Teaching technical writing to the engineering student: Industry's needs, the students' expectations

This paper describes the problem of teaching technical writing to engineering students who are convinced they will never need or use the skills. A possible solution to the problem is to use the case method. The case method changes the nature of the traditional classroom environment by reflecting life on the “outside.” This paper describes how the case method is used in one technical writing course and how it changed some students' minds about the importance of a technical writing course in helping them prepare for their professional careers. The ten-week syllabus is described and samples of “before” and “after” are offered.