Developing Communication Skills during Undergraduate Studies: a Personalized Approach

It is no wonder that communication skills are among the twelve attributes required by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board, since engineers must possess strong oral and written communication skills. At Polytechnique Montréal, all undergraduate students have been required to take a mandatory credit for this specific “soft-skill” since 2006. As an alternative to the classical one-term class, this three-year long innovative educational strategy is based on a personalized approach. The first year, after taking diagnostic tests in written and oral communication, students attend communication workshops. They then perform realistic communication tasks in engineering related situations, both at school and during an internship. Each year, they complete an e-portfolio and reflect on the development of their communication skills. This method demonstrates the academic and professional transversality of a program-based approach. It also allows for practical assessment of complex engineering concepts reflecting the underlying philosophy of the twelve attributes.