Book a Demo

Category: Higher Education

  • Engineering Student: Rubin Emerge Helps Me “Jump Right In” to the Workplace

    Engineering Student: Rubin Emerge Helps Me “Jump Right In” to the Workplace

    Above: The three books of writing/speaking templates provided as ebooks inside the Emerge online program.

    If college is designed to prepare students for life beyond campus, then it’s critical students learn real-world skills.

    That’s where Rubin comes in.

    Through our Emerge online platform, we provide faculty with a ready-to-use toolkit of readings, assignments, videos and quizzes that allow students to observe and practice proper communication skills.

    Casey Sanders appreciates that kind of knowledge.

    A senior engineering student at St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minnesota, Sanders found Rubin Education to be an ideal primer for the professional ranks.

    Sanders and his classmates, led by Dr. Nancy Sundheim (director of the Manufacturing Engineering Technology program at St. Cloud State), had the chance to practice their email and phone etiquette.

    The students found the lessons full of practical insights.

    Listen to Sanders in his own words:

     

    See more: Rubin Kicks Off Pilot Program with Michigan State College of Engineering

    The #1 primer for the professional world.

  • Rubin Provides Communication Exercises to Mich St Engineering

    Rubin Provides Communication Exercises to Mich St Engineering

    What does a stress analysis on a pressure vessel have to do with writing a professional email?

    At Michigan State University (MSU), the disparate actions have more in common than you may think.

    In fall 2019 and spring 2020, MSU mechanical engineering faculty incorporated the Emerge online program, a comprehensive platform that guides students to write effective emails and documents like reports, summaries and strategic plans.

    The program also covers phone etiquette and how to hold meaningful face-to-face networking conversations. The communication examples are found inside Wait, How Do I Write This Email? (pictured above), an ebook of 100+ writing/speaking templates provided to each student.

    Dr. Ron Averill, MSU associate professor and associate chair for the mechanical engineering undergraduate program, learned of Rubin Education during the 2019 ASEE Annual Conference in Tampa.

    Dr. Averill saw an opportunity to supplement MSU mechanical engineering instruction with best practices for communicating with colleagues and clients. That’s how an engineering exercise on pressure vessels doubled as a chance for students to explain their efforts to a supervisor via email(just like in the real world).

    What’s more, the Rubin Education material allows MSU to address two relevant ABET student outcomes:

    • an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
    • an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives

    “Rubin Education strengthens our mechanical engineering program because it provides ready-made instruction to help students explain their work in a clear, organized way,” said Dr. Averill. “This makes it easy to include communications exercises within core engineering courses, providing students with a clear context for their memos and reports while reflecting on their engineering solutions.”

    “MSU recognized early on the value of a communication-based curriculum to prepare the next generation of engineers,” said Danny Rubin, founder of Rubin Education. “Students must be equipped with not only a strong math and science background but also the ability and confidence to tell the world what they have achieved.”

    In the pressure vessel assignment at MSU, students wrote an email to summarize their findings. First, students showed they know how to address faculty appropriately (ex: Dr. or Professor) and share the nature of the message in the opening line.

    Example:

    blank

    Students then learned to write in short sections rather than one large paragraph that can be cumbersome to read.

    Example:

    blank

    Lastly, students developed a professional email signature with email, phone and expected graduation date.

    Dr. Averill and his team hope to incorporate Rubin Education lessons on report writing later in the semester. The goal, once again, is to underscore how communication skills are a key component of every career path in engineering.

    Relevant links and next steps:

    Engineering + Communication = Success

  • In Same Week, Rubin Partners with Middle School and Four-Year University

    In Same Week, Rubin Partners with Middle School and Four-Year University

    At Rubin Education, we believe students at every learning stage need to practice proper writing/speaking skills.

    That’s why we’re excited to provide age-appropriate resources to select 8th graders at Thomas Harrison Middle School (Harrisonburg, VA) and select sophomores at the University of Toronto (Canada) in a learning community through the department of psychology.

    Instructors in both educational environments will use Rubin Education exercises for email etiquette, networking, public speaking and even resumes (yes, many 8th graders learn to create a resume).

    The Emerge online program also contains instructional videos, ebooks of writing/speaking templates, discussion questions and unique rubrics connected to each of our 100+ assignments.

    Middle school teachers in Virginia and across the nation are often required to teach “employability skills,” and in that way Rubin Education is the perfect supplemental resource.

    With an enrollment of 71,000 students, the University of Toronto is the largest university in Canada.

