General Education for Civil Engineers: Sustainable Development

The ABET criteria for engineering programs no longer has a requirement for humanities and social sciences but instead requires a general education component that complements the technical component of the curriculum. Achievement of the outcomes called for in the ABET criteria and the ability to apply the constraints listed in ABET Criterion 3 can be facilitated by a well-designed general education component. The old humanities and social science components that many programs still have would probably allow most programs to meet the current criteria but the requirement for general education offers an opportunity to improve the overall educational experience for all civil engineers. One approach to general education for civil engineers would be to incorporate a theme and a case is made that sustainability and sustainable development is a good theme for a civil engineering program.     

《数字信号处理课程设计》教学内容改革

《数字信号处理课程设计》是一门实践性较强的课程。该文针对河南工业大学电信专业07、08、09、10、11级本科生在该门课程学习实践的过程中,从设计题目、设计内容、设计步骤、设计方法等方面进行了论述,目的是提高学生在学习该门课程中的实践动手能力,也为该门课程的教学过程提供一种思路。     

Geometry in Architectural Engineering Education Revisited

Geometric conceptualization has always been among the essential mental tools required for the invention, modeling, and visualization of spatial building structures. Furthermore, without an understanding of the geometric and mathematical base of computer graphical procedures, the ability to cope with significant developments in advanced architectural graphical representation and to adapt to the ever-changing technology in this area is limited. Despite the unquestionable significance of geometric thinking for the conception, design, and realization of buildings, the role of geometry in the education of architectural engineers, a role that traditionally constituted a significant part of their education, has been downplayed. This paper presents a systematic effort to strengthen architectural engineers’ skills in the understanding of geometric concepts and approaches that are directly related to their profession. Toward this effort a body of knowledge, mainly from Euclidean and Parabolic geometries, has been identified and organized in content units. The manner in which these content units have been consolidated into the curriculum of the architectural engineering program at the University of Texas at Austin is also presented.     

Crisis of Civil Engineering Education in Information Technology Age: Analysis and Prospects

The brightest students entering postsecondary education are often attracted by routes other than engineering that are perceived more likely to yield careers of higher prestige and greater returns. For civil engineering in particular, this is further compounded by the fact that the field is not traditionally viewed as a high-tech discipline. Thus, student quality, enrollment, and research funding in civil engineering programs have been declining across North America. The conservative construction industry is part of the problem; adjustments of this aging cartel to the new economy are still at the embryonic level. Civil engineering educators are facing the question, How do we change the “hard hat down in the ditch” image of civil engineering in the minds of the new information technology generation? This paper presents an analysis of possible causes of this problem and a vision for potential future solutions.     

Teaching Engineering Surveying in a Civil Engineering Program: Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Assessment

As engineering surveying is highly concerned with its intensive involvement in the construction of roads and bridges, drainage systems, buildings, railways, and tunnels in civil engineering, the subject of engineering surveying is being offered by the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics to all undergraduate students who are taking the Bachelor of Civil Engineering Degree Program in the Department of Civil and Structural Engineering at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Under the new outcome-based curriculum and work-integrated education requirements, the curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment for the subject are described here by answering the questions of “what are the goals and objectives of the curriculum,” “what should students learn,” and “how should it be learned, taught, and assessed.”     

Implementing an Inclusive Curriculum for Women in Engineering Education

Engineering faculty are urged to be “inclusive” when teaching classes of diverse students. Research has shown that an inclusive approach not only assists the progress of socially and culturally underrepresented students, but it will also broaden the perspectives of all students, and thus improve the overall quality of an engineering program. The writers of this paper have collaborated over a number of years at the University of South Australia to make engineering education more inclusive. This process commenced with an institutionwide project to develop inclusive curricula by improving the understanding and practice of faculty, and developing guidelines to assist them in restructuring their courses to become more inclusive. In the engineering departments, the process was further developed through staff workshops to assist faculty with the redevelopment of course curricula using the university guidelines, as well as the collection and dissemination of material and examples appropriate for engineering programs. This paper describes some of these methods in more detail, as well as the obstacles the writers have encountered and the devices they have used to overcome objections and impediments. Specific examples from civil engineering are included.     

Use of the Long-Term Pavement Performance Database in the Pavement Engineering Curriculum

In this paper the writers demonstrate the inclusion of the Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP-DATAPAVE 3.0) data within the pavement engineering curriculum at Michigan State University (MSU). The paper presents two examples, one from an undergraduate course on pavement rehabilitation and one from a graduate course on pavement analysis and design. These examples illustrate the use of LTPP data in computing responses, predicting traffic, developing rehabilitation strategies, and predicting performance of both rigid and flexible pavements.     

Survey of the National Civil Engineering Curriculum

This paper presents the results of a comprehensive survey of over 40% of the nation’s undergraduate civil engineering programs. This analysis is based on uniform data collected for accreditation and is principally concerned with three major groups of courses: (1) math and science, (2) general education, and (3) engineering topics. The analysis reveals what is currently being taught in our nation’s civil engineering undergraduate programs, what is not being taught, and the implications for future professional practice. The paper discusses how the average national curriculum has changed historically, how well the curriculum satisfies Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology criteria, and what the current distribution of courses and topics says about the priorities of civil engineering education. Overall, the curriculum was found to be highly specialized in terms of technical subjects but lacking in focus regarding the liberal arts, professional skills, and systems thinking.     

Model for Education, Professional Preparation, and Licensure of Civil Engineers

In October 1998, ASCE’s Board of Direction adopted Policy Statement 465: First Professional Degree, which supports the concept that the master’s degree or an equivalent would be required for a graduate engineer to practice civil engineering at the professional level. In the writer’s opinion, this requirement alone may not be enough to narrow the gap between the education, professional preparation, licensure, and continuing education requirements of engineering and those of other traditional professions such as medicine, law, architecture, and accounting. Data from the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, indicate that engineering does not compare well with those four professions in those areas. Other data suggest that undergraduate civil engineering education has not changed significantly over the past 40 years to keep pace with major advances in civil engineering practice, even though the bachelor’s degree has been the entry-level degree for engineering practice during that period of time. A model is presented for the development of a process that will lead to the entry-level degree of professional civil engineer. This degree will carry with it not only recognition by the granting university of completion of all the academic requirements, but also satisfaction of all the licensing requirements of the state board of technical registration. It will allow the graduate to practice civil engineering lawfully in the state of issuance and to use the title of professional civil engineer in all his or her professional dealings. The development of this process will take time and require input from academia, practice, and licensing agencies under the sponsorship of one or more professional societies.     

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.