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Through funding from the National Science Foundation to create a Research Experience for Teachers site at North Dakota State University, the authors provided summer research experiences to current secondary (6th to 12th grade) educators to improve their understanding of the civil engineering field and develop new curriculum modules for their classrooms. Reflection of the first summer program in 2021 highlighted several modifications that could be made to improve the quality of the program and curriculum developed, increase the accessibility to underserved and/or underrepresented populations and to better utilize the limited resources available. This paper summarizes the successes of the RET program and provides several concrete recommendations for future programs. Specifically, recruiting of both teachers and faculty could be more effective when personal communications through known contacts are used. Flexibility in the approach without compromising rigor and expectations allows for a more inclusive program that supports underserved and marginalized populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the scientific outputs and co-authorship patterns of Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University in the fields of electrical, civil, and mechanical engineering, based on Web of Science (2000-2019). The paper relied on both quantitative and scientometric methods. 1870 and 291 records were retrieved respectively for "Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University" and "the fields of electrical, civil, and mechanical engineering". The questions and assumptions were answered through descriptive and inferential statistics. VOSviewer and SPSS were used respectively for mapping and testing assumptions. The findings showed that the total scientific outputs of electrical engineering in the world, indexed by the Web of Science (2000-2019) were 2,973,902, of which 44,768 records (1.6%) belonged to Iran (rank 16). During the same period, the total civil engineering records was 395,649, of which 11,876 records (3%) belong to Iran (rank 10). In addition, the total scientific outputs of mechanical engineering were 941,586, of which 25,263 records (2.7%) belonged to Iran (rank 12). The findings showed that in Iran Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University in electrical engineering is ranked 36th (2000-2019). The findings showed that Ajami with 43 (17%), Hoveidae with 5 (23%), Gharraei and Mohammad pourfard, each with 10 records (17%), were the top authors in the fields of electrical, civil, and mechanical engineering (2000- 2019), respectively. Also, Ajami with 43 (1000 citations), Najafi with 42 (564 citations), Banaei with 41 records (473 citations), and Oskuee with 16 records (305 citations) have high co-authorship densities (37, 31, 22, and 29, respectively). Moreover, there was no meaningful difference between men and women in electrical, civil, and mechanical engineering in scientific outputs (Sig=0.0927). Furthermore, there was a significant difference in scientific outputs among electrical, civil, and mechanical engineering researchers in departments and university ranks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the subject of retention in undergraduate engineering programs through the lens of three civil engineers in the same family. Although anecdotal, the divergent careers of each provide the framework for retrospection on what attracts students to STEM careers, why they persist, and what their ultimate career and life goals are. The experiences are placed in context with material from recent references on STEM education, and then observations and lessons are presented. The personal stories are not intended as evidence to prove national trends, but merely to put them into the context of experience of one family. The ability of curricula to help students envision broad and diverse career paths is an important issue that was crucial for this family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The innovation and entrepreneurship of emerging engineering education students has important practical significance and broad employment prospects. This paper combines the current situation and problems of college students' innovation and entrepreneurship with the development of emerging engineering education industry, and puts forward the construction of a new cognitive system of innovation and entrepreneurship practice with new characteristics. The emerging engineering education innovation and entrepreneurship practice cognitive system is centered on students and social needs. It has the characteristics of information exchange, professional crossover, service local economy, evaluation system and improvement. It covers the Multi-party and links of innovation and entrepreneurship. It has significantly improved the ability of innovation and entrepreneurship in emerging engineering education, and cultivated high-tech applied talents that are suitable for social development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation is a psychological construct shown to influence an individual's success. Researchers have focused on factors affecting student motivation but have neglected to address the temporal changes in student motivation and the effects of these changes on academic performance. The purpose of this paper is to answer three main questions: What variables motivate students? Do the motivational variables change over time? And is there a relationship between the motivational variables that influence students and their academic performance as measured in grade point average (GPA)? Using a questionnaire survey approach, this study explores self-determinacy theory to evaluate students' progression over a three-year enrollment in an undergraduate civil and environmental engineering degree. The evaluation showed that internal factors are the primary motivators of students with high GPA. Also, students' quality and the quantity of motivation decreased with time in pursuit of a constant goal. Gender differences highlighted that females had superior self-regulatory practices to males. By setting intermediate report deadlines with performance feedback, educators would improve male students' self-regulatory practices through an improvement of their organization and goal setting skills. These findings provide a better understanding of student attrition than previously acknowledged in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transportation engineering curricula at the undergraduate and graduate levels are critical to the development of technical competency in future transportation engineering professionals--those who will be responsible for the planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of safe and efficient transportation systems. This paper provides an analytic review of journal articles and refereed conference papers addressing how transportation engineering curricula have changed over time. The literature review found 51 articles for analysis, with an increased frequency of those publications over time. Curriculum issues described in these papers include how transportation fits broadly within engineering programs and, more specifically, within civil engineering programs, which topics are addressed in transportation courses, and how these courses attend to stakeholder needs. This analytic review of the literature provides a resource for transportation engineering educators, administrators, and researchers to consider how transportation curricular issues have been treated in the literature historically as the community continues to develop and implement the transportation