Classroom Assessment and Redesign of an Undergraduate Steel Design Course: A Case Study

The objective of this paper is to share experience gained in classroom assessment and subsequent redesign of an undergraduate, practice-oriented steel design course. A term project involving the design of a low-rise structural steel building was used to provide a summative evaluation of student learning. The essence of the project was for students to demonstrate their ability to apply the course material in a realistic activity, similar to structural engineering practice. Critical reflection on student performance, student feedback on course evaluation forms, the author’s observations as course instructor, and the educational literature motivated redesign of the course. Adaptation of an assignment-centered or project-based approach to course planning guided course redesign. Comparison of student performance and course evaluation data suggests that the redesigned course better meets the goal of developing the students’ abilities to apply the subject knowledge and skills to realistic problems or scenarios.     

Factors Affecting International Construction

A construction company’s decision to expand into international markets must be based on a good understanding of the opportunities and threats associated with international business, as well as the development of company strengths relative to international activities. These factors were evaluated in this study by surveying the executives in charge of international construction of large United States based contractors. The information was collected by means of two rounds of a Delphi survey, the results of which were used as input in an analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The findings indicate that track record, specialist expertise, project management capability are the most important company strengths; loss of key personnel, shortage of financial resources, and inflation and currency fluctuations are the most important threats relative to international markets; and increased long term profitability, the ability to maintain shareholders’ returns, and the globalization and openness of the markets are the most important opportunities available in international works. This study is of relevance to practitioners as it systematically highlights the factors that affect international construction for the benefit of executives of medium-to-large size construction companies who are considering expanding into overseas markets. It is of relevance to researchers too as it demonstrates the successful use of the combined Delphi and AHP.     

Using Bernier v. Boston Edison to Teach Undergraduate Engineering Students about Professional Responsibility

The matter of design fault is presented in a timeless case from the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts regarding a concrete light pole. The detail in the printed ruling provides engineering students with remarkable insight into the design process and the failure of that process to adequately consider the potential of product failure and the impact on both automobiles and pedestrians. The court had strong opinions on the failure of Boston Edison design engineers. Students readily understand the impact of omission of foreseeability of design failure, and the case thus serves as a discussion prompt in considering engineering professionalism and potential legal consequences.     

Undergraduate Research Mentoring Model in Construction Engineering and Management

The construction industry is a major player in the nation’s economy. The complex nature of the construction industry, coupled with the challenges of global competitiveness and changing regulatory requirements, has created the need for providing higher levels of education, experience, and training for construction professionals. An essential and integral component of the required education and training must be the research training of undergraduate civil and construction students, encouraging them to pursue advanced education and research careers in this area. With this in mind, the writer developed a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) summer program at Western Michigan University that focuses on construction engineering and management issues and problems. This construction-oriented undergraduate research training program is the first REU site in the United States to be funded by the National Science Foundation. This paper will describe the structure of the REU program, the types of activities undertaken by the REU participants, and the results of the program evaluation and assessment.     

Contractor’s Risk Attitudes in the Selection of International Construction Projects

International construction involves all of the uncertainties common to domestic construction projects as well as risks specific to international transactions. Consequently, despite the worldwide trend toward globalization, a very small portion of contractors actively seek international contracts due to concerns of probable failures. This paper describes findings from experiments done to investigate the risk attitude and bid decision behavior in the selection of international projects. The participants demonstrated either weak risk seeking in profit situations or strong risk seeking toward loss situations when choosing between conflicting options of risky opportunities and sure payoffs. On the other hand, another experimental test attempting to investigate bid behavior when making a realistic bid or no-bid decision in a complicated international construction project reveals the prevailing risk aversion. Further, this paper finds the experimental supports for some of the errors and biases due to risk attitude that commonly exist in bid decisions in this area. Finally, we present lessons learned and guidelines to make a qualified bid decision through feedback with the participants.     

Restructuring the Undergraduate Laboratory Instructional Process

There is little doubt that a laboratory experience can be a beneficial component of the undergraduate engineering learning process. Observing physical demonstrations of textbook and lecture information can enhance a student’s perception of a concept and produce clarity of key issues. Unfortunately, limitations often exist that constrain the developing laboratories and sometimes reducing the student’s experience to little more than performing “cookbook” experiments and copying previous lab reports; an exercise that benefits neither the instructor nor the student. This paper summarizes an alternative approach for undergraduate laboratory instruction that relies on the undergraduate students working in teams to design and conduct experiments. The instructor acts as mentor to a process that ensures a quality laboratory exercise without being the sole responsible party. The students’ learning is increased and the laboratory experience is enhanced due, in part, to the experiments being designed by students and for students; matching students’ needs, education, and interests with experiments. An additional benefit comes from participants being immersed into the concepts of experimental design and analysis using a team of peers.     

