Redeveloping a Senior-level Highway Design Course Considering Industry Feedback
- Conference
- Location
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Columbus, Ohio
- Publication Date
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June 24, 2017
- Start Date
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June 24, 2017
- End Date
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June 28, 2017
- Conference Session
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Innovative Pedagogies for Facilitating Student-driven Learning Experiences
- Tagged Division
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Civil Engineering
- Page Count
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11
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--28785
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/28785
- Download Count
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609
Paper Authors
Steven Kurtis Younkin
Iowa State University
orcid.org/0000-0002-9990-3386
Steven Younkin is a graduate student in Civil Engineer with a focus in Transportation engineering. He works as a graduate assistant with Dr. Peter Savolainen. His research interests include traffic safety, engineering education, and geographic information systems. He has been a teaching assistant for the highway design class at ISU the last three semesters. His passion is to study and implement integration of design software into civil engineering curriculum as a teaching aid and professional development tool.
Peter T. Savolainen Iowa State University
Dr. Peter Savolainen is an Associate Professor in the Iowa State University (ISU) Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering. His research includes fundamental and applied projects focused on traffic operations, safety, and driver behavior, as well pedagogical approaches to improve transportation engineering education. Dr. Savolainen currently serves on the editorial advisory boards of Accident Analysis and Prevention and Analytic Methods in Accident Research. Dr. Savolainen’s pedagogical efforts are reflected by his selection as a fellow by the American Society of Civil Engineers(ASCE) Excellence in Civil Engineering Education (ExCEEd) and ExCEEd II programs.
Abstract
The lack of practical real-world applications in a classroom setting has been identified as one factor inhibiting student interest in STEM fields. One approach to address this concern is the implementation of a course structure that largely mirrors professional practice. To this end, this study details the results of a project oriented toward developing a framework for the implementation of a highway design course that better prepares students entering the profession. To better align the course with industry needs, a questionnaire survey was distributed to public and private transportation agencies in order to assess the importance of various skills, resources, and classroom topics as they relate to the field of highway design. Results of the survey are discussed with emphases on differences between public and private transportation agencies of various sizes.
Younkin, S. K., & Savolainen, P. T. (2017, June), Redeveloping a Senior-level Highway Design Course Considering Industry Feedback Paper presented at 2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Columbus, Ohio. 10.18260/1-2--28785
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