Work in Progress: Low Enrollment in Civil Engineering Departments: Exploring High Technology as a Potential Solution

Alaa Yehia; Ayatollah S. Yehia; SHERIF YEHIA

Download Paper | Permalink

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: Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL) Poster Session
Tagged Division: Civil Engineering Division (CIVIL)
Page Count: 9
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--42784
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/42784
Download Count: 109

Request a correction

Paper Authors

biography

Alaa Yehia University of British Columbia, Vancouver

visit author page

Alaa Yehia has recently received her BSc in Cognitive Systems from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia. She is currently an undergraduate research assistant at Neuroethics Canada. Her research interests include bioethics and AI in education.

visit author page

biography

Ayatollah S. Yehia University of Virginia

visit author page

Ayatollah (Aya) Yehia is a Ph.D. student (Systems Engineering) in the i-S²EE Lab. She received her B.S. in Civil Engineering from the American University of Sharjah in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates and a MSc in Civil Engineering (concentration: Transportation Engineering) from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. She is currently working on building a digital twin that utilizes data from multiple sensors for more holistic modeling and simulations for structural health monitoring.

visit author page

biography

SHERIF YEHIA

visit author page

Sherif Yehia, Ph.D., PE, M. ACI, F. ASCE is a Prof. of civil engineering at the American University of Sharjah, UAE and Deputy Head of the fib-UAE group. He earned a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Sherif Yehia has taught in Civil and Construction engineering departments at institutions such as University of Nebraska, Omaha and Western Michigan University, USA. Prof. Yehia is a registered Professional Engineer in the states of Nebraska and Michigan. He is the Co-developer of the newly conductive concrete application for deicing operations. His research interests include behaviour of reinforced and prestressed concrete, composite structures, special concrete, infrastructure management systems and engineering database management and information technology.

visit author page

Download Paper | Permalink

Abstract

There is a recurring issue of low enrollments across many civil engineering departments in postsecondary institutions. While there have been moments where enrollments begin to increase, civil engineering departments find themselves facing low enrollments at around 60% over the last five years across the Middle East and the United States. There are many reasons that could be attributed to this decline, such as low entry-level salaries, over-saturation of civil engineering graduates in the job market in certain regions, and a lack of construction projects due to the impending or current recession. Low enrollment also has an effect on the availability of civil engineers, especially in times of high demand, such as the passing of the recent US legislature on rebuilding infrastructure. However, this recurring problem alludes to an intrinsic issue of the curriculum, as researchers have discovered. The societal shift to the usage of high technology such as machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI), demands individuals who are proficient at utilizing it. However, in many existing civil engineering curricula, students are not taught programming skills that would aid in using high technology and if introduced at an early level, these skills are not utilized in future coursework. This paper aims to conduct a survey on the civil engineering curriculums of the top 100 American and Middle Eastern universities based on the QS World Ranking system. Initial analysis of the survey results indicates that the majority of universities have not considered new methods of data analytics such as ML or AI in their civil engineering coursework. Based on the results of the survey, the authors will provide suggestions on how to adapt high technology concepts to civil engineering coursework, while abiding by ABET/ASCE accreditation requirements. The findings of this paper will indicate where postsecondary universities offering civil engineering can easily adapt their curriculums to address the current low enrollment crisis, which in turn, supports future civil engineers for the world of high technology.

Citation
Format

Yehia, A., & Yehia, A. S., & YEHIA, S. (2023, June), Work in Progress: Low Enrollment in Civil Engineering Departments: Exploring High Technology as a Potential Solution Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--42784

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - There is a recurring issue of low enrollments across many civil engineering departments in postsecondary institutions. While there have been moments where enrollments begin to increase, civil engineering departments find themselves facing low enrollments at around 60% over the last five years across the Middle East and the United States. There are many reasons that could be attributed to this decline, such as low entry-level salaries, over-saturation of civil engineering graduates in the job market in certain regions, and a lack of construction projects due to the impending or current recession. Low enrollment also has an effect on the availability of civil engineers, especially in times of high demand, such as the passing of the recent US legislature on rebuilding infrastructure. However, this recurring problem alludes to an intrinsic issue of the curriculum, as researchers have discovered. The societal shift to the usage of high technology such as machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI), demands individuals who are proficient at utilizing it. However, in many existing civil engineering curricula, students are not taught programming skills that would aid in using high technology and if introduced at an early level, these skills are not utilized in future coursework. This paper aims to conduct a survey on the civil engineering curriculums of the top 100 American and Middle Eastern universities based on the QS World Ranking system. Initial analysis of the survey results indicates that the majority of universities have not considered new methods of data analytics such as ML or AI in their civil engineering coursework. Based on the results of the survey, the authors will provide suggestions on how to adapt high technology concepts to civil engineering coursework, while abiding by ABET/ASCE accreditation requirements. The findings of this paper will indicate where postsecondary universities offering civil engineering can easily adapt their curriculums to address the current low enrollment crisis, which in turn, supports future civil engineers for the world of high technology.
AU  - Alaa Yehia
AU  - Ayatollah S. Yehia
AU  - SHERIF YEHIA
CY  - Baltimore , Maryland
DA  - 2023/06/25
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Work in Progress: Low Enrollment in Civil Engineering Departments: Exploring High Technology as a Potential Solution
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/42784
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--42784
ER  -