To tackle increasingly difficult engineering problems, engineers require more than just technical knowledge. To this end, there is a need for engineers to develop their critical thinking and abstract thought to complement their technical expertise. The course introduces students to critical thinking from an engineer’s perspective. The primary focus is on the process of conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication.

Scholarly Communication is a concise but comprehensive course on how to write research papers in English. The course will help the candidates gain a better understanding of the rhetorical conventions of English and the common challenges the candidates may face as an academic writer. The course provides instruction, exercises, structure, and deadlines needed to create a publishable paper.

The course develops students’ enhanced understanding of Engineering English based on the principles of a good technical text: technical accuracy, usefulness, conciseness, completeness, clearness, consistency, correct spelling, grammar and punctuation. It allows students to perform their own language analyses with the help of computer concordancing programs that are aimed at identifying formulaic multi-word units, or word partnerships, in which certain words co-occur in a natural text with greater than random frequency.

The course introduces students to the fiction that would be good for engineers to read to reflect on their professional role in society and as individuals. The course prepares students to face challenges when they are to manage project groups and be leaders for organizations because such positions demand skills in social competence and empathy. Also, the course encourages students to sharpen their thinking and make it more complex to see patterns and connections in other fields.

The course focuses on the conventional format for reporting the results of research, investigations, and design projects. It provides information on how to write different technical documentation, e.g., laboratory reports, research reports, design and feasibility reports, progress reports, consulting reports, the results of an investigative study, or the solution to a design problem. The course also focuses on audience, purpose, and measures of excellence in technical documents.

The course introduces students to the disclosure of a patent specification, which is a techno-legal document that establishes novelty and non-obviousness of an invention. The course covers basic prerequisites of patentability, namely, novelty, inventiveness, industrial applicability, and sufficiency of disclosure. The course also provides clear guidelines for transforming an invention into technical contents of patent applications.

Emotional intelligence is of particular importance for engineers as they have to work with people outside of their field. To become a truly great engineering manager, one needs to develop a strong ability to recognize and manage emotions of others while solving problems or making decisions. This course is organized around a methodology that helps students progress from personal awareness and knowledge to interpersonal development and organizational development.

Professional writing in the workplace reflects rhetorical constraints associated with three professions—engineering, administration, and technical writing. Engineering writing responds to professional values of scientific objectivity and professional judgment as well as to corporate interests. Administrative writing reflects decisionmaking authority and promotes institutional identity. Technical writing accommodates audience needs through complying with professional readability standards.

Writing for social media and the news media, engineers must convey their messages concisely, confidently, and memorably. This takes strategy, good storytelling skills, and the ability to focus on the essential information. This course is for students who want to strengthen their writing skills and develop their authentic voices as professionals. The course provides strategies turning technical jargon into a distilled message that captures online readers' attention.

The course focuses on the conventional format for reporting the results of research, investigations, and design projects. It provides information on how to write different technical documentation, e.g., laboratory reports, research reports, design and feasibility reports, progress reports, consulting reports, the results of an investigative study, or the solution to a design problem. The course also focuses on audience, purpose, and measures of excellence in technical documents.

The course explores ethical and social aspects of engineering. It examines standards and ethical issues in research and practice, extending to the effects of innovation on society at large. It also contextualizes human rights concepts and theories in engineering practice. Finally, the course develops students’ knowledge of problematic issues, ethical principles, and main regulations as well as skills for analyzing and integrating the professional responsibility criteria in specific engineering solutions.