Collection

2008 Northeast Section Meeting

Authors

Aaron S. Bradshaw; Gary N. McCloskey; Franklin Miguel

Development of a Civil Engineering Design Course Based On Reflective Action Aaron S. Bradshaw, Merrimack College Gary N. McCloskey, O.S.A. Merrimack College Franklin Miguel, Merrimack CollegeAbstractAdded to solid technical skills, there are a number of “soft” skills that a civil engineer must possess to besuccessful in practice. A concept for a course is proposed where students can develop technical and non-technical practice skills using the learning approach of reflective action which was first introduced byDonald Schon in the 1980’s. Reflective action is demonstrated through a design problem involving

Collection

2008 Northeast Section Meeting

Authors

Christopher W. Swan; Julia Carroll

Beyond Their Technical Capabilities: Providing Student Exposure to Professional, Communication, and Leadership Skills Christopher W. Swan and Julia Carroll Associate Professor and Graduate Student, respectively, Tufts UniversityAbstract Beyond their technical capabilities, future engineers will require strong leadership,communication, and professional skills to navigate an ever-changing field that is increasinglyinfluenced by issues associated with globalization and environmental sustainability. A newcourse on these “soft” skills has been developed at Tufts University. The course, recently taughtto civil and environmental engineering majors, was designed to introduce

Collection

2008 Northeast Section Meeting

Authors

Elif Kongar; Paul Kontogiorgis; Nancy L. Russo; Tarek Sobh

, engineering and math (STEM) fields, these changes have led to anincreasing need for building “soft skills” in current and potential employees, essentially bridging the gapbetween technical and business skills. In one area of services, IT Services, there are thousands of jobs inthe market that are left unfulfilled due to the lack of updated qualifications. There is a lack of awarenessof this growing trend for current skills and available job roles, which needs to be addressed, especially byeducational institutions. Of particular concern is the fact that female candidates, who constitute asignificant portion of the potential work force, are not being utilized correctly. It has been argued thatwomen in general possess many characteristics that make them