Curriculum

Among the important ABET mandated aspects of any engineering program is the incorporation of communication skills in the curriculum. This article discusses some of the research results obtained by a team of faculty members tasked with the goal of infusing communication skills in a new electrical and computer engineering program under development. This program is project-based and includes innovative and multidisciplinary aspects in its curriculum. The results presented here include the development of a modern technical writing course, the integration of communication skills into engineering materials, and multidisciplinary methods that partner students enrolled in the Arts, Media, and Communication Studies with Engineering teams. In addition, data collected from the students will be used to help understand the role that communication plays in the design and manufacture of products. The outcomes of this externally funded research are useful to engineering programs but they can also be adapted to other disciplines where communication skills play an important role.