Preparing Civil Engineering Students to Meet Workplace Writing Expectations

Anecdotal evidence suggests a lack of technical writing skill in civil engineering students. The American Society of Civil Engineers asserts that the 21stcentury civil engineer must demonstrate an ability to communicate effectively. So, there is a need for enhanced technical writing instruction, but small, civil engineering programs have limited resources to facilitate this instruction. Most often, instructors must incorporate writing assignments into existing course syllabi. As such, an understanding of the nature of students' writing strengths and weaknesses is essential. Technical reports completed by civil engineering seniors at Howard University, a historically Black university (HBCU), have been assessed to begin identifying the nature of technical writing deficiencies so that emphasis can be placed in the classroom on areas of greatest need. Technical reports completed by individual students were evaluated by the course instructor, a student peer, and an industry representative. Results include comparisons of ratings between the instructor and industry representative