Integrating Smart City Concepts in Civil Engineering Education through Experimental- Centric Pedagogy

Mojtaba Naseri; Pelumi Olaitan Abiodun; Oludare Adegbola Owolabi

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Conference: 2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Publication Date: June 22, 2025
Start Date: June 22, 2025
End Date: August 15, 2025
Conference Session: The Real World-Project-Based & Experiential Learning
Tagged Division: Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL)
Page Count: 7
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/56843

Paper Authors

biography

Mojtaba Naseri Morgan State University

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Mojtaba Naseri is a doctoral student in Civil Engineering at Morgan State University, Baltimore, United States and working as a Research Assistant at SMARTER center, Morgan State University. His research interests include the application of new technologies in transportation engineering and advancements in educational engineering. Mojtaba holds a Master of Science in Geotechnical Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran and has job experiences in consulting companies.

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biography

Pelumi Olaitan Abiodun Morgan State University orcid.org/0000-0002-4969-9591

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Pelumi Abiodun is a current doctoral student and research assistant at the department of Civil Engineering, Morgan State University, Baltimore, Maryland. Pelumi got his BSc and MSc degree in Physics from Obafemi Awolowo University, where he also served as a research assistant at the Environmental Pollution Research unit, in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. As part of his contribution to science and engineering, Pelumi has taught as a teaching assistant both at Morgan State University and Obafemi Awolowo University. With passion to communicate research findings and gleaned from experts in the field as he advances his career, Olaitan has attended several in-persons and virtual conferences and workshop, and at some of them, made presentation on findings on air pollution, waste water reuse, and heavy metal contamination.

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Oludare Adegbola Owolabi P.E. Morgan State University

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Dr. Oludare Owolabi, a professional engineer in Maryland, joined the Morgan State University faculty
in 2010. He is the director of the sustainable infrastructure development, smart innovation and resilient
engineering lab and the director of undergraduate programs in the department of civil engineering at Morgan
State University.

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Abstract

The increasing population in urban areas and the importance of sustainable cities have created new challenges for civil engineers, leading them into being proficient in Smart City (SC) technologies, including smart transportation, green buildings, energy efficiency and proper urban planning. This paper explores ongoing efforts to integrate SC concepts into the Experimental-Centric Pedagogy (ECP) framework. This is to emphasize hands-on experiential learning, aiming to improve civil engineering education and learning outcomes. From literature reviewed, there is a lack of structured, practical approach to training future workforce at undergraduate level in SC concept especially in civil engineering educational programs. Active learning pedagogies like experiment-centric pedagogy has become a beacon of hope in engagement, motivation, and retention of students. This ongoing work is aimed at developing curriculum and modules that can incorporate the trainings in SC methods and technologies within 4 years civil engineering education at undergraduate level. Beside using a 3D modeling software, students will be engaged in experiments that involve modeling smart traffic systems, energy-efficient building simulations, and other concepts relating to civil engineering that can be experimental, using suitable low-cost tools, applications, and technologies. The impact of these pedagogical approached will be assessed using a pre and post-test survey design as the authors seeks to evaluate the change in student perception and knowledge on SC concept. By engaging students with real-world, data-driven tests, this study shall present quantitative evidence on how implementing SC through ECP will not only improve their technical skills but also develop critical thinking and innovation, preparing students for important roles in the development of sustainable urban areas. In conclusion, this study will try to show the gap between undergraduate civil engineering education and knowledge of SC by presenting new ways to engage students in SC technologies. Previous works show positive impact on students, but additional effort is required to refine the curriculum and improve assessment approaches.

Citation
Format

Naseri, M., & Abiodun, P. O., & Owolabi, O. A. (2025, June), Integrating Smart City Concepts in Civil Engineering Education through Experimental- Centric Pedagogy Paper presented at 2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Montreal, Quebec, Canada . https://peer.asee.org/56843

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - The increasing population in urban areas and the importance of sustainable cities have created new challenges for civil engineers, leading them into being proficient in Smart City (SC) technologies, including smart transportation, green buildings, energy efficiency and proper urban
planning. This paper explores ongoing efforts to integrate SC concepts into the Experimental-Centric Pedagogy (ECP) framework. This is to emphasize hands-on experiential learning, aiming to improve civil engineering education and learning outcomes. From literature reviewed, there is a lack of structured, practical approach to training future workforce at undergraduate level in SC concept especially in civil engineering educational programs. Active learning pedagogies like experiment-centric pedagogy has become a beacon of hope in engagement, motivation, and retention of students. This ongoing work is aimed at developing curriculum and modules that can incorporate the trainings in SC methods and technologies within 4 years civil engineering education at undergraduate level. Beside using a 3D modeling software, students will be engaged in experiments that involve modeling smart traffic systems, energy-efficient building simulations, and other concepts relating to civil engineering that can be experimental, using suitable low-cost tools, applications, and technologies. The impact of these pedagogical approached will be assessed using a pre and post-test survey design as the authors seeks to evaluate the change in student perception and knowledge on SC concept. By engaging students with real-world, data-driven tests, this study shall present quantitative evidence on how implementing SC through ECP will not only improve their technical skills but also develop critical thinking and innovation, preparing students for important roles in the development of sustainable urban areas.  In conclusion, this study will try to show the gap between undergraduate civil engineering education and knowledge of SC by presenting new ways to engage students in SC technologies. Previous works show positive impact on students, but additional effort is required to refine the curriculum and improve assessment approaches.
AU  - Mojtaba Naseri
AU  - Pelumi Olaitan Abiodun
AU  - Oludare Adegbola Owolabi P.E.
CY  - Montreal, Quebec, Canada 
DA  - 2025/06/22
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Integrating Smart City Concepts in Civil Engineering Education through Experimental- Centric Pedagogy
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/56843
ER  -