How does MIT teach it?
If you want good models of how engineering and science writing is being taught you can’t go past the open access materials supplied by MIT OPenCourseware
Subject Description
21W.783 is a series of seminars focusing on common writing problems faced by professional engineers and scientists. Participants will tune up their writing skills and prepare a pair of technical documents under the guidance of the instructor. The writing assignments focus on a single topic of the student’s choosing, preferably one for which the necessary research has been done, or is in the process of being done. (For Writing Topics, see the assignments section.) In addition to the writing component, students will deliver an oral presentation based on the written work.
Williams text is a useful addition to any writer’s collection, focusing on some of the principles and linguistic and rhetorical strategies that help achieve clarity in writing. The only weakness of the book is that is does not differentiate between disciplines and genres of writing, assuming rather that there is one concise style that all writing should follow; this is patently a simplification. However, the notion that obscurity in writing can be improved by following certain explicit principles and strategies is a welcome one for students looking for writing direction.
This guide to critical reading and self-critical writing is a ‘must-have’ resource for postgraduate students and early-career academics. Packed with tools for analysing texts and structuring critical reviews, and incorporating exercises and worked examples drawn from the social sciences, the book offers step-by-step advice on how to: