NASA-TM-111133

NASA/DoD Aerospace KnowledgeDiffusion Research Project

AIAA 96-0 163

Paper Fifty Three

From Student to Entry-Level Professional:Examining The Technical Communications Practices ofEarly Career-Stage U.S. Aerospace Engineers and Scientists

Paper presented at the 34th Aerospace Sciences Meeting & Exhibitof the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)Reno Hilton ResortReno, NevadaJanuary 18, 1996

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Thomas E. PinelliNASA Langley Research CenterHampton, Virginia

Karen HollowayAmerican Institute of Aeronautics & AstronauticsWashington, DC

Rebecca O. Barclay..

Electronic Information Age , Inc.Portsmouth, Virginia

John M. Kennedy/nd/ana UniversityBloomington, Indiana

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https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19960003231 2018-05-15T12:13:24+00:00Z

FROM STUDENT TO ENTRY-LEVEL PROFESSIONAL: EXAMINING THE TECHNICALCOMMUNICATIONS PRACTICES OF EARLY CAREER-STAGE U.S. AEROSPACE

ENGINEERS AND SCIENTISTS

Thomas E. Pinelli*NASA Langley Research Center

Hampton, VA

Karen HollowayAmerican Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics

Washington, DC

Rebecca O. BarclayElectronic Information Age, Inc.

Portsmouth, VA

John M. KennedyIndiana UniversityBloomington, IN

Abstract

Studies indicate that communications andinformation-related activities take up a substantialportion of an engineer's work week; therefore, effectivecommunications and information-use skills are one ofthe key engineering competencies that early career-stageaerospace engineers and scientists must possess tobe successful. Feedback from industry ratescommunications and information-use skills high interms of their importance to engineering practice;however, this same feedback rates the communicationsand information-use skills of early career-stage engineerslow. To gather adequate and generalizable data aboutthe communications and information-related activities ofentry-level aerospace engineers and scientists, wesurveyed 264 members of the AIAA who have no morethan 1-5 years of aerospace engineering workexperience. To learn more about the concomitantcommunications norms, we compared the results of thisstudy with data (1,673 responses) we collected fromstudent members of the AIAA and with data (341responses) we collected from a study of aerospaceengineering professionals. In this paper, we reportselected results from these studies that focused on thecommunications practices and information-relatedactivities of early career-stage U.S. aerospace engineersand scientists in the workplace.

Head, Visual Imaging Branch, Internal Operations Group,Member, AIAA

Copyright © by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. Nocopyright is asserted in the United States under Title 17, U.S. Code. The U.S.Government has a royalty-free license to exercise all rights under the copyrightclaimed herein for Government Purposes. All other rights are reserved by thecopyright owner.

Introduction

Engineers in the world of work report thatcommunications and information-related activities takeup as much as 80% of their time, that thecommunication of information is an essential elementof successful engineering practice, and that the ability tocommunicate and use information effectively is criticalto professional success and advancement (Mailloux,1989). Feedback from professional engineers and fromengineers' supervisors concerning engineeringcompetencies ranks communications and informationuse skills—the ability to write effectively, to make oralpresentations, and to search out and acquireinformat ion—high in terms of importance toengineering practice. This same feedback, however,ranks the communications skills of entry-levelengineers low (Bakos, 1986; Chisman, 1987; Katz,1993; Kimmel and Monsees, 1979). Althoughgovernment and industry officials are generally satisfiedwith the technical knowledge preparation of new hires,they worry about the ability of entry-level engineers tocommunicate. Kandebo (1988) notes, "if there is asignificant problem with entry-level hires, it lies intheir lack of training and skill in communication... agrowing number of entry-level engineers cannot writetechnical reports, fail to make effective presentationsof their ideas of concepts, and find it difficultto communicate with peers." Because effectivecommunication and information use is fundamental toengineering and to the professional (career) success ofengineers, important questions arise about thecommunications and information-use skills of earlycareer-stage U.S. aerospace engineers and scientists. In

1

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this paper, we report selected results from a survey of264 early career-stage U.S. aerospace engineers andscientists for the following topics: importance of andtime spent communicating information; collaborativewriting; importance of, receipt of, and helpfulness ofcommunications and information-use skills instruction;an undergraduate course in technical communications,use of libraries, and the use and importance of electronic(computer) networks.

Background

Four elements are missing from current discussionsof communications and information-related activitiesand competencies for U.S. aerospace engineers andscientists.

1. A clear explanation from the professionalengineering community about what constitutes"acceptable and desirable communications norms"within that community.

