The Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering faculty generated the following list in response to the question, “What characterizes academic and professional communication in this discipline?”

Logically-prepared and presented:

• Logical structure in overall organization
• Paragraphs and sentences are arranged logically by showing the linearity of ideas
• Orderly and logical at the level of writing mechanics (e.g., by providing transitional phrases connecting one part in the sequence to another)

Clear and efficient:

• Precise, coherent, and focused; sentences are crisp and succinct, yet communicate all that is needed
• Short but sufficient; descriptive but complete
• Apt for requirements and expectations of the specific writing task
• Thoughtful and attentive to given instructions
• Comprehensively responds to all that was asked

Grammatically and mechanically sound:

• Avoids grammatical errors and misspellings
• Provides adequate citations to references and sources whenever needed
• Uses units for quantities properly and consistently
• Features some visual appeal and is visually legible (uniformity, spacing, shapes, etc.)

Effectively integrates different types of writing:

• Clearly integrates math and prose
• Distinguishes descriptive or qualitative writing
• Clearly highlights quantitative results whenever present
• Integrates figures and drawings properly and clearly into writing
• Provides verbal explanations of formulas, whenever needed

Focused and purposeful:

• Articulates how writing is a contribution to human knowledge
• Synthesizes concepts into bigger ideas
• Includes clear presentation of different parts of presentation (e.g., description of assumptions, evaluations,
• definition of hypothesis, presentation of conclusions)
• Displays proper adjustments for audiences of different writing tasks
• Makes logic effectively transparent to the audience
• Meets requirements for reproducibility and is effectively sharable

Intentional in writing choices:

• Captures the most important concepts
• Features important observations with appropriate prominence
• Encourages singular, intended interpretation
• Helps the reader understand what was done, how it was done, and for what reason
• Demonstrates clear thinking and understanding

The Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering faculty generated the following list in response to the question, “With which writing abilities should students in this unit’s majors graduate?”

Minimum Requirements for Writing in the Major:

• Evidences subject matter knowledge and appropriate pre-planning processes
• Recognizes and uses audience-specific writing conventions
• Uses and defines appropriate terminology and notation
• Makes effective use of charts, visuals, and non-textual representations
• Organizes communications effectively
• Presents technical processes effectively
• Describes uncertainty of analysis
• Expresses complex data succinctly but comprehensively
• Clearly communicates abstract ideas or complicated phenomenon
• Writes with proper mechanics and formal presentation (grammar, proofreading, etc.)
• Demonstrates proper scholarship and avoids plagiarism
• Critically self-evaluates own work

For each of the twelve desired abilities, the Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering faculty have generated a set of grading criteria.

Ability 1: Evidences subject matter knowledge and appropriate pre-planning processes.

• Provides a preliminary list of steps or flow chart of major processes
• Identifies salient features and main topics of reading, including “gaps,” unstated assumptions, and problems to be addressed
• Unambiguously identifies the purpose of writing
• Identifies or names potential sources of error

Ability 2: Recognizes and uses audience-specific writing conventions.

• Is written in tone, voice, and style appropriate to a specified audience
• Specifies the audience when necessary

Ability 3: Uses and defines appropriate terminology and notation.

• Uses terminology and notation correctly
• Uses terminology and notation that best transmits message to target audience (including avoiding jargon for readers outside field)

Ability 4:  Makes effective use of charts, visuals, and non-textual representations.

• Uses non-word-based descriptions (visuals, tables, code, etc.) as appropriate to communication task
• Includes visuals that are drawn or drafted legibly
• Effectively incorporates mathematical equations and formulas into prose
• Uses consistent method of presentation of visuals
• Properly numbers, labels, and references visuals (legend, axes, in-text references, etc.)

Ability 5: Organizes communications effectively.

• Sequences thoughts, words, notations, and results according to recognizable logic
• Omits needless words, sentences, and paragraphs
• Uses an organization scheme appropriate to purpose of assignment

Ability 6: Presents technical processes effectively.

• Outlines process used to arrive at technical results
• Moves from problem statement to solution
• Presents processes such that they can be repeated by others

Ability 7: Describes uncertainty of analysis.

