Assessment of a New Approach to Implement Life-Long Learning into Civil and Environmental Engineering Courses

Claude Villiers; Diane L. Bondehagen; Yusuf A Mehta

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Conference: 2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Publication Date: June 23, 2013
Start Date: June 23, 2013
End Date: June 26, 2013
ISSN: 2153-5965
Conference Session: Teaching and Assessing Sustainability and Life Long Learning
Tagged Division: Civil Engineering
Page Count: 13
Page Numbers: 23.223.1 - 23.223.13
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--19237
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/19237
Download Count: 491

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Paper Authors

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Diane L. Bondehagen Florida Gulf Coast University

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Dr. Diane Bondehagen is an assistant professor of Environmental Engineering in the Department of Environmental and Civil Engineering at Florida Gulf Coast University's U.A. Whitaker School of Engineering. She received her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 1983, her M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Florida International University in 1999, and her Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering Sciences from the University of Florida in 2005. Dr. Bondehagen joined FGCU after a research and teaching position at the University of Florida. Dr. Bondehagen is a member of the American Geophysical Union (AGU), the American Water Resources Association (AWRA) and American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE). Her current research interests are in engineering education and contaminant transport/remediation.

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Claude Villiers Florida Gulf Coast University

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Dr. Villiers is an associate professor in the U.A. Whitaker College of Engineering (WCOE) at Florida Gulf Coast University. He received his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering with a concentration in Materials and Construction from the University of Florida in 2004. His areas of principal research interest are Civil Engineering Materials and Asphalt Technology, Highway and Pavement Design, Transportation, Specifications and Construction Variability of Pavement Materials, Quality Control/Quality Assurance, Pavement Management and Rehabilitation, and Statistics related to Pavement Materials.

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Yusuf A Mehta Rowan University

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Dr. Mehta is an Associate Professor at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rowan University. Dr. Mehta has extensive experience in teaching pavement materials and pavement systems. Dr. Mehta has published several technical and educational papers in leading professional organizations.

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Abstract

Assessment of a New Approach to Implement Life-Long Learning into Civil and Environmental Engineering CoursesAbstractXXXX College of Engineering (XXX) and XXX University have recently modified theirProgram Outcomes to meet the ABET (formerlyAccreditation Board for Engineering andTechnology) outcome of life-long learning (LLL). XXX engineering faculty have routinelyprovided in-class, interdisciplinary activities to promote course student learning. However, noclear guidelines are available on how to truly integrate student understanding and engagement ofLLL into the curriculum and to then assess it effectively. In order to accomplish and assess thisgoal, two courses were restructured at XXX in order to introduce and integrate the concept oflife-long learning into the classroom. These courses were redesigned in order to incorporate life-long learning activities with a renewable energy, “green” engineering theme. Activities includedresearch of innovative technologies/applications, selection and evaluation of specific greentechnologies for regional application, and the development of marketing strategies for theselected green technology application. These activities and associated objectives were specific toeach course. Recently, a faculty at XXX University has also adapted this newly designedapproach. This paper provides an overview of the overall philosophy, content, and evaluation ofassessment results obtained by faculty at both Universities. The students were assessed on theirability to review and choose appropriate scholarly research publications as well as their ability toself-direct and advance their critical thinking ability. An evaluation rubric was prepared andsurveys were administered throughout the semester to evaluate life-long learning skilldevelopment. Both schools used 3 years of post-graduation data to assess this new requirement.Results from student surveys, faculty assessment and evaluations of student reports wereanalyzed, and a statistical analysis was conducted. Assessment results showed a significantimprovement in student LLL skill development. Results indicate that this newly developedapproach is an effective tool to assess student learning and can be adapted by other UniversityEngineering programs. Recommendations and guidelines on incorporating this approach acrossthe curriculum are provided.

Citation
Format

Bondehagen, D. L., & Villiers, C., & Mehta, Y. A. (2013, June), Assessment of a New Approach to Implement Life-Long Learning into Civil and Environmental Engineering Courses Paper presented at 2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Atlanta, Georgia. 10.18260/1-2--19237

TY - CPAPER
AB - Assessment of a New Approach to Implement Life-Long Learning into Civil and Environmental Engineering CoursesAbstractXXXX College of Engineering (XXX) and XXX University have recently modified theirProgram Outcomes to meet the ABET (formerlyAccreditation Board for Engineering andTechnology) outcome of life-long learning (LLL). XXX engineering faculty have routinelyprovided in-class, interdisciplinary activities to promote course student learning. However, noclear guidelines are available on how to truly integrate student understanding and engagement ofLLL into the curriculum and to then assess it effectively. In order to accomplish and assess thisgoal, two courses were restructured at XXX in order to introduce and integrate the concept oflife-long learning into the classroom. These courses were redesigned in order to incorporate life-long learning activities with a renewable energy, “green” engineering theme. Activities includedresearch of innovative technologies/applications, selection and evaluation of specific greentechnologies for regional application, and the development of marketing strategies for theselected green technology application. These activities and associated objectives were specific toeach course. Recently, a faculty at XXX University has also adapted this newly designedapproach. This paper provides an overview of the overall philosophy, content, and evaluation ofassessment results obtained by faculty at both Universities. The students were assessed on theirability to review and choose appropriate scholarly research publications as well as their ability toself-direct and advance their critical thinking ability. An evaluation rubric was prepared andsurveys were administered throughout the semester to evaluate life-long learning skilldevelopment. Both schools used 3 years of post-graduation data to assess this new requirement.Results from student surveys, faculty assessment and evaluations of student reports wereanalyzed, and a statistical analysis was conducted. Assessment results showed a significantimprovement in student LLL skill development. Results indicate that this newly developedapproach is an effective tool to assess student learning and can be adapted by other UniversityEngineering programs. Recommendations and guidelines on incorporating this approach acrossthe curriculum are provided.
AU - Diane L. Bondehagen
AU - Claude Villiers
AU - Yusuf A Mehta
CY - Atlanta, Georgia
DA - 2013/06/23
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Assessment of a New Approach to Implement Life-Long Learning into Civil and Environmental Engineering Courses
UR - https://peer.asee.org/19237
DO - 10.18260/1-2--19237
ER -