Motivating Technical Writing through Study of the Environment

Today’s engineers must be more than just technically competent. To be successful in our increasingly global economy in which teamwork and interdisciplinary interaction are the norm, engineers must have excellent communication skills. In recognition of industry needs, the San José State University College of Engineering redesigned its technical communication course to ensure that students graduate with writing and speaking skills that will transfer readily to their career needs and the global arena. The course aims to motivate students through exploring topics that are meaningful to them and using communication formats that they will see in the workplace. Combing technical communication with study of the environment broadens the course to meet multiple ABET outcomes. This paper describes the course goals, organization, management, selected assignments, and assessment. Assessment data indicate that at the end of the semester students, on average, have gained between 0.8 and 1.1 points on a 12-point evaluation rubric, and have gained an appreciation of the unique characteristics of and need for technical writing

E-teacher in Inclusive e-education for Students with Specific Learning Disabilities

AbstractThe concepts of e-learning and e-teaching play important roles in educational technology applied in different educational contexts. E-learning technology can promote the inclusion of students with various disabilities in education. We considered roles of e-teacher which are useful in e-education of students with disabilities. Usefulness of assistive technology and e-learning technology are also considered (project OI179026). The examples of implementation of e-learning/e-teaching components in education of students with specific learning disabilities supported perspectives of inclusive e-education and importance of teachers’ competence of e-teaching in inclusive education