engineering curricula of the future. The findings will inform transportation engineering educators of the state of the practice in transportation engineering curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning ability is one of the most distinctive characteristics that make humans social creatures. Numerous research has found that individuals learn in different ways, so every student has a different, individual learning style. The more instructors understand the learning differences of their students, the better their chances of success in civil engineering education. Therefore, determining the learning styles of civil engineering students is an important factor in their academic success. The research reported in this paper aims to explore the learning styles of civil engineering students in Turkey, and correlate their learning styles with success in construction management courses, gender, age, type of university, and year of engineering study. Data were collected using the Kolb Learning Style Inventory II, from civil engineering students in undergraduate programs at four different universities. The questionnaire was administered to students by direct contact, and 227 items of data were collected. At the end of the research reported in this paper, it was revealed that there is a correlation between learning styles and management success, age, year of civil engineering education, and type of university, but not gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper includes the results of an online survey that was conducted by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) task committee on computing education to assess the evolution of computing in architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) education in 2012. The committee aims to understand and measure the evolution of computing in civil engineering, architecture, and construction management curricula and evaluate the current state of computing within the AEC curricula. The paper contains an investigation of the levels and concentrations of computer-science knowledge versus computer skills in curricula. In addition, the committee seeks to recognize the similarities and differences between architecture, engineering, and construction management programs by comparing the data associated with these disciplines. The paper also includes a discussion of basic aspects of computing education including the prerequisites that are necessary for further learning. The survey results provide useful benchmarks for decision making regarding research, industry collaboration, and curricula. Findings of the study include: (1) the importance and coverage of computer skills and competence of graduates has increased over the past decade; (2) computing skills are judged to be more important than computer-science knowledge in AEC curricula; (3) the links between computer-science concepts and AEC applications of computing are not yet fully recognized; (4) computing education is not sufficient to meet the demands of the AEC industry and the share of computing courses is less than what educators desire; and (5) scientific concepts of computing are important for preparing architects and engineers for unknown future developments in information technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to establish the links of General Chemistry with the rest of the subjects and the improvement of the system of evaluation. The paper includes a system of actions through a unit of the syllabus, establishing the link between the subject and the rest, also integrating exercises are proposed with a greater interest and preparation of the students for the subject General Chemistry. Were applied a previous diagnosis to students to verify interest and knowledge of the importance of Chemistry for the race and were compared the teaching results during two continuous courses for each partial test and finalizing the semester in both. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of the research reported in this paper is to design and systematically assess the effectiveness of a collaborative contextaware mobile augmented reality tool (CAM-ART) in construction and civil engineering curriculum. To achieve this goal, an augmented reality (AR)-based information delivery tool, CAM-ART, was implemented in classroom-scale experiments to enhance traditional lecture- based instruction and information delivery methods. In the research reported in this paper, the contents of an ordinary textbook were enhanced using computer-generated three-dimensional (3D) objects and other virtual multimedia (e.g., sound, video, and graphs), and delivered to students through an AR application running on their smartphones or tablet computers. The sample consisted of construction and civil engineering students, who were randomly assigned to Group A (control group) and Group B (test group). The designed learning tool was tested in a collaborative and interactive environment, preperformance and postperformance data was collected, and student perception of using the AR-based tool was elicited through a feedback questionnaire. Data analysis showed that CAM-ART had a measurable and positive impact on students' learning both in short-term and long-term. Moreover, results of the feedback questionnaire indicated that students found CAM-ART to be an interesting, helpful, and motivational approach in the classroom that helped them gain more in-depth and long-lasting knowledge beyond what is normally expected from traditional lecture-based teaching methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structural analysis is an introductory core course that is taught in every civil engineering program as well as in most architectural and construction engineering programs. Previous research unveils students' deficits in understanding the behavior of structural elements in a three-dimensional (3D) context due to the shortcomings of traditional lecturing approaches, which put too much emphasis on the analysis of individual structural members, thereby falling short in providing a solid, easy-to-follow, and holistic approach to analyzing complex structures with a large number of interconnected elements. In this paper, the authors introduce a new pedagogy for teaching structural analysis that incorporates mobile augmented reality (AR) and interactive 3D visualization technology. The goal of this study is to enhance the contents used in structural analysis textbooks and on worksheets by visualizing discrete structural members employing AR along with interactive 3D models in order to illustrate how the structures behave under different loading conditions. Students can interactively change the load and observe the reaction resulting from this change with the instant feedback provided by the AR interface. The feasibility of AR concepts and interaction metaphors, as well as the potential of using AR for teaching structural analysis are investigated, specifically by focusing on challenges regarding content integration and interaction. An AR application is designed and developed, and a pilot study is conducted in a junior level structural analysis class to assess the pedagogical impact and the design concepts employed by the AR tool. Control and test groups are deployed, and students’ performance is measured using pre- and post-tests. The results of the pilot study indicate that the utilized AR design concepts have potential to contribute to students’ learning by providing interactive and 3D visualization features, which support constructive engagement and retention of information in students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper asks a fundamental question: what is happening