• Presents conclusions that express uncertainty of outcome
• Presents lab experiment results and conclusions reflect the uncertainty of the analysis

Ability 8: Expresses complex data succinctly but comprehensively.

• Expresses information with sufficient depth
• Avoids excess and redundant information
• Uses words that match the purpose and audience of writing

Ability 9: Clearly communicates abstract ideas or complicated phenomenon.

• Evidences cause-consequence relationships
• Uses diagrams and flow-charts to present complex ideas

Ability 10: Writes with proper mechanics and formal presentation (grammar, proofreading, etc.).

• Is written in sentences that lend themselves to a single interpretation
• Is written in sentences that contain few grammar, spelling, or proofreading errors

Ability 11: Demonstrates proper scholarship and avoids plagiarism.

• Uses appropriate sources for information
• Uses clear and consistent citations to acknowledge all sources used or consulted
• Properly distinguishes between quotes, summaries, and paraphrases

Ability 12: Critically self-evaluates own work.

• Provides self-reflection about writing process
• Includes self-assessment using instructor rubric
• Includes a completed grade sheet

The department’s writing-intensive course in Project Management (CEGE 4101W) offers a fine statement about the importance of writing on its syllabus; one which reflects CEGE’s commitment to its undergraduates:

"When you graduate from the University of Minnesota with a degree in civil, environmental, or geo- engineering, you will all possess the computational and analytical skills expected of an entry-level engineer. But, this is not enough. One of your key competencies will be the ability to effectively communicate with a wide variety of audiences. You will have to communicate with your supervisor, professional peers, and subordinates; contractors and construction workers; past and present clients, as well as potential future clients; elected officials; federal, state, and local governmental regulators and reviewers; and, perhaps most frighteningly, the general public. The breadth of this list of audiences is unique to civil, environmental, and geo- engineering. Writing will be your most common form of professional communication. You will spend a significant fraction of your time writing — even as a junior engineer. You will be called on to write memos, emails, proposals, press releases, invoices, instructions, recommendations and explanations, reports, and design documents. Sometimes you will be writing by yourself and sometimes writing as a member of a team. In short, writing is a required professional skill for all civil, environmental, and geoengineers. We will be working on this skill in this class.” 

From its first Writing Plan in AY 2015-2016, CEGE has focused on developing an extensive curricular matrix identifying where its writing abilities were being taught within the curriculum and possible opportunities for more explicit attention to specific writing tasks and abilities. In its second-edition Writing Plan, spanning AY 2016-2018, CEGE identified three core strategies for assisting students: (1) increasing the use of its writing criteria in course materials; (2) developing instructional support through consultations and workshops; and (3) integrating a departmental writing guide and library of student writing samples into three undergraduate core courses that have laboratory components: Civil Engineering Materials (CEGE 3402W), Fluid Mechanics (CEGE 3502), and Environmental Engineering Laboratory (CEGE 3541). With its third-edition Writing Plan, approved by the Campus Writing Board in April 2019, CEGE continued its efforts to develop further and integrate its writing resources into the curriculum. The department has also launched an internal assessment of student writing in CEGE 3042W (Civil Engineering Materials) that seeks to measure the development of undergraduate writers over the course of the semester.

In 2023-2024, CEGE participated in the WEC Legacy program to review its writing abilities and criteria with a new round of survey data collection (faculty and instructors, undergraduate students, and departmental affiliates) and a series of departmental discussions. Faculty identified continued consensus around program abilities and assessment criteria, and have agreed to tie particular criteria to courses based on their appropriateness for learning outcomes. The department’s repository of syllabi and assignments will be made available via google drive, and the WEC liaison and RAs will help to coordinate materials, assignments, rubrics, and activities for required courses throughout the curriculum. As individual instructors use and modify assignments and activities, their notes, comments, and variations will be available to colleagues who teach elsewhere in the curriculum or may teach the same courses at different times. Instructors will also obtain permission to gather exemplar performances for examples and teaching materials. Finally, the department will also conduct workshops on peer response activities and other questions and concerns from faculty members as they arise.