Date of Award

1-1-2012

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Specialization

Communication and Leadership

School or Department

School of Leadership Studies

First Advisor

Dr. John Caputo

Abstract

In many technical undergraduate programs, specifically engineering, focus is placed on developing the technical abilities of students. Little emphasis is placed on communication, to include verbal, written, and presentation skills. In a dynamic corporate world, technical students can be put at a disadvantage if they are not taught the importance of being able to communicate with a variety of demographics in varying contexts. Companies are looking for engineering graduates who have strengths in both arenas. To address this issue, a semester-long communication course for engineering majors has been developed. The foundation is in current research on communication apprehension, the communication across the curriculum (CXC) movement, and the indicated growing need for communication skills in technical fields. The course incorporates many different genres of communication and presents the material in a way that addresses the unique scenarios faced by engineers. The overall goal is to make engineering students more comfortable in their level of communication ability, thus making them more marketable and competitive in the industry.

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