Energy and Environment Undergraduate Course Emphasizing Comparative Metrics

This paper presents the pedagogical development of an undergraduate course in energy and the environment at Rice University and the crucial role of comparative metrics in its curriculum. The course, aimed at undergraduate engineering and science majors, overviews the physical principles that constrain energy use and explores how various sectors and fuels affect Earth’s environment and climate. The curriculum emphasizes the application of objective metrics for comparing the cost, energy intensity, and environmental impacts of various energy sources. Such metrics provide alternate approaches for assessing the relative merits of energy options but are neglected in most undergraduate textbooks. Thus, the course relies on assignments derived from supplemental readings to prompt students to compute comparative metrics and critically assess the approaches taken by energy researchers. A term project engages student teams in designing and evaluating original proposals for improving the use of an energy source from the perspective of a scientist, businessperson, or policymaker.     

Cultivating Research and Information Skills in Civil Engineering Undergraduate Students

The ASCE’s body of knowledge for the 21st century and vision for civil engineering in 2025 outline skills and capabilities necessary for civil engineers to create a sustainable world. An undergraduate course at Georgia Institute of Technology introduces undergraduates to a systems-sustainability approach to civil and environmental engineering, applying systems methods to analyze decisions over the life cycle of large-scale civil-engineered facilities. This paper discusses voluntary and systematic improvements introduced in the course over a 2-year period to develop research and information skills in the students. A workshop on information sources and skills was developed, offered and assessed over multiple semesters using a team-based course project. The term project requires students to select one or two large-scale civil-engineered facilities, evaluate them using the integrated systems-sustainability framework presented in the course, and develop a written report and oral presentation to present their work to their peers at the end of the semester. The paper discusses integration of the information and library skills workshops with the course and presents results that underscore the importance of formally cultivating research and information skills in civil engineering undergraduate students.     

Strategies Adopted by International Architectural, Engineering, and Construction Firms in Southeast Asia

There are many business opportunities for international architectural, engineering, and construction firms to work in Southeast Asia (SEA) due to its high volume of construction demand and its growing economy. Before entering the region, these industry practitioners need to decide on the appropriate market entry modes and business strategies. The objectives of this research are to investigate the effective market entry modes and business management strategies that industry practitioners can adopt for SEA projects. The research method is based on a structured questionnaire. The study found that the most effective market entry modes are: setting up wholly owned foreign subsidiaries and forming project joint ventures with local firms. The most effective business strategies are: providing a superior product or service and paying great attention to client satisfaction. It is recommended that industry practitioners place emphasis on customer satisfaction by considering all aspects of the client’s requirements and the proposed project’s usage throughout its intended life cycle, to differentiate itself from its competitors.     

Approach for Integrating Professional Practice Issues into Undergraduate Environmental Engineering Design Projects

According to C. L. Dym and P. Little, the complete design process includes identifying a need or problem, recognizing constraints, identifying and developing courses of action, testing potential courses of action, selecting optimum courses of action, preparing the documents required for the design, managing the overall process, communicating the design, construction, and testing. We have addressed these design considerations by linking design projects in our introductory physicochemical treatment processes course (EV401, taken by second-semester juniors) and our senior capstone design course (EV490, taken by second-semester seniors). The process developed and implemented addresses the integration of professional practice into design inexperience. We require our cadet students to communicate with their customers, an illustrator, and tradesmen, three forms of communication that are necessarily quite different from traditional student-professor exchanges. Also, students must design under constraints, this time not because of the closed nature of the project but rather because of “real world” resource constraints: time to complete the project, a limited budget to purchase materials and labor, availability of materials, ease of construction, and balancing competing projects (in other courses). The first attempt at implementing this engineering design learning model occurred during the spring of 2001 in EV401. Herein we assess the design and construction of one of two projects, oriented toward modification of a surface-water treatment plant model. Results suggest that iterative growth can occur and a more complete appreciation of the design process can result.     

Development of Undergraduate Students’ Professional Skills

The development of engineering students’ professional skills has gained considerable national attention from Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, the National Academy of Engineering, ASCE, and other constituents. There is little debate that these professional skills are necessary. Engineering programs have tried many approaches to develop these skills in the undergraduate programs. Colorado State University (CSU) has developed a new approach modeled on the type of professional development that occurs in the professional environment. This new Professional Learning Institute (PLI) provides students with a broad array of workshops, presentations, and experiential opportunities addressing the areas of cross cultural communication and teamwork, innovation, leadership, ethics, and public service. This program introduces students to the concept of professional development through required extracurricular activities, includes minimum requirements along with requirements to earn certificates in specialty areas for motivated students. The majority of offerings in the PLI are presented by leaders from the engineering profession who have teamed with CSU to provide high quality programs for our students.     

