New Media Communication Skills for Engineers and IT Professionals: Trans-National and Trans-Cultural Demands

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Description

The communication demands expected of today’s engineers and information technology professionals immersed in multicultural global enterprises are unsurpassed.

New Media Communication Skills for Engineers and IT Professionals: Trans-National and Trans-Cultural Demands provides new and experienced practitioners, academics, employers, researchers, and students with international examples of best practices in new, as well as traditional, communication skills in increasingly trans-cultural, digitalized, hypertext environments. This book will be a valuable addition to the existing literature and resources in communication skills in both organizational and higher educational settings, giving readers comprehensive insights into the proficient use of a broad range of communication critical for effective professional participation in the globalized and digitized communication environments that characterize current engineering and IT workplaces.

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Preface

The communication demands expected of today’s engineers and information technology (IT) professionals immersed in multicultural global enterprises are unsurpassed. Effective workplace and professional participation does not merely ask but demands proficiency in varied multi-media rich communication skills. Global industries, markets, and professional organisations require graduates who, in order to be work ready, need to be equipped with excellent written and oral communications skills, to be multi-literate in various digital, verbal and written modes of communication, as a baseline rather than optional extra capability. Trans-cultural multi-modal communication skills, now imbued with immense significance, are allied as a powerful and crucial determinant capability highly sought in trans-national and trans-cultural workplaces and professional communities. In the highly multicultural universities and colleges, the development of these skills among both faculty and students also has a direct impact on student learning outcomes as well as on the overall quality and content of educational programs. The acquisition of expertise in transcultural, multi-modal communication skills will greatly enhance the ability of students to apply and transfer their learning into their professional practices in increasingly globalised and demanding workplace settings.

However, research indicates a paucity of literature on the types of communication skills increasingly demanded and practiced in 21st century engineering and technology workplaces. Moreover, most of the literature on communication skills that is available is generic in nature, and by aiming at the higher education sector in general, ignores the specific requirements and contexts of the engineering and IT communities of practice. These points to the urgent need to close the performance gap in basic, let alone more sophisticated and technologically enabled communication skills for the engineering and IT professions. Therefore, current evidence points to a distinct need for a comprehensive resource for the learning of traditional as well as new 21st Century, new paradigm digital and trans-cultural communication skills in both workplace and educational settings in engineering and Information Technology.

The overall objective of this book is to provide a comprehensive resource for new and experienced professionals, as well as students and faculties/academics. All are stakeholders who have to come to grips with new communicative practices in increasingly trans-national, trans-cultural, and digitally-rich contexts. In doing so, the book aims to provide new and experienced practitioners, academics, employers, researchers, and students with international examples of best practices in new as well as traditional communication skills in increasingly trans-cultural, digitalised, hypertext environments. The book consists of 11 scholarly chapter contributions on diverse issues and trends in new media communication skills for engineers and IT professionals. This book will be a valuable addition to the existing literature and resources in communication skills in both organizational and higher educational settings. The book intends to incorporate the views of a wide range of stakeholders: practitioners, professionals, academics, and students. The intention is to give readers comprehensive insights into the proficient use of a broad range of communication skills and tools critical for effective professional participation in the globalised and digitised communication environments that characterise current engineering and IT workplaces.

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Author(s)/Editor(s) Biography

Arun Patil
Arun Patil has over 20 years of teaching, research and managerial experience in higher and further education. He holds a PhD, the Master of Engineering Science, both from Monash University, Australia and a Master’s in Physics in the specialization of applied electronics from India. Dr. Patil has published widely and his publications include edited books, book chapters, conference proceedings, refereed journals and conference papers. He is a Founder Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Quality Assurance in Engineering and Technology Education and an Associate Editor of the International Journal of Online Pedagogy and Course Design (IJOPCD). His recently published book, “Engineering Education Quality Assurance: A Global Perspective,” is highly accepted and cited scholarly publication in engineering education community around the globe. In 2004, Dr. Patil has received a prestigious Silver Badge of Honour form the Monash University (the UNESCO International Centre) for his significant contribution to global engineering education. Dr. Patil has coordinated and organized several international conferences in various parts of world. He is an active member of several professional organizations including, Engineers Australia (EA), World Association for Cooperative Education (WACE), The Australian Collaborative Education Network (ACEN), The Australasian Association for Engineering Education (AAEE).

Henk Eijkman
Henk Eijkman is a tertiary education learning solutions consultant specializing in outcomes-based, socially inclusive learning as well as social media oriented flexible learning. He is currently a visiting Fellow at the University of New South Wales, Canberra Campus, Australia, Editor-in-Chief of “The Learning Organization” and Co-Editor of the International Journal of Quality Assurance in Engineering and Technology Education (IJQAETE). While innovation and organizational culture change in the service of socially inclusive adult learning is a central theme of his work he has a special interest in engineering education. His aspiration to make positive contributions to student-centered learning in tertiary education has taken him to South Africa, Malaysia, Palestine and India. He publishes widely in international journals and serves on a number of conference committees. His research agenda, grounded in a social theory of learning, currently focuses on the role of social media; the politics of knowledge in organizational and individual learning; the trans-nationalization of learning; and tertiary education in disrupted and post-conflict societies.

Ena Bhattacharyya
Ena Bhattacharyya holds the current position as a Senior Language and Communication Lecturer with the Management and Humanities Department at University Technology of PETRONAS, Tronoh, Bandar Seri Iskandar, Perak Darul Ridzuan Malaysia. At the university, she lectures Professional Communications Skills and is also the course coordinator for Critical Thinking Skills designed for the undergraduate degree program. Occasionally, she is required to impart her knowledge on critical and creative thinking component in the Research Methodology course delivered to postgraduate students. Prior to her experience in the university, she taught English language to various levels in different secondary schools in West and East Malaysia. She also held the position as the Head of the English Language Department in Victoria Institution, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She served other schools like Sri Istana Secondary School in Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia and Santubong Government Secondary School in Kuching, Sarawak, East Malaysia. She was involved as an examiner for various English Language oral and written public examinations. Ena is passionate in studies on rhetoric discourse analysis, oral communication skills, public speaking, research methodology and competency skill requirement in higher education. She has presented papers at both local and international conferences and in journals.

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Reviews and Testimonials

"The book intends to incorporate the views of a wide range of stakeholders: practitioners, professionals, academics, and students. The intention is to give readers comprehensive insights into the proficient use of a broad range of communication skills and tools critical for effective professional participation in the globalised and digitised communication environments that characterise current engineering and IT workplaces."

- Dr. Arun Patil, CQUniversity, Australia