Student-to-Industry Interaction in a Civil Engineering Field Course: Benefits for Education and Leadership

Brad Wambeke; Joel Sloan; Timothy E. Frank; Daphne DePorres

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Conference: 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Baltimore , Maryland
Publication Date: June 25, 2023
Start Date: June 25, 2023
End Date: June 28, 2023
Conference Session: Committee on Professional Practice Presents: Topics in the Academic-Industry Zone
Tagged Division: Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL)
Page Count: 13
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--44339
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/44339
Download Count: 86

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Paper Authors

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Brad Wambeke United States Air Force Academy

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Dr. Brad Wambeke is an Assistant Professor in the Civil & Environmental Engineering Department at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO. He received his B.S. from South Dakota State University; M.S. from the University of Minnesota; and Ph.D. from North Carolina State University. He recently retired from the US Army after serving for over 29 years as an engineering officer. He is a member of ASEE and is a registered Professional Engineer in Missouri and Colorado. His primary research interests include construction engineering, lean construction, and engineering education.

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Joel Sloan United States Air Force Academy orcid.org/0000-0002-8135-3048

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Colonel Joel Sloan Ph.D., P.E. is the Permanent Professor and Head of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado. He received his B.S. in Civil Engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy, M.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Colorado, and Ph.D. from Virginia Tech. He is an ASEE member and a registered Professional Engineer in Virginia. His research interests include geotechnical engineering, column-supported embankments, and engineering education.

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Timothy E. Frank United States Air Force Academy

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Lt Col Timothy Frank is the Deputy Department Head for Curriculum and Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the United States Air Force Academy. In this role, he develops leaders of character for the Air Force and Space Force by advising, teaching, and mentoring cadets. He received his B.S. and M.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois, and Ph.D. from Stanford. Lt Col Frank is a registered Professional Engineer in New Hampshire. Courses taught include statics, structural analysis, steel design, concrete design, and engineering in the developing world. Research interests include fiber reinforced cement composites, community resiliency following climate and weather disasters, and engineering education.

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Daphne DePorres United States Air Force Academy

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Abstract

The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a military-focused college, where students serve in the U.S. armed forces upon graduation. The civil engineering program conducts a required three-week summer field engineering course focusing on hands-on skills that help bridge the gap between theory and practice. This course is generally taken between the sophomore and junior year, and prior to most of the other civil engineering courses. Approximately 75 students take the course annually. Most are civil engineering majors at USAFA, but approximately one-third of the students come from other military colleges and Reserve Officer Training Corps programs from around the country. The course includes field trips, lab exercises, and hands-on activities intended to give students a practical frame-of-reference that is helpful in subsequent analysis and design courses.

Most activities consist of some pre-reading, a short classroom lesson, the hands-on portion, and finally a quiz or laboratory practical exercise. Both the quizzes and practical exercises serve as low stakes assessments. Faculty develop the course materials and teach the classroom lesson, but to execute the hands-on portion, the faculty rely on approximately 25 tradespeople or “mentors.” The mentors are surveyors, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, and equipment operators that also serve in the U.S. armed forces in either an active, guard, reserve, or civilian status. The mentors generally demonstrate to the students how to perform a particular skill, and then let the students perform the work. The amount of oversight and coaching the mentors provide is tailored to the nature of the activity and each individual student’s needs. Industry experts also conduct several field trips for students within the course.

In addition to learning technical skills from the mentors, students learn about their future roles and responsibilities after graduation since many will be charged to lead enlisted and civilian tradespersons. The interaction in the field engineering course also offers opportunities for the students to learn what the enlisted force expects of their leaders. Student to mentor discussions take place during the hands-on activities, informally during breaks, and formally during a series of panel sessions.

In this paper, we will describe the course and the nature of the interaction between students and mentors. Student survey and interview results show that they tremendously value the interactions with mentors both as a component of their learning in the course and for their development as leaders. The approach to leverage tradespeople to teach and mentor students in a civil engineering course has been successful in motivating students to choose and persist in the civil engineering major at USAFA and could be a useful benchmark for other engineering programs.

Citation
Format

Wambeke, B., & Sloan, J., & Frank, T. E., & DePorres, D. (2023, June), Student-to-Industry Interaction in a Civil Engineering Field Course: Benefits for Education and Leadership Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--44339

TY - CPAPER
AB - The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a military-focused college, where students serve in the U.S. armed forces upon graduation. The civil engineering program conducts a required three-week summer field engineering course focusing on hands-on skills that help bridge the gap between theory and practice. This course is generally taken between the sophomore and junior year, and prior to most of the other civil engineering courses. Approximately 75 students take the course annually. Most are civil engineering majors at USAFA, but approximately one-third of the students come from other military colleges and Reserve Officer Training Corps programs from around the country. The course includes field trips, lab exercises, and hands-on activities intended to give students a practical frame-of-reference that is helpful in subsequent analysis and design courses.

Most activities consist of some pre-reading, a short classroom lesson, the hands-on portion, and finally a quiz or laboratory practical exercise. Both the quizzes and practical exercises serve as low stakes assessments. Faculty develop the course materials and teach the classroom lesson, but to execute the hands-on portion, the faculty rely on approximately 25 tradespeople or “mentors.” The mentors are surveyors, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, and equipment operators that also serve in the U.S. armed forces in either an active, guard, reserve, or civilian status. The mentors generally demonstrate to the students how to perform a particular skill, and then let the students perform the work. The amount of oversight and coaching the mentors provide is tailored to the nature of the activity and each individual student’s needs. Industry experts also conduct several field trips for students within the course.

In addition to learning technical skills from the mentors, students learn about their future roles and responsibilities after graduation since many will be charged to lead enlisted and civilian tradespersons. The interaction in the field engineering course also offers opportunities for the students to learn what the enlisted force expects of their leaders. Student to mentor discussions take place during the hands-on activities, informally during breaks, and formally during a series of panel sessions.

In this paper, we will describe the course and the nature of the interaction between students and mentors. Student survey and interview results show that they tremendously value the interactions with mentors both as a component of their learning in the course and for their development as leaders. The approach to leverage tradespeople to teach and mentor students in a civil engineering course has been successful in motivating students to choose and persist in the civil engineering major at USAFA and could be a useful benchmark for other engineering programs.

AU - Brad Wambeke
AU - Joel Sloan
AU - Timothy E. Frank
AU - Daphne DePorres
CY - Baltimore , Maryland
DA - 2023/06/25
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Student-to-Industry Interaction in a Civil Engineering Field Course: Benefits for Education and Leadership
UR - https://peer.asee.org/44339
DO - 10.18260/1-2--44339
ER -