An experiment in integrating communication into the biosystems engineering design trilogy

Technical communication is recognized as a fundamental and necessary skill for engineers of all disciplines in all types of careers. As a result, it is firmly entrenched as a mandatory course in Canadian faculties of engineering. Technical communication, however, has not always been palatable for engineering students because it emphasizes the 'softer' skills which students tend to devalue in comparison to the seemingly more objective, 'harder' engineering skills. Engineering faculties generally offer technical communications as a separate distinct course. This results in students viewing these courses as separate from the engineering curriculum and placing them in with their other elective obligations. Opportunities for innovative ideas to stress the importance of technical communications while incorporating this skill set into the engineering students' toolbox are being welcomed The Department of Biosystems Engineering at the University of Manitoba has integrated technical communication instruction into a capstone design course. A trained technical communication expert teaches the course together with professional engineers. Because the technical communication instruction relates to the design projects being completed, the students see the value of technical communication in the overall design process; thus it is not regarded as a separate or unrelated activity.