Engineers as Information Processors: a Survey of US Aerospace Engineering Faculty and Students

US aerospace engineering faculty and students were surveyed as part of the NASA/DoD Aerospace Knowledge Research Project. Faculty and students were viewed as information processors within a conceptual framework of information-seeking behavior. Questionnaires were received from 275 faculty members and 640 students which were used to determine (1) use and importance of information sources, (2) use of specific print sources and electronic data bases, (3) use of information technology and (4) the influence of instruction on the use of information sources and products by faculty and students. As information processors, US aerospace faculty and students are ‘information naïve’, seek out information alone or with the help of co-workers, tend not to make use of the information products and services oriented to them, make limited use of librarians, and make considerable use of computer and information technology. Little evidence was found to support the belief that instruction in library or engineering information use has significant impact either on broadening the frequency or range of information products and sources used by US aerospace engineering students.     

Technological Innovation and Technical Communications: Their Place in Aerospace Engineering Curricula. A Survey of European,Japanese and US Aerospace Engineers and Scientists

Aerospace engineers and scientists from Western Europe, Japan and the USA were surveyed as part of the NASA/'DoD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project. Questionnaires were used to solicit their opinions regarding (1) the importance of technical communications to their profession, (2) the use and production of technical communications, and (3) their views about the appropriate content of an undergraduate course in technical communications. The ability to communicate technical information effectively was very important to the aerospace engineers and scientists who participated in the study. A considerable portion of their working week is devoted to using and producing technical information. The types of technical communications used and produced varied within and among the three groups. The type of technical communications product used and produced appears to be related to respondents' professional duties. Respondents from the three groups made similar recommendations regarding the principles, mechanics, and on-the-job communications to be included in an undergraduate technical communications course for aerospace majors.     

Systematic Training in Client Documentation: Strategies for Counselor Educators

Specific teaching strategies are identified that counselor educators can infuse into existing course work to provide a more systematized approach to training in client documentation.