Innovations in the Civil Engineering Degree Programmes at University College Dublin, Ireland

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1 Innovations in the Civil Engineering Degree Programmes at University College Dublin, Ireland Abstract The paper describes some examples of innovative developments in the 4-year undergraduate Civil Engineering curriculum at UCD. The developments described were undertaken to stimulate active learning and higher order thinking. The paper focuses on innovations in what and how engineering students learn. In particular, the following examples of innovative teaching and learning strategies will be described in the paper: (a) The introduction of free elective modules for undergraduate engineering students; (b) The use of digital technology to facilitate online learning and the development of virtual laboratories; (c) The introduction of modules that stimulate student creativity and the use of teaching techniques such as peer-assisted mentoring to improve student engagement. Keywords Civil Engineering education, Innovative teaching, Student engagement. I. INTRODUCTION There have been numerous calls to broaden the education of engineers and thus prepare them to serve society with an awareness of and sensitivity to the cultural, political, economic and social dimensions of their work [1]. Jennings et al. [2] state that engineering students need to be aware of the importance of human as well as technical factors in the work they do, and the need to appreciate that communication skills and the ability to work with others are vital. For example, the Institution of Engineers of Ireland [3] requires that, in addition to the normal technical competence expected of a professional Engineer, graduates must be able to demonstrate: An understanding of the need for high ethical standards in the practice of engineering, including the responsibilities of the engineering profession towards people and the environment; The ability to work effectively as an individual, in teams and in multi-disciplinary settings together with the capacity to undertake lifelong learning; The ability to communicate effectively with the engineering community and with society at large. The University College Dublin (UCD) Strategy for Education and Student Experience Framework document [4] states that: the formation of creative and innovative graduates is our principal educational objective. Whether or not our graduates possess these attributes depends on the nature of the students attracted to the University, the learning environment created by the University and the success or otherwise of the students engagement with the learning environment. This paper will describe how the Civil Engineering curriculum at UCD dovetails into the overall University educational objective of creating innovative graduates and meets the accreditation criteria of Engineers Ireland. In particular, as illustrated in Figure 1, the paper will describe novel methods of: (i) engaging engineering students and making their educational experience more rewarding; (ii) delivering elements of the programme in a more innovative manner. Fig. 1 Innovative delivery Innovative delivery Schematic of educational objectives at UCD Engineering II. High-calibre students Engineering Engineering Programme Programme Creative graduates LITERATURE REVIEW Student engagement There have been many innovations in recent years to make undergraduate education more student-centred, offering students greater flexibility and choice in how and what they study. The learner-centred approach facilitates students different aptitudes, interests, backgrounds, educational objectives and allows students an appropriate degree of choice in managing their own studies [5]. It accommodates varying levels of progression and recognises different levels of attainment. This in turn opens new pathways and opportunities for non-traditional students, promoting wider access to and participation in higher education. In relation to how students learn, novel pedagogical techniques (other than sitting passively in a classroom) that make students take an active, task-orientated and self-directed approach to their own learning are increasingly common in higher education.. Felder [6] defines active learning as anything course-related that all students in a class session are called upon to do other than simply watching, listening and taking notes. Learning approaches such as problem-based learning (PBL) have the capacity to create vibrant and active

2 learning environments in higher education. In such enquirybased approaches to learning, students define their own learning issues, what they need to research and learn to work on the problem and are responsible themselves for searching appropriate sources of information [7]. There are many examples of the successful introduction of PBL into Engineering curricula (e.g. Cosgrove et al. [8]). In relation to what students learn, most university curricula have gradually evolved into core curriculum as a specified or fixed course of study coupled with some element of student choice in selecting elective or optional modules. The free elective system has played a critical role in the development of the modern American university as we know it and is becoming more widespread in European institutions. The benefits of electives include: added value to the degree, enabling specialisation in chosen discipline or