Construction Management Program

The typical limitations of the existing construction management programs are the lack of an integrated approach to managerial decisions in real life construction environment, not enough emphasis on engineering design, construction methods and communication skills, and poor coordination between the undergraduate and the graduate studies. An effective construction management program should. integrate teaching on undergraduate and graduate levels and research. On the undergraduate level it should provide the students with a good insight into all managerial tasks in civil engineering projects. On the graduate level it should allow specialization in the various areas of interest both to the practicing engineers and also to students who wish to pursue an academic career. The program should strongly interact with research and engineering practice.     

The Master Builder Program: An Integrative, Practice-Oriented Program

The Master Builder Program is a practice-oriented master of engineering degree program that has been developed and implemented by the faculty in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute. The central theme of the Master Builder Program is building process integration, which is a systems or integrated approach to the planning, design, construction, and management of constructed facilities. Building process integration was chosen as a strategic plan to focus on one segment of the building industry, to provide a unique educational product, to exhibit the strengths of Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and to distinguish the program from practice-oriented graduate degree programs that have been established at competing colleges and universities. The 30-credit-hour curriculum includes two required courses, a capstone project, and electives. Faculty collaboration and industrial participation are critical elements of the program.     

Construction Engineering Management Educators: History and Deteriorating Community

The history of construction engineering and management education closely follows the emergence of the construction industry as an economic force in the United States. The initial introduction of programs in the post-World War II era was followed by specialization and the introduction of graduate construction specialties in the early 1960s. However, the lack of qualified individuals was recognized as a factor in successfully developing the construction engineering management (CEM) focus as an academic discipline. Today, that concern continues as CEM programs in the United States find themselves under attack by academic colleagues for issues such as lack of qualified faculty candidates and lack of funding opportunities. This paper addresses the status of the construction academic community by examining the common history of the CEM faculty through a genealogical approach, the historical research record through an examination of the publication record, and the questions that face a community that has appeared to slip from its intellectual peak.     

Survey of Education and License Requirements for Structural Engineers

In order to determine the industry perception of educational and licensing requirements for entry-level structural engineers, the Structural Engineers Association of Hawaii, in conjunction with the Civil Engineering Dept. at the Univ. of Hawaii, distributed a two-part survey to their 240 members. The first part of the survey provided feedback on the current and potential license requirements for structural engineers in Hawaii. Although the majority of respondents hold a master’s degree, they do not support the ASCE proposal that a master’s degree be required for professional engineering licensure. The second part of the survey requested feedback on both undergraduate and graduate educational requirements for entry-level structural engineers. Based on the results of this survey, the structural engineering faculty at the Univ. of Hawaii are considering modifications to both undergraduate and graduate curricula. The survey results are presented along with observations that will interest all engineering educators. It is hoped that these results will encourage other universities and colleges to poll their industry constituents to aid in evaluation of their engineering programs.     

Identification, accommodation, and success of students with learning disabilities in nursing education programs

Few studies have addressed the issue of nursing students with learning disabilities, although students with both identified and undiagnosed learning disabilities are pursuing nursing education. Legal mandates concerning these students impact nursing programs and faculty. To reduce the risk of discrimination litigation, nursing education programs need to establish educational strategies to promote these students' success. The purpose of this research was to discover the extent to which Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Associate Degree of Nursing programs in one southeastern state admit, identify, and graduate nursing students with learning disabilities, and to identify accommodations provided by these programs to promote success among this student population. Of the 54 programs surveyed, 45 responded. Almost 50% indicated that their program had admitted nursing students with learning disabilities and one-third reported graduating students with learning disabilities. Enrolled students with undiagnosed learning disabilities were identified during their course of studies by both faculty members and by students themselves. The most frequently reported accommodations for students were counselors, tutors, tape-recorded lectures, and computer access. As the number of students with learning disabilities seeking post-secondary education increases, nursing programs and nurse educators will be involved with greater numbers of students needing educational accommodations.     

Training practices in consultation: A national survey of clinical, counseling, industrial/organizational, and school psychology faculty.

