Learning and Assessment by Technical Report Writing on Engineering Products of Photonics & Optoelectronics

This paper reports an approach of using technical writing coursework as an alternative to the traditional examination for helpful learning and assessment in a final year undergraduate course on optoelectronics and photonics. Based on what students learn in class and independent learning in their own private study hours, they are required to write technical reports on related engineering products commercially available on the market. The technical writing requires two major parts: explanation of the key technology or operation principles of the engineering products, and then a comparative study of the product specifications with linkage to the theoretical explanations. In writing particularly a technical topic of their own interest, students gain a better understanding of the related topics in the syllabus. The coursework also accurately assesses the learning outcomes. Such a learning and assessment approach is useful in engineering curriculum, particularly in the pandemic-constrained teaching delivery.