Written Communication Jan 2003

The Role of Technical Expertise in Engineering and Writing Teachers’ Evaluations of Students’ Writing

Summer Smith Clemson University

Abstract

This study examines the extent to which a teacher’s level of expertise in the subject of a technical paper affects the teacher’s reading and evaluation of it. Four engineering teachers and four writing teachers were asked to read aloud the same three student papers and to say aloud their thoughts as they read. The engineering teachers read papers on familiar and unfamiliar subjects. This method allowed direct comparison of the responses of (a) engineering teachers with relevant expertise in a paper’s subject, (b) engineering teachers without such expertise, and (c) writing teachers. The comparison indicates that technical expertise helps teachers evaluate validity and engage with the text but has a more ambiguous effect on evaluations of rhetorical appropriateness. The article also examines the teachers’ differing attitudes toward the importance of having technical expertise when evaluating and recommends approaches for teacher-training programs (in engineering and composition) based on the results.

Journal
Written Communication
Published
2003-01-01
DOI
10.1177/0741088303253570
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Open Access
Closed
Topics
rhetorical criticism teacher development assessment
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (9)

  1. Charney (2015)
    Getting to “How Do You Know?” Rather Than “So What?” From “What's New?”
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  2. Schreibersdorf (2014)
    Literary Discipline in the Margins
    Pedagogy
  3. Watts et al. (2012)
    Pairing Courses Across the Disciplines: Effects on Writing Performance
    Written Communication
  4. Taylor (2011)
    “I Really Don't Know What He Meant by That”: How Well Do Engineering Students U…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  5. Taylor (2007)
    Comments on Lab Reports by Mechanical Engineering Teaching Assistants: Typical …
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Show all 9 →
  1. Cho et al. (2006)
    Commenting on Writing: Typology and Perceived Helpfulness of Comments from Novi…
    Written Communication
  2. Taylor et al. (2006)
    Ten Engineers Reading: Disjunctions between Preference and Practice in Civil En…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  3. Taylor et al. (2006)
    Ten Engineers Reading: Disjunctions between Preference and Practice in Civil En…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  4. Mackiewicz (2004)
    The Effects of Tutor Expertise in Engineering Writing: A Linguistic Analysis of…
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication

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CrossRef global citation count: 15 View in citation network → Build reading path →

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