Engineering communication and performance minor

A minor in Engineering Communication and Performance is being created at the University of Tennessee (USA) in conjunction with the engage Freshman Engineering Program. This minor provides engineering undergraduate students with a credential and with formal training in complementary performance skills necessary for success in today's workplace. This interdisciplinary program aims to improve the ability of engineering graduates to work on teams, to be effective communicators, to be socially adept, and to be prepared for leadership roles. Five courses compose the minor. Three of these courses are new and custom-prepared for engineering students, while the other two may be selected from a limited list of courses that provide in-depth training on supervision cultural diversity, and interpersonal interaction. This multi-disciplinary program takes a novel approach in the subject matter presentation and in the method of coaching students to use these skills. In the custom courses, students receive instruction and are placed in mini-practicums, and they finish with a full practicum in either a social service or technical setting. This paper discusses assessment, course development, program basis and development, strategies for implementation of this new program, integration between engineering and counseling psychology, and student, faculty, and industry response to the program. The collaboration between disciplines makes this program transportable to other institutions as it is discipline dependent rather than dependent on individual specialty. The authors' experience with establishing this collaboration is also discussed.