Journal of Civil Engineering Education

This paper investigated the effect of grade dropping on students’ performance, engagement, and satisfaction. In three different engineering courses that were taught by the author, an optional second midterm exam was offered near the end of the semester. The optional second midterm exam covered materials that were not covered by the first midterm exam. The lower mark of the two exams would be dropped for students who chose to take the optional second midterm exam. Both observational assessment (by using two-tailed $z$-tests and $t$-tests to measure the improvements in students’ performance, engagement, and satisfaction) and students’ feedback (through an online survey) were utilized. It was found that grade dropping led to significant improvements in students’ performance on the comprehensive final exam, class attendance rates (due to the increased motivation), and students’ satisfaction (as expressed in students’ evaluation for the adequacy and fairness of the grading policy). The lowest-performing and highest-performing students did not significantly benefit from grade dropping. Furthermore, the effects of grade dropping were more significant for male students than for female students.

Because of the availability of internet resources including audio and video on virtually any subject, the flipped classroom is being increasingly used in many areas. However, the benefits of using a flipped classroom on the technical communication skills of construction students have not yet been rigorously studied. Hence, a study was carried out with the objective of assessing the benefits of the flipped classroom in enhancing construction students’ technical communication skills. The University of Texas at Arlington’s graduate-level building information modeling course was selected to be taught using the traditional lecture-based format and the flipped format in two consecutive semesters. Students’ project report grades and presentation grades were used to evaluate their technical communication skills. Nine control variables representing students’ preexisting communication skills, technical knowledge, and background were considered. Hypothesis tests were conducted to compare the grades of students in two consecutive semesters. The results indicate that the flipped classroom format can significantly improve the technical communication skills of students measured in terms of project report grade and presentation grades. It is expected that these results contribute to the construction engineering and management pedagogy by increasing the knowledge of educators about the effectiveness of flipped classrooms in enhancing the students’ communication skills.

Experts bring necessary comprehensive and authoritative knowledge to address issues as they arise throughout a project. This expertise is critical for construction and engineering organizations because the characteristics of each project are dynamic and unique. Practitioners often perceive expertise as objective across demographics; however, this study demonstrates that it is subjective, and that gender-implicit biases emerge when organization personnel rate the expertise of others. This study used survey data spanning 279 employees from one construction and engineering company. The results revealed that men were more likely than women to receive higher expertise ratings. Further, this study found that men were likely to rate women’s expertise lower than men’s expertise, while women’s ratings on expertise show only marginal differences based on gender. The gender-implicit biases found within one large construction and engineering company in this study may be typical in the industry more widely. Finally, this research contributes to role congruity theory by showing the alignment and misalignment between expertise roles and gender roles.

This paper outlines the subjective and quantitative outcomes of the introduction of the flipped classroom approach to two engineering subjects at the University of Melbourne. In this approach, lectures are delivered online as opposed to the traditional method of being provided in person. To facilitate learning, after each part of an online lecture, students completed an activity to reflect upon and review the content via compulsory questionnaires. Students would then attend formal classes in person (e.g., workshops) in which they would participate in interactive and collaborative activities related to the online lecture material. Surveys were provided to the students at the beginning of the semester to understand their perceptions of different learning activities. The surveys indicate that students who did well on the questionnaires also did well in the subject with a positive trend between questionnaire scores and final grades in both subjects. The survey results suggest that the flipped classroom method could provide students with better learning outcomes for subjects at the university level if implemented in a way that promotes active and student-centered learning. Some recommendations are provided based on the results of this paper for the implementation of the flipped classroom method for future subjects at the university level.

This article presents the application of the problem-based learning (PBL) methodology for introducing the civil engineering task of bridge design and construction to high school students with a multidisciplinary approach. The materials (toy construction system) and methodology of the workshop are first presented. Then, three examples of arch typology proposals are detailed, as an example of the evolution of the students’ designs in time while retrofitting the successive editions. A selection of the built structures along with some pictures of their most representative details in the decks and arches are included. Finally, the different experiences obtained from this activity are also reviewed. The objective of this paper is to present the observations of the authors after several years of conducting this workshop with the hope that colleagues from other institutions might benefit from the strategies exposed and adapt them to different disciplines or focus on specific topics. The key observation was that the use of construction toys, which are not usually used by teachers, proved to be a powerful learning tool, the limitations of which can be overcome, and the method used was improved annually to realize the objective.

The lack of prevention through design (PtD) education in higher education institutions has long been recognised in construction literature. Despite the fact that some of the institutions have embedded PtD education in their curricula, it is often not addressed in engineering curricula in higher education institutions in developing countries, such as Malaysia. Due to the recent introduction of the Occupational Safety and Health in Construction Industry (Management) [OSHCI(M)] guideline, which is based on the PtD concept, the need to incorporate the PtD concept and skills in engineering programs is crucial, as part of early safety education for future engineers. In order to address this gap in the body of knowledge, this study aims to investigate the current state of safety education in general and PtD in specific, in order to understand the extent the subject has been covered within the curricula of civil engineering programs in Malaysian higher educational institutions. A qualitative research methodology via case studies of seven public universities was adopted. The findings indicated that not only is the level of PtD education in civil engineering programs almost nonexistent, but the occupational health and safety (OHS) education itself was only covered to a certain extent. This significant gap has led to recommendations including the need for institutional dynamism in the context of incorporating OHS subjects, interactive OHS teaching and learning, technology-driven education, and the improving the competency of OHS lecturers. This study could act as a reference for the industry, accreditation bodies, and educational institutions to understand the status quo of PtD education for future engineers towards OSHCI(M) implementation. The findings also extend the knowledge of PtD education in construction literature, subsequently providing insights for wider incorporation of PtD in civil engineering programs.

Building Information Modeling (BIM) allows the integration of work teams, collaboration, and the generation of intelligent parametric digital models. Therefore, because BIM is a collaborative working methodology, it is not possible to effectively teach BIM without the use of collaborative teamwork. Traditionally, teaching at universities has promoted individual student learning and development through lectures and examinations. The objective of this paper was to analyze the interactions in student teams when project- and team-based teaching methodologies are applied. To evaluate the interactions, we used the technique of social network analysis (SNA), and to evaluate the students’ effort, we measured the number of hours dedicated to individual work and teamwork over 15 weeks. This research highlights the importance of collaborative work in the process of training students for careers in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry in BIM technology environments. The work was performed practically using real construction projects that were completed by student teams. The measurement of interactions was carried out using SNA, which allowed us to determine the density of interactions within each group. Teams that work more hours collaboratively than individually become better integrated, which is a feature that is also recognized in the individual achievements of their members.