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A Holistic Approach to Civil Engineering Capstone Design

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Conference

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Portland, Oregon

Publication Date

June 23, 2024

Start Date

June 23, 2024

End Date

June 26, 2024

Conference Session

Design in Engineering Education Division (DEED) - Assessment of Design Projects and Approaches to Capstone Courses

Tagged Division

Design in Engineering Education Division (DEED)

Page Count

10

DOI

10.18260/1-2--46446

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/46446

Download Count

57

Paper Authors

biography

Sarath Chandra Kumar Jagupilla P.E. Stevens Institute of Technology

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Professor Jagupilla (Prof. J) is an Associate Professor and Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies in the Civil, Environmental and Ocean Engineering Department at Stevens Institute of Technology. He is also a licensed professional engineer, a board-certified environmental engineer, an ASCE ExCEEd graduate and an ABET PEV (program evaluator) for AAEES. Prof. J serves as the instructor for civil engineering senior design, probability and statistics for engineers, modeling and simulation of environmental systems, introduction to geographic information systems, and regression and stochastic methods.

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Elizabeth O'Connell Stevens Institute of Technology

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Muhammad R. Hajj Stevens Institute of Technology

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Abstract

We present a holistic approach that culminates the senior design course as a unique opportunity/outcome for the civil engineering undergraduate program. The objectives are to deliver a capstone senior design that, in addition to meeting design educational requirements, (1) enhances the professional skills of the students, as necessary for them to thrive in their future careers, and (2) serves as a platform through which the undergraduate experience of all students in the program is enhanced. The approach involves complementary engagement of a technical advisor, a course instructor, a course facilitator, and an industry sponsor. The technical advisor ensures that the project synthesizes and applies technical knowledge (e.g., engineering design, software, analysis, prototyping, testing, project management, etc.) as taught in the sophomore and junior years. The course instructor is responsible for overall guidance, scheduling, assignments, team set-up and coordination, and assessment. The course facilitator incorporates specialty seminars, networking events, outreach, site visits, and career opportunities offered within the senior design course to the entire undergraduate program with the aim of enhancing students’ professional skills and industry contacts. The industry sponsor provides the problem statement with design criteria and objectives and provides industry-specific guidance to solve the problem. Based on surveys, substantial department administration and faculty buy-in, this approach has proven to be highly beneficial to the students and department. Particularly, this holistic approach demonstrates that, in addition to meeting the program's overall goals, the capstone senior design could be used to cultivate an education environment that presents more internship and career possibilities to the students, enhances faculty mentoring, and encourages alumni engagement.

Jagupilla, S. C. K., & O'Connell, E., & Hajj, M. R. (2024, June), A Holistic Approach to Civil Engineering Capstone Design Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. 10.18260/1-2--46446

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