Description | Registration | What Students Say | Instructors | FAQ

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

JDE I and II work together to first provide a strong foundation in how to make clear communication, and then providing support as you practice the skills of clear communication through the writing of the thesis document.

JDE 1: Foundations of Technical Communication
JDE 2: Writing and Presenting the Engineering Thesis

The first course is suitable to students at any stage of their graduate work, whereas the second is restricted to students who have completed JDE 1 AND are currently writing their thesis.

JDE I: Foundations of Technical Communication

This 12-week course establishes the core of technical communication for engineers. It assumes a basic language competence, so is aimed to meet the needs of English language speakers and strong second-language speakers who need to write and work at a professional and academic level. To earn the notation, students will need to demonstrate the following abilities:

• organize writing clearly and logically.
• handle evidence appropriately in writing to structure a logical argument.
• explain concepts in formal and informal contexts, including an ability to handle the dialogic nature of engineering seminar presentation.
• read and use the research in their field, including not only summarizing the work of others but synthesizing and evaluating it as well.
• understand strategies of revision at the document, paragraph and sentence levels.
• understand grammatical and stylistic usage and an emerging ability to self-edit written work.
• make short presentations using language appropriate to audience level.
• handle visual elements appropriately for oral presentation.
• contribute to oral discussion in their field.

The design of the course will be a small group seminar ˆ no more than 15 ˆ involving intensive feedback from the professor and peers, frequent writing and presentation. Students should expect to spend 3-4 hours/week writing or preparing oral presentations for this course; therefore, first year PHD or MASc students may find this course difficult with their course load. Students who do not demonstrate the competencies at the end of the course will be encouraged to take it again. Only those who satisfy the requirements will receive transcript notation.

This is a transcriptable, non-credit course for graduate students. This designation simply means that the course will appear on your transcript; however, the grade will only appear as "CR" (meaning credit), so it will not affect your average.

Meeting Times: Wednesday 9-12. Starting January 16, 2003. Location TBA.
Cost: $350

JDE II: Writing and Presenting the Engineering Thesis

Pre-requisites: JDE I and having the thesis "in-progress"

This course is specifically designed to capture the needs of students at the stage of writing the thesis. Admission will be restricted to students who can demonstrate that they are in the writing phase of the thesis or are working on a paper for publication (with supervisor's approval). This course will be structured as a small working group, roughly specific to disciplines.

Since writers in a field need to move beyond adherence to formal requirements, this course helps students understand and adapt accepted practices in their field to shape effective communication. Thus, the skills of JDE I will be extended by applying them to the demands of writing a thesis or publication article. To earn the transcript notation, students will need to demonstrate the following competencies:

• understanding of the rhetorical structures of the thesis.
• understanding of the structures and expectations within various sections of the thesis (e.g. literature review, methodology).
• ability to design a thesis structure appropriate to their research and develop the thesis from outline to finished product.
• high-level understanding of the use of evidence and logical argumentation in writing.
• self-analytical skills for writing (revision, editing, style).
• ability to understand, synthesize, and evaluate research and to make appropriate use of it throughout the thesis.
• ability to apply revision strategies quickly and accurately at the document, paragraph, and sentence levels.
• ability to make professional-level formal presentations around their thesis/publication material.
• understanding of how to adapt research material for various forms of professional publication (articles, posters, etc.)

In addition, students in the course should expect to produce significant amounts of writing, perhaps a few chapters of the thesis or a publication ready article. With frequent feedback on their writing, students will be expected to make significant progress over the 12 weeks. The transcript notation will be determined by demonstrated progress at two levels: generating their thesis/paper, and developing clearer writing.

This is a transcriptable, non-credit course for graduate students. This designation simply means that the course will appear on your transcript; however, the grade will only appear as "CR" (meaning credit), so it will not affect your average.
 

One supervisor wrote:  I noticed a significant improvement. . . . When I read the 'final' draft about a week ago, I found it much easier to read than earlier drafts. I was able to focus entirely on technical issues. . . . The level of improvement was much greater than I normally see from 1st to final draft when I am the only one providing comments. . . . The short answer - yes, I found it very helpful to have someone else working with ----- specifically on communication skills. And yes, I noticed significant value added.

Meeting Times: TBA
Cost: $175

HOW TO REGISTER

 JDE 1 costs $350. (Speak to your supervisor to see if he or she has funding available as part of your package or his or her research budget.)   The cost covers all course materials, so you will not have to purchase a textbook apart from the course fee.

Before you register read the Frequently Asked Questions below. The answers may influence your decision.
Registration is prioritized based on four criteria:

1. date of sign up
2. balance between programs
3. year of study
4. receipt of payment

To register:
1. Send an e-mail message to writing@ecf.utoronto.ca with  JDE1 in the subject line and the following information:

• Name
• Student Number
• Department Code (e.g MIE, ECE)
• Date you started Program (e.g. January 2002)
• Year of Study as of September 1st, 2003 (e.g. if you started in September 1, 2001, you would now be in year 3)
• Degree program (MASc, MEng, PhD)
• Supervisor Name

2. Arrange Payment.

Option #1: Make cheque payable to "University of Toronto."  Bring your cheque to SF B670 to Dr. P. Weiss.   You will be notified of your place in the course.

