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Strengthening the Body of Knowledge – How Integration of Practicing Engineers as Adjunct Faculty Can Enhance Educational Outcomes

Abstract

Reformation of engineering education has been discussed for many decades in the United States. Noteworthy are the periodic reports, beginning with the Mann Report of 1918, that have emphasized the need for engineering education reform. Since Mann’s report there have been many other significant reports published from 1930 to present that stress this need.Two such studies were those completed in recent years by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)1 and the U.S. National Academy of Engineering (NAE)2. The impetus for both was a realization that major changes in engineering education were needed to meet 21st century challenges. Important conclusions from these studies are that civil engineering education must foster more interdisciplinary collaboration, include more team-based learning, and provide more learning experiences that feature problem solving involving socio-economic challenges as well as the application of engineering skill. Such collaboration, knowledge, experience, and engineering skill are required of effective practitioners.

The purpose of this paper is to describe why the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering (CEE) has worked to integrate practitioners from multiple disciplines who possess extensive professional practice experience within the faculty team as Adjunct Faculty, how we are doing this, and the unique aspects the Adjunct Faculty are contributing to the educational process. The paper will specifically address how this engagement of Adjunct Professors as collaborative members of the team help the department to achieve the four characteristics of a model faculty described by the ASCE publication, Body of Knowledge for the 21st Century(BOK2) Committee3as: 1) Scholars, 2) Effective Teachers, 3) Having Relevant Practical Experience, and, 4) Providing Positive Role Models. The paper will also describe the deliberative process we have used to develop a formal charter to guide and describe this effort, and the care taken in Adjunct Faculty appointments to adhere to the recommendation of the BOK2 Committee4 that “…practitioner participants should meet the same criteria as the full-time faculty as described in this section – namely, scholarship, teaching effectiveness, and positive role modeling.”

Adjunct Faculty – Variable Definitions in Practice

The adjective “adjunct” has been defined in various ways, including: “a subordinate or incidental thing5,” “added or joined as an accompanying object or circumstance6,” “attached in a subordinate or temporary capacity to a staff7,” “something added or extra but subordinate8,”and “attached or belonging without full or permanent status: an adjunct surgeon on the hospital staff9.” The noun “professor” has also been defined in various ways, including: “a university teacher of the highest rank in a faculty10,”“(loosely) any college or university teacher11,” and “one that teaches or professes special knowledge of an art, sport or occupation requiring skill12.”

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Doran, M., & Quagliana, C., & Doll, N., & Russell, J., & Harrington, G. (2010, June), Strengthening The Body Of Knowledge – How Integration Of Practicing Engineers As Adjunct Faculty Can Enhance Educational Outcomes Paper presented at 2010 Annual Conference & Exposition, Louisville, Kentucky. 10.18260/1-2--15988