inside the mind of the undergraduate during teaching and learning experiences, and how should curricula be designed to support it? A number of concepts lend themselves to providing an answer, principle among which is the relatively recent idea of Threshold Concepts. In this paper we attempt to critically evaluate both the 'product' and 'process' of Threshold Concepts and subject the idea to a stress test by comparing it to the longer established Schema Theory of Learning. This mapping enabled a novel empirical study involving undergraduate civil engineering students to be performed. The methods derived from Schema Theories of learning provide a set of findings that compliment and strengthen certain key areas of Threshold Concepts, as well as leading to the development of some interesting principles of curriculum design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the benefits of using an irrigation canal scale model as a main tool for introducing systems dynamics and control to postgraduate civil engineers. The canal is used as an educational resource for teaching the master course Real-Time Control of Irrigation Canals. The prime educational objective of this course is that graduate students interested in building a professional career in water management, are trained to acquire skills that are essential in the development of automation projects for real irrigation canals. As supported by students' answers to an evaluation survey, using the experimental flume allows them to not only experience the involved hydraulics concepts, but also to be introduced in a hands-on manner to the necessary steps required to face any control system design process: modeling the system, designing the controller, testing the control system by simulation, and implementing them in real time. The theoretical background on dynamics and control supporting all these steps is not usually included in a civil engineering curriculum, and thus using the canal as a teaching resource is a better way of introducing future professional civil engineers to new technologies, making a perfect bridge between the classroom and practical activities on real canal facilities. The experience presented in this paper can be easily extrapolated to other disciplines complementing a classical civil engineering curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integrity of a structural system depends on the strength of materials, shape of the individual member and the elements used to hold the members together. In most undergraduate civil engineering curricula, a structural steel and/or reinforced concrete design course is required. Usually, the main focus of these courses is on member selection (size and shape) for a given material. Moreover, the time available for connection design is usually limited. To provide a 24/7 access to students who are interested in learning more about steel connection design, with the support from the National Science Foundation, a virtual steel sculpture was developed. The virtual steel sculpture not only provides a 360-degree view of different type of connections, but also provides information on their limit states, field examples, and finite element models showing stress distributions. In this paper, the discussion is focused solely on the content of the sample design calculation for each connection shown in the virtual steel sculpture. These sample calculations were created as additional examples that could supplement class lecture to enhance students' learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mathematics is a key point for engineers in general and since the early ages of higher education in civil engineering it had a fundamental position in the admission exams and in the basic education of future engineers. Romanian civil engineers, led by eng. Ion Ionescu, understanding the need of a good basic education in mathematics of the candidates for technical sciences in general and especially for civil engineering, initiated in 1895 the "Mathematics Gazette" (Gazeta Matematica). The paper presents the subjects of mathematics proposed to the candidates for the civil engineering studies in 1900 (published in the Mathematics Gazette), and as a temporal bridge, the subjects from the admission exam at Faculty of Civil Engineering Bucharest in 2000. The paper also contains a brief introduction of the early years of "Mathematics Gazette". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ASCE’s body of knowledge for the 21st century and vision for civil engineering in 2025 outline skills and capabilities necessary for civil engineers to create a sustainable world. An undergraduate course at Georgia Institute of Technology introduces undergraduates to a systems-sustainability approach to civil and environmental engineering, applying systems methods to analyze decisions over the life cycle of large-scale civil-engineered facilities. This paper discusses voluntary and systematic improvements introduced in the course over a 2-year period to develop research and information skills in the students. A workshop on information sources and skills was developed, offered and assessed over multiple semesters using a team-based course project. The term project requires students to select one or two large-scale civil-engineered facilities, evaluate them using the integrated systems-sustainability framework presented in the course, and develop a written report and oral presentation to present their work to their peers at the end of the semester. The paper discusses integration of the information and library skills workshops with the course and presents results that underscore the importance of formally cultivating research and information skills in civil engineering undergraduate students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite tremendous advances by women in the natural and applied sciences, where in selective fields women have surpassed men in the earning of doctoral degrees for more nearly 20 years, female enrollment levels in engineering continue to be a fraction of male enrollment. Gender disparities of more than 60% persist in undergraduate engineering enrollments and have recently worsened. As American female civil engineering enrollment has been flat for over 25 years, efforts must be taken to understand this stasis. This paper focuses primarily on secondary education preparation in terms of both attitudes toward and enrollment levels in preengineering courses such as calculus, chemistry, and physics. Additional consideration is given to enrollment and achievement in advanced placement courses, as reflected in national examination rates. This paper concludes that secondary school participation and achievement in physics courses is a critical differential factor as one explanatory element of female engineering enrollment levels and provides specific recommendations as to how to increase interest, enrollment, and achievement in physics, including the segregation of entry-level engineering courses based on previous experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is widely recognized that sustainability should be incorporated into engineering education. To prepare students with sustainability knowledge and techniques, engineering educators need to develop appropriate class contents and effective teaching techniques. Based on experience from developing and teaching a sustainability course within the construction management program in the civil engineering department, this paper discusses the process of identifying sustainability knowledge areas, course planning, and lessons learned from the class. The paper also includes main class topics as well as students’ feedbacks, both of which may