Asee peer logo

Work in Progress: Collaborative Environments in Architecture and Civil Engineering Education – Case Study

Download Paper |

Conference

2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Minneapolis, MN

Publication Date

August 23, 2022

Start Date

June 26, 2022

End Date

June 29, 2022

Conference Session

Civil Engineering Division Poster Session

Page Count

14

DOI

10.18260/1-2--41225

Permanent URL

https://strategy.asee.org/41225

Download Count

605

Request a correction

Paper Authors

author page

Johanna Acosta Universidad San Francisco de Quito

biography

Jacoba Ubidia Universidad San Francisco de Quito

visit author page

Jacoba Ubidia is a research assistant at Universidad San Francisco de Quito in the Civil Engineering department. She holds a B.A. on Architectural Studies & Environmental Science from the University of Toronto and a B.Sc. in Civil Engineering from Universidad San Francisco de Quito.

visit author page

biography

Miguel Andrés Guerra Universidad San Francisco de Quito

visit author page

Miguel Andrés is an Assistant Professor in the departments of Civil Engineering and Architecture at Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, in Ecuador. Miguel Andrés is a civil engineer from USFQ (2009), was awarded a MSc in Civil Engineering – Construction Engineering and Management at Iowa State University (Fulbright scholar, 2012)and his PhD in Civil Engineering at Virginia Tech (2019), as well as two Graduate Certificate in Engineering Education and Future Professoriate.

(i) ENGINEERING EXPERIENCE: Miguel Andrés was Project Manager of PREINGESA where he has directed construction projects in the development of urban infrastructure for urbanizations such as earthworks, drinking water works, sewerage, underground electrical cables and fiber optics, roads, aqueducts, water reservoirs, housing construction, among others. He was also a Project Management Associate for a Habitat For Humanity housing project in the USA.

(ii) RESEARCH: Miguel Andrés' research focuses on (1) decision-making for the design and construction of infrastructure projects, (2) the planning of sustainable, smart and resilient cities, and (3) the development of engineers who not only have solid technical and practical knowledge, but also social understanding for, through infrastructure, address local and global challenges on humanitarian, environmental, social and equity issues.

(iii) EDUCATION RESEARCH: Related to STEM education, Miguel Andrés is developing and applying contemporary pedagogies and tools for innovation and student empowerment to address climate change. Currently, Miguel Andrés is developing teaching and evaluation pedagogy that directs a philosophy of seeking excellence as a pillar to eradicate corruption.

visit author page

author page

Vanessa Guerra University of Virginia

author page

Cristina Gallardo Universidad San Francisco de Quito

Download Paper |

Abstract

Developing infrastructure involves complex processes that require the effective integration of interdisciplinary professionals. Consequently, coordination is essential for the development of construction projects at any scale. Probably, the most important cohesion that needs to happen within said projects is between architects and civil engineers, but often they seem to be at opposite ends of the spectrum. Friction between these professionals often translates to delays, higher costs, and lower quality in the end-product. This preliminary exploratory study aims to understand civil engineering and architecture students' perspectives on collaboration through the creation of hands-on groups tasks that host students from both architecture and civil engineering. This pilot study combined three modules of second-year courses from both majors (n=78 students) that required students to work in teams for four weeks. After the courses were finished, the authors administered a survey with open - and closed-ended questions to gather qualitative data on self-reported perspectives on collaboration. The results of the pilot study suggest that students working together from early stages have the opportunity to develop soft skills, expand their networks, and, most importantly, appreciate their counterpart’s perspectives. Finally, the authors reflect on future research paths in collaborative learning as well as in soft skills training and development for majors from the construction industry.

Acosta, J., & Ubidia, J., & Guerra, M. A., & Guerra, V., & Gallardo, C. (2022, August), Work in Progress: Collaborative Environments in Architecture and Civil Engineering Education – Case Study Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--41225

ASEE holds the copyright on this document. It may be read by the public free of charge. Authors may archive their work on personal websites or in institutional repositories with the following citation: © 2022 American Society for Engineering Education. Other scholars may excerpt or quote from these materials with the same citation. When excerpting or quoting from Conference Proceedings, authors should, in addition to noting the ASEE copyright, list all the original authors and their institutions and name the host city of the conference. - Last updated April 1, 2015