The current status of graphical communication in engineering education

Graphics has always been a requisite form of communication for engineering practice. The history of major engineering accomplishments is replete with examples of graphical communications: from styli etchings on clay tablets to near-recent blueprint drawings. In the last two decades, engineering graphics instruction has been significantly influenced by the advancement of computers and other new technologies. During this short span, the discipline has gone from teaching manual drafting and pencil drawings to the use of 3-D computer modeling and simulation software. This paper briefly reviews the evolution of graphical communication in engineering practice, and focuses on the current status of graphical communication in the engineering curriculum. This report is bolstered by results of a recent survey conducted at the 2003 annual meeting of the Engineering Design Graphics Division of ASEE. The survey proposed an extensive list of student outcomes for engineering graphical communication, as mandated by the new ABET EC2000 outcomes requirement criterion 3 (g): "an ability to communicate effectively." Graphics faculty ranked these graphics student outcomes, and accompanying performance criteria, on level of importance in the modern curriculum. The results represent a consensus of current thinking on engineering graphical communication education.