Asce Student Chapters: A Contributor To Achieving Program Goals
- Conference
- Location
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Chicago, Illinois
- Publication Date
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June 18, 2006
- Start Date
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June 18, 2006
- End Date
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June 21, 2006
- ISSN
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2153-5965
- Conference Session
- Tagged Division
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Civil Engineering
- Page Count
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13
- Page Numbers
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11.231.1 - 11.231.13
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--1179
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/1179
- Download Count
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486
Paper Authors
C. Conley U.S. Military Academy
Dr. Christopher H. Conley is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil & Mechanical Engineering at the United States Military Academy, West Point, NY. He earned a B.S. degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in 1978 and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Civil Engineering from Cornell University in 1980 and 1983. He is a past member of the ASCE Committee on Student Activities.
Decker Hains U.S. Military Academy
Major Decker B. Hains, Ph.D., P.E., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, NY. He earned a B.S. degree from USMA in 1994, M.S. degrees from the University of Alaska Anchorage in 1998 and the University of Missouri-Rolla in 1999 and a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Lehigh University in 2004. He is currently serving on the ASCE Second Edition of the Body of Knowledge Committee.
Scott Hamilton U.S. Military Academy
Scott R. Hamilton is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil & Mechanical Engineering at the United States Military Academy, West Point, NY. He earned a B.S. degree from the United States Military Academy, in 1984 an M.S. degree in Civil Engineering and an M.S. Degree in Engineering Management from Stanford University in 1994. He is currently a member of the ASCE Committee on Student Activities.
Abstract
NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract
ASCE Student Chapters: A Contributor to Achieving Program Goals
Abstract
An analysis is presented of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Policy 465 outcomes, their origins, and the ways an ASCE Student Chapter could contribute to their attainment. The authors draw on their experience serving on ASCE’s Committee on Student Activities, working with student chapters and clubs, and serving on the ASCE’s Second Edition of the Body of Knowledge Committee. Using their experience from reviewing student chapter and club annual reports from many schools over several years, from attending and observing numerous Regional Student Conferences, from running Workshops for Student Chapter Leaders, from participating in Practitioner and Faculty Advisor Training Workshops, and finally from serving as advisor for the USMA student chapter, the authors assess the contribution of student groups to attainment of Policy 465 outcomes.
Through community service projects, field trips, guest speakers, organizing and running local, regional and in some cases national events, and through the leadership opportunities offered in the ASCE student groups, civil engineering undergraduates can, and do, demonstrate that they are developing the skills and gaining experience in many of the areas outlined in the 15 outcomes of the BOK. When the student group has faculty and practitioner advisor participation, and takes on significant service projects and/or the running of events involving large numbers of participants, the learning and experience are at their best.
The educational opportunities presented by an active and well run ASCE student group cannot be matched in traditional classroom settings. In examining recent initiatives of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) regarding the future of engineering education, it is clear that many typical ASCE student group activities can contribute to meeting the recommendations of the NAE immediately, without significant changes to a program’s curriculum. Finally, ASCE student group activities can also be used to support civil engineering program accreditation, under both current and proposed criteria.
Introduction
Civil engineering programs, and the policies and guidelines for their assessment, continue to evolve. The latest activities in these areas are reflected in the American Society of Civil Engineer’s (ASCE) publication Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge for the 21st Century[1], the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) publication Educating the Engineer of 2020 – Adapting Engineering Education to the New Century[2], and the ABET, Inc. “PROPOSED Criteria for Accrediting Engineering Programs”[3] . In fact, Bruce Seely writes in the NAE report that “Engineering education has been the subject of more studies and reviews, formal and informal, than any other domain of professional education.” [2]
ASCE student group activities are a historically underutilized resource to civil engineering programs who are working to keep up with these changes. These student group activities are a place where many of the things that the above pundits are looking for have been, and continue to
Conley, C., & Hains, D., & Hamilton, S. (2006, June), Asce Student Chapters: A Contributor To Achieving Program Goals Paper presented at 2006 Annual Conference & Exposition, Chicago, Illinois. 10.18260/1-2--1179
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