2. Adequate and generalizable data from engineeringstudents about the communications/information-useskills instruction they receive.

3. Adequate and generalizable data from entry-levelengineers about the adequacy and usefulness of theinstruction they received as students.

4. A higher-level theoretical framework, acomprehensive understanding of the nature ofknowledge and learning, within which theinterpretation of such data can take on consistentand fuller meaning.

If these four elements were present, we could construct amechanism that solicits feedback from the workplaceand a system that uses that feedback to answer thequestions of what and how much should be taught andwhen and to determine the effectiveness of instruction.

To contribute to the third element and to collectdescriptive data concerning the use, frequency of use,and importance of technical communications toengineers in the workplace, as part of the NationalAeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/Department of Defense (DoD) Aerospace KnowledgeDiffusion Research Project, we surveyed 264 earlycareer-stage U.S. aerospace engineers and scientists whohave no more than 1-5 years of aerospace engineeringwork experience (Pinelli, Barclay, and Kennedy, 1995a).To contribute to the second element we surveyed 1,673aerospace engineering students (Pinelli, Hecht, Barclay,and Kennedy, 1994). To contribute to the first elementwe surveyed 341 U.S. aerospace engineers and scientistswith an average 21.9 years of aerospace work experience(Pinelli, Barclay, and Kennedy, 1995b).

Related Literature

Our review of the literature centered on engineeringas a profession, engineering knowledge and technicalwork, engineers and their use of information, andengineering communications and the composing andwriting practices of workplace engineers. For thepurposes of this paper, we have limited our review toliterature that focuses on engineering communicationsand the composing and writing practices of engineers.The composing and writing practices of individualengineers were studied by Selzer (1983) and Winsor(1990, 1992). Davis (1977) and Spretnak (1982)surveyed engineering professionals to determine theimpact and importance of effective communicationsskills on career success and advancement and the valueof technical communications training. Middendorf(1980) examined the academic subjects most needed forsuccess in the workplace and proposed a competencyinventory for engineering students that prioritizedinformation retrieval and dissemination skills. David(1982) surveyed recent engineering and science graduatesto determine the importance of writing proficiency tojob performance. In an exploration of specific writingskills and applications, Goubil-Gambrell (1992) studiedrecent electrical and computer engineering graduates todetermine the types of communications they produce inentry-level positions; Strother (1992) surveyedelectrical, mechanical, and civil engineering seniors todetermine their expectations of the importance and typesof writing they anticipate doing in the workplace.

Paradis, Dobrin, and Miller (1985) note that collegetraining itself does not prepare engineering graduates tocommunicate successfully in the work environmentbecause core engineering and science curricula seldominclude writing and editing; when the core curricula do,instructors of engineering or science writing usuallyknow little about the actual environments in whichstudents will work. Paradis, Dobrin, and Miller suggestthat the writing skills of engineering students beimproved by modifying the curricula in schools ofengineering on the basis of the results of studies ofcommunication in the workplace. Tebeaux (1985)concluded from a review of the literature that manyacademic writing courses that purportedly focus onpragmatic writing (i.e., writing for business andindustry) teach writing that bears little resemblance toon-to-job communications. Schreiber (1993) analyzedthe differing discourse communities of academic writingand technical communication. The literature suggests,based on feedback from professional engineers about thecommunications abilities of new engineering graduates,that (1) a disconnect may exist between the academicpreparation of engineers and the world of work that they

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enter on graduation, and (2) many academicians agreethat college training may not prepare engineeringgraduates to communicate successfully in theworkplace. They suggest that the curricula in schoolsof engineering could benefit from modifications basedon studies of communication in the workplace.

Methods and fipmplf. Demographics

Self-administered (self-reported) questionnaires weresent to a sample of 700 and consisted of U.S. aerospaceengineers and scientists who had changed their AIAAmembership from student to professional in the pastfive years. The study was undertaken as a Phase 1activity of the NASA/DoD Aerospace KnowledgeDiffusion Research Project (Pinelli, Kennedy, andBarclay, 1991). The survey was conducted in April-July1995. By July 27,1995, 264 usable questionnaires hadbeen received; we heard from 163 AIAA members whodid/could not participate. The adjusted completion ratefor the survey was 49%.

Of the respondents, 52% (136 respondents) workedin industry, 32% (83 respondents) worked ingovernment, 9% (24 respondents) worked in academia,and 8% (20 respondents) had some other affiliation.The following "composite" participant profile wasdeveloped for the respondents: works in industry(51.7%), has a bachelor's degree (51.9%), has an averageof 2.4 years of work experience in aerospace, waseducated as and works as an engineer (98.1%, 85.2%),works in design/development (49.4%), and is a male(89%).

