Conference Session

A Serving Profession: Service Learning in Civil Engineering Education

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nathan Gartner, University of Massachusetts-Lowell; John TIng, University of Massachusetts-Lowell; Oguz Gunes, University of Massachusetts-Lowell; Xiaoqi Zhang, University of Massachusetts-Lowell

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

Page 11.1358.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2006 Undergraduate Curriculum Reform in Civil Engineering by Integrating Service-Learning ProjectsAbstractAt the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML), the goal in the Francis College ofEngineering (CoE) is to integrate service-learning into a broad array of courses so that studentswill be exposed to service-learning every semester in the core curriculum in every program in theentire CoE, an initiative supported by NSF through the Department Level Reform Program. Thispaper presents the strategy in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering (CEE) ofidentifying and implementing S-L projects as a first step towards undergraduate

Conference Session

Civil Engineering in the Classroom

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stanley Rolfe, University of Kansas; Francis Thomas, University of Kansas-Lawrence

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

the safety, health and welfare of the public in the performance of their professional duties. 2. Engineers shall perform services only in areas of their competence. 3. Engineers shall issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner. 4. Engineers shall act in professional matters for each employer or client as faithful agents or trustees, and shall avoid conflicts of interest. 5. Engineers shall build their professional reputation on the merit of their services and shall not compete unfairly with others. 6. Engineers shall act in such a manner as to uphold and enhance the honor, integrity, and dignity of the engineering profession. 7. Engineers shall continue their

Conference Session

Civil Engineering in the Classroom

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christy Jeon, Georgia Institute of Technology; Adjo Amekudzi, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

appropriate context for integrating ethical issues in the curriculum. The case reviewsthe ASCE and NSPE Codes of Ethics and presents a real-life account of the failed ManhattanWestway project development owing to a breach of ethics in the development of theEnvironmental Impact Statement. With the ethical context of the project, students are then askedto develop a relative ranking of the project alternatives using a simple multi-attribute decisionmaking framework to instill an appreciation of the subjectivity involved in identifying theoptimal project, the ethical dilemmas that could arise in such situations, and the ethicalresponsibilities and pressures that civil engineers may face during project development. Suchcases may be integrated into

Conference Session

A Serving Profession: Service Learning in Civil Engineering Education

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Warren Cambell, Western Kentucky University; Shane Palmquist, Western Kentucky University; Greg Mills, Western Kentucky University

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

for engineeringstudents. At our university, undergraduate students at all levels have been and will continue tobe involved in water resources projects throughout their undergraduate careers. While our areais well suited for providing these projects, the approach can be emulated in many otheruniversities. The integration of projects across the curriculum provides a better studentexperience and understanding of civil engineering practice. Projects in the classroom should behandled like projects in professional practice with students taking responsibility for planning andexecuting the projects. Experience with freshmen students in these projects was particularly positive. Theelevation certificate survey provides an excellent elementary

Conference Session

A Serving Profession: Service Learning in Civil Engineering Education

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Leslie Inniss, Florida A&M University; Enos Inniss, University of Texas-San Antonio

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

Page 11.294.2Just as with general service learning, service learning in engineering has been defined in severaldifferent ways: A form of experiential learning that integrates classroom concepts with related community service. An educational philosophy that promotes active learning through community service. An educational experience that enables students to apply material learned in the classroom by volunteering in a real-world situation. A pedagogical strategy that combines community service with classroom learning. A form of experiential education in which students meet the learning objectives of a course by working with a community partner. A pedagogy that integrates academic

Conference Session

The Senior Experience: Capstone and Beyond

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jennifer Large Seagrave

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

curriculum capstone courses in Civil and other engineering disciplines attempt tofulfill a host of objectives. Most notably, they incorporate design projects and teamwork tofulfill specific criteria of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).They provide their students with an opportunity for synthesis, employing the technical skills theyhave learned in the program, and introducing elements of professional practice that will easetheir integration into industry after graduation.In order to meet the needs industry has for young engineers, many universities have incorporatedmock corporate environments and real-world clients into the capstone course. Besides familiaritywith a team work environment and real clients, preparation for

Conference Session

Where are We Going? The Future of Civil Engineering Education

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ronald Harichandran, Michigan State University

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

recruit young and idealistic minds interested in contributing toward solvingsome of society’s vital fundamental concerns. The prospect of using emerging technologies toaddress sustainable development has the definite potential of exciting undergraduate students. Several initiatives in this regard are already underway. Stanford University, for instance, isplanning to provide an innovative experience to students by establishing a residential program ina newly constructed “green” dormitory building. The building is expected to showcase sustain-able concepts related to energy, water systems, vehicle refueling, air quality, etc. and serve as a“live-in laboratory.” The new thrusts are driving curriculum reform. Several Big 10+ CEE departments

