Developing effective assignments for lengthy technical documents

It is important for engineering students to have opportunities to write lengthy technical documents during their undergraduate careers. However, only when such assignments are carefully planned, grounded in authentic contexts, and effectively mentored do they prove beneficial to students. I explore several keys to developing effective major assignments using three examples from the curriculum at the Colorado Schools of Mines (CSM); the EPICS (Engineering Practices Introductory Course Sequence) program; the required field session for chemical engineering majors; and the Multidisciplinary Senior Design (MSD) sequence