Faculty who educate and train psychology students in consulting from clinical, counseling, school, and industrial/organizational graduate programs were identified via mail from department chairs and program directors. Of 197 faculty members identified, 89 (46.9% response rate) completed a detailed survey questionnaire about demographics and professional consulting activities, including teaching practices in consulting in their graduate program. Results were somewhat encouraging within industrial/organizational and school psychology programs and least positive in counseling/clinical programs, especially clinical programs. Detailed results are presented along with some implications for future graduate training in consulting psychology. A call is made for convening a national conference on educational standards in consulting psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Changes in budgetary and personnel support levels of psychology departments, l970–1980.

A survey of US psychology departments that offer graduate programs was conducted during the 1969–1970 academic year and repeated in 1979–1980. Statistics on such topics as the number of undergraduate majors, graduate students, faculty, and secretaries revealed little change over the 10-yr period. However, the number of faculty classroom contact hours increased. While there were increases in many of the budgetary categories, such increases did not keep pace with inflation. Breakdowns of the data by region of the country, public vs private institution, size of university, and type of graduate program (master's degrees only or doctoral degrees) revealed several developments. The most notable include a greater decline in support levels in the western region of the country than in other regions, large gains in the number of graduate students in private institutions, a loss of undergraduates in private institutions, losses in number of faculty in institutions offering only the master's degree, and slight gains in number of faculty in institutions offering doctoral programs. (5 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development and Application of Competencies for Graduate Programs in Energy and Sustainability

Educational competencies represent learning objectives and are used to plan educational programs, develop curricula, and assess existing programs, among other functions. After reviewing the literature and offerings at more than 20 universities, the existence of a comprehensive set of educational competencies in the area of energy and sustainability was not identified. This paper motivates and presents model competencies for graduate education programs in the energy and sustainability area, which is called Energy for Sustainability (EfS). Energy for Sustainability follows from the perspective that the provision of energy is a key element in promoting the goals of sustainability. The nature and use of competencies in education planning and assessment is reviewed, and recommendations for model competencies for two EfS specialties, “Buildings and Urban Environments” and “Energy Systems and Policy,” are presented. Competencies are prioritized, and their use in developing new multidisciplinary master’s and doctoral programs at the University of Coimbra is discussed. The competencies promote a wide range of understanding and capabilities aimed at the technical, economical, social, and institutional factors needed to manage and transition current energy systems towards the goals of sustainability.     

Tradition and Innovation in Teaching Structural Design in Civil Engineering

This paper briefly reviews the history of structural engineering education: The dawn, development, and consolidation of traditional education systems, as well as their fall into decline in the contemporary technological world. Recent graduates in civil engineering do not have all of the skills and knowledge that the labor market is demanding and civil engineering is losing the social prestige and professional recognition that our profession deserves. It is necessary to improve traditional education systems to produce the best civil engineers. The writers present a detailed discussion of their experiences teaching structural design at the School of Civil Engineering of Ciudad Real, Spain, using project-based and cooperative learning methods, as well as implementing knowledge management and transference to the learning process. Results and costs of these methods, as well as the problems related to faculty selection, are set out. The paper concludes with a reflection on the major educational possibilities and historical opportunities presented through the introduction of these new methods and suggest that this is the best way to combine engineering education and practice.     

Exemplary efforts in psychology to recruit and retain graduate students of color.

Many psychology departments are striving for a greater representation of students of color within their graduate preparation programs with the aim of producing a more diverse pool of psychological service providers, scientists, and educators. To help improve the minority pipeline in psychology, the authors identify and describe recruitment and retention strategies used at 11 departments and programs considered to be making exemplary efforts to attract and retain minority students of color. The strategies most consistently used included engaging current minority faculty and students in recruitment activities, offering attractive financial aid packages, having faculty members make personal contacts with prospective students, creating linkages with historical institutions of color, having (or approached having) a critical mass of faculty and students of color, offering a diversity issues course, and engaging students in diversity issues research. Despite the similarities, the programs and departments were each distinctive and innovative in their overall approaches to student recruitment and retention. Highlighting the strategies used at successful institutions may help others develop plans for improving the minority pipeline within their own departments and programs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Linkages between Construction Engineering Education and Research