serve as a starting point for continuous improvement of sustainability education in construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the organization and conduct of a 4th year capstone project for civil engineering students at the University of Calgary that embodied a very significant international component and the difficulties inherent to that component. The project design education process results in numerous contributions to university, industry, and society by permitting students to develop innovative design solutions that reflect multicultural influences, while also recognizing that Civil Engineering design is universal. This paper explains the novel approach adopted for the final-year civil engineering design course in 2002–2003 using the largest urban renewal project currently underway in Europe, for which the students had the opportunity to develop designs. The concept, structure, challenges, and contributions as well as the successful outcome of the civil engineering design course are also explained in the paper. Overall, this design project provided the students with valuable experience in communication, design, professional practice, and organizational skills that will be useful in their future careers, in addition to the challenges of dealing with a real and international client of a complex project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cooperative education (co-op) is a program in which participating students typically alternate between full-time study and paid full-time employment. Choosing to participate in a co-op program usually delays the student's graduation by up to one year, but may increase the student's job market prospects. This paper attempts to estimate the response of co-op participation to the engineering field-specific average wage for recent graduates. A relationship between wage growth, student ability, and co-op participation is investigated. Predictive modeling was performed using data obtained from the Multiple-Institution Database for Investigating Engineering Longitudinal Development (MIDFIELD), as well as the American Association of Engineering Societies (AAES) Annual Report of Engineering Salaries. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with industry co-op representatives to address supply and demand related questions. The authors found that a $10,000 real increase in the average initial wage causes a 5.4% decrease in co-op program participation. In addition, there is hetero- geneity in the response by student ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ASCE Body of Knowledge and the ABET Engineering Accreditation Commission have emphasized a broad set of competencies required by 21st century civil engineers. In addition to competencies that are traditionally technical, these organizations recognize that professional competencies such as leadership, the ability to design sustainable systems, effective communication, and interdisciplinary teamwork are among the many skills required by engineers of the future. To develop and enhance all of these proficiencies within the undergraduate curriculum, there is a need to take an approach that interconnects all of these outcomes throughout the curriculum, or a "networked" approach. This paper discusses service learning as a potential approach for facilitating the broad set of foundational, technical, and professional learning outcomes cited by ASCE and ABET, by investigating two case studies within the Engineering Projects in Community Service program at Purdue University. The case studies are two service-learning projects from one large, multidisciplinary, vertically integrated student design team. One project focuses on sustainable and energy efficient housing for Habitat for Humanity (HFH) in Indiana, whereas the other project focuses on affordable houses for HFH in Haiti. The current analysis of these cases suggest that service-learning projects can provide a unique learning experience for the students to develop and synthesize the broad set of foundational, technical, and professional skills by integrating learning outcomes [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a study of Civil Engineering students’ responses to a questionnaire on their visualisation learning experience with Building Information Modelling (BIM). Fourth-year undergraduate students of the Civil Engineering Course at Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, were participants of the survey. BIM was introduced and incorporated into two subjects (called Units hereafter), namely Construction Technology (CT), and Integrated Design and Construction (IDC). Training was provided to students on the use of the modelling tool, structural engineering software, construction scheduling and simulation software, and how to transfer files in a BIM environment. In the CT Unit, the use of BIM tools was demonstrated through worked examples and students were given assessment tasks to create a model, perform structural analysis and design, and produce construction scheduling and simulation. In the IDC Unit, the assessment task contained a larger scope requiring a more collaborative approach and roles changing to simulate the complete process of the design, tender and construction phases of a project; however, the use of BIM tools was optional. Details of the work tasks given in the Units and the learning outcomes will be presented. The results from the questionnaire survey show that students were very enthusiastic and agreed that learning BIM technology would benefit them, with many respondents indicating they preferred to start learning from as early as in their first year. This outcome enforces the much-needed paradigm shift in teaching and learning from being traditional to more technology-based learning. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The flipped classroom is becoming increasingly popular at universities because of its perceived benefits in promoting active learning and decreasing educational costs. Studies have found positive benefits associated with flipped classrooms; however, many have failed to control for confounding factors. Examples of confounding factors include comparing courses taught by different instructors or across courses taught in different semesters using different quizzes. The objective of this paper is to compare the traditional and flipped classrooms in an undergraduate civil engineering course while controlling for potential confounding factors. The quasi-experimental study incorporates students' online behaviors, in-class performance, office hour attendance, and responses to both attitudinal and behavioral questions to assess student opinions and learning outcomes. It was found that student performance on quizzes was not significantly different across the traditional and flipped classrooms. A key shortcoming noted with the flipped classroom was students' inability to ask questions during lectures. Students in flipped classrooms were more likely to attend office hours compared to traditional classroom students, but the difference was not statistically significant. Future research should explore whether students' inability to ask questions when the material is presented in flipped classrooms affects learning outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Good writing skills are essential for civil engineers to communicate effectively with clients, contractors, regulators, and the public. Technical reports and papers should present information clearly and concisely. Civil engineering students should be urged to sharpen writing skills through regular, frequent practice in all technical undergraduate classes. This paper is presented as a writing