Civil Engineering

Learning Outcomes/Goals:

1.  apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering;

2.  design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data; furthermore, they are able to conduct laboratory experiments and to critically analyze and interpret data in more than one of the recognized major civil engineering areas;

3.  design a system, component, or process to meet needs; furthermore, they are able to perform civil engineering design by means of design experiences integrated throughout the professional component of the curriculum;

4.  function on multi-disciplinary teams;

5.  identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems;

6.  understand professional and ethical responsibility; furthermore, they understand professional practice issues such as procurement of work, bidding versus quality based selection processes, how the design professionals and the construction professions interact to construct a project, the importance of professional licensure and continuing education, and/or other professional practice issues;

7.  communicate effectively;

8.  understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global and societal context and have the requisite broad education;

9.  engage in life-long learning and recognize the need for it;

10.  apply knowledge of contemporary issues; and

11.  use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice.

Activities in Support of Goal:

  1. The educational objectives can be mapped to the educational outcomes expected of each student at the time they graduate;
  2. The instructor of a course reviews the examinations, homework, reports and projects produced by students in the course, and, by the end of the semester, has an accurate estimate of the degree to which learning objectives were achieved. Similarly, students form estimates of their levels of achievement based on introspection and graded work returned by the instructor

Assessment Methods:

1.  Grades: A student’s achievement of expected program outcomes is assessed by grading his or her performance on course assignments and examinations

  1. ALOAS: students complete the forms after each civil engineering course. Students are asked to assess their confidence relative to the course’s learning objectives.
  2. Surveys of Civil Engineering Students: Junior and senior students majoring in civil engineering were surveyed in 1999 and 2002 for the purpose of assessing and improving the undergraduate program. The 1999 survey addressed curriculum requirements, specific courses and aspects of the overall program such as group projects and technical communication. It also explored students’ academic and employment loads. The 2002 survey addressed selected courses and topics, curriculum requirements, aspects of the overall program and attitudes regarding graduate study.
  3. Exit Surveys of Seniors by Placement Office: The MSU Office of Career Services and Placement surveys graduating seniors to assess their satisfaction with placement experiences and academic preparation. The survey instrument also accommodates questions composed by the individual colleges. In 2003, the department started to include questions that directly referred to the program outcome
  4. Survey of Graduates by Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering:

One part of the 2002 survey addressed proficiencies in specific civil engineering topic areas at the time of graduation.

6. Survey of Co-operative Education Students: Civil engineering students in the Co-operative Engineering Education program are surveyed at the end of each semester of employment to gage their satisfaction with their experience, its contribution to their professional development, and their academic preparation. Most of the questions in the latter category address expected program outcomes.

7. Survey of Co-operative Education Employers: Supervisors of civil engineering students in the Co-operative Engineering Education program are surveyed at the end of each semester of participation to gage their satisfaction with the program and with individual student employees. Most of the questions address the student’s academic preparation relative to achievement of expected program outcomes.

8. Civil Engineering Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI): An instructors evaluation of a course is based on students achievement, which is measured by performance on examinations, homework, reports and projects

9. Fundamentals of Engineering Examination (FE): Students are encouraged to take the test

10. Civil Engineering Course Portfolio: Portfolios have been assembled for civil engineering courses given during summer and fall 2003 and spring 2004 semesters. Portfolios contain items such as

• course syllabus,

• course outline given to students, including grading standards,

• other material handed out in class,

• course pack,

• samples of graded work (homework, quizzes, examinations, projects, reports),

• video tapes of student presentations,

• representative print-outs of the course web site,

• representative print-outs of the course electronic bulletin board,

• representative print-outs of student-instructor e-mail exchanges, and

• summaries of course and instructor evaluations.

Assessment Results:

  1. All of the outcomes were met.
  2. MSU civil engineering students scored well below the national average for the hydraulics topics in every examination (FE)
  3. on the Fe, the average performance of MSU students is consistently within a few points of the national average
  4. Instructors and students recognize an opportunity for improvement in understanding of professional and ethical responsibility, as indicated by ALOAS results. Graduating seniors and supervisors of co-operative education students responded more positively. FE examination results indicate a level of understanding that is consistent with the national norm.
  5. From 1998 through 2003 MSU civil engineering undergraduate students won 5 “outstanding student” awards from regional branches of professional societies, 12 scholarships and fellowships in regional competitions, and 5 national competitions
  6. While students recognize the need for life-long learning and believe they are ready to pursue it, they do not believe that this outcome goal was achieved during their education.
  7. Recognizing that effectiveness of written communication improves with guided practice, the faculty has incorporated technical writing into an unusually large number of civil engineering courses. This reinforces skills developed in the required Tier I and Tier II writing courses. ALOAS results indicate satisfactory achievement of the ability to communicate effectively. The beneficial results of the program’s increased emphasis on technical writing are reflected in results of successive surveys of students. However, survey results also indicate opportunity and desire for further improvement.

Action Taken:

  1. Technical writing: the department initiated a program to improve students’ writing skills
  2. In 2002, the department initiated a construction engineering and management track consisting of selected courses from the construction management program and existing civil engineering courses
  3. CE271 (surveying course) was revised to include a broader introduction to the practice of civil engineering while retaining selected surveying topics. The title was changed and it became a required course
  4. Students entering the program as juniors in fall 200 and after are required to complete at least two sequential courses in each of at least four areas of civil engineering
  5. Students entering the program as juniors in fall 20033 and after are required to complete a comprehensive design course, CE 495 Senior Design in Civil Engineering
  6. Selected design topics were integrates into the first structure course, CE 305 and the surveying course, CE 271
  7. An elective CAD course was added, CE 492 Computer Aided Design. However, after being offered for four semesters (fall 1999, fall 2000, spring 2000 and spring 2001) it was discontinued due to consistently low enrollment
  8. Over a three-year period starting spring semester 1999 CE 280, Introduction to Environmental Engineering was extensively revised with the objective of improving the quality of instruction by developing and using innovative pedagogic techniques tailored to course learning objectives.
  9. The credits for CE 312 Soil Mechanics were increased from three to four and the number of lectures per week was increased
  10. The department initiated a new course, CE 432 Pavement Rehabilitation, in spring 2001. This is in response to the popularity of the pre-existing course, CE 431 Pavement Design and Analysis

Future Plans:

  1. The department plans to incorporate CAD units into CE 271 Introduction to Civil Engineering and CE 495 Senior Design in Civil Engineering
  2. Instructors will be helped and encouraged to reflect the need for life-long education in course objectives