Option #2: Have your supervisor arrange payment with the Language Across the Curriculum Program through Dr. P. Weiss.

WHAT STUDENTS HAVE SAID

About learning oral communication, one international student wrote:
 

"Today I want to thank you again, and feel you might be glad to know that I gave that talk to a group of students, people from industry, and professors at a retreat on Sunday and won 1st prize for student presentation, a full year tuition fee. ... I wasn't the best talker among all the students there, but I certainly benefited from the techniques and details I learned from your course, and gave a good overall presentation."

About The Foundations of Technical Communication, one student wrote:
 

"This course was great! I learned so much.  I feel much more confident writing papers for my professor. I know that I will be able to say what I mean."

About The Engineering Thesis, one wrote:
 

"Did I need this course? I can't imagine writing my thesis without it."

About the course as a whole, one wrote:
 

"Going into the JDE course, my writing and speaking skills were generally good.  However, JDE provided me an opportunity to refine my communication skills in a non-threatening environment with personal attention from the instructors.  There are few courses in which the instructors are able to critique the written and oral work in as much detail . . . .  Based on their feedback, I identified weaknesses in my communication skills that hadn't been identified previously, and as a result, my written work and oral presentations have improved.  . . .  Additionally, the course notes and the feedback on my written assignments are excellent reference materials, and I refer to them frequently when writing and editing."

Instructors

Robert Irish

Robert Irish is the Director of Language Across the Curriculum (LAC) in the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering at University of Toronto. He has taught engineering communication extensively in the university and industry. Most recently, he taught a course very much like JDE 1 for industry in Australia.

Brock MacDonald

Brock MacDonald has taught JDE since it began in 1995. He has also taught in the academic skills centre at U. of T.'s Mississauga campus and at Woodsworth College. He is one of the core tutors working within LAC. He has also developed the soon to be launched Certificate in Professional Communication being offered through the Professional Development Centre.

Katherine Tiede

Katherine Tiede coordinates the first year writing courses in the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering at the University of Toronto as well as teaching JDE. She has been teaching in the Faculty since 1996. She received her PhD in Applied Linguistics from the University of Toronto in 1996. Among other places, she has taught at Ryerson Polytechnic University, York University, and Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Peter Eliot Weiss

Himself a lifelong professional writer, Peter Weiss has long experience in helping others work to refine their writing. He is also a very experienced oral communication instructor with students, actors, and professional engineers. In addition to teaching JDE, Peter coordinates the "Written and Oral Communication" course for Engineering Science program.

FAQs

Can I audit?
Is the course for native English speakers or foreign students?
What if my Teaching assistantship conflicts with the course?
Does the course have homework?
What if I'm going to be away during the term?
Can post-doctoral fellows take the course?

Can I audit the course?
No.  The classes are kept small (max. 20) because the course is a workshop that involves a great deal of hands-on activity and response from the instructor.

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Is the course suitable for native English speakers or foreign students?
Both. Students are divided into sections with others of similar ability.   Regardless of your skill coming in, we'll help you improve. Some non-native students have found the pace of the course difficult to handle. Other courses may be more appropriate for these students. See comments from those who have taken the course above.

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What if my Teaching assistantship conflicts with the course?
Courses take precedence over TA duties and you should be able to get a different TA assignment. Talk to your supervisor and graduate coordinator.

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Does the course involve homework? And if so, how much?
Yes, and about 3 hrs/week.  The class meets for 3 hrs/week and we expect students to devote about 3 hrs/wk outside of class time doing reading, writing, or preparing speeches. All of these will have some bearing on engineering work in general, and where possible, the assignments will be drawn directly from the students' research area.

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What does "transcriptable, non-credit course" mean?
This means simply that the course will appear on your transcript.  No grade will be assigned to the course, so it will only appear as "CR" (meaning credit).  Employers or future schools will look at that favourably.

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What if I'm going to be away during the term?
DO NOT TAKE THE COURSE!  If you miss more than two sessions in any one unit, we kick you out.  So, if you know you're going to be away for more than two weeks in the year (for research, for travel etc.), DO NOT TAKE THE COURSE.  Last year there were more than 40 students on the waiting list, yet we had to remove others because they were missing too many classes. Be fair to others.  If you know you cannot take the whole course, do not enroll.

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If I'm a post-doctoral fellow, can I take the course?
No, the course is for graduate students.  In the past, we told post-docs that we would  let them in if there was space. There never is. Sorry.  Engineering's Professional Development Centre offers several writing and oral courses that are open to all, and do not require the year-long commitment.

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