facilitation of students to pursue wider interests or explore an area that is new to the student. Many U.K. Universities have in recent times introduced an element of student choice into their curricula (e.g. Napier, Aberdeen, Swansea, Hull). Napier University, Edinburgh introduced a range of co-curricular modules in 2008, designed to strengthen the employability of their students; these modules are primarily in the areas of languages and business. In 2010, the University of Aberdeen introduced enhanced study options, offering: more choice: a student can study around their core subject to gain breadth and context; add a language, a science or business study as an extra subject during the first two years of your degree; or choose from a range of new multidisciplinary courses based on real world problems; wider opportunities: a student can broaden their experience and skills through a choice of activities such as overseas study, work placements and voluntary work, all overseen by the University. The University of Swansea introduced the concept of elective modules into the curriculum. The electives allow students to broaden their education by allowing them to pursue a limited number of modules from outside the disciplines associated with their chosen programme of study. Elective modules are taken in place of optional modules and are restricted to a level not lower than the current level of study minus one level. In addition, the elective module chosen must be approved by an appropriate member of staff from the home discipline as academically valid. The University of Hull offers a free elective scheme to make its curriculum more student centred. Students on most undergraduate programmes can choose one free elective module per year. Students can choose a module from any department, and as in any other module, their achievements in the second and third years of their degree count towards the final degree classification. III. UCD EDUCATION SYTEM In keeping with the philosophy of Newman, the founder of UCD, the introduction of the UCD Horizons initiative in 2005 resulted in the development of fully-modularised, semesterised and credit-based degree programmes. A Degree Programme is made up of units called modules in different subject areas. Each module has a set of learning outcomes. Learning outcomes include: knowledge, understanding, intellectual abilities, practical skills and general transferable skills. A module co-ordinator is responsible for delivery of the module and is typically the full-time academic involved in teaching (or co-teaching) the module content. The credit is a unit of currency that reflects the total workload of a module, and is part of the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) that facilitates movement of students between European Universities. One credit corresponds to 20 to 25 hours of student effort, including attending lectures, tutorials, practical work, assignments, study, examinations, etc. A full-time student should normally earn 60 credits in an academic year (30 per semester). A Degree Programme is divided into stages, which correspond to years for full-time students. Each stage consists of modules at an appropriate level, which amount to 60 credits. Normally, a student should complete each stage (pass all the modules, earn 60 credits) before progressing to the next stage. Modules are offered at different levels, to reflect the degree of difficulty of the material. For example, Stage 1 students would normally take modules at Level 1, which is the introductory level. However, students may also register to modules at a higher level, provided pre-requisite and progression requirements are fulfilled. A module is typically worth 5 credits (but may be higher), equating to a student time commitment of about 120 hours in an academic semester (inclusive of lectures, tutorials, practicals and autonomous learning). Full-time students normally earn 60 credits in an academic year (typically 30 credits in semester 1 and 30 credits in semester 2). The extent to which the learning outcomes are achieved is assessed by a variety of methods: formal written end-of semester examinations, continuous assessments and oral examinations. The result of the assessment of performance in a module is given as a grade. Under the re-structured curriculum at UCD, in a given academic year, students choose core modules from their specific subject area, and elective modules, which can be chosen from within the student s programme of study (inprogramme electives) or from any other programme across the entire University (non-programme or general electives). The philosophy underlying this curricular transformation is to give the freedom of choice to students to broaden their knowledge in different areas or deepen their knowledge in their chosen programme of study. General electives can be categorized as being either: (a) general interest (e.g. improving foreign

