Practical Summer Training in Civil and Construction Engineering for Cultivation of Professional Ability
Publication: Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 136, Issue 4
Abstract
The cultivation of professional ability for undergraduate civil and construction engineering students is very important to help them meet the challenges that await them in the fast changing world. This paper presents a thorough study of practical training in the field of civil and construction engineering. Based upon an extensive literature review of the practical training curriculum worldwide, questionnaires were provided to contractors, educators and students in Taiwan to assess problems in traditional summer practical training courses for civil and construction engineering in Taiwan. At the outset of the study, it was thought that the lack of available jobs for students might be related solely to the economy but the findings indicated that the reasons were more complex ranging from concerns about liability for students working in construction sites to traditional cultural concerns about whether apprentices should be paid. The Delphi method was used to study the problems that were identified, relating to planning, execution, evaluation, and development of the existing practical training programs. A refined and improved summer practical training curriculum is proposed for civil and construction engineering education in Taiwan based upon the findings. Although the survey related to practical training programs for engineering students was conducted in Taiwan, the results might vary in other countries. The procedures used, and results obtained may be valuable resources and have a potential use for other countries. What is certain is that practical training can play an important role in readying engineering students for the work place in any location and making the practical training as effective and as safe as possible should be a universal goal.
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Acknowledgments
The writers appreciate the National Science Council in Taiwan for supporting this project (Project No. NSCTNSC 90-2516-S-324-001). The writers also appreciate the contractors, professors, students, and committee members of the Delphi group to propose so many important opinions for this research. The writers would like to give our special thanks to Mr. Craig Copelan, Senior Transportation Engineer, California Department of Transportation for his valuable input and comments.
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Information
Published In
Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 136 • Issue 4 • October 2010
Pages: 233 - 238
Copyright
© 2010 ASCE.
History
Received: May 8, 2009
Accepted: Dec 15, 2009
Published online: Dec 17, 2009
Published in print: Oct 2010
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