Models for Predicting Project Performance in China Using Project Management Practices Adopted by Foreign AEC Firms

China is a new market to many international architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC) firms and it is not known what would be the likely project outcomes, based on different project management (PM) practices adopted. This research developed and tested five models to predict the likely project success levels, based on PM practices adopted by foreign AEC firms in China. Based on data obtained from 33 projects, multiple linear regression (MLR) models for predicting the performance of foreign managed projects in China were constructed. The models were tested against 13 new cases, and the results show that they are able to predict project outcomes with some level of accuracy. The models show that certain scope management practices can be used to predict owner satisfaction, profit margin, and cost and quality performance of the project. Construction industry practitioners who are managing projects in China may benefit from the findings by focusing more on upstream management, like managing project scope, in order to ensure project success. It is recommended that construction industry practitioners use the MLR models to make preliminary assessment of the possibility of project success based on the type of PM practices they intend to adopt in China. From the results, they can then decide if they should change their practices or abort the project.     

Globalization Challenges, Legacies, and Civil Engineering Curriculum Reform

Across nations and industries, numerous changes are taking place due to globalization. Naturally, the effects are channelled back to the academic world and prominently felt at the level of higher learning in view of its constant contact with the industries. Universities and institutions have to reassess the adequacy of their existing curricula in fulfilling the needs arising from globalization. With reference to issues encountered in southeast Asia, this paper examines the necessity to rethink the curriculum of a baccalaureate degree in civil engineering and presents some recommendations for revamping the curricular structure. The context discussed is most relevant to small, developing countries, but generally concerns those countries with a legacy of educational systems similar to this region. One rising trend is the move toward a general engineering education at the undergraduate level; a professional degree is emphasized only at the master’s level. More management-related subjects may be included in the undergraduate curriculum to equip engineers with skills to cope with globalization challenges.     

Undergraduate Summer Research in Structural Engineering

For the last seven years, a summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates site in structural engineering, funded by the National Science Foundation, has operated at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. During this time, 33 students from 22 colleges and universities have participated in the site. Participants are recruited nationally and have come from as far away as California and Puerto Rico. The program is intended to provide students interested in graduate studies with an introduction to research methods, and to provide students who will not continue their studies past a bachelor of science in civil engineering with a better understanding of how research provides the theoretical foundation of engineering practice. Students work individually with faculty on literature reviews, computer modeling, laboratory testing, and field research. Three students have researched structural failure case studies and the technical and ethical lessons to be learned from them. Participants also have the opportunity to tour construction sites and construction material manufacturers’ and fabricators’ facilities. During the past three years, an ethics seminar series has been added. At the end of the program, students prepare research papers and Web pages documenting their work and present their results to faculty, students, and other participants.     

Course in Professional Practice Issues

The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) and practitioners recognize professional practice issues as important in undergraduate civil engineering education. This paper describes a creative approach for incorporating professional practice issues into the civil engineering curriculum through a course entitled “Civil Engineering Practice.” This course has the following advantages: (1) It encourages active learning via activities as opposed to a traditional seminar; (2) forms long-term teaching partnerships with engineering professionals; (3) offers a venue where important yet distinct topics can be presented systematically; (4) provides the local engineering community with the opportunity to share its accomplishments and to further continuing education credits; (5) reinforces the professional practice elements of the capstone design project; and (6) supplies structured time where students can interact with potential employers and vice-versa. The course feedback from students, faculty, engineering professionals, and ABET evaluators has been overwhelmingly positive.     

Determinants of International Architectural, Engineering, and Construction Firms’ Project Success in China

As China becomes a member of the World Trade Organization, many international architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC) firms are undertaking or expected to undertake projects there. This study identifies the significant factors that contribute to the successful performance of projects undertaken by international AEC firms in China. Data were collected using structured questionnaires from foreign (non-Chinese) AEC firms that have completed projects in China. Personal interviews with 27 experts were also conducted to supplement and test the survey findings. The findings reveal that the variable that affects the most number of success measures is the AEC firm’s ability to understand the client’s requirement. Achieving this brings about good project quality performance and owner satisfaction. Furthermore, firms that have superior product or service quality would also achieve better project performance. The interviewees also exhorted the importance of having core competencies as a critical success factor for projects in China. Practitioners may use the findings to help them manage their projects in China, so as to achieve higher levels of success.     