Presentation of the Data

To learn more about the concomitantcommunication norms among the three groups, wecompared selected results from the student andprofessional engineering studies with the resultsobtained from the survey of early career-stage U.S.aerospace engineers and scientists. Data are presentedfor the following topics: importance of and time spentcommunicating information; collaborative writing;importance of, receipt of, and helpfulness ofcommunications and information-use skills instruction;an undergraduate course in technical communications;use of libraries, and use and importance of electronic(computer) networks.

Importance pf and Time Spent Communicating

The early career-stage (i.e., new) respondents andprofessional (i.e., established) engineers agree that theability to communicate technical information effectively

Table 1. Technical Communicator) Practices of New andEstablished U.S. Aerospace Engineers and Scientists

NewEngineers

EstablishedEngineers

Communication Factors n Mean n Mean

Importance of communi-cating technicalinformation effectively

Hours spent each weekcommunicating tech-nical information inwriting

Hours spent each weekcommunicating techni-cal information orally

Hours spent each weekworking with writtentechnical informationreceived from others

Hours spent each weekworking with technicalinformation receivedorally from others

264 4.6 337 4.7*

257 9.7 328 11.5*

252 10.5 320 11.0

253 9.9

249 8.0

332 9.8

322 8.3

Changes Over Time

Compared to 5 years ago,time spent communi-cating technicalinformation has

IncreasedStayed the sameDecreased

As you have advancedprofessionally, theamount of time spentworking with technicalinformation receivedfrom others has

IncreasedStayed the sameDecreased

181 71.557 22.815 5.9

196 58.397 28.93 12.8

1677414

65.529.05.5

202 60.586 25.746 13.8

*p <: 0.05. "p <, 0.01.

is important (Table 1). The time spent each weekcommunicating technical information in writing andorally was greater for the established than for the newengineers. The amount of time spent working withtechnical information received from others wasappropriately equal for both groups. The time spentcommunicating technical information, compared to fiveyears ago, was greatest for new engineers; the amountof time spent working with technical informationreceived from others, as a function of professionaladvancement, was slightly more for the new engineers.

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Collaborative Writing

The process of collaborative writing was examined.Survey participants were asked whether they write aloneor as part of a group (Table 2). About 31% of the newengineers and about 29% of the established engineerswrite alone. Although a higher percentage of theestablished engineers than the new engineers write witha group of 2-5 people and a group of more than5 people, writing appears to be a collaborative processfor both groups.

New and established engineers were asked to assessthe influence of group participation on writingproductivity (Table 3). About 39% of the newengineers and about 29% of the established engineersindicated that group writing is more productive thanwriting alone. About equal percentage of both groupsreported (20%) that writing with a group was asproductive as writing alone. Conversely, almost 22%

Table 2. Collaborative Writing Practices of New andEstablished U.S. Aerospace Engineers and Scientists

CollaborativePractices

I write aloneI write with

one otherperson

I write witha group oftwo to fivepeople

I write witha group ofmore thanfive people

NewEngineers

X% %* n

71.2 30.7 25114.2 57.9 151

11.3 44.4 116

3.3 13.0 34

EstablishedEngineers

X% %* n

72.8 29.4 32312.5 54.7 179

10.3 48.3 157

4.2 21.4 70

•Percentages do not total 100.

Table 3. Influence of Group Participation on WritingProductivity of New and Established U.S. Aerospace

Engineers and Scientists

NewEngineers

Productivity

A group is more produc-tive than writing alone

A group is about as pro-ductive as writing alone

A group is less productivethan writing alone

I only write alone

n

99

49

30

79

%

38.5

19.1

11.7

30.7

EstablishedEngineers

n

96

64

71

96

%

29.4

19.6

21.7

29.4

of the established engineers, compared to 12% of thenew engineers, reported that writing as part of a groupwas less productive than writing alone.

Importance of Selected Communications/Information-Use Skills

New engineers and student survey participants weregiven a list of six communications/information-useskills and asked to indicate the importance of each ofthese skills to their professional success (Table 4). Theeffective use of computer, communication, andinformation technology was considered to be mostimportant by the new engineers and engineeringstudents. The effective communication of technicalinformation in writing or orally was rated next inimportance by both groups for professional success.Statistically, the engineering students rated theimportance of having a knowledge and understanding ofengineering/science information resources and materials,the ability to search electronic (bibliographic) databases,and the ability to use a library containingengineering/science information resources and materialshigher than did the new engineers.

