Search

For sustainable engineering to contribute to sustainability, curricular reforms are needed to train sustainability-conscious engineers. Examining student perceptions of sustainability education can provide insights for benchmarking the current quality of a curriculum and for identifying strategies for reforming a curriculum. Thus, the goal of this study was to examine student interest in, knowledge of, and experiences related to sustainability in civil and environmental engineering (CEE) at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). A survey was developed and administered to students () enrolled in CEE capstone courses. The results indicated that although students are interested in sustainable development, there is potential for further enhancing sustainability learning. In addition, students reported that CEE courses strongly impacted their learning, which underscores the importance of curricular quality. Finally, although students were generally satisfied with CEE sustainability education, they cited the need for more guidance on integrating sustainability into the design process. Although this case study provides feedback to improve CEE sustainability education at Georgia Tech, it also serves as an example for other programs interested in evaluating their curricula from a student perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A major 2006 survey of US schools of architecture identified significant problems in the way earthquake engineering design was integrated into and taught in their curricula. More than 10 years later, this paper reviews several of the significant problems raised, and reports on new developments in three areas. First, after acknowledging the pivotal role of the design studio in architectural education, two models of teaching earthquake engineering by linking seismic design to design studio projects are reported. The success of the models is attributed to both short and intense tutoring sessions by external professional engineers, coupled with the use of seismic design rule-of-thumb software. The second area of progress has been the remedying of shortcomings in seismic design content and appropriate teaching resources. Finally, the paper focuses on the development and use of rule-of-thumb software. This empowers students to design and size the seismic-resistant structure their design projects require. Results from student surveys in several countries suggest the software is appropriate for its users and it contributes positively to the seismic design education of architects. The paper concludes that an effective approach to teaching seismic design in a school of architecture necessitates a certain minimum content being conveyed to the students, followed by application of this material to one or more of their studio design projects. The inherent structural complexity of these projects requires tutorial advice from professional engineers that can be limited and should then be taken to another level of detail by the use of rule-of-thumb software. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent natural events such as earthquakes in Japan and storm surge effects in New York have led to the growing interest in sustainable civil engineering. While sustainability topics, such as soil liquefaction and green building design, are typically included within civil engineering programs at the baccalaureate or graduate levels, topics in sustainability can be adapted for secondary school students as well. In addition, efforts to attract quality and diverse students into civil engineering have given rise to engineering camps aimed at secondary school students. This research focuses on the exploration of civil engineering sustainable module topics for secondary school students through the development of content as well as implementation of two case studies. Sustainability module topics are identified and instructional content (lesson objectives, key concepts, activities, experiments, and other pedagogical techniques) are proposed. Two modules are applied at the Bucknell Engineering Summer Camp program, targeting secondary school students. The module topics developed, as well as the case study results, can provide examples for how engineering educators throughout the country can introduce sustainable civil engineering as a way to encourage future civil engineering students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method to evaluate students' application of sustainability principles into engineering design and problem solving was developed. Students were presented with two challenge questions that each posed a scenario. Students responded to one question and their answers were scored using a rubric that combined both analytic and holistic scoring criteria to account for sustainability principles. The rubric was iteratively developed and met standard measures of reliability and validity. Based on responses from primarily civil and environmental engineering students at three institutions, it was found that male students, seniors, and participants in many diverse learning activities (extracurricular service, internships, undergraduate research, and engineering design courses) achieved higher rubric scores. Scores on the challenge questions did not correlate to students' interests in sustainable engineering, which were measured using a Likert-based survey. A challenge-question approach to formative assessment may enable instructors to adapt curricula to foster student learning of implicit sustainability issues in engineering. The rubric may be used with a diversity of content-focused challenge questions as a tool for assessing students' holistic, sustainability-focused approaches to engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]