Writing, particularly in engineering laboratory settings, prepares students for technical writing activities in engineering practice. Early laboratory courses are often the first place engineering students encounter writing about technical subjects to a technical audience. Lab reports allow students to document methods of experimentation and data analysis techniques, as well as interpret results in basic professional forms and conventions and offer conclusions that are meaningful for both a technical audience and as a demonstration of their own learning [1][2][3].
The instructional modules presented in this paper build on research involving writing transfer concepts that address the transfer source (prior writing experience) and the transfer target (writing in a new situation, in this case an engineering laboratory). In this situation, the transfer can be considered "far transfer" because the writing skills in English and engineering disciplines contain few similar general features [4][5]. Effective transfer requires the use of shared language and effective review of prior knowledge to form a basis for the instruction of new material [6][7][8][9].
Many laboratory report writing instructional tools exist at websites created by others. The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) has a robust library of writing guidance in a variety of fields and genres [10]. It provides guidance for tutors supporting early lab report writers and students interested in report format and contents. It also includes videos offering guidance in the technical report genre. The Civil Engineering Writing Project provides materials developed by a team led by Susan Conrad [11]. It offers excellent technical writing guidance with language units, grammar and mechanics lessons, and examples of specific genres like memoranda, cover letters, site reports and proposals. The language instruction is very specific, including word choice, sentence structure, and active/passive voice, but the project does not specifically address the laboratory report genre. On the other hand, a website available from Monash University offers guidance on the structure of a laboratory report as well as specific guidance on writing in the various sections of the report [12]. The site also provides self-paced exercises and quizzing to allow a student to check their knowledge as they work through the material. Michael Alley at Penn State has developed a website at craftofsciencewriting.com that offers text and video explanations, report templates, and sample lab reports [13].
The modules described in this paper differ from the existing materials available because they target students as they transition from courses taught by written communication experts (e.g. English literature, composition, rhetoric, and technical writing instructors) to those taught by engineering experts focused on introducing them to engineering experimentation in technical fields of study. Early laboratory courses are often crowded with technical content, but they also often rely on laboratory reports or technical memos as ways for students to demonstrate their understanding. Evidence-based instructional tools at this level are critical for improving the writing skills of engineering students early in their curriculum and beyond. The remainder of this paper will describe module development process and the first iteration of modules that have grown out of this writing transfer-focused work.
Most engineering laboratory reports follow the IMRDC format: introduction, methods, results, discussion, conclusion [14,15]. The authors have previously published a learning outcomes rubric based on APA writing outcomes [16] and ABET EAC outcomes [17] that ties outcomes to the relevant sections of a typical engineering laboratory report (Table 1) [citation to be included in final draft]. The authors developed modules targeting laboratory instructors to support each of these outcomes with a scaffolded approach, based on research into student writing preparation [18] and student performance on early and later lab reports in an early laboratory class in a variety of programs and curricula [19]. Table 1. Lab report writing outcomes rubric (I = introduction; M = methods; R = results; D = discussion; C = conclusion).
Mostly related to 1) Address technical audience expectations by providing the purpose, context, and background information, incorporating secondary sources as appropriate. I
2) Present experimentation processes accurately and concisely. M 3) Illustrate lab data using the appropriate graphic/table forms. R 4) Analyze lab data using appropriate methods (statistical, comparative, uncertainty, etc.). RD 5) Interpret lab data using factual and quantitative evidence (primary and/or secondary sources). RD 6) Provide an effective conclusion that summarizes the laboratory's purpose, process, and key findings, and makes appropriate recommendations C 7) Develop ideas using effective reasoning and productive patterns of organization (cause-effect, compare-contrast, etc.). IMRDC 8) Demonstrate appropriate genre conventions, including organizational structure and format (i.e., introduction, body, conclusion, appendix, etc.). IMRDC 9) Establish solid and consistent control of conventions for a technical audience (grammar, tone, mechanics, citation style, etc.). IMRDC
The laboratory report writing modules presented here were developed by the authors through a collaborative process. The authors have expertise in mechanical, civil, and electrical engineering and each has at least 15 years of experience teaching laboratory courses. Twelve modules were produced plus three sections in the preface. Each module developer prepared three modules that were then reviewed by a different developer with a goal of improving the content. The reviewer provided their feedback in the module documents and the pairs met to discuss. The modules are meant to be very concise, simple, and easy-to-use aids for helping engineering students improve their engineering laboratory report writing skills, specifically preparing and presenting the results of engineering experiments. The collection of modules was designed and structured with scaffolding in mind. Early concepts in writing lab reports are covered in the fundamental section for students new to lab report writing. More experienced students might skip these sections and be directed to topics in the intermediate or advanced sections. Module content could be used for just-in-time instruction when student questions or early performance indicates the need, or a module could be incorporated as a whole lesson with progressive instruction in lab report conduct and writing that could occur over the course of an academic term. The modules are independent, not sequential, so an instructor may use fundamental modules in one topic, and advanced modules in other topics. The modules are arranged according to writing outcomes and relevant sections of a report in Table 2. The scaffolded nature of the modules should become apparent after reviewing Table 2. For example, the fundamental modules provide students with an ability to report and present data in a whole lab report with relatively little guidance on interpretation and drawing conclusions. The intermediate and advanced modules develop these skills once students have mastered the report conventions and format; then, they can engage the technical aspects of the laboratory work, thinking deeply about their results and other guidance in relevant literature, drawing reasonable conclusions, and referencing sources accurately.
The draft modules were compiled as pdfs by the developers and translated to a web page for hosting by a student worker. The developers visited the pages to ensure the contents were translated accurately and that links were functional. The modules can be accessed by visiting https://labs.wsu.edu/engineering-lab-report-writing/ and using the password lab. The password will be removed when the module test is completed in 2023. Module contents are currently available as both webpage and downloadable pdfs, but other formats are still under consideration.
A list of the modules with their learning objectives and an example of the structure (Figure 1) are provided here to give the reader a sense of the goals of the modules as well as the ways they are connected to prior writing. The reader should note the many references to genre expectations and conventions intended to bridge the gap between prior writing outside of engineering contexts and writing in the engineering disciplines.
The goal of this work-in-progress paper is to document and present the work completed thus far as instructional modules are developed to support instructors teaching early engineering laboratory courses. Based on initial feedback from instructors who have used the modules, there are strengths and areas for improvement.
Strengths of the modules according to this feedback include the support for instructors to develop effective assignments and grading rubrics; this is content provided in the preface and most specifically geared toward instructors. Instructors also appreciate the ability to copy and paste content into their own assignment documents and learning management systems. So far, only the report organization module has been used for student instruction.
Areas for improvement include module organization and naming, adoptability and ease of use for time-limited faculty, brevity of module contents (or perceived brevity), additional sample grading rubrics, tailoring of contents for specific disciplines. Canvas Commons, KEEN Cards, or other repositories of easily adopted instructional materials could be valuable places to include this content to improve adoptability.
This paper presents the development, contents, and early instructor assessment of instructional modules intended for instructors of early engineering laboratory classes with a lab report writing component. The module development process was based on prior research of student report writing performance using a report writing outcomes rubric developed by the authors. The modules are scaffolded to support instruction of students at all levels of lab report genre awareness; they can be used to support students' early lab report writing as well as for improvement in more advanced data analysis and interpretation. While early feedback indicates there are opportunities to improve the modules, they serve as a valuable contribution to laboratory report writing instruction.
These materials are in the process of beta testing by a select group of faculty. Assessment of both the adoption by engineering lab instructors and the performance of students are being studied. The modules will be refined and made publicly available once they have been fully vetted and tested.