Multidisciplinary Design and Communication: A Pedagogical Vision

The Sophomore Engineering Clinic I, which is the third course in an 8-semester design sequence taken by all Rowan University engineering students, serves the dual purpose of introducing students to formalized engineering design techniques and providing them with the necessary foundation for their careers as technical communicators. The course, required for all Rowan University engineering students, is team-taught by faculty from the College of Communication and the College of Engineering. The most effective way to bridge these two seemingly disparate topics begins with finding a common ground. The common ground in this case is quality. The underlying theme of Total Quality Management (TQM), already heavily stressed in the four 3-week engineering design modules, is also an ideal forum for evaluating and producing technical communication. One faculty member from each of the four engineering departments (Chemical, Civil, Electrical, and Mechanical) and two faculty members from the College of Communication work as a team to organize and plan the clinic. Preliminary results have shown that students experience increased confidence in both their technical and writing skills.