Re-contextualizing Civil Engineering Education: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Kristen Sanford; Frederick Paige; Philip Parker; Rodolfo Valdes-Vasquez; Peter Canevari; Timothy Larsen; Elizabeth Diacik

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Conference: 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Publication Date: August 23, 2022
Start Date: June 26, 2022
End Date: June 29, 2022
Conference Session: Civil Engineering Division - Integration of Engineering and/or Technical Rigor with Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice (DEIJ)
Page Count: 17
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--41666
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/41666
Download Count: 275

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Paper Authors

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Kristen Sanford Lafayette College

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Dr. Kristen Sanford is an associate professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Lafayette College. Her expertise is in sustainable civil infrastructure management and transportation systems, and transportation and infrastructure education. She teaches a variety of courses related to transportation and civil infrastructure as well as engineering economics, and she previously chaired Lafayette’s interdisciplinary Engineering Studies program. She received her Ph.D. and M.S. from Carnegie Mellon University, and her B.S.E. from Duke University.

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Philip Parker University of Wisconsin - Platteville

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Philip Parker, PhD, PE, received his PhD in Environmental Engineering from Clarkson University in 1998. He currently serves as the Acting Dean of the College of Engineering, Mathematics, and Science at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.

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Frederick Paige Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

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Rodolfo Valdes-Vasquez Colorado State University

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Dr. Rodolfo Valdes-Vasquez is an Associate Professor and Graduate Program Coordinator in the Department of Construction Management at Colorado State University. His research, teaching, and engagement align with sustainable design and construction topics. He has received grant funding from federal and state agencies and private organizations. Rodolfo has taught multiple courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and he is well versed in the scholarship of teaching. His efforts in leading the Sustainable Buildings program were recognized with the 2019 Award for Excellence in Education Abroad Curriculum Design. He has also worked as a project engineer, consultant, and safety inspector in the industry. He believes that educating the next generation of professionals will play a pivotal role in sustainability standard practices.

In terms of engagement, Dr. Valdes-Vasquez has served as the USGBC student club's adviser and the ASC Sustainability Team's faculty coach since 2013. He is currently serving as a CSU President's Sustainability Commission member among multiple other committees. In addition, he is involved with various professional organizations at the national level, including the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), the Associated School of Constructions (ASC), the Construction Research Congress (CRC), and the Center for Infrastructure Transformation and Education (CIT-E). At the international level, he serves as the Associate Editor for the ASC International Journal of Construction Education and Research and maintains collaborations with faculty in Brazil, Ecuador, and Spain.

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Abstract

Emphasizing socio-political context in undergraduate engineering courses is a complex challenge for accredited American engineering programs as they strive to pivot towards a more equitable future. Teaching engineering problem solving by isolating the technical perspective is the dominant culture, and change has been slow and insufficient. Looking at the complex human circumstances in which engineered systems are situated has significant, and sometimes life saving, benefits. On the contrary, the common de-contextualized approach to teaching engineering has been shown to have significant impacts on how students behave as future engineers. Furthermore, eurocentric teaching practices have been documented as a contributor to the lack of gender and ethinic diversity in engineering. Re-contextualizing civil engineering courses has shown to increase students' motivation, sense of social responsibility, and agency.

The ASCE Code of Ethics states that “Engineers … first and foremost, protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public,” a notion that was first added to the code in 1977. In recent years, some civil and environmental engineering (CEE) faculty members and programs have responded to this ethical imperative by re-contextualizing civil engineering education in relation to the communities (“the public”) the civil engineer is ethically obligated to protect and serve. To determine the extent of these efforts to re-introduce socio-technical context in CEE curricula, we are conducting a systematic review of the published literature. The objectives of this research are to document, synthesize, and amplify the work of these scholars and to encourage the community of CEE faculty to re-contextualize the knowledge and skills taught in the CEE curriculum. This paper describes the methodology, including search terms and sources examined, reports the preliminary results of the review, and synthesizes the preliminary findings. Future work will propose strategies and structures that could be adapted and employed by civil engineering faculty throughout the U.S. to 1) engage and retain students from groups that historically have been excluded from CEE and 2) better educate CEE students to engineer a more equitable and just future.

Citation
Format

Sanford, K., & Parker, P., & Paige, F., & Valdes-Vasquez, R., & Diacik, E., & Larsen, T., & Canevari, P. (2022, August), Re-contextualizing Civil Engineering Education: A Systematic Review of the Literature Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--41666

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Emphasizing socio-political context in undergraduate engineering courses is a complex challenge for accredited American engineering programs as they strive to pivot towards a more equitable future. Teaching engineering problem solving by isolating the technical perspective is the dominant culture, and change has been slow and insufficient. Looking at the complex human circumstances in which engineered systems are situated has significant, and sometimes life saving, benefits. On the contrary, the common de-contextualized approach to teaching engineering has been shown to have significant impacts on how students behave as future engineers. Furthermore, eurocentric teaching practices have been documented as a contributor to the lack of gender and ethinic diversity in engineering. Re-contextualizing civil engineering courses has shown to increase students' motivation, sense of social responsibility, and agency.  

The ASCE Code of Ethics states that “Engineers … first and foremost, protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public,” a notion that was first added to the code in 1977. In recent years, some civil and environmental engineering (CEE) faculty members and programs have responded to this ethical imperative by re-contextualizing civil engineering education in relation to the communities (“the public”) the civil engineer is ethically obligated to protect and serve. To determine the extent of these efforts to re-introduce socio-technical context in CEE curricula, we are conducting a systematic review of the published literature. The objectives of this research are to document, synthesize, and amplify the work of these scholars and to encourage the community of CEE faculty to re-contextualize the knowledge and skills taught in the CEE curriculum. This paper describes the methodology, including search terms and sources examined, reports the preliminary results of the review, and synthesizes the preliminary findings. Future work will propose strategies and structures that could be adapted and employed by civil engineering faculty throughout the U.S. to 1) engage and retain students from groups that historically have been excluded from CEE and 2) better educate CEE students to engineer a more equitable and just future.
AU  - Kristen Sanford
AU  - Philip Parker
AU  - Frederick Paige
AU  - Rodolfo Valdes-Vasquez
AU  - Elizabeth Diacik
AU  - Timothy Larsen
AU  - Peter Canevari
CY  - Minneapolis, MN
DA  - 2022/08/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Re-contextualizing Civil Engineering Education: A Systematic Review of the Literature
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/41666
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--41666
ER  -