Re: Teaching technical writing to engineers?

[eric -dot- dunn -at- ca -dot- transport -dot- bombardier -dot- com]

> Evelyn Barker wondered: <<I'm going to be teaching a 
> technical writing
> class to junior-level university engineering students...>>

> Which inevitably reminds me of a Robert Heinlein quote 
> about trying to
> teach a pig to sing. Something like: "It only frustrates 
> you and annoys the pig." <g> 

Not sure if I should take offence. ;)

Actually, I'm a graduate of the engineering program at Concordia 
University in Montreal. Every engineering student had to take a one 
semester technical writing course and produce a technical paper over one 
summer (that 'course' consisted of one 3-hour class explaining the 
requirements and the deadline in the fall).

In addition, if you did not get a minimum of a B grade in the technical 
writing course, you had to pass a written English proficiency exam before 
graduating.

You might want to check the program at Concordia for ideas and materials.

Eric L. Dunn
Senior Technical Writer

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