First Year Civil and Architectural Engineering Student Project

Elin Jensen

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Conference: 2024 ASEE North Central Section Conference
Location: Kalamazoo, Michigan
Publication Date: March 22, 2024
Start Date: March 22, 2024
End Date: March 23, 2024
Page Count: 10
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--45620
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/45620
Download Count: 14

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Paper Authors

biography

Elin Jensen Lawrence Technological University

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Dr. Elin Jensen is associate professor and chair of the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering at Lawrence Technological University (LTU). She has extensive analytical and experimental research experience in the area of performance of materials used in building and infrastructure applications.

The earned M.Sc. in Civil Engineering degree from Aalborg University, Denmark, entitles degree holder to practice in the European Union. The use of the earned academic title “Civilingeniør” is restricted to holders of diplomas from the relevant Danish schools or equivalent schools.

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Abstract

Many engineering students lack confidence during the ideation phase of their senior project experience. Tasks associated with developing the project scope and alternatives, while considering diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and sustainability pose challenges. Faculty hypothesized that these challenges are associated with lack of prior experience in developing a comprehensive collaborative proposal. An improvement of the preliminary senior project proposal is desired and is hypothesized that improvements can be achieved by introducing educational strategies earlier in the curriculum. This paper evaluates a first-year civil and architectural engineering project that prepares students for upper-level work while introducing them to stakeholders. The project is addressing a need identified by a city in their Sustainability Action Plan (SAP). The need is mobility by way of improving public transit and non-motorized transportation networks. Mobility hubs are suggested in SAP. The City identified key design features and priorities such as: comfortable waiting area for all users, micro- and macro mobility, low impact developments for storm water management, sustainability and DEI.

This project implemented multiple learning strategies. First the students engaged with city planners and community survey data obtained by city. Guest speakers shared the design and engineering considerations that went into the conceptual design of a regional multi-modal transit center. Later in the semester, the students are introduced to engineering terminologies and concepts such as analysis of transportation data and relevant geometric designs, team work, sustainability, environmental justice data, low impact development techniques for stormwater management, building systems, and conceptual cost analysis. The semester concludes with the students working in teams to prepare the conceptual project and the deliverables are; preliminary project plan, impact statement, and a final proposal presentation.

The student’s learning will be assessed using student developed mind maps that captures their vision of the transit center meeting the needs of the stakeholders. The knowledge structure of the mind maps is evaluated to categorize the student’s learning as non-learning, surface-learning and deep-learning. The quantitative assessment of the mind map is based on the number of concepts included, addition and removal of links between concepts, and the addition or removal of concepts between mind maps. Three sets of mind maps are developed and assessed. The first mind map is developed by the individual students after the initial project proposal has been submitted and evaluated by faculty. Immediately following this activity, the team collaborate to developed a mind map that reflects the collective vision. The last mind map is developed, by the individual student, after the project impact statement has been developed and graded and immediately before the final project presentation. The project is currently underway. The last and third set of mind maps will be developed by mid December 2023.

The study hypotheses are that: 1. The individual student mind maps become increasing more complex between the first and last mind map demonstrating deep learning. 2. The team mind maps are more complex than the first individual mind map demonstrating surface-learning and deep-learning.

Citation
Format

Jensen, E. (2024, March), First Year Civil and Architectural Engineering Student Project Paper presented at 2024 ASEE North Central Section Conference, Kalamazoo, Michigan. 10.18260/1-2--45620

TY - CPAPER
AB - Many engineering students lack confidence during the ideation phase of their senior project experience. Tasks associated with developing the project scope and alternatives, while considering diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and sustainability pose challenges. Faculty hypothesized that these challenges are associated with lack of prior experience in developing a comprehensive collaborative proposal. An improvement of the preliminary senior project proposal is desired and is hypothesized that improvements can be achieved by introducing educational strategies earlier in the curriculum.
This paper evaluates a first-year civil and architectural engineering project that prepares students for upper-level work while introducing them to stakeholders. The project is addressing a need identified by a city in their Sustainability Action Plan (SAP). The need is mobility by way of improving public transit and non-motorized transportation networks. Mobility hubs are suggested in SAP. The City identified key design features and priorities such as: comfortable waiting area for all users, micro- and macro mobility, low impact developments for storm water management, sustainability and DEI.

This project implemented multiple learning strategies. First the students engaged with city planners and community survey data obtained by city. Guest speakers shared the design and engineering considerations that went into the conceptual design of a regional multi-modal transit center. Later in the semester, the students are introduced to engineering terminologies and concepts such as analysis of transportation data and relevant geometric designs, team work, sustainability, environmental justice data, low impact development techniques for stormwater management, building systems, and conceptual cost analysis. The semester concludes with the students working in teams to prepare the conceptual project and the deliverables are; preliminary project plan, impact statement, and a final proposal presentation.

The student’s learning will be assessed using student developed mind maps that captures their vision of the transit center meeting the needs of the stakeholders. The knowledge structure of the mind maps is evaluated to categorize the student’s learning as non-learning, surface-learning and deep-learning. The quantitative assessment of the mind map is based on the number of concepts included, addition and removal of links between concepts, and the addition or removal of concepts between mind maps. Three sets of mind maps are developed and assessed. The first mind map is developed by the individual students after the initial project proposal has been submitted and evaluated by faculty. Immediately following this activity, the team collaborate to developed a mind map that reflects the collective vision. The last mind map is developed, by the individual student, after the project impact statement has been developed and graded and immediately before the final project presentation. The project is currently underway. The last and third set of mind maps will be developed by mid December 2023.

The study hypotheses are that:
1. The individual student mind maps become increasing more complex between the first and last mind map demonstrating deep learning.
2. The team mind maps are more complex than the first individual mind map demonstrating surface-learning and deep-learning.
AU - Elin Jensen
CY - Kalamazoo, Michigan
DA - 2024/03/22
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - First Year Civil and Architectural Engineering Student Project
UR - https://peer.asee.org/45620
DO - 10.18260/1-2--45620
ER -