Journal of Civil Engineering Education

Codes and standards are important tools in civil and structural engineering, but how they are applied in the workplace in comparison to how they are taught in undergraduate engineering education has been understudied. The purpose of this research is to explore the social and material contexts wherein codes are applied in a structural engineering workplace and in undergraduate structural engineering courses to better understand the alignment of these two environments. The researchers employed an ethnographic approach to participate in and observe the social and material contexts wherein engineers and students apply codes. Both students and engineers were observed applying codes prescriptively; however, engineers also had to apply codes with a more evaluative approach in certain scenarios. Students were never exposed to similar scenarios in their courses. Based on these findings, the authors provide some recommendations for engineering education to provide students with an improved evaluative understanding of codes that is less reliant on a limited prescriptive understanding of code procedures. Implementation of the evaluative use of codes presents challenges to an already full curriculum; therefore, the authors provide examples and descriptions for integrating codes into the existing curriculum to prepare students for the engineering judgment required when applying the concepts they learn in school in practice.

Heuristics are approaches engineers use for solving problems and making decisions with quick, often approximate, calculations and/or judgement calls. Such approaches have become marginalized in structural engineering education to make room for more theoretical and precise approaches. As a result, engineering students are less confident with heuristics and firms believe students are unprepared for using such approaches to solve messy real-world problems. This research identified and described heuristics within the social and material contexts of a structural engineering workplace and undergraduate structural engineering courses to better understand the use of heuristics in these environments. The researchers used ethnographic methods to access these environments and document the social and material contexts wherein heuristics are applied. Two different types of heuristics were found: practice-based heuristics, and profession-based heuristics. Practice-based heuristics are more dependent on an individual’s or organization’s experience with certain projects. Profession-based heuristics are grounded in a discipline’s fundamental concepts, and therefore are less context-dependent.

The evolving challenges and demands of engineering require future professionals to have a broad skillset. To be adequately prepared for industry, undergraduate engineering students need to recognize the importance of professional competencies and develop their leadership identities. This sequential explanatory mixed-methods study investigated the connection between ratings of professional competencies that enable leadership (referred to as leadership-coupled professional competencies) and the leadership development process. Cluster analysis was used to identify discrete groupings of undergraduate engineering students based on survey responses indicating their perceptions of the value of 19 leadership-coupled professional competencies to their future careers. A subset of respondents was interviewed to explore their perspectives on skills needed to be successful after graduation, their leadership experiences, and their leadership identity development stage. The quantitative and qualitative analyses were mixed, and suggested that students who place greater value on leadership-coupled professional competencies are at more advanced stages in their leadership identity development. The results indicate the benefit of cultivating professional competencies and leadership identities in the undergraduate engineering experience to increase students’ awareness of the leadership development process and their workforce preparation.

Safety training and assessment programs play a key role in inducing safe behavior on construction sites. The traditional training methods are fraught with limitations. The advent of visualization technologies such as building information modeling (BIM) and virtual reality (VR) lay a great promise in imbuing vigor in the training and assessment methods. The current study understands the usability of three visualization modules: image, virtual tour, and mobile virtual reality game–based. A distinction was made between students and professionals as well as based on structured feedback. Based on the feedback responses, a nuanced comparative analysis of various visualization platforms was presented. The analysis highlighted that visualization platforms are beneficial as compared to traditional methods. Specifically, the mobile virtual reality (MVR) game–based safety module was preferred by students due to its realistic and immersive experience, whereas the virtual tour–based safety module was preferred by construction professionals due to its easy, cost-effective, and time-saving approach. This study also revealed some major issues in the areas of technology readiness of the platforms.

Engineering schools have been unable to recruit and retain Native American students at the same rate as other students. Consequently, the Native American representation in engineering has been declining over the years in Arizona, even though the state ranks third in the number of degrees earned in the US by Native Americans. To understand the barriers and catalysts faced by Native American students in engineering, the authors interviewed 29 undergraduate Native American students from various engineering majors at three Arizona universities. The results were compared to factors identified by the Millennium Falcon Persistence Model. Family support and institutional support were mentioned by the students as catalysts to success in higher education, whereas themes related to tribal community support were brought up as barriers. Specifically, the students expressed concerns with the perceived lack of engineering jobs on the reservations and the negative environmental impact of the engineering industry. The authors discussed the implications of such findings to engineering schools and the role of the university in supporting Native American students’ desire to give back to their communities.

Civil engineers and architects are both trained in design thinking, but they approach the process of design from differing perspectives largely due to the divergence in their educational curriculums. With an interest in the effect of differing educational perspectives on design thinking outcomes, comparisons were made between the self-identified design thinking abilities of students in their final year of undergraduate civil engineering or architecture programs. Perceived design thinking ability was evaluated through a survey that was distributed to students enrolled in 4-year institutions across the United States. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) test was used to compare responses between the civil engineering ($n=356$) and architecture ($n=335$) student samples. There is a significant difference in perceived design thinking ability between the groups. Architecture students score higher than civil engineering students on all design thinking traits. Based on these results, the civil engineering curriculum may benefit from the incorporation of pedagogy that emphasizes design thinking, like studio-based learning.

Building information modeling (BIM)-based collaboration may be associated with peer pressure in educational settings. Peer pressure creates a challenge for educators to foster students’ BIM skills and prepare them for a career in the architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. However, the effects of peer pressure on student learning in BIM classes remain unknown. This research aims to explore how peer pressure influences student learning of BIM technology. This study designed four pedagogical scenarios to stimulate different degrees of peer pressure in a BIM class at Michigan State University, and compared student learning outcomes in the four scenarios. Results of multiple regression indicate a positive relationship between the level of peer pressure and the student learning outcome. Students exposed to a higher level of peer pressure demonstrated higher and stabler grades. Findings suggest peer pressure works as a “social magnet” to attract students to progress together. Implications are discussed for educators and practitioners to create effective learning environments and promote the diffusion of knowledge and technology.

It is well documented that the construction industry is perceived as an environment dominated by males, and as a result the industry has difficulty attracting qualified female employees. This study examined the female students studying Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) majors at the Ara Institute of Canterbury, New Zealand, and identified the factors influencing their decisions to study their fields and strategies that could be implemented to encourage and attract more females to study and work in the industry. Results of this case study showed that for female students, the factors most influencing their choice of an AEC major were their personal interest in the subject, career opportunities, expected salary, financial considerations, and the industry image. Recommendations for tertiary institutions include collaborating with construction companies to provide hands-on experiences for potential students to gain knowledge of the opportunities available within professional construction careers. In addition, improvement of advertising through the internet, female guest speakers, and providing high school students and counsellors with current and readily available information are of strategic significance.