Fall 2008 Support
of Writing-Intensive Engineering Courses

This fall, the Hanson Center for Technical Communication (CTC) directly supports writing projects in the following courses: Statics, Materials Science, and Process Calculations. Students in these courses will use our APA Style Guide for citing sources. Note: All engineering undergraduates are welcome to bring their writing to the Center, no matter what course it's written for.

Hanson CTC Writing Consultants -- Writing Consultants work closely with engineering faculty as evaluators of student writing. Our consultants are professional writing instructors dedicated to helping engineers express their expertise. Individualized comments, combined with assignment-specific grading sheets, help students to gauge their growth as technical communicators through every stage of the writing process.

Hanson CTC Peer Consultants -- Signing up for a writing appointment is easy. A Weekly sign-up sheet is posted on the door of room 2224 SC, in the Student Commons area. Appointments are available Monday through Friday, 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Sunday, 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Who are the peer consultants? They are engineering students with strong writing backgrounds who understand that communication makes engineering "happen." Peer consultants do not grade nor do they pass judgment on grades. Instead, they focus their attention on global writing issues such as organization, audience analysis, and the efficient and ethical use of technical data to support arguments; in this way, they help their fellow students craft reports and proposals that use precise technical descriptions within a persuasive and logical narrative.

Course-Specific Downloads

APA Style Guide ( Word or PDF )

All CTC-supported courses use this style guide to help students format their in-text citations and list of references. Documenting your sources is crucial not only to the successful completion of your writing assignments but as a statement of your integrity as an engineer preparing to enter a community of practice.

Model of APA Reference List ( Word or PDF )

Statics - 59:007

• Writing Assignment ( Word or PDF )
• Writing Evaluation Sheets ( Word or PDF )
• Statics Experiments Guidelines ( PDF )
• Slides for CTC class visit - 9/10/08 ( PowerPoint )
• Slides for 2nd CTC class visit - 11/05/08 ( PowerPoint )
  Idiot's Guide to Plagiarism ( PowerPoint )

Materials Science - 57:015

• Lab Report Assignment ( Word or PDF )
• Final Project Assignment ( Word or PDF )
• Grading Process ( Word or PDF )
• Writing Evaluation Sheets ( Word or PDF )
• Schedule and Deadline Dates ( Word or PDF )
• Writing an Abstract ( Word or PDF )
• Unified Paragraphs ( Word or PDF )
• Slides for CTC Class Visit 9/9/08 - ( PowerPoint )

Process Calculations - 52:041

• Topical Paper Assignment ( Word or PDF )
• Topical Paper Evaluation Sheet ( Word or PDF )