Enhancing engineering students' writing skills

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate and propose an effective writing program for graduate engineering students at a Korean institution. Textual and statistical data, such as teaching materials and enrollment numbers of the graduate writing classes at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), were analyzed. Also, a series of interview and questionnaire surveys were conducted on graduate students and EFL instructors of writing classes at KAIST. The results of the study show that while a high percentage of students were satisfied with the only graduate writing course offered, Scientific Writing (SW), students recommended that additional writing courses be offered in order to help students enhance basic academic writing skills and technical writing skills that they may require in professional environments after graduation. The results further indicate that necessary steps should be taken to facilitate the school’s adoption of SW as a requirement for all graduate students, as the course teaches essential writing skills for graduate studies. Moreover, it is necessary to offer “tailor-made” classes of SW for individual students. As students differ in their writing levels, majors, and school years, the instructors have had difficulty in giving them effective lessons. It is crucial to identify individual students’ writing levels by giving them an appropriate placement test and group them according to their writing levels and study areas wherever possible. This study will serve as a useful reference for EFL educators who are interested in developing an effective writing program for graduate engineering students.