3 language competence) or (b) generic/transferrable skills (e.g. research skills). The general modular structure at UCD is summarized in Table I. One of the key objectives of introducing general electives into the undergraduate engineering curriculum at UCD was to develop the nontechnical attributes listed above in engineering students graduating from UCD. TABLE I. GENERAL MODULAR STRUCTURE AT UCD For example, Table II summarises the number of core, option and elective credits that students of the current fouryear Civil Engineering programme take in each stage (year) of their studies. In respect of the elective choice, students can choose either: (a) two in-programme electives which enable students to deepen their engineering knowledge, (b) two non-programme (general) electives which allow students to widen their knowledge in modules of general interest to the student or (c) one in-programme elective combined with one general elective. TABLE II. Module Core Comment Students are required to take these modules Options Students may be required to select a number of modules from a specified suite of modules Electives Inprogramme General Students can select a maximum of 2 modules from a suite of modules offered by the programme Students can select a maximum of 2 modules from any programme across the University, subject to timetable and space restrictions NUMBER OF CREDITS PER STAGE OF THE 4-YEAR CIVIL ENGINEERING DEGREE PROGRAMME AT UCD Core Option Elective Stage Stage Stage Stage their personal interests to take modules outside their core programme of study. Purcell [10] examined the delivery of the elective system from the perspective of the academic staff. In general, it was found that the academic staff were genuinely interested in promoting the concept of elective modules, although it did present challenges in simultaneously delivering material to core and elective students. IV. WHAT STUDENTS LEARN As explained in section III above, UCD students are required to take core modules that pertain to their discipline and, in addition, must take one 5-credit free elective (out of a total of 30 credits) per semester for each of their first three years of study. The free elective system operates on the basis that a student may choose a particular elective module from any area right across the university, subject to satisfying any pre-requisite modules, timetabling and availability of places on the module. Since core modules within each discipline are mandatory, the focus of the subsequent presentation will be on electives that students freely choose. This section will examine what modules engineering students tend to choose and the popularity of engineering modules as elective modules for non-engineering students. An examination of the free choice students across the engineering disciplines are making in relation to deepening their knowledge of their chosen field of study or broadening their horizons will be presented. In addition, an examination of the number of non-engineering students registering for engineering modules as free-electives will be undertaken. This analysis will enable the net movement of students (into or out of the School of Engineering) to be quantified. Registration records for the modules taken will be used in this analysis. Firstly, the subject choices being made by engineering students are examined. The choices being made by the First Year Engineering students are taken as an exemplar since this is a large homogenous group of students. First Year Engineering at UCD is undenominated across all the Engineering disciplines and this group of students undertake a common first year programme prior to choosing an engineering discipline of their choice in stage 2. Fig. 2 shows the elective choice of this cohort of students in the academic year 2014/2015. Examination of Fig. 2 shows that 58% of the students choose to deepen their knowledge of their core disciplinary area by choosing to study further engineering modules; 15% choose modules in the sciences such as physics, chemistry, computer science, geology and mathematics; 27% choose humanities modules such as languages, business and law. Following the introduction of the elective system in UCD, Hennessy [9] undertook a study of the student experience of the elective provision in UCD. Their initial findings suggest that, when degree structure permits, students are motivated by

4 Fig. 2 First Year engineering 2014/2015 categories of elective modules Fig. 3 Students engaging in Structural Engineering challenge Secondly, the popularity of engineering modules to nonengineering students will now be examined. In many engineering modules, clearly students must have undertaken the necessary prior learning in order to successfully undertake a particular engineering module. In the case of some of the more elementary engineering modules, particularly in the early stages, there are no pre-requisite modules specified. i.e. modules are open to any students across the university to take and, thus, it might be reasonably expected that such modules might be more appealing to non-engineering students. As an example, CVEN10040 Creativity in Design is one such module. Through a series of exercises, students' observation skills, problem solving skills and lateral thinking abilities are developed. Students are encouraged and actively engaged in developing creative design solutions, to assigned problems and to critically evaluate these solutions. Throughout the process students are introduced to techniques and tools of problem solving and are encouraged to use these in all their design work. Observation, visualization and communication are central to the innovation cycle. Students are introduced to visual (sketching) and physical representation (prototyping/model making), as shown in Fig. 3. Verbal communication of ideas is developed through in-class presentation of solutions. The module is assessed wholly by continuous