An Examination of Attitudes and Experiences of Students in a Graduate Writing Course for Engineers

Grant program: Teaching and Learning Development Grant (TLDG)

Grant recipient: Maureen Hindy, School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering

Project team: Vivian Neal, Teaching and Learning Centre and Canan Gunes, research assistant

Timeframe: September 2017 to August 2018

Funding: $3000

Course addressed: MSE 801 – Writing for Engineers

Final report: View Maureen Hindy's final report (PDF)

Description: MSE 801 Writing for Engineers, is a required writing course within the graduate programs at Simon Fraser University’s Mechatronics Systems Engineering (MSE). The purpose of this study is to explore graduate engineering students’ experiences of writing and writing-related learning within MSE 801. We also want to explore the students’ perspective about the content and delivery format of the course. We will use qualitative action research to conduct an interpretive case study of MSE 801 students.

Questions addressed:

• What are graduate engineering students’ experiences of writing and writing-related learning within MSE 801?
• To what extent do students in MSE 801 value writing skills as it relates to their current studies and future engineering practice?
• Do students think that their experiences in MSE 801 affected how they perceive the value of writing?
• How do students describe their learning about writing in MSE 801?
• What learning activities in MSE 801 do students perceive to have the greatest impact on the quality of their writing and why?
• What are the instructor’s observations of class sessions in terms of student engagement and learning?

Keywords: Writing, Pedagogy, Engineering, Graduate Writing