The needs of the construction industry require that an appropriate balance be provided between construction engineering topics and management topics in both education and research. Because construction is less mature as a research area compared to other areas in civil engineering, limitations on research funding have made the investigation of construction management topics more feasible in comparison to construction engineering topics. Because faculty members are drawn from the pool of Ph.D. students who have primarily researched management topics, there has been a tendency for them to continue emphasis on management topics in both education and research. Other civil engineering disciplines form their research programs around the needs of design codes and standards’ development, and academic participation is high. Similar efforts exist within construction engineering; however, there is less academic participation. It is suggested that greater effort be invested in the improvement of construction process standards and specifications so that construction engineering research efforts can advance construction process standards and stimulate increased engineering educational exposure. It is also suggested that academics who are interested in construction engineering research should consider participating in the specification improvement processes that occur at the national and state levels. A process for wider participation in construction engineering research and standards development is recommended.     

Campus Construction as a Research Laboratory: Model for Intracampus Collaboration

Capital construction projects on university campuses produce experience opportunities and archived data. Meanwhile, construction engineering faculty seeks research projects and funding for graduate students who, in turn, seek additional practical experience. In response, symbiotic relationships, between an academic department with construction engineering proficiency and the administrative office that oversees campus construction, have formed at both The University of Alabama (UA) and The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State). At each institution, the intracampus collaboration provides funded opportunities and access to projects, which enable graduate students to successfully complete thesis research (M.S. and Ph.D.). Further, campus construction offices at both institutions are also realizing benefits from the collaboration, including a connection to academia, and have committed to continuing the relationship indefinitely. Aimed at helping other institutions establish and benefit from similar collaboration, this paper describes a model for research partnerships made possible by campus construction. The development of a model for intracampus construction collaboration is explained using separate experiences from UA and Penn State. Both positive results and lessons learned are shared.     

Graduate Education in Construction Management

Construction management has become a vital aspect of the construction process over the years. This paper reviews the Master’s programs in construction engineering and management (CEM) offered by departments of civil engineering in the United States. The findings indicate that only 20% of the American educational institutions, which offer accredited civil engineering programs, offer Master’s programs in CEM. Most of the Master’s programs in CEM constitute an effort to convey information to students on mainly six categories, namely, contract administration, project management, scheduling, equipment management, construction technology, and CEM research. It seems that the Master’s programs in CEM do not differ much from program to program in terms of content. When the trends in course offerings are compared in 1982, 1996, and 2008, there seems to be minimal change except for the number of courses in project management that went up significantly while the number of courses in cost estimating went down. The trends in the remaining courses have been stable. Even though contents and trends in CEM programs appear to be relatively stable, there seems to be some variability in the concentration of the course offerings. Some CEM programs concentrate on some of the categories at the expense of other categories. A close relationship and a sound dialogue between construction educators and the industry are likely to lead to Master’s programs that are in sync with the expectations of the industry.     

Ethics training in Canadian graduate schools of psychology.

Evaluated the extent and nature of ethics training in 27 Canadian graduate schools of psychology by means of a questionnaire sent to the schools that asked questions on the nature of graduate programs, the nature of graduate programs and of graduate employment, the content areas, and views on whether and how ethics should be taught. It was found that many graduates from nonclinical programs obtain clinical employment, and that clinical students are more likely to receive some ethics training than are nonclinical. In view of the variable and often minimal approaches to ethics in some institutions, it is unsafe to assume that graduates generally have knowledge and practice in dealing with ethical issues. In order to avoid potential harm to the public and to the profession of psychology, it is recommended that professional associations promote continuing education programs and that graduate schools increase their commitment to teaching ethics and developing effective teaching models. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Center for Excellence in Construction Safety

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has funded the establishment of a Center for Excellence in Construction Safety at West Virginia University. The overall objectives of the Center include: (1) The promotion of hazard control components in engineering curricula; (2) the promotion of hazard awareness and safety‐related knowledge and skills specific to the construction industry; and (3) the promotion of the consideration of safety issues during project design for the purpose of reducing injury during construction. Specific tasks to be accomplished by the Center include: (1) The development of course materials and instruction on construction safety for civil engineering students at the undergraduate and graduate levels; (2) the promotion of such course materials for adoption by other civil engineering academic institutions; (3) the design and conduct of projects related to the improvement of current construction practices that would develop design parameters to reduce trauma during the construction phase; and (4) the establishment of techniques for the collection and dissemination of construction safety information, educational materials, developed guidelines, and design criteria to engineers, architects, contractors, and trade unions.     

