Author(s):
Need: Evidence-based guidance for teaching and learning writing for both instructors and students is necessary to improve writing in early engineering lab courses. Guiding Questions: How can transfer-focused instructional guidance be implemented effectively in early engineering lab classrooms taught by any instructor?Outcomes: Engineering Writing Guides for both Instructors and Students are now available at engineeringlabwriting.org. These are the culmination of a 4-year effort to measure student perceptions and performance in early engineering laboratory reports. The guides are based on learning transfer theories that consider prior preparation in writing. They connect disciplinary writing to prior writing instruction and were drafted and revised by a lab writing community of practice. Broader Impacts: The instructor’s guide can be used at the institution level to train engineering lab instructors and teaching assistants to teach writing; it includes guidance for writing learning objectives, developing assignments and lab activities, effectively assessing student work and providing feedback. The student’s guide can be used by any instructor as an open educational resource (OER) and reference for students. It includes content related to report organization, sections, and data analysis methods and presentation in written documents.
Coauthors
C.J. Riley, Oregon Institute of Technology, Klamath Falls, OR; Sean St.Clair, Oregon Institute of Technology, Klamath Falls, OR; Franny Howes, Oregon Institute of Technology, Klamath Falls, OR; Dave Kim, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA; Wendy Olsen, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA; John Lynch, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA; Ken Lulay, University of Portland, Portland, OR;
