Subject Resources
ELC3531 Professional Communication in English for Engineering Students
Some of you might have engaged in projects at school or work, and therefore gathered some experience in writing documents such as proposals, manuals and reports. In this subject, you will play the role of a young professional in a particular discipline, work in a team, propose a project, and write and present a proposal for funding.
Writing a project proposal
The following articles from the Inscribe journal feature three projects proposed by FENG students. They are based on work originally submitted for the writing assessment of this subject:
The integration of GPS tracking and aerial shooting technology in outdoor sports events
Proposal of all-rounded educational toy – Mickey ball catcher
An Enterprise Information System for retail companies’ internal inventory management technology
These proposals have been edited and made more concise.
Presenting a project proposal
Although you probably have given presentations in various subjects during your studies, you should notice that those are academic presentations targeting students, teachers or researchers in a school setting. In this subject, you will be giving professional presentations in a business setting targeting company supervisors or the panel of a funding body. This is therefore very different from what you have done before and requires a whole new approach to engaging the audience.
You will watch and analyze a series of presentations including the one below by the late Steve Jobs. The commentator in the video has explained some strategies employed by Jobs in making his speech persuasive and memorable:
You will learn more about such strategies and practise them during the course.