Table 4. Importance of Selected Communications/Information-Use Skills to U.S. Aerospace

Engineering Students and New U.S. AerospaceEngineers and Scientists

EngineeringStudents

NewEngineers

Importance of n Mean8 n Meana

Effectively communicatingtechnical information inwriting

Effectively communicatingtechnical informationorally

Having a knowledge andunderstanding ofengineering/scienceinformation resourcesand materials

Ability to search electronic(bibliographic) databases

Ability to use a library thatcontains engineering/science informationresources and materials

Effectively using computer,communication andinformation technology

1728 6.3 262 6.2

1728 6.3 263 6.2

1722 6.2 263 5.7*

1699 5.5 259 4.3

1723 5.8 262 4.6*

1729 6.5 262 6.3

aParticipants used a 7-point scale to rate the importance of eachskill, where 7 indicates the highest rating.»/> < 0.05. "p < 0.01.

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Table 5. Communications/Information-Use Skills InstructionReceived by U.S. Aerospace Engineering Students and New

U.S. Aerospace Engineers and Scientists

EngineeringStudents

NewEngineers

Instruction

Technical writing/communication

Speech/oralcommunication

Using a library that con-tains engineering/science informationresources and materials

Using engineering/scienceinformation resourcesand materials

1250

1076

1037

1100

72.2

62.2

59.9

63.6

224

199

198

212

84.4

75.4

75.3

80.6

Searching electronic(bibliographic)databases

Using computer,communication, andinformation technology

869 50.2 160 60.8

1433 82.9 222 84.4

Table 6. Helpfulness of Communications/Infonnation-UseSkills Instruction Received by U.S. Aerospace EngineeringStudents and New U.S. Aerospace Engineers and Scientists

Engineering NewStudents Engineers

Instruction n Mean3 n

Technical writing/ 1248 5.5 224communication

Speech/oral 1092 5.5 201communication

Using a library that con- 1042 5.1 201tains engineering/science informationresources and materials

Using engineering/science 1104 5.3 212information resourcesand materials

Searching electronic 900 5.0 167(bibliographic)databases

Using computer, 1416 5.9 225communication, andinformation technology

Mean3

5.5

5.6

4.8**

5.1

4.6"

6.1"

Participants used a 7-point scale to rate the helpfulness of eachcompetency, where 7 indicates the highest rating.

»p < 0.05. **p <> 0.01.

Next, we asked the engineering students and thenew engineers to indicate if they had receivedinstruction/training in the six communication/information-use skills and asked to indicate if they hadreceived instruction/training in each of the six skills(Table 5) and to rate the perceived helpfulness(usefulness) of that instruction (Table 6). One-half ormore of the respondents in both groups had receivedsome form of instruction/training in the six skills.About 83% of the respondents in both groups reportedhaving received some form of training/instruction inusing computer, communication, and informationtechnology. A higher percentage of the new engineers(84%/75%) than the students (72%/62%) reportedhaving received some form of instruction/training intechnical writing and oral communications. A higherpercentage of new engineers also reported havingreceived some form of instructions/training in using alibrary containing engineering/science informationresource and materials, using engineering/scienceinformation resources and materials, and searchingelectronic (bibliographic) databases.

Perceptions of the respondents in both groupsregarding the helpfulness (usefulness) of theinstruction/training varied (Table 6). Of those who hadreceived instruction/training in using computer,communication, and information technology, the newengineers found it to be more helpful than did theengineering students. The mean responses for bothgroups concerning the helpfulness of theinstruction/training they received in technical writingand oral communication were about equal. Otherwise,the mean responses of the new engineers concerning theinstruction/training they received in the three remainingskills were less than the mean responses of theengineering students.