Coping with transition: neonatal nurse practitioner education for the 21st century

As neonatal intensive care nurses face downsizing and/or cross-training, new opportunities are emerging for advanced practice nurses in follow-up care of neonatal intensive care unit graduates, case management, quality improvement, and community hospital care. This article identifies current issues in neonatal nurse practitioner (NNP) education as the model has shifted from hospital-based, certificate programs to graduate degree programs offered by colleges/universities of nursing. Opportunities for increasing NNP role flexibility and recommendations for bridging the transition to a 21st century education model for neonatal advanced practice nurses are also discussed. Despite the turmoil of change and uncertainty, the future for neonatal advanced practice nurses is positive. Successful nurses will master the skills of adaptability, flexibility, self-directed learning, leadership, and the provision of relationship centered care. Neonatal nursing educators must constantly monitor clinical practice and re-evaluate the curriculum to ensure the necessary knowledge and skills for successful practice can be achieved from the educational program. It is critical that faculty are cognizant of emerging trends and changing roles in the practice area. Additional learning opportunities may be required for graduates to successfully move into the next century.     

Training Faculty to Teach Civil Engineering

Adoption of ASCE’s Policy Statement 465 and subsequent discussion of the what, how, and who of teaching the body of knowledge (BOK) that will be required for professional civil engineering practice has heightened the need for continued improvement in civil engineering education. ASCE has explicitly said the role of educators and practitioners in teaching the body of knowledge is critical and has listed faculty-related success factors for teaching the BOK. A key success factor is statement 465’s call for faculty and practitioners to properly prepare to “effectively engage students in the learning process.” This paper considers this challenge and discusses an instructor training program that effectively prepares faculty and practitioners to actively engage students in the learning process as envisioned by Policy Statement 465. We will show quantifiable evidence of the positive results gained by using this instructor training program through student and instructor feedback. Additionally, alternative shorter courses based on this program of preparation are highlighted that may be attended by the faculty of multiple engineering programs and by practitioners.     

Assessment of Communications and Collaborative Learning in Civil Engineering Education

Recently, employers have indicated that they are not totally satisfied with the individualistic approach of the average engineering graduate. This may be due to the fact that, today, in many companies, team goals, team contributions, and team rewards often supersede individual actions. In fact, some authorities believe that the development of critical thinking, collaborative learning, communication, and leadership skills is vital for engineering programs, as well as for students. The findings of this study suggest that students have accepted the concept of collaborative teaching and learning. As an example, the evaluation of student-teaching presentations was found to be above average with scores greater than “B” for all categories. In addition, comments indicate that a course utilizing the concepts of collaborative learning and teamwork was interesting and informative and could be of assistance to respondents in future endeavors. Studies also indicate that undergraduates prefer classroom discussion and problem solving, group interaction, teamwork, and the opportunity for student input rather than formal lectures. Also, the results suggest students perceive that they have mastered communication skills in their civil engineering classwork. For comparative purposes, the findings of this investigation can be utilized by other institutions and departments that may wish to study their curriculum.     

Educational facilities and financial assistance for graduate students in psychology: 1955-1956.

Several educational institutions offering graduate work in psychology are alphabetically listed and following each entry, the institution address, a statement of the number of fellowships, scholarships and assistantships available, tuition, stipends, VA internship programs, and similar information. An extensive table specifies requirements for admission to graduate programs in psychology at each institution. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Distributed Education and the Role of Online Learning in Training Professional Psychologists.

Distributed learning and its allied concept, distance education, have the potential to move graduate training beyond the physical classroom, providing "anytime" and "anyplace" educational opportunities to new groups of learners as well as to students in traditional campus-based programs. It is argued that the focus on online learning activities found in distributed learning institutions is most compatible with a model of pedagogy that emphasizes, among other things, asynchronous small group discussions, collaborative problem solving, reflective inquiry, competency-based outcomes, and the facilitator role of the instructor. The article concludes with suggestions for and challenges regarding the application of computer-based learning tools to the training of clinical psychologists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)