The Evolution of the Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge: From the First Edition to the Third Edition
- Conference
- Location
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Tampa, Florida
- Publication Date
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June 15, 2019
- Start Date
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June 15, 2019
- End Date
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June 19, 2019
- Conference Session
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The Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge, 3rd Edition: Preparing the Future Civil Engineer
- Tagged Division
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Civil Engineering
- Page Count
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33
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--33391
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/33391
- Download Count
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886
Paper Authors
Decker B. Hains Western Michigan University
Dr. Decker B. Hains is a Master Faculty Specialist in the Department of Civil and Construction Engineering at Western Michigan University. He is a retired US Army Officer serving 22 years on active duty with the US Army Corps of Engineers and taught at the United States Military Academy at West Point (USMA). He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from USMA in 1994, Master of Science degrees from the University of Alaska Anchorage in Arctic Engineering in 1998 and Missouri University Science & Technology in Civil Engineering in 1999, and a PhD in Civil Engineering from Lehigh University in 2004. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Michigan.
Kenneth J. Fridley University of Alabama
Kenneth J. Fridley is the Senior Associate Dean for the College of Engineering at The University of Alabama. Prior to his current appointment, Fridley served as Professor and Head of the Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering at the University of Alabama. Dr. Fridley has been recognized as a dedicated educator throughout his career and has received several awards for his teaching efforts, including the ExCEEd (Excellence in Civil Engineering Education) Leadership Award in 2010. At the University of Alabama, Fridley has led efforts to establish several new programs including new undergraduate degree programs in construction engineering, architectural engineering and environmental engineering, a departmental Scholars program allowing highly qualified students an accelerated program to earn their MSCE in addition to their BS degree, the interdisciplinary "Cube" promoting innovation in engineering, and the cross-disciplinary MSCE/MBA and MSCE/JD dual-degree programs.
Thomas A. Lenox Dist.M.ASCE, F.ASEE American Society of Civil Engineers
Thomas A. Lenox, Ph.D., Dist.M.ASCE, F.ASEE is Executive Vice President (Emeritus) of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Military Academy (USMA), Master of Science degree in Theoretical & Applied Mechanics from Cornell University, Master of Business Administration degree in Finance from Long Island University, and a Ph.D. degree in Civil Engineering from Lehigh University. Dr. Lenox served for over 28 years as a commissioned officer in the U.S Army Field Artillery in a variety of leadership positions in the U.S., Europe, and East Asia. He retired at the rank of Colonel. During his military career, Dr. Lenox spent 15 years on the engineering faculty of USMA including five years as the Director of the Civil Engineering Division. Upon his retirement from the U.S. Army in 1998, he joined the staff of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). In his position as educational staff leader of ASCE, he managed several new educational initiatives – collectively labeled as Project ExCEEd (Excellence in Civil Engineering Education). As ASCE’s Executive Vice President, Dr. Lenox led several educational and professional career-development projects for the civil engineering profession – with the overall objective of properly preparing individuals for their futures as civil engineers. An example is his staff leadership of ASCE’s initiative to “Raise the Bar” for entry into professional engineering practice. Dr. Lenox’s awards include ASCE’s ExCEEd Leadership Award, ASEE’s George K. Wadlin Award, ASCE’s William H. Wisely American Civil Engineer Award, and the CE News’ “2010 Power List – 15 People Advancing the Civil Engineering Profession.” He is a Distinguished Member of ASCE and a Fellow of ASEE. In January 2014, Dr. Lenox retired from his staff position with ASCE. He continues to serve the engineering profession as an active member of ABET's Board of Delegates, Engineering Area Delegation, Global Council, and Governance Committee; several of ASCE's educational and professional committees; and ASEE’s Civil Engineering Division.
Leslie Nolen CAE American Society of Civil Engineers
Leslie Nolen, CAE, serves as director, educational activities for the American Society of Civil Engineers. She brings over 20 years of association management experience to her work with ASCE's Committee on Education on issues of importance to the undergraduate and graduate level education of civil engineers.
