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WRITING TRANSFER IN ENGINEERING

Engineering Lab Report Instructional Module


Module 1-1 Review of First Year Composition (FYC) Materials: Basic Rhetorical Approaches to Writing

This module component introduces what engineering students learn during their FYC courses. Most general education writing courses in the United States are rhetorically-focused and specifically designed to continue supporting the development of students’ composing processes. Their signature feature is a focus on genre, which is integrated throughout to follow the Council of Writing Program Administrators (WPA) Outcomes Statement 3.0. The FYC curriculum emphasizes the rhetorical situation (writer, audience, purpose, and context), rhetorical appeals (logical, ethical, and emotional), and genre awareness in writing processes.

Module 1-2 Lab Report Rhetorical Analysis

A rhetorical analysis of a lab report is provided in order to define the features of a genre-appropriate lab report from a rhetorical standpoint. The unique characteristics of this genre will be emphasized: the importance of demonstrating critical understandings of scientific knowledge or findings, the necessity of logically organized information, a focus on style with audience awareness, and the presentation of quantitative data through graphics (multi-modal design). Common mistakes found in engineering lab reports are introduced.

Module 1-3 Preparation Guide for Lab Report Writing Assignments

This component provides a guide on how to prepare the lab assignments to introduce lab reports as a discipline-specific genre, defining audience, purpose, and development. Instructors need to explicitly clarify the expectations of lab reports for students.

Module 1-4 Lab Report Assessment

Rubrics are a commonly used, reliable, and effective tool for assessing writing. Students are therefore familiar with this assessment style from their writing courses.  We will use the rubric as an instrument to assess students’ lab report writing proficiency. The rubrics in this module are grounded in the written products of WSU Vancouver engineering students and they are based on WPA Outcomes Statement 3.0, which focuses on rhetorical knowledge, critical thinking/reading/composing, writing processes, and knowledge of conventions.

Module 1-5 Professional Development Literature

This module component supplies current research on writing in engineering and writing pedagogy.

  • Module 1-5: O’Donoghue, R. (1984). Incorporating the Principles of Good Writing Into an Engineering Curriculum. Engineering Education, 74(7), 664-665.
  • Engineering Thinking and Rhetoric