Designing a Needs-Based Technical Writing Course for Engineering Students: A Study of Bachelor-Level Male Engineering Students at IIUI

Abstract

The aim of this study is to design a needs-based Technical Writing course for the
undergraduate students of the Faculty of Engineering and Technology (henceforth
FET) at International Islamic University, Islamabad (henceforth IIUI). Data for this
purpose was collected from 40 students from the 6th and 8th semesters of FET at IIUI.
The research instruments employed for the collection of this data were a survey
questionnaire and a diagnostic test designed to find out the students’ needs and lacks.
Findings indicated that the students were quite aware of their current and future
needs and were thus also interested in being taught things that would benefit them
the most. They also gave suggestions for the improvement of the course and hinted at
what they expected from their teachers. Study material for a pilot course was drafted
on the basis of these findings.