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Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Applications in Engineering Project Management: Developing A Course Module

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Conference

2024 South East Section Meeting

Location

Marietta, Georgia

Publication Date

March 10, 2024

Start Date

March 10, 2024

End Date

March 12, 2024

Page Count

9

DOI

10.18260/1-2--45506

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/45506

Download Count

71

Paper Authors

biography

Nahid Vesali The Citadel

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Dr. Nahid Vesali is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering Leadership and Program Management (ELPM) in the School of Engineering (SOE) at The Citadel. She holds PhD in Civil Eng., MSc. in Construction Engineering and Management, and BSc in Civil Eng. She teaches engineering project management, technical planning and scheduling as well as BIM courses. Besides her academic background, she has over 7 years of construction industry experience

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David S Greenburg The Citadel

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Dr. David Greenburg is a Professor and Department Head for the Department of Engineering Leadership and Program Management (ELPM) in the School of Engineering (SOE) at The Citadel. He served over 20 years of active military service in the United States Marine Corps as an infantry officer. Upon completion of active military service, he held executive leadership positions in industry until he joined the faculty at The Citadel. His research interests include modeling project networks, technical decision making and leadership. He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).

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Mostafa Batouli The Citadel Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0002-8092-4187

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Dr. Mostafa Batouli is an Assistant Professor of Construction Engineering in the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at The Citadel. Dr. Batouli received his PhD in Civil Engineering from Florida International University. He also holds Master of Public Administration and Graduate Certificate in Homeland Security and Emergency Management from FIU, Master of Science in Civil Engineering/Construction Engineering and Management from IAU, and Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering/Surveying from University of Tehran. Dr. Batouli is a Professional Engineer (PE) registered in SC. He also holds Project Management Professional (PMP) international certificate. Dr. Batouli teaches diverse range of courses in civil engineering, construction engineering, and construction/project management. As a teacher, he aims to inspire his students to think intensively and critically and to live ethically and morally. Dr. Batouli received Harry Saxe Teaching award in 2022 based on students' votes and students evaluation of instruction.
His previous research has resulted in more than 30 referred journal and conference publications as well as five research reports. His past research received major awards and honors including a third-place best poster award from the construction research congress and a Dissertation Year Fellowship from Florida International University in 2016.

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Eva Theresa Singleton The Citadel Military College

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Dr. Eva Singleton is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering Leadership and Program Management (ELPM) in the School of Engineering at The Citadel Military College in Charleston, SC.
She is a certified Project Management Professional with over a decade of experience in various industries, including publishing, manufacturing, and government contracting. She enjoys teaching and serving in complex project management roles requiring adaptability and problem-solving, strategic planning, and leadership skills. Dr. Singleton is enthusiastic about educating professionals and students to advance their business and academic endeavors using project management competencies, tools, techniques, and leadership.
Dr. Singleton’s research interest includes interdisciplinary topics related to project management, such as leadership, entrepreneurship, artificial intelligence, process improvement, and burnout.
The purpose of this paper, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Applications in Engineering Project Management: Developing A Course Module, is for students to understand the basics of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.

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Andrew B. Williams The Citadel

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Andrew B. Williams, Ph.D. is the Dean of Engineering and the Louis S. LeTellier Chair at The Citadel School of Engineering. Dr. Williams is an alumni of the National Academy of Engineering Frontiers in Engineering Symposium and the National GEM Consortium Ph.D. in Engineering Program. He received both his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering with an emphasis in AI and his BSEE from the University of Kansas.

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Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are pivotal topics in today’s education and have a significant impact on the future of engineering careers. AI and ML applications are gaining popularity in real-world engineering projects, making it essential for all engineering students to learn about the evolving tools and techniques. The objective of this study was to create a specialized module within an Engineering Project Management and Planning course, offering students insights into the versatile applications of AI and ML in project management. The module focuses on four primary learning objectives. To achieve these objectives, we explored three key aspects of AI and ML in project management: 1) Enhancing decision-making through AI and ML predictive capabilities; 2) Optimizing resource allocation by automating report generation, virtual assistance, and automating communications; and 3) Mitigating project risks through sentiment analysis of project documents and early issue detection from textual data. To ensure a comprehensive understanding for students, we integrated a few AI and ML tools currently utilized in industry projects into the module, summarizing their potential advantages and disadvantages. The module was designed for graduate-level students and spans one week of a three-credit-hour course. An in-class activity was included to engage students actively in the learning process. Students' attainment of the learning objectives will be assessed through a subsequent homework assignment, a quiz and one exam question in the form of matching statements. While primarily designed for graduate-level students, this module can be adapted with minor adjustments for inclusion in undergraduate-level engineering project management courses.

Vesali, N., & Greenburg, D. S., & Batouli, M., & Singleton, E. T., & Williams, A. B. (2024, March), Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Applications in Engineering Project Management: Developing A Course Module Paper presented at 2024 South East Section Meeting, Marietta, Georgia. 10.18260/1-2--45506

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