assessment and there are no terminal examinations. The number of students registered to this module is shown in Fig. 4. Examination of Fig. 4 shows that the majority of students (94%) registered to this module are engineering students, with a small number (6%) from the sciences and humanities opting to take this module. Fig. 4 Breakdown of student registration to CVEN10040 Creativity in Design module V. HOW STUDENTS LEARN In relation to how students learn, innovative teaching methods and learning approaches that stimulate active learning and higher order thinking are increasingly common in higher education. There are tried-and-trusted techniques that encourage students to be active-learners: Interactive lectures; Active learning; Peer-assisted mentoring. Interactive lectures are lectures interspersed with brief inclass activities that require students to use information or concepts presented in the lecture. Students learn by doing, not by watching and listening (Felder [11]). One technique for promoting student engagement is the use of peer-assisted mentoring, i.e. the use of students more advanced (e.g. postgraduate students) to mentor undergraduate students. Peerassisted mentoring should not be confused with normal tutoring of undergraduates, in which the tutors are financially compensated. In peer-assisted learning, there is an educational gain for both the mentoring students and the mentees and all students are awarded credit for their respective roles in the educational arrangement. An example of active-learning facilitated by peer-assisted mentoring in the School of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering at UCD is described below (UCD Teaching and Learning, 2010). The first-year undergraduate

5 module in question is Creativity in Design (CVEN10040) and the postgraduate module is Innovation Leadership (CVEN40390). The Creativity in Design module provides an active-learning engineering experience through which students develop their observation skills, problem solving skills and lateral thinking and teamwork abilities. Undergraduate students work in small groups, facilitated by a peer-assisted mentor (a post-graduate student enrolled on the Innovation and Leadership module). The undergraduate students (mentees) must suggest innovative solutions to real-world problems that are presented to them. The use of computer-based technology can be particularly useful in enhancing engagement, in delivering more effective assessment and in providing timely feedback. Virtual laboratories can be used to supplement or even, in some instances, replace physical laboratories. The rationale for introducing virtual laboratories in the UCD School of Civil Structural and Environmental Engineering is that, in a time of diminishing resources, virtual laboratories can go some way to bridging the gap between demand and capacity to deliver laboratory-based practicals. Within the Highway Materials component of the Civil Engineering Design modules, Stage 4 Civil Engineering students have traditionally undertaken laboratory demonstrations in small groups. To improve the student experience, a video library of on-site activity and laboratory testing methods has been developed, facilitating students in appreciating and understanding the practical elements of their programme, as illustrated in Fig. 5. Future development of this innovative method of delivery would be to link virtual laboratories with on-line MCQ assessment, as illustrated below: How do students view virtual laboratories? Upload onto Virtual Learning Environment; Description of experiment; View Video; Student assessment? Assessment linked to learning; Multiple Choice Questions on video clip; Progression from one experiment to another. A second example of innovative delivery is the introduction in the academic year of two online modules introducing water engineering to students pursuing a master of applied science degree ( online students ). The delivery of this material to students registered for these modules enables this cohort of students to take these modules remotely and at their own pace. The modules are also delivered in parallel to students who attend in person at the University ( day students ). The examination performance of these two groups of students in the case of one of the water resources engineering modules is shown in Figure 6 (a) for academic year 2013/2014 and in Figure 6 (b) for academic year 2014/2015. Examination of the figure shows that: (a) For the day students the average GPA was 3.4 in both (b) academic years; For the online students the average GPA was 3.1 in 2013/2014 increasing to 3.8 in 2014/2015. In addition to the improved GPA of the online students from 2013/2014 to 2014/2015, examination of Fig. 6 shows that there was increased interest in the student cohort undertaking the module online, as the delivery has become more established. (a) (b) Fig. 6 Comparative examination performance (GPA) of day and online students (a) 2013/2014 (b) 2014/2015 Fig. 5 Developing virtual laboratories (UCD Teaching and Learning, [12])

6 VI. CONCLUSIONS Some examples of innovative developments in the undergraduate Civil Engineering curriculum at UCD have been described. These initiatives have been introduced to stimulate undergraduate student engagement through the use of novel content and delivery methods. Anecdotal evidence and quantitative student feedback suggests that the foregoing initiatