Introducing First Year Engineering Students to Infrastructure Sustainability Rating Systems

A sustainability module was included in courses for first-year engineering students majoring in civil, environmental, architectural, and general engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder. The low infrastructure grades in America were used to help motivate students about the importance of sustainable engineering. A homework assignment required students to select a case study from one of the ASCE Infrastructure Report Card areas and discuss how it did or could target sustainability. A rubric was used to determine if students discussed environmental, social, and economic aspects. The civil, architectural, and general engineering students also explored the Greenroads rating system, LEED, or Envision, respectively. Environmental engineering students explored life-cycle assessment. At the end of the semester the students increased in their self-efficacy for sustainable engineering knowledge. The paper provides an example of a simple module that helped students achieve knowledge and comprehension of sustainable engineering.