Transformations in technical communication pedagogy: engineering, writing, and the ABET Engineering Criteria 2000

Abstract

Recent transformations in engineering education accreditation have shifted emphasis away from simple counting of required courses to a focus on the documentation of student learning outcomes. The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology's (ABET) Engineering Criteria 2000 (EC 2000) demands that engineering programs show evidence of eleven skills in their students. Only five of these skills relate to a student's technical abilities. The remaining six define what have been called "soft" skills, and it is this shift in emphasis that will have a significant impact on technical communication programs and pedagogy. In essence, EC 2000 has redefined both who is responsible for developing students' communication skills and for documenting evidence of student learning outcomes. Given the changes at the accreditation level, transformations within technical communication departments that serve engineering programs are inevitable. These changes offer problems as well as benefits for technical communication faculty.