Integrated Civil Engineering Curriculum: Five-Year Review
Publication: Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 130, Issue 3
Abstract
An integrated curriculum, which draws material from different areas to teach students about design and problem-solving, offers civil engineering educators an option for accommodating new topics without increasing the number of courses. Freshman engineering and the senior capstone course are two examples of integrated courses, and the writers present a 5-year perspective on an approach that extends the concept of integration to six additional courses, comprised of an 8-course, integrated civil engineering core curriculum. Drawing on their combined experiences with the courses and assessment in a review by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, the writers conclude that the curriculum offers a useful vehicle by which to add material to the 4-year program without increasing the number of credit hours, and offers flexible courses to meet goals of professional groups. The paper describes lessons learned, challenges that remain, and current approaches to improvement.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 130 • Issue 3 • July 2004
Pages: 160 - 165
Copyright
Copyright © 2004 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jan 3, 2002
Accepted: Aug 7, 2003
Published online: Jun 15, 2004
Published in print: Jul 2004
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