aid and motivational tool for civil engineering faculty and students. It is vitally important that all faculty provide ample opportunity and motivation for students to practice writing. Examples of poorly written passages from student reports and discussions of ways to improve them are included in this paper. Also included are tables and appendices of helpful comments. This paper is not meant to replace all the excellent references available on English grammar and technical writing but to supplement them. The examples and discussions in this paper should illustrate, and help eliminate, those errors frequently observed in civil engineering reports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the field of civil engineering evolves to address twenty-first century challenges, the demand for creative and innovative thinking rises. Engineering institutions around the nation have begun to integrate sustainability into the curriculum. Topics such as innovation and entrepreneurship are highly correlated with sustainability goals; however, many times they are viewed as market or management-driven principles. The Kern Entrepreneurship Education Network (KEEN) Program was established to transform the U.S. workforce through equipping graduate engineers with an entrepreneurial mindset. This program is based on KEEN student outcomes (KSOs), which can be incorporated into department level, as well as course level, curricula. This paper focuses on the integration of KSOs into a senior civil engineering capstone course through two course activities over two years. KEEN rubrics are used to assess student achievement of the KSOs focused on innovative thinking and productive collaboration. The assessment results indicate that there are existing strengths as well as future opportunities to enhance student performance of innovative thinking and open-ended problem solving--skills that are essential to promoting sustainable design and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As professors in an engineering program developed with the intention of being Christ-centred and holistic, one of our responsibilities is to equip our students to serve the Lord obediently in all that they do--especially in engineering. To serve as the foundation of this preparation, we used a previous publication which set out five distinctively Christian guiding principles for engineering. Our intent is that these principles will be used to direct the development and modification of our engineering curriculum. Directing these efforts requires a grounding point. Therefore, this paper evaluates the extent to which these principles are already emphasized in the program's civil engineering curriculum. Comparing this evaluation to benchmarks for each of the five principles revealed that the curriculum fell short. This result was expected because the curriculum does not contain a formal process to introduce, emphasize, and apply these principles. The evaluation determined that the first principle, which recognizes that the world and everything in it was created for God's glory, fell the farthest from its benchmark. Since this principle is foundational to all the other principles, efforts to increase the emphasis of this principle should be given the highest priority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If any engineering courses are unlikely to be transferable between Australasian and overseas universities, one could argue that civil engineering capstone design courses with a strong practical engineering focus would be the least likely. This analysis considers two capstone design courses in the US and New Zealand. The analysis examines the approaches each university has taken to improve design education through simulating professional practice. The two approaches are superficially very different with different course structure and course requirements. In addition the emphasis on site and project, and the consequent dependence on country-specific matters related to regulation and codes, would lead one to expect low transferability. Closer analysis shows that the learning objectives of the courses are relatively similar and that the relationship between site and design are key for both. The challenges faced by the two approaches have much in common, reflecting similar student experiences, and so high transferability. The paper provides details on learning objectives and challenges faced at the two programs to aid others who wish to analyse capstone design experiences across multiple universities. The conclusion is that transferability between these two design experiences is high. The implication is that, through similar forces for educational change in both countries, internationalisation of engineering education is high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the author provides observations on the state of engineering education and a blueprint for how to shape the future of the profession to meet the challenges of an increasingly complex world. The engineering profession is one rooted in history and accomplishment. Yet engineers-whether civil, electrical, mechanical, structural, or of other engineering subspecialties-share a problem of perception. Many people do not know what engineers do and are not familiar with their challenges or accomplishments. Some may regard an engineering career path with apathy. Engineers themselves can fail to see their work in its fuller social context, resulting in self-reinforcing limitations on the potential of technology. The challenges of a complex, increasingly connected world demand that the engineering profession renew itself continuously, highlight and promote its accomplishments, and cultivate a future generation of engineers. These engineers must be prepared to contribute to substantive deliberations, to lead and shape the issues, identify and solve problems, and find and pursue the opportunities of tomorrow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of a 4-year study (from 2006-2009) using three-dimensional (3D) visualization of structures for teaching in civil engineering. 3D finite-element models have been developed to simulate the behavior of various structural members, such as beams, columns, and plates, taught to civil engineering students in classroom lectures or tested in laboratories. The finite-element simulation approach allows students to see the behavior of structures that is not detectable by human eye, such as the stresses in structures. 3D video clips and animations showing the propagation of stresses and strains in the structural members and deformations from different angles up to failure were developed using finite-element models. The 3D visualizations were presented to students as illustrative examples to enhance their understanding in structural analysis courses. Student feedback regarding the teaching innovations were collected and analyzed. The statistics derived show that students reacted positively and benefited considerably from the use of 3D visualization in civil engineering education, particularly in grasping the behavior of structures. The findings strongly suggest that 3D visualization of structures using finite-element analysis can be used as an effective teaching tool for civil engineering students in structural analysis courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There have been significant changes in undergraduate civil engineering curricula in the last two decades. Key issues for university curriculum committees are selection and transference of appropriate skills and attributes for students to succeed in the industry. Despite significant changes occurring in teaching theories, civil engineering education still relies heavily on deductive instruction. Case-based teaching is one of the most widespread forms of inductive learning and this paper describes the differences between two of the most familiar types: 'case-histories' and 'case-studies'. These methods are presented using the Kansas City Hyatt Regency walkway collapse as an exemplar. The benefits of using this approach are improved retention of knowledge, better reasoning and analytical skills, development of higher-order skills, greater ability to identify relevant issues and recognize multiple perspectives, higher motivation and awareness of non-technical issues. Many of these outcomes are part of the expected attributes of civil engineers outlined by professional bodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current civil engineering education should address the need to provide a broad vision, develop the higher-order skills of future civil engineers, enable them to adopt emerging technologies, and formulate innovative solutions to complex problems. This paper introduces relevant nanotechnology developments to convey the new vision and inspire creativity in civil engineering. It also presents a pedagogical framework for integrating nanotechnology education into a civil engineering curriculum and cultivating self-regulated learning and creativity skills for civil engineering students. The pedagogical framework includes the introduction of nanotechnology innovations and other relevant innovative technologies, and explicit instructions on cognitive strategies for facilitating and inspiring self-regulated learning and creativity. It is implemented with problem/project-based learning for a cocurricular project that requires self-regulated learning and creativity. This pedagogical framework provides a model for integrating emerging technology education and higher-order skill development into existing engineering curriculum. The outcomes from the implementation of the pedagogical framework are presented, and their further improvements are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The start-up level of the fresh man students is one of the main factors that influences the low-results of efficiency in General Physics in the University in Matanzas "Camilo Cienfuegos". One of the aspects that has to do with this problem is the current differences between the real levels of the students with which they access higher education and the one expected in their curricula. Until very recently the real mastering of the students' knowledge that will ensure their successful performance within the program was not taken into account, assuming that they master that knowledge in the required level. The need of a differentiated treatment for the students has been understood, as compulsory, corresponding with their kills and knowledge. In this research paper the antecedents, methodological foundation and experiences of a syllabus for a Physics Introductory Course for the Civil Engineering major are presented. This course intends to become an orientation of the study of the discipline based on the development of their learning skills, the logic and language of this science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction management has become a vital aspect of the construction process over the years. This paper reviews the Master’s programs in construction engineering and management (CEM) offered by departments of civil engineering in the United States. The findings indicate that only 20% of the American educational institutions, which offer accredited civil engineering programs, offer Master’s programs in CEM. Most of the Master’s programs in CEM constitute an effort to convey information to students on mainly six categories, namely, contract administration, project management, scheduling, equipment management, construction technology, and CEM research. It seems that the Master’s programs in CEM do not differ much from program to program in terms of content. When the trends in course offerings are compared in 1982, 1996, and 2008, there seems to be minimal change except for the number of courses in project management that went up significantly while the number of courses in cost estimating went down. The trends in the remaining courses have been stable. Even though contents and trends in CEM programs appear to be relatively stable, there seems to be some variability in the concentration of the course offerings. Some CEM programs concentrate on some of the categories at the expense of other categories. A close relationship and a sound dialogue between construction educators and the industry are likely to lead to Master’s programs that are in sync with the expectations of the industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of the strategic proposals by the Centroccidental University Lisandro Alvarado authorities, in accordance with the Government educational policies, this paper promotes the inclusion of society demands in the participation in higher educational system, through the adaptation of degrees offered by the institution under the virtual mode. According to the established, this article presents the process of managing the program "IT integration in the Civil Engineering Faculty", which was developed under the Institution and SEDUCLA guidelines, with the purpose to insert the teacher and student community in the virtual world. This way, new alternatives were offered to help solve a social problems, as well as diversity in the implementation of teaching modalities supported by IT. Also to help solving social exclusion problem, since a great amount of people can not get into universities due the lack of space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is little doubt that a laboratory experience can be a beneficial component of the undergraduate engineering learning process. Observing physical demonstrations of textbook and lecture information can enhance a student’s perception of a concept and produce clarity of key issues. Unfortunately, limitations often exist that constrain the developing laboratories and sometimes reducing the student’s experience to little more than performing “cookbook” experiments and copying previous lab reports; an exercise that benefits neither the instructor nor the student. This paper summarizes an alternative approach for undergraduate laboratory instruction that relies on the undergraduate students working in teams to design and conduct experiments. The instructor acts as mentor to a process that ensures a quality laboratory exercise without being the sole responsible party. The students’ learning is increased and the laboratory experience is enhanced due, in part, to the experiments being designed by students and for students; matching students’ needs, education, and interests with experiments. An additional benefit comes from participants being immersed into the concepts of experimental design and analysis using a team of peers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need arises to equip engineering students with a wider horizon of concepts in terms of environmental, economic, and social attributes, for decision making of sensitive to sustainability issues. Pedagogic frameworks have to address a multidisciplinary analysis of sustainability. This paper addresses the rationale behind the recent integration of sustainability concepts into an undergraduate civil engineering curriculum in Hong Kong. Incentives and barriers for implementation of the curriculum are addressed. A team-based design project with a problem-based learning approach is highlighted. The initial results of stakeholder evaluations suggested that multidisciplinary skills developed during the learning process might contribute significantly to pertinent knowledge on sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a module that was introduced into a civil engineering degree program with the help of professional engineers. The aim was to develop a bridge between the world of learning and professional practice by putting students in the role of consulting engineers working with industry to produce a feasible solution to a real inquiry from a client. The module is placed in context by comparing the goals of accredited civil engineering programs in the United Kingdom and America, by describing how it is linked to the degree program and by explaining the matrix developed to identify the skills the students needed to demonstrate their ability to practice as professional engineers. Details of the module are given with examples of student work and feedback. