Courses Instructors Technical Communication Clinic Workshops Denatured Journal Resource library
Courses
The Engineering Communication Program offers two courses:
- ENGR 231: Introduction to Technical Communication (required for most engineering students)
- ENGR 333: Advanced Technical Communication in the Engineering Workplace
ENGR 231: Introduction to Technical Communication
3 credits
ENGR 231 examines the basics of researching and presenting technical information for different audiences and purposes. Individually and in teams, students learn to construct documents and presentations, following conventions of oral, written, and visual communication.
The ENGR 231 teaching team is committed to providing a welcoming environment for all students and for promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in their teaching practices.
Multiple sections of ENGR 231 are offered in autumn, winter, and spring quarters.
ENGR 231 registration information
All sections of ENGR 231 are strictly capped at 30 students. Students who do not attend the first two sessions of the section in which they are registered may be dropped from the course in order to accommodate other interested students.
The prerequisite for registration is 5 credits that count toward the English Composition requirement (either both ENGL 109 and ENGL 110, or any one of the following: C LIT 240, ENGL 111, ENGL 121, ENGL 131, ENGL 182, ENGL 197, ENGL 198, ENGL 199, ENGL 281, ENGL 282, ENGL 297, ENGL 298, ENGL 299, ENGL 381, ENGL 382, HONORS 205, HONORS 345).
Students with majors that require ENGR 231 as a graduation requirement are given preference in registration.
- Registration Period I: Open to students in Engineering majors that require ENGR 231 (BSE, CHEM E, CIV E, COMP E, ENV E, EE, ECE, HCDE, IND E, MSE, and ME), ENGRUD students, and EEP/UWACAD students
- Registration Period II: Open to students in Engineering majors (Period I majors + A&A and BIOEN).
- Registration Period III: Open to students in all majors.
Students who meet the eligibility criteria listed above and are unable to register themselves for ENGR 231 in MyUW (e.g., incoming transfer students who have been admitted to a University of Washington engineering major for a future quarter) can request to be registered for ENGR 231 during their eligible registration period by emailing engrcomm@uw.edu with their preferred sections. Please include ENGR 231 in the subject line.
For any questions or issues with registration, contact engrcomm@uw.edu.
ENGR 333: Advanced Technical Communication in the Engineering Workplace
4 credits
This course focuses on advanced skills, strategies, and genres related to technical communication and writing. Some genres include resumes, proposals, procedures, and presentations. The thematic focus of this course is on collaborative teamwork and inclusive language for a diverse workplace. The course content builds on practical strategies introduced in ENGR 231.
ENGR 333 registration information
All sections of ENGR 333 are capped at 25 students. Students who do not attend the first two sessions of the section in which they are registered may be dropped from the course in order to accommodate other interested students.
The prerequisite for registration in ENGR 333 is successful completion of ENGR 231: Introduction to Technical Communication at UW or an equivalent Introduction to Technical Writing or Technical Communication course.
For any questions or issues with registration, contact engrcomm@uw.edu.
Meet our instructors
Neils Clark
Neils graduated from the University of Washington's Department of Communication in 2003, and then earned his MA from the University of Hawaiʻi in 2006. He is the co-author of Game Addiction, author of In Play, and his research has been published in the journal Games & Culture. His work centers on video games, particularly their ethical implications and artistic merit. He has worked with Fortune 500 companies such as Verizon and MTV, as well as charitable organizations such as Seattle Children's Hospital and Child's Play. Neils began teaching in 2009, and strives to make every lecture both valuable and fun.
Kathy Gill
As a communications professional who speaks tech, Kathy has helped organizations like AT&T, Boeing, King County Elections and Microsoft tell their stories. She’s also guided graduate and undergraduate UW students as they mastered digital skills ranging from coding websites to writing for the web, from understanding how “social media” works to seeing the economic disruption that digital technology carries in its wake. Always while putting the customer/user first: a user-centered design ethic for digital communication before we used the phrase.
When she’s not at a keyboard, you might find her teaching students how to ride motorcycles safely, puttering in the garden, or playing with her Cairn Terrier, Misty.
Tamara Neely
Tamara has worked in communications for over three decades, starting out in journalism and working in documentary production and as a radio news reporter in Washington, DC. After moving to the Pacific Northwest, Tamara started working for an engineering firm—and stayed there for almost 15 years, eventually working as their lead technical writer/editor and conducting corporate technical communications training. Tamara also teaches in the UW's professional and continuing education department's Editing Certificate Program and is part of the team that received the 2019 Team Instructional Excellence Award from UW’s Continuum College. Tamara aims to recreate real-world professional engineering communication circumstances in the classroom, which led to receiving the student-nominated 2020 Faculty Appreciation for Career Education and Training (FACET) Award. Tamara also focuses on practice over instant perfection and on developing a growth mindset—particularly for engineering students feeling hesitant about written and oral communication.
Lisa Owen
A 1993 graduate from the University of Washington, Lisa has spent the last 25+ years working in the software, life sciences, and healthcare industries. She relishes each opportunity to teach Engineering 231 and enjoys getting to know students and learning about the engineering problems they are working to solve.
Giovanna Scalone
Giovanna earned her Ph.D. in the Learning Sciences at the College of Education from the University of Washington in 2015. Her research emphasizes the social foundations of learning in both STEM informal and formal learning environments with a focus on agency, sense-making and identity development. With a commitment to social justice, her research, and interests in engineering education on design thinking and developing engineering identities informs her teaching. She taught HCDE 231 in 2019 and is dedicated to supporting learner agency by creating equitable learning experiences that are valuable and personally consequential for learners and their communities.
Kevin Shi
Kevin received a bachelor's and master's in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Washington in 2017 and 2018. Kevin started lecturing for ENGR 231 in the autumn of 2019 to pursue his passion for teaching, mentorship, and promoting mental and physical wellness at his alma mater. By leveraging his recent experience as a UW College of Engineering graduate, he builds a welcoming and supportive classroom environment that promotes growth and life-long learning. Outside of teaching, Kevin loves dogs, traveling, and consuming seasonal Starbucks beverages. He is looking forward to meeting you in his class.