    Rubin Education also works with faculty at Texas A&M, Michigan State, Florida, Va Tech, Providence, St. John’s and others.

    Stay tuned for updates from the classroom as the fall semester rolls along!

    For learners at every stage.

  • Rubin Emerge Helps VA College Student Overcome “Frustration” with Email Writing

    Rubin Emerge Helps VA College Student Overcome “Frustration” with Email Writing

    Listen to Sehrish Zafar, a native of Pakistan and recent graduate from George Mason University, talk about how Rubin Education helps her communicate with employers via email and in person.

     

    The Full Story

    Every time Sehrish Zafar sat at the computer to send a professional email, the same emotion would resurface.

    Frustration.

    A native of Pakistan, Zafar moved to the United States in 7th grade and spoke no English. Through ESL classes, Zafar slowly learned the language as she attended Robert E. Lee High School in Springfield, Virginia (suburb of Washington, DC) and then Northern Virginia Community College for an associate degree in applied science and information technology.

    Zafar then pursued her bachelor’s degree at George Mason University in Northern Virginia and settled on a major in the health sciences. All the while, Zafar, now 27, worked (and still works) full time as a manager at a CVS Pharmacy.

    During her years at George Mason, Zafar continued to struggle with business communication in American English. She often resorted to googling answers and scrolling through YouTube channels.

    “I knew what I wanted to say, but I didn’t know how to put my thoughts into words,” Zafar said.

    At George Mason, Zafar took a health administration course led by instructor Kathie Westpheling.

    Westpheling incorporated the Emerge with Rubin online program throughout the spring 2019 semester so her students (some born in America, others who came as immigrants) would learn to write and speak with professionalism. The online curriculum provides 300+ templates for common writing and speaking scenarios and 100+ simple-to-follow assignments so students can practice the scenarios in the classroom.

    Right away, Zafar felt Rubin Education was the resource she had needed all along.

    “As an immigrant, Rubin Education gives me the tools to start professional conversations with confidence,” Zafar said. “I have learned better ways to write my resume, cover letter and outreach emails as well as job interview strategies and even how to give a proper handshake.”

    Westpheling saw her students’ positive response to the material right away and plans to use the Rubin Education All Access online curriculum in fall 2019 as well.

    “The Rubin Education online curriculum is reasonably priced for the students,” said Westpheling. “It’s a great way to introduce the materials as part of lifelong learning and an ideal fit in any degree program.”

    Zafar hopes to pursue a master’s degree in health informatics and work in the fast-moving field of electronic health records and data management.

    With a foundation in strong communication skills, her world is wide open.

    Are you an educator? Click here to request a 30-day trial of the Emerge online program!

    Everything she needs to communicate with professionals.

  • DePaul University Incorporates Rubin Concepts into Senior Capstone Course

    DePaul University Incorporates Rubin Concepts into Senior Capstone Course

    We’re pleased to announce Wait, How Do I Write This Email?, our book of email and writing guides, has made its way into the college classroom.

    In a course at DePaul University in Chicago called PRAD 396 Senior Capstone Seminar, instructor Jill Stewart has required every student to read chapter 1 (“How to Write Everything Better”) to understand the fundamentals of clear, concise writing.

    PRAD 396 (Public Relations ADvertising), an online course, teaches students the challenges of public relations and advertising through targeted writing exercises, critical reflection on readings and video presentations and participation in discussion boards.

    Stewart believes Wait, How Do I Write This Email?, a collection of 100+ templates for networking, the job search and LinkedIn, and supporting online activities are the perfect complement to the PR and advertising lessons in the course. With the book, students learn how to write polished emails/documents, which can improve the job search and how they perform in the workplace.

    “I believe the time invested in reading the first chapter of Danny Rubin’s book will make anyone a better writer, and in my case, a better teacher of writing,” said Stewart.

    Stewart also encourages DePaul students to buy the book before graduation. Beyond the editing skills in chapter 1, it offers templates for writing scenarios like informational interviews, contacting alumni and creating a strong LinkedIn profile.

    “Good writing skills can be the ticket to an internship, a job or a promotion,” said Stewart. “I now make the book required reading for all my capstone classes.”

    Thank you to Jill Stewart and DePaul University for being an “early adopter” of the book. We appreciate the support!

    Bring Rubin Education to your campus!

    Request a 30-day preview of the Rubin Education All Access online curriculum.

    Instructor says it’s “required reading.”