Scientific and Technical Communication (ENS 555)

2014 Spring
Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences
Engineering Sciences(ENS)
0
7
Daniel Lee Calvey daniel.calvey@sabanciuniv.edu,
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English
Doctoral, Master
--
Formal lecture,Seminar,One-to-one tutorial,Group tutorial
Interactive,Learner centered,Communicative,Discussion based learning,Task based learning,Guided discovery
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Programs\Type Required Core Elective Area Elective
Computer Science and Engineering - With Bachelor's Degree *
Computer Science and Engineering - With Master's Degree *
Computer Science and Engineering - With Thesis *
Cyber Security - With Bachelor's Degree *
Cyber Security - With Master's Degree *
Cyber Security - With Thesis *
Electronics Engineering and Computer Science - With Bachelor's Degree *
Electronics Engineering and Computer Science - With Master's Degree *
Electronics Engineering and Computer Science - With Thesis *
Electronics Engineering - With Bachelor's Degree *
Electronics Engineering - With Master's Degree *
Electronics Engineering - With Thesis *
Energy Technologies and Management-With Thesis *
Industrial Engineering - With Bachelor's Degree *
Industrial Engineering - With Master's Degree *
Industrial Engineering - With Thesis *
Leaders for Industry Biological Sciences and Bioengineering - Non Thesis *
Leaders for Industry Computer Science and Engineering - Non Thesis *
Leaders for Industry Electronics Engineering and Computer Science - Non Thesis *
Leaders for Industry Electronics Engineering - Non Thesis *
Leaders for Industry Industrial Engineering - Non Thesis *
Leaders for Industry Materials Science and Engineering - Non Thesis *
Leaders for Industry Mechatronics Engineering - Non Thesis *
Manufacturing Engineering - Non Thesis *
Manufacturing Engineering - With Bachelor's Degree *
Manufacturing Engineering - With Master's Degree *
Manufacturing Engineering - With Thesis *
Materials Science and Nano Engineering-(Pre:Materials Science and Engineering) *
Materials Science and Nano Engineering-(Pre:Materials Science and Engineering) *
Materials Science and Nano Engineering - With Thesis (Pre.Name: Materials Science and Engineering) *
Mathematics - With Bachelor's Degree *
Mathematics - With Master's Degree *
Mathematics - With Thesis *
Mechatronics Engineering - With Bachelor's Degree *
Mechatronics Engineering - With Master's Degree *
Mechatronics Engineering - With Thesis *
Molecular Biology, Genetics and Bioengineering (Prev. Name: Biological Sciences and Bioengineering) *
Molecular Biology, Genetics and Bioengineering-(Prev. Name: Biological Sciences and Bioengineering) *
Molecular Biology,Genetics and Bioengineering-With Thesis (Pre.Name:Biological Sciences and Bioeng.) *
Physics - Non Thesis *
Physics - With Bachelor's Degree *
Physics - With Master's Degree *

CONTENT

This course’s aims to enhance the communication of graduate student research with the long term goal of facilitating research output. To this aim, the rhetorical genres characteristic of scientific/technical writing and presentation will be discussed: review of literature, poster, thesis, article for publication, conference abstract, and review paper. A final output of the course is the presentation of an exploratory research paper/poster within the student’s program field. Course materials and assignments are tied into ongoing projects in content course programs.