James J. O'Brien Jr. American Society of Civil Engineers
JIM O’BRIEN
Jim O’Brien has over 44 years of experience as a leader, team builder, and manager in diverse professional and academic environments. During his 26-year military career in the US Army Corps of Engineers, he commanded combat engineer units and served 13 years on the teaching faculties of the United States Military Academy at West Point, the US Army’s Command & General Staff College, and the University of Notre Dame.
Now retired from the US Army, Jim currently serves as the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Managing Director of Leader Development. Here, he serves as the staff leader to increase the civil engineering formal education and experience prior to entry into the professional practice of civil engineering. Jim joins others in the sustainability community seeking to change the CE Profession to make all civil work sustainable. He continues other opportunities in teaching university teachers to be better teachers through ASCE’s ExCEEd (Excellence in Civil Engineering Education) Teaching Workshop and in ABET accreditation of engineering programs. In addition to Leader Development, his portfolio also includes Educational Activities, Professional Activities, Raise the Bar, and Sustainability Departments.
Jim is also an adjunct faculty member at George Mason University where he teaches leadership and leading change in the Applied Information Technology MS graduate program.
Jim is a lifelong learner, seeking to continually improve and reinvent himself. His passions include leadership, mentoring, professionalism, personal responsibility, non-verbal communication, and teaching effectiveness. He strives to always “Be Intentional”--that is, to do everything for a reason.
Abstract
The ASCE Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge 3 Task Committee (CEBOK3TC) recently completed the Third Edition of the Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge (CEBOK3) with a scheduled publication in May 2019. Like its predecessors, the third edition defines the knowledge, skills, and attitudes for entry into the practice of civil engineering at the professional level and uses an outcomes-based approach with associated levels of achievement. However, the format, content, and the definition of the Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge (CEBOK) has evolved over the last fifteen years since the publication of the First Edition of the Body of Knowledge (CEBOK1).
This paper will provide a comprehensive history of the evolution of the CEBOK from its initial concept inception in the late 1990s through its present form as the third edition. The origins of the CEBOK will be discussed followed by a brief summary of CEBOK1 which was published in 2004. Based on a significant challenge associated with the levels of achievement in CEBOK1, a Levels of Achievement Subcommittee was formed shortly after CEBOK1 debuted. Following the subcommittee report, the Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge 2 Task Committee was formed in October 2005 to develop an updated CEBOK, the Second Edition of the Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge (CEBOK2), which was published in 2008. In the subsequent years, ASCE developed a plan for the long-term management of CEBOK on an eight-year cycle which led to the formation of the CEBOK3TC which began work in October 2016. This paper concludes with a discussion on the update from CEBOK2 to CEBOK3.
Why is this historical review and summary important to the civil engineering profession? To maintain the momentum of the educational and professional reform activities initiated by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in the mid-1990’s (called the Raise the Bar Initiative), the successful processes of the past and the associated “lessons learned” must be clearly communicated to future leaders and proponents of this initiative. Much has been learned from the experiences of the past – and these hard-learned experiences should guide the preparation of future editions of the CEBOK. A relevant quotation (from Adlai E. Stevenson) comes to mind: “We can chart our future clearly and wisely only when we know the path which has led to the present.”
COORDINATING NOTE: This abstract is submitted at the specific invitation and request of Tom Lenox, the coordinator of the ASCE Liaison Committee’s session(s) for the Civil Engineering Division of ASEE in 2019. It should be considered for inclusion in the sessions on “Educational & Professional Issues of Strategic Importance to the Civil Engineering Profession – and ASCE.” that the ASCE Liaison Committee is organizing.
Hains, D. B., & Fridley, K. J., & Lenox, T. A., & Nolen, L., & O'Brien, J. J. (2019, June), The Evolution of the Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge: From the First Edition to the Third Edition Paper presented at 2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Tampa, Florida. 10.18260/1-2--33391
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