Undergraduate Course Content for TechnicalCommunications

We asked the new and established engineers whatprinciples, mechanics, and on-the-job skills should beincluded in an undergraduate technical communicationscourse for aerospace engineering and science students(Table 7). The top five principles identifiedfor inclusion by the new engineers were:preparing/presenting information, defining the purposeof the communication, assessing the needs of the reader,developing paragraphs, and notelaking and quoting. Insomewhat different order, the established engineersselected 4 of the 5 same principles selected by the newengineers. The exception was writing grammaticallycorrect sentences. The new engineers recommended

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Table 7. Principles, Mechanics, and On-the-Job SkillsRecommended for Inclusion in an Undergraduate Technical

Communications Course by New and EstablishedU.S. Aerospace Engineers and Scientists

NewEngineers

Principles

Defining the purpose ofthe communication

Assessing the needs ofthe reader

Preparing/presentinginformation in anorganized manner

Developing paragraphs(introductions, transi -tions, conclusions)

Writing grammatically -correct sentences

Notetaking and quotingEditing and revising

Mechanics

AbbreviationsAcronymsCapitalizationNumbersPunctuationReferencesSpelling

Symbols

On-the-Job Skills

AbstractsLettersMemorandaTechnical instructionsJournal articlesConference/meeting

papersLiterature reviewsTechnical manualsNewsletter/newspaper

articlesOral (technical)

presentationsTechnical specificationsTechnical reportsUse of information

sources

n

237

236

251

167

125

138221

n

149164122148166234119194

n

2021681862131211 A1143

10519460

249

205242216

%

92.6

92.2

97.7

65.2

49.0

54.826.3

%

59.165.148.859.465.692.947.479.5

%

80.265.972.784.247.8C £. 156.7

42.077.024.4

96.9

81.394.586.7

EstablishedEngineers

n

547

490

582

520

483

299469

n

304

295361286450455386339

n

406412463340275o/<o243

220287143

567

330398468

%

90.7

81.7

96.5

86.2

80.0

50.077.8

%

51.449.761.048.775.976.765.157.3

%

69.069.477.857.646.4A1 O43. o

37.3

48.324.3

95.3

55.758.1 .79.1

the following mechanics: references, symbols,punctuation, acronyms, and numbers. The establishedengineers recommended the following mechanics:references, punctuation, spelling, capitalization,and symbols. The new engineers recommendedthe following on-the-job skills: oral (technical)presentations, technical reports, use of informationsources, technical instructions, and technicalspecifications. The established engineers recommendedthe following on-the-job skills: oral (technical)presentations, use of information sources, memoranda,letters, and abstracts.

Use of Libraries

Almost all of the respondents indicated that theirorganization has a library. Both the new and establishedengineers were asked to indicate the number of timesthey had used their organization's library in the past6 months (Table 8). About 28% of the new engineersand about 25% of the established engineers reported thatthey had not used their organization's library in the past6 months. Overall library use for both groups ofrespondents is approximately equal. Those respondentswho had not used their organization's library in the past6 months were asked to indicate why they had not.The two top reasons were the same for both new andestablished engineers: "my information needs were metsome other way" (86.8%/89.49%) and "I had noinformation needs" (50.7%/47.5%).

Table 8. Use of a Library in the Past 6 Months by New andEstablished U.S. Aerospace Engineers and Scientists

New EstablishedEngineers Engineers

Number ofVisits n % n %

0 73 28.4 76 25.11-5 105 40.9 125 41.36-10 38 14.8 50 16.511-25 26 10.1 33 10.926-50 10 3.9 13 4.351 or more 3 1.9 6 2.0

Mean 7.3 7.6

Median 3.0 3.0

*P <: 0.05.

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Use and Importance of Electronic (Computer) Networks

Nearly all respondents in both groups have accessto electronic (computer) networks. About 90% of thenew engineers and about 86% of the establishedengineers use electronic (computer) networks in theirwork. Nearly all respondents reported that electronic(computer) networks are important in performing theirpresent professional duties. About 95% and 94% of thenew engineers used electronic (computer) networks forelectronic mail and for electronic file transfer (Table 9).About 92% and 74% of the established engineers usedelectronic (computer) networks for electronic mail andto connect to geographically distant sites. Finally, newand established engineers were asked to report withwhom they exchange messages or files (Table 10).About 86% and 84% of the new engineers exchangefiles with members of their own work group and withpeople outside their work group. Established engineersreported the greatest exchange of messages and fileswith members of their own work group (89.6%) andwith people in their organization at the same geographicwho are not in their own work group (84.5%).

Discussion

The findings permit the formulation of thefollowing general statements regarding the technicalcommunications practices of the early career-stage (i.e.,new engineers) U.S. aerospace engineers and scientistswe surveyed.

1. Statistical differences were noted between newengineers and established engineers and theirresponses concerning the importance ofcommunicating technical information effectivelyand the number of hours spent each weekcommunicating technical information to others inwriting.

2. The number of hours spent each week by newengineers and established engineers working withtechnical information received from others inwriting and orally was approximately equal.

3. The new engineers reported a greater increase in theamount of time they spend communicatingtechnical information, over the past five years, thandid the established engineers.