OBJECTIVE

Encourage the communication of research output

LEARNING OUTCOMES

  • Learning Outcomes for FENS 555, Scientific and Technical Writing N. Karabeyoglu, CIAD COURSE CODE ENS 555 GRADUATE LEVEL COURSE TITLE Scientific and Technical Communication AIMS Rationale: The aim of this course, in building professional competencies in speaking and writing, addresses two needs: a broad one, relating to graduate education in general; a specific one, addressing Sabanci University FENS Faculty requirements for its graduate students. The first aim relates to the traditional view of professional development in academia as a kind of ?inanate? or natural trajectory of skills building. However, the production of most academic writing is recursive, recycling information from various genres (thesis chapters become articles, grant and fellowship applications emerge from statements of research aims). The second aim relates to the FENS Faculty?s encouragement of the production of a research article by graduates upon degree completion. These two needs, building an academic persona and facilitating research output for FENS, shape FENS 555?s aim in building professional competencies in graduate student writing and speaking. To directly enhance the communicative quality of the scientific and technical research findings emerging from FENS courses, course materials and assignments are tied to ongoing projects in content course programs and individual student research interests. The rhetorical genres characteristic of scientific and technical writing are explored and reproduced by students: review of literature, lab report, poster, thesis, article for publication, and review paper. In order to address speaking skills, students will be asked to present ongoing research, be filmed, and then evaluate themselves and one another for feedback. INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of the course, students will be able to demonstrate through seminar participation and appropriate performance in writing assignments, the following intended learning outcomes: Course-specific skills: a) Construct sets of discipline specific and general academic terms that are essential in their writing up research. Use the language from these sets in their writing of short in-class and out of class assignments. b) Identify in class discussions the rhetorical components of a scientific paper, poster, and thesis, i.e., abstract, introduction, methods and materials, findings, results, and conclusion. c) Reproduce/model to a fair degree these significant components listed in b above in course assignments. d) Produce a draft of ongoing research in their field. The long project can come from any genre of scientific writing in which the student chooses: project proposals, lab reports, reaction papers, literature reviews, drafts of articles for publication, and grant proposals. Discuss this work with the course instructor or tutor so as to facilitate the student?s communicative competencies of the research topic. e) Discuss their research aims and writing abilities in tutorial sessions with instructor and/or class teaching assistants. f) Present research, be filmed, and self-evaluation. Slides and delivery are analyzed in terms of delivery, accuracy of paraphrase, and audience awareness. As audience members, students also evaluate one another. Discipline-specific skills: a) Identify and discuss the major rhetorical structures in the writing of a research article in their particular discipline. b) Identify the specific values a discipline places upon the various rhetorical components of a paper by drafting a research article or critically evaluating a paper from their own discipline. Individual and key skills: a) Attend and respond to class discussions and activities b) Review and revise student work in small groups c) Deliver presentations to peers, communicate effectively in speech and writing d) Produce several short written assignments e) Write a final project, a draft of research from the student?s field, or critically evaluate a research article from their field. f) Present research, with their peers as audience, consent for filming of the presentation, and evaluate feedback from peers.

ASSESSMENT METHODS and CRITERIA

  Percentage (%)
Assignment 34
Participation 33
Individual Project 33

RECOMENDED or REQUIRED READINGS

Readings

Alley, Michael. The Craft of Scientific Writing, 3rd ed. (NY: Springer, 1997).
Altick, Richard D. The Art of Literary Research, rev. ed. (NY: Norton, 1963).
Anholt, Robert R.H. Dazzle ?em with Style: The Art of Oral Scientific Presentation. (NY: W.H.Freeman & Co., 1994).
Barzun, Jacques and Henry Graff. The Modern Researcher, rev. ed. (New York, 1970)
Booth, Wayne C. and Gregory G. Colomb, The Craft of Research. (Chicago: Univ of Chicago Press, 1995).
Columbia Guide to Online Style. (19.09.2002) http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cup/cgos/bsic/html.
Comley, Nancy. The Practice of Writing. (NY: Random House, 1985).
Crews, Frederick. The Random House Handbook, 4th ed. (NY: Random House, 1984).
Davis, Martha. Scientific Papers and Presentations. (San Diego: Academic Press, 1997).
Pechenik, Jan. A. A Short Guide to Writing about Biology, 5th ed. (NY: Pearson, Longman, 2004).
Krathwohl, David R. How to Prepare a Research Proposal: Guidelines for Funding and Dissertations in the Social and Behavioral Sciences, 3rd edition. (NY:Syracuse University Press, 1984).
Roig, Michael. ?Plagiarism in the sciences: What do we really know?? (Presentation), METU Fall 2006 Conference
-----. English in Today?s Research World: A Writing Guide. (Michigan: The University of Michigan: 2003)
Swales, John and Steffanie Lindermann. ?Teaching the Literature Review to International Graduate Students? in Ann John?s Genre in the Classroom:Multiple Perspectives. (Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 105-119)
Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 6th ed., rev. Grossman and Bennett. (Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press, 1996)
Writing Up Research: Using the literature. http://www.languages.ait.ac.th/EL2LIT.HTM. Date of Access: 10.07.2001
Zeigler, Mimi Essentials of Writing Biomedical Research Papers, 2nd ed. (NY: McGraw Hill, 2000)
Zinser, William. On Writing Well, 3rd ed. (NY: Harper & Row, 1985)
Zobel, Justin. Writing for Computer Science, 2nd edition. (Springer-Verlag Ltd., 2004)