Civil Engineering Education Issues 2001

Multi-disciplinary education and inter-disciplinary research are often sought, but significant barriers exist. Impediments to such activities include unfamiliar jargon, dissemination of results to different audiences, increases in teaching loads, loss of overhead and research volumes, curricular restrictions, prejudice and time constraints. I suggest approaches to overcome these impediments. Indicators of inter-disciplinary activity include the variety of publication outlets, co-authors and enrolled students.

This paper focuses on the future of civil engineering research for the next 20–50 years. It has a North American focus, but world trends provide a backdrop against which the expectations are developed. A conclusion is reached that the needs have never been greater nor the challenges more significant in advancing the technology by which the life-supporting infrastructure of civilization is created.

Traditional roles of an industrial advisory committee (IAC) in engineering or engineering technology programs are limited to the curriculum matters. It is rare for IAC members to get involved in students' day to day learning except for occasional guest appearances. However, there is a great potential for applied learning resources that exist in the IAC. This paper describes some of the creative ways a program trying to integrate these resources with the students learning. This paper discusses learning outcome assessment role played by the IAC members in various studio courses. The faculty members are sometimes too close to the students' projects to carry out this important function. This paper also details the role of IAC in program outcome assessment.

Traditionally technical courses in architectural engineering technology focused on the then current methodologies, standards and procedures and did not consider the evolution of thought that brought us to a particular point in time. Theories considering the advancement of the science of architecture are more often introduced to students through lecture, lab work and site visits but the historical basis of these theories is lacking. The context of technical course material and labs is not set in time. It is too often static. As an extension of history and theory, criticism provides a constructive role on two fronts: 1) as a means to constructively evaluate the past and present and 2) a dialectical method for student evaluation and assessment. Typically, criticism, in technical courses, has been limited to the professor's evaluation of the student's work. I seek to broaden the criticism to include peer review and outside professionals. With the inclusion of history and a spread of the theory base, criticism can become a tool to further enhance the educational experience of the student, peers and professors. The tripartite relationship of History, Theory and Criticism then becomes a didactic relationship bringing a clearer understanding of technical issues and problems. The didactic role that history, theory and criticism can play in a symbiotic relationship with technical courses can lead to a more complete understanding of the total role of the architect — a professional who combines design skills with technical knowledge. This combination, largely in effect prior to the middle of this century, can lead to a better built environment.

Unlike schools of liberal arts and sciences where undergraduate student research is common, there is a limited role of student research in schools of engineering and engineering technology at the undergraduate level. Student research, however, is gaining ground in schools of engineering where faculty are engaged in research and a structure in their curriculum exists whereby students can get credit toward their degree requirement. Programs in civil and environmental engineering across the nation are actively moving in the direction of undergraduate student research but programs in construction engineering and construction technology are not keeping pace with student research at the undergraduate level. This paper presents guidelines for developing a structure in curriculums of construction engineering and construction technology programs to create room for students to do research and present their findings in a variety of forums at the local, state, or national level. Some examples of undergraduate student research are provided to reflect on the current status of undergraduate research in construction engineering and construction technology education.

Optimization problem solving features of Excel and Mathcad software are described. These features are applied towards analyzing a hypothetical construction related problem. Optimization solving features are instrumental in evaluating sufficiency of available resources for achieving maximum profit.

The "McDonaldization of Engineering" is part of a broad social trend that has been identified and documented by contemporary sociologist George Ritzer in his book, The McDonaldization of Society: An Investigation into the Changing Character of Contemporary Social Life. Building on the work of classic social theorist Max Weber, the McDonaldization thesis can be applied to trends familiar in engineering; for example, rampant commoditization and standardization of the engineering process. This presentation will outline the McDonaldization thesis, offer engineering examples that illustrate both the benefits and the liabilities of McDonaldization, and discuss the implications of an increasingly McDonaldized engineering profession.

Civil engineers are compensated at lower rates than other leading professionals, which if nothing else implies that civil engineering adds less value than those professions. The following examination of the salaries and education levels of the leading professions reveals that increased educational requirements generally correspond to higher financial compensation in the U.S. economy. It also suggests that increasing educational requirements beyond the bachelor's degree, as recommended by the ASCE Task Committee, will result in higher rates of compensation for civil engineers—to say nothing of the increased prestige and control over managing professional concerns, the increased safety delivered to the public, and the increased value brought to clients and the public. As a leading employer of civil engineers, the Federal government serves as a significant test case for just how much the educational paradigm affects the professional standing and compensation of civil engineers.

The fundamental objective of any assessment program should be the creation of an environment in which faculty are inspired to produce their very best. The major issues faced when assessing faculty work includes work relevancy to departmental and institutional mission, availability of resources, institution size and type, accreditation criteria, emerging technologies, collective bargaining, work quality and realistic vision and objectives. An absolute definition of faculty work in higher education is unrealistic and would not achieve desired results because of varied institutional and departmental missions. In 1998 an ASCE Task Force proposed a "wheel" model that provides desirable flexibilities in the assessment of faculty work. The proposed model links scholarship, teaching and service through interfaces with the equally important values of excellence, integrity, leadership and ethics. This paper summarizes how the ASCE Model is being implemented at Master's level institution and the associated difficulties encountered and rewards realized.

Scholarship and impact on the profession garner the respect of both peers and administrators in the academic community and hence are key to rewards such as promotion, tenure, and salary. Scholarship can be associated with teaching, but requires more than stellar classroom accomplishments. The article summarizes what is necessary to be a good teacher and suggests that faculty document their teaching activities and scholarship with a Teaching Portfolio. Impact on the profession must be beyond the walls of the academy if it is to compete with the impact of research activity. Changes in culture are now starting to come about spurred by a variety of change agents including the National Science Foundation, Engineering Deans, state legislatures, the Accrediting Board for Engineering and Technology, the American Society for Engineering Education, and the American Society of Civil Engineers.

In October 2000, at the ASCE Seattle Conference, there was a session on faculty roles in teaching, research, and service. During this session, speakers who had held important positions in government agencies, such as the NSF, or university administration (Deans and Department Heads), as well as senior faculty members presented their viewpoints on this topic. There seemed to be an agreement on the need to re-emphasize the role of teaching, which has been neglected for a number of years due to the pressure to conduct research and to generate research funding. In this paper, we expand on some ideas expressed in previous publications. In addition, we attempt to define the general characteristics of a desirable faculty evaluation and reward system that would (a) emphasize quality of work rather than quantity, and (b) provide a better balance between the different activities in which a faculty member must be involved.

The ASCE and ICE have recently completed a program of exchanging observers on accreditation visits, one in the US and one in the UK. A comparison of accreditation practices in these two countries based on these observations is presented.

A required capstone design course has been part of the Civil Engineering curriculum since 1960. This article discusses some aspects of the course that have endured over time and focuses on some recent changes that make use of new technologies and new approaches to design and construction, namely design-build.