4. A higher percentage of the new engineers reportedthat writing as a member of a group is moreproductive than writing alone. Conversely, ahigher percentage of established engineers reportedthat writing alone is more productive than writingas a member of a group.

Table 9. Uses of Electronic (Computer) Networks by Newand Established U.S. Aerospace Engineers and Scientists

NewEngineers

EstablishedEngineers

Purpose of Use

Connect to geographi-cally distant sites

Electronic mailElectronic bulletin boards

or conferencesElectronic file transfer

Log into computers forcomputational analysisor to use design tools

Control equipment suchas laboratory instru-ments or machinetools

Access/search thelibrary's catalog

Order documents fromthe library

Search electronic (biblio-graphic) databases

Information search anddata retrieval

Prepare scientific andtechnical papers withcolleagues at geo-graphically distantsites

180 78.6 206 74.4

219 94.8128 55.7

218 94.4

155 67.4

267 92.4110 41.2

150 56.8

44 19.1 12 4.7

143

57

—

161

61

61.9

24.8

—

69.7

26.6

117

50

91

153

77

43.3

19.0

34.4

56.0

28.9

Table 10. Use of Electronic (Computer) Networks by Newand Established U.S. Aerospace Engineers and Scientists

to Exchange Messages or Files

NewEngineers

EstablishedEngineers

Exchange With—

Members of your work 199 85.8 259 89.6group

Other people in your 190 82.3 240 84.5organization at thesame geographic sitewho are not in yourwork group

Other people in your 158 68.7 195 69.1organization at adifferent geographicsite who are not inyour work group

People outside of your 193 83.5 226 80.1work group

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5. Overall, higher mean importance ratings (i.e.,scores) for the six communications/information-useskills were reported by the engineering studentsthan by the new engineers.

6. Overall, a higher percentage of the new engineersthan the engineering students reported havingreceived training/instruction in the sixcommunications/information-use skills.

7. Engineering students and new engineers reportedabout equal mean scores for the helpfulness of theinstruction/training they received in technicalwriting and oral communications.

8. Statistically different mean scores were reportedby the engineering students and the new engineersfor the helpfulness of the instruction/training they received in three of the sixcommunications/information-use skills.

9. The principles, mechanics, and on-the-job skillsrecommended by new engineers and establishedengineers for inclusive in an undergraduate coursein technical communication for aerospaceengineering and science students were very similar.

10. Library use (i.e., use of the organization's library inthe past six months) for new and establishedengineers was about equal for both groups ofrespondents.

11. Both groups of respondents reported having accessto and using electronic (computer) networks inperforming their present professional duties. Bothgroups of respondents reported that electronic(computer) networks were important in performingtheir present professional duties.

Concluding Remarks

The literature we reviewed suggests that, in general,entry-level engineers lack the communications andinformation-use skills to write effectively, make oralpresentations, and search out and acquire information—the very skills and competencies that the literatureindicates are needed for a successful engineering career.In the absence of an explanation from the professionalengineering community about what constitutesacceptable and desirable communications norms, andgiven the lack of adequate and generalizable data thatwould demonstrate the communications andinformation-use skills of entry-level engineers, we willassume that the early career-stage U.S. aerospaceengineers and scientists we surveyed recognize theimportance of and the relationship that exists betweeneffective communications and professional career

success. Most of the new engineers we surveyedreported receiving instruction/training in each of the sixcommunications/information-use skills and theyreported that the instruction/training they received washelpful.

Given the limited purposes of this exploratorystudy, the overall response rate, and the research design,no claims are made regarding the extent to which theattributes of the new engineers in this study reflect theattributes of all early career-stage aerospace engineersand scientists in the U.S. A different research design,larger sample size and methodology would be neededbefore such claims could be made.

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Davis, R. M. (1977). "How Important is TechnicalWriting? — A Survey of the Opinions of SuccessfulEngineers." Technical Writing Teacher 4:3(Spring): 83-88.

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Kandebo, S. (1988). "U.S. Faces Potential Shortageof Engineers." Aviation Week & Space Technology129:33 (December 5): 36-42,47-54,61-62.

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Mailloux, E. N. (1989). "Engineering InformationSystems." In the Annual Review of InformationScience and Technology. Vol. 25. M. E. Williams,ed. Elsevier Science Publishers, Amsterdam,239-266.

Middendorf, W. H. (1980). "Academic Programs andIndustrial Needs." Engineering Education 70:8(May): 835-837.

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