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BOARD # 49: Defining Design: How Undergraduate Civil Engineering Students Think of Design

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Conference

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Publication Date

June 22, 2025

Start Date

June 22, 2025

End Date

August 15, 2025

Conference Session

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL) Poster Session

Tagged Division

Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL)

Tagged Topic

Diversity

Page Count

12

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/55863

Download Count

1

Paper Authors

biography

Aja Rachel Bettencourt-Mccarthy University of Cincinnati Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0003-4944-5097

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Aja Bettencourt-McCarthy is the Science & Engineering Global Services Librarian at the University of Cincinnati. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Cincinnati, Aja was the STEM Instruction Librarian at the University of Kentucky Libraries and the Head of Public Services at the Oregon Institute of Technology Library. Aja earned an MLIS degree from the University of Washington and a Bachelor of Arts & Sciences in French and Community and Regional Development from UC Davis.

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biography

Matthew Sleep University of Cincinnati

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Matthew Sleep is an Associate Professor Educator at the University of Cincinnati in the Civil and Architectural Engineering and Construction Management Department.

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Abstract

Engineering design is a critical element of undergraduate engineering programs and is an integral criterion in ABET assessment. Despite being a foundational element of engineering instruction, there is no single definition of design in engineering and the definitions of engineering design have shifted over time. In addition, while scholars and accrediting bodies have worked to define engineering design, the extent to which these definitions reflect the students’ understanding of engineering design is less clear. This paper aims to provide insight into student perceptions of design by discussing the results of a survey that asked both first year and capstone undergraduate civil engineering students to identify the components of several design and engineering design definitions that resonated most strongly with their experience and understanding of engineering as a profession. In addition to sharing the results of this study, we review the literature on ways to expand student understanding of engineering design and provide recommendations, along with areas for future research, for Civil Engineering.

Bettencourt-Mccarthy, A. R., & Sleep, M. (2025, June), BOARD # 49: Defining Design: How Undergraduate Civil Engineering Students Think of Design Paper presented at 2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Montreal, Quebec, Canada . https://peer.asee.org/55863

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