Sustainability Education: Approaches for Incorporating Sustainability into the Undergraduate Curriculum

The objectives of this study were to describe two approaches to incorporating sustainability into the undergraduate engineering curricula and to list a variety of existing course resources that can easily be adopted or adapted by science and engineering faculty for this purpose. The two approaches described are (1)?redesigning existing courses through development of new curricular materials that still meet the objectives of the original course and (2)?developing upper division elective courses that address specific topics related to sustainability, such as manufacturing or life-cycle assessment, in depth. Case studies of three courses—Green Industrial Organic Chemistry, Environmentally Conscious Design and Manufacturing (Kettering University), and Sustainable Engineering (University of Oklahoma)—are presented. Assessment results from Green Industrial Organic Chemistry indicate that alternative curricular materials incorporating green chemistry can be used to meet the learning objectives of more traditional courses in organic chemistry, which are already required for many engineering majors. Environmentally Conscious Design and Manufacturing assessment data indicate that students increased their knowledge and application of industrial ecology topics as a result of taking the course. Preliminary assessment data from Sustainable Engineering indicate that students applied concepts of global resource reserves, sustainable growth and development, design for environment, and life-cycle assessment in their course work or employment approximately 1?year after finishing the course.     

Educational Needs Assessment for Design/Build Project Delivery

With the rapid increase in the utilization of design/build project delivery, there arises a need for continuing education of the professionals in this industry. This paper describes research conducted through a national survey of owners, designers, and builders to determine the best course of action to address the continuing education needs of this industry. By modeling the design/build life cycle into six main phases of project initiation, risk allocation, performance specification, project planning, construction administration, and project closeout, the most critical educational areas are identified. The conclusion from this research is that the areas needing special attention are (1) benefits and cautions of delivery systems; (2) budget and contingencies; (3) owner’s objectives and needs; (4) cost estimating; (5) project timeline; and (6) cost and schedule control. A principal component analysis of the results discovered the following seven groupings of educational topics or “learning modules”: (1) the delivery decision; (2) estimating and scheduling during design; (3) proposal preparation and response; (4) contract fundamentals; (5) construction administration; (6) facilities commissioning; and (7) insurance and financing.     

Problem-Centered Approach in a Numerical Methods Course

This paper is an illustration of using a problem-centered approach in an undergraduate course in numerical methods. The problem used in the course was first encountered in a research project that related to the assembly procedure of the fulcrum of bascule bridges. It involved the study of the fulcrum assembly procedure where a trunnion cooled in a dry-ice/alcohol mixture for shrink fitting became stuck halfway in the hub before full insertion could take place. The solution of the problem and its implementation involved numerical solutions of mathematical procedures taught in a typical numerical methods course. The effect of the problem-centered approach in the classroom was quantitatively and qualitatively surveyed over a two-semester period. The results indicate very high student satisfaction in helping them: acquire basic knowledge and skills; reinforce information presented in class, reading assignments, and problem sets; learn to clearly formulate a specific problem and then work it through to completion; develop generic higher-order thinking and problem solving skills; and develop a sense of competence and confidence and see the relevance of the course material to their major.     

Project Enhanced Learning: Addressing ABET Outcomes and Linking the Curriculum

This paper discusses the development of project enhanced courses that combine the best of problem-based learning and traditional “topic” focused instruction. This approach addresses the need to ensure that students receive the technical content required while developing critical problem solving skills. This balance between skill development and technical content assurance is a key feature of this approach and a main difference to problem-based learning. It is also different from traditional approaches where a project is simply added to the tasks the students are expected to accomplish, and the impacts on student learning are significantly different. The paper presents a case study of the implementation of the projects into a junior level introductory structural analysis course, including details into the goals of the projects, and the changes made to make room for the projects. Assessment and evaluation of the impact of these projects include an evaluation on how the courses and projects address specific department and accreditation board for engineering and technology learning outcomes. Student perceptions are evaluated immediately at the conclusion of the course and substantially after the conclusion of the course (while in a senior design course), enabling the assessment of knowledge and skill transfer. Performance in this senior design course is also used to assess the impact of these projects by comparing students with: (1) a project enhanced experience; (2) a project added experience; and (3) no project experience in their structural analysis course. Those students with a project enhanced experience perform much better than students in either of the other groups in the follow-on course, and the contrast with a project added experience is particularly striking. The process of balancing the outcomes for this course with the needs of follow-on courses, and the tradeoffs that are needed to accomplish both could be applied to any junior level engineering course.