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The civil engineering profession has been undergoing an identity search. With the advent of information technology and the global market, competition from engineering offices elsewhere and from other local professions is unprecedented. Technical engineering knowledge is no longer a guarantee for career success; rather a combination of numerous professional skills is required. The growing unease of civil engineers about their undefined role in the knowledge economy has led many to question civil engineering education. Although there is a push to enhance the humanistic and business aspects of the curriculum, there is a shove in the opposite direction to strengthen the technical content and keep abreast of technical change. Discussion of this socioeconomic problem within the ASCE forum has often used linear deterministic thinking that is characteristic of technical problems. Social and economic systems are usually more complex and harder to understand than technological systems. If we start making new policies to address the problems of the profession based on fuzzy, incomplete, and imprecise mental models, we may end up with counterintuitive results. This paper proposes a systems thinking approach to the reform of civil engineering education based on System Dynamics modeling, a feedback-based object-oriented modeling paradigm. Such a tool can capture the dynamic nature of complex systems and the nonlinear feedback loops that are often responsible for counterintuitive results of policy making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In October of 1998, the ASCE Board of Direction adopted Policy Statement 465 supporting the concept of the master’s degree or equivalent as a prerequisite for licensure and practice of civil engineering at the professional level. Citing globalization, an intricate and complex infrastructure, and new engineering and information technologies, in October of 2001, the board unanimously voted to move forward with a revised Policy Statement 465, entitled “Academic Prerequisites for Licensure and Professional Practice.” This paper examines the ethical dimensions surrounding the call for additional education. To this end, the ASCE Code of Ethics will be discussed as a living document that governs the practice of safe, effective, and professional civil engineering, and will be brought to bear on the issues surrounding the implementation of ASCE Policy Statement 465. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the construction industry has introduced fundamental changes for integration of functions during the different project phases. The design/build approach that integrates design and construction is a prominent example of such changes. Consequently, modifications are necessary in civil engineering education to prepare students to deal with the demands of the new environment. This paper documents a graduate project offering students the opportunity to study planning, design, procurement, and construction on a real-life project, and to deal with the problems of integrating these functions. The project is a steel footbridge of 10-m span and 1.5-m width. The bridge is located on the campus of the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport, Alexandria, Egypt. The project was accomplished by a group of five students with the participation of an industrial sponsor who provided the necessary funds to construct the bridge and the required expertise for fabrication and erection. The nature and scope of the project provided a good balance between the task scope and the constrained time and effort of students. To a large extent, the students dealt with a real project and experienced real situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) and practitioners recognize professional practice issues as important in undergraduate civil engineering education. This paper describes a creative approach for incorporating professional practice issues into the civil engineering curriculum through a course entitled “Civil Engineering Practice.” This course has the following advantages: (1) It encourages active learning via activities as opposed to a traditional seminar; (2) forms long-term teaching partnerships with engineering professionals; (3) offers a venue where important yet distinct topics can be presented systematically; (4) provides the local engineering community with the opportunity to share its accomplishments and to further continuing education credits; (5) reinforces the professional practice elements of the capstone design project; and (6) supplies structured time where students can interact with potential employers and vice-versa. The course feedback from students, faculty, engineering professionals, and ABET evaluators has been overwhelmingly positive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In New Zealand, civil engineering classes are getting larger every year, which means that innovative ways must be sought to enable an increasing number of students to fulfill the laboratory requirements of the degree. With respect to water quality laboratories in introductory environmental engineering courses, it is advocated that it is more important that a civil engineering student be able to interpret water quality data, rather than to be acquainted in detail with the actual mechanics of water quality tests. As such, this paper describes a water quality laboratory that allows the student to gain an appreciation of a water quality data set without necessarily becoming fully conversant with the routine water quality tests. The laboratory’s emphasis on data interpretation instructs students on the importance of examining data sets for patterns, correlations and/or potential errors, while at the same time providing a stimulating and active hands-on learning environment for both students and staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 1989, the American Society of Civil Engineers Technical Council on Forensic Engineering has conducted two surveys to gauge the need for teaching failure analysis topics in the civil engineering curriculum. Although the surveys addressed different topics, the limited availability of instructional materials in failure analysis was a recurring theme. The purpose of this paper is to respond to each of the questionnaires by reporting on the ongoing development of a preliminary Internet web site whereby consultants can contribute failure case studies. These case studies will then be readily available for professors and instructors to use in stand-alone failure analysis courses. The case studies can also be used as supplemental material and can be integrated into existing general civil engineering curriculum courses as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although improving the relevance of engineering education through integrated courses has been discussed extensively, less attention has been given to the differences encountered in managing integrated as opposed to more traditional curriculums. Our planning of a new curriculum provided an opportunity for such an examination. Implementation and management issues of Colorado State University's (CSU) four year undergraduate civil engineering curriculum are identified and discussed. These issues include coordination challenges in a large research department, accommodating transfer students, absorbing higher resource costs, defining small group laboratory experiences, recognizing the lack of resource materials for nontraditional courses, including knowledge not within knowledge domains of faculty, rescheduling existing courses to fit within the new curriculum, and preparing teachers for leading the new courses. The department expects to resolve these issues in the next two to three years, and a follow-up paper will describe the lessons learned for the benefit of departments trying to improve design instruction, while adding new material to an already overcrowded curriculum and retaining flexibility for students to graduate in four years. Meanwhile, the challenges in implementing the integrated curriculum should be of interest to those facing similar issues inside academia as well as to their advisors from government and industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educating students in building science and civil engineering departments about professional practices has been recognized as an important issue. Information technology provides exciting possibilities for bringing project managers to classrooms electronically. In this paper, we describe the use of annotated still-image case studies in a senior undergraduate project-management class. A project manager, at a nine-story building site, discussed project-management problems with the students. Using a picturephone, the manager showed still images of the problem and talked to the students about the problem. The students were able to question him using another picturephone in the classroom. The effectiveness of this technology was determined using the four measures of “clear,”“useful,”“attractive,” and “challenging.” A questionnaire survey of the students showed that they found the case studies effective and preferred the ones delivered by the actual project manager. The students listed major benefits of the use of these case studies to be identifying project-management problems, reinforcing writing skills, and learning the need to communicate effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past few decades, there has been growing emphasis on sustainable development and a growing need to train students to think sustainably in preparation for their careers as practicing engineers. Thinking sustainably requires the consideration of not only environmental impacts but also societal and economic impacts. Thus, teaching future engineers to think sustainably requires a multifaceted, multipronged approach. To that end, a team of faculty from the Departments of Civil, Industrial, and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington acquired funding from the National Science Foundation to implement a project entitled 'Engineering Sustainable Engineers.' The project was designed to infuse undergraduate curricula in the three departments with sustainability, which was augmented by incorporating sustainability emphasis into other aspects of the undergraduate experience. Key program elements were (1) learning modules developed for courses across all levels of matriculation within the three curricula, (2) quality sustainable internships, and (3) a multidisciplinary senior design project with a sustainability focus. This paper summarizes the rationale, approaches, and results for integrating sustainability into the civil engineering undergraduate learning experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper summarizes the state of knowledge in relation to advances in education for sustainable development focused on higher education and in generic competencies, reviewing some of the existing proposals in the literature and analyzing other university approaches. It has focused on the curricula, applying a participatory methodology based on surveys and expert consultation for the identification and selection of generic competencies related to sustainability in a civil engineering degree at Universidad Europea (Spain). From the literature review, 17 generic competencies were preselected. A set of five weighted transversal competencies and their acquisition level have been obtained through surveys to stakeholders and interviews with experts. Critical thinking, adaptation to change, decision making, problem solving, and multidisciplinary team-working were chosen in order of importance. Competence acquisition level was addressed as not easy to rate or it seems to be exigent for graduate students. Problem-based learning is also selected as the best choice for the development of these sustainability generic skills in the entire civil engineering degree. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academics, through industry demand and involvement, are beginning to realize that educating our future engineers in building information modeling (BIM) technology utilizing an integrated project delivery (IPD) collaboration and design approach needs to be a frontrunner of education. As a result, academia is now challenged with the task of determining how to develop these specialized skill sets in engineering students such that the professional demand and focus of incorporating the proper skills in educational practices are met to address the issues and limitations that incur in new practices. This paper outlines the development, implementation, and results of a 3-year multidisciplinary team pilot program within architectural engineering (AE) at Penn State University encompassing structural, mechanical, lighting/electrical, and construction engineering disciplines, focusing on the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry needs. Built into this pilot are strong connections to industry professionals in order to facilitate understanding of the discipline and team knowledge in students before they enter the industry as professionals. Teams focus on actual industry projects, allowing for experiences the industry has deemed highly valuable. The results to date indicate that the combination of technical depth and integrated multidisciplinary collaboration have yielded results consistent with those originally requested by industry reviewers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the findings and experiences drawn from a study on the design of content and instruction strategies for an introductory course in construction management at the Universidad Industrial de Santander in Colombia. The research aimed at boosting the students' performance through the assessment of instruction strategies and course content that can match the education demands needed to support the economical and social development of the country. The study adopted a sequential and exploratory research design with a longitudinal approach. The researchers found that Colombian students prefer courses that combine theory with practice in class, such as workshops, as instruction strategies. In addition, the results showed a degree of improvement in the academic performance of the students. Such improvement was statistically significant with a higher average level of academic achievement and a more consistent achievement of learning outcomes among the enrolled students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]