Cultivating Research and Information Skills in Civil Engineering Undergraduate Students
Publication: Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 136, Issue 1
Abstract
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.
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Acknowledgments
The writers express their appreciation for the reviews and comments provided by Bruce Henson, department head, Information Services Department, Georgia Tech Library and Kathy Tomajko, special assistant to the dean, Georgia Tech Library.
References
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 136 • Issue 1 • January 2010
Pages: 24 - 29
Copyright
© 2010 ASCE.
History
Received: May 15, 2008
Accepted: Jun 29, 2009
Published online: Dec 15, 2009
Published in print: Jan 2010
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