Assessment of Engineering Writing at Western Washington University

Effective writing skills are crucial to the transfer of knowledge and information in all fields. In Engineering, writing skills are the key to communicating the results and findings of engineering analysis, since this analysis is not only represented by graphs, plots, equations, etc. but is also presented in technical reports, lab reports, proposals, and articles. Engineering programs emphasize the importance of teaching students effective writing skills by implementing some writing proficiency courses in their curriculum. However, these programs are usually concerned with how to prepare and assess their students to have effective writing skills to help them in their professional careers. The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), through it\u27s a’-\u27k’ students’ outcomes, requires that engineering programs show clear evidence of a strong engineering communication outcomes through engineering technical writings, and also requires a clear assessment process to gauge these outcomes. This study provides an outcomes-based assessment for evaluating the writing skills of Engineering & Design students in a senior-level writing proficiency class sequence