A team of courseware developers at Texas A&M University is designing a computer-assisted course in statics, as part of a computer-based undergraduate engineering curriculum being developed by a major corporation. On such a project, the technical writers' tasks include not only documentation and editing, but also reinterpretation of the role of the written word as it functions in the new context of computer-assisted-instruction (CAI). The technical writers share with the subject-matter experts in engineering the responsibilities of course development. Because of constraints imposed by programming and hardware parameters, lesson planning involves systematic thought about rationale and educational issues. The writers must conform to the system's constraints in deciding how much text to include in a lesson and what its role should be.

At the University of Akron, mechanical engineering students learn technical communication skills in their senior laboratory course. Experiments are designed to allow role-playing by both student and instructor, so that work is conducted and findings are presented within hypothetical contexts of realistic interactions between industrial firms and their clients. Through role-playing, students learn to analyze an audience and to state objectives clearly. Role-playing reinforces the realistic training students receive in cooperative education programs by allowing them to experience the pressures of professional communication responsibilities. It also narrows the gap between classroom and industry by focusing students' attention on the results and organizational implications of their work as well as on theory and method.