Conference Session

Achieving the Civil Engineering Body of Knowlegde

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

C. Conley, U.S. Military Academy; Decker Hains, U.S. Military Academy; Scott Hamilton, U.S. Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

faculty interaction. These events can be tied to specific milestones in the academic year such as start of the term, end of the term, FE exam, or tied to a holiday, an organization’s special project or just an opportunity to get students together.6. Host Branch/Section meetings: Allows students to interact with local professionals on their home turf and integrates them into professional societies. This also serves as a way for the local ASCE Sections and Branches to see what students are doing and to meet with them.7. Attend Branch/Section meetings: Provides an introduction to professional society activities.8. Organization business meetings: Gives students the opportunity to become involved with running an organization, running a

Conference Session

Physical Models and Other Interactive Tools

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Douglas Cleary, Rowan University

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

andcompression, and then advance to analysis and design topics as they are more empiricallypresented in the relevant building codes. The importance of hands-on active learning has longbeen an integral part of education theory. Educational Psychologist Jean Piaget states thatoptimal learning occurs through “active methods” which “require every new truth to berediscovered or at least reconstructed” by the student1. The National Science Foundation2 arguedin 1993 that “Engineering curriculum reform is necessary to meet the objectives of enhancing theacceptability of US industrial products in the international market” and that hands-onexperiences should be an integral part of that reform3. Having students design, fabricate and testreinforced concrete beams

Conference Session

Where are We Going? The Future of Civil Engineering Education

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Karen Lee Hansen; Jorge Vanegas, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

and financial, and the ecological and environmental systems. o Intra- and intergenerational satisfaction of human needs and aspirations are an integral part of the outcomes of the development process. o Natural resource use is managed proactively through monitoring and control of the extraction of resources from the biosphere in a way that ensures that the supply will always exceed the demand, and of the extraction of nonrenewable natural resources from the lithosphere to prevent their total depletion. o Sustainable strategies and technologies are used proactively within every element of the system: − To promote the development, and to enable the use, of environmentally conscious

Conference Session

Achieving the Civil Engineering Body of Knowlegde

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ronald Welch, U.S. Military Academy; Allen Estes, U.S. Military Academy; Fred Meyer, U.S. Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

pre-licensure and post-licensure periods.As volunteer pilot programs that comprise the Curriculum Committee of the Committee onAcademic Prerequisites for Professional Practice (CAP3) began to assess themselves against thenew BOK using the definitions for recognition, understanding, and ability, they quicklydetermined that it was very difficult to accurately measure whether an outcome was met or not.While “recognition, ability and understanding” were chosen because they aligned with theterminology used in ABET3 outcomes, a more measurable definition for each level was needed.After much debate and research into alternative methods by the newly formed CAP3Competency Committee, it was decided that Bloom’s Taxonomy4 for the cognitive domain

Conference Session

Progress on Raising the Bar

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stephen Ressler, U.S. Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

—could logically be integrated into the undergraduate civil engineering curriculum or offered as part of a professional practice- oriented master’s program. From an accreditation perspective, however, it is only possible to address these topics in the Basic Level Civil Engineering Program Criteria. Addressing these professional practice topics at the graduate level would require their inclusion in the Advanced Level General Criteria—which cannot be approved without the broad support of the other engineering societies. Since these topics are, to some degree, discipline-specific, it would be virtually impossible to gain the support necessary for their approval.In response to these considerations, the

Conference Session

The Senior Experience: Capstone and Beyond

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Niehaus, University of Cincinnati; Anant Kukreti, University of Cincinnati

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

advising board of professional engineers. More details of thethree distinct, but integrated, phases, I, II, and III, of the course are presented below. Phase I – Autumn Quarter – Feasibility/Conceptual Planning Phase (CEE 504, 2credit hours). The Autumn quarter introduces the class to the concept of an “integrated,” orinterdisciplinary, type project which is representative of the real world. The principal goal ofthis phase is to develop and hone skills related to oral and written communication of technicalideas, working together productively in teams, encountering and addressing problems andsituations that sometimes are “out of the box,” group organization, project management,synthesizing existing technical information, and independent

Conference Session

Where are We Going? The Future of Civil Engineering Education

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Allen Estes, U.S. Military Academy; Ronald Welch, U.S. Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

,integration or application as defined by Boyer4, but the important attribute is that scholars arelife-long learners who are continually gaining and applying new knowledge. Because studentlearning is directly tied to effective teaching, the ability and willingness to be an outstandingclassroom teacher remains important. Effective teaching is defined in terms of Lowman’s two-dimensional model of intellectual excitement and interpersonal rapport5 and the ExCEEdTeaching Model6. Because civil engineering education for many students is preparation forprofessional licensure and a career in civil engineering practice, those who teach it should havepractical experience as an employed engineer in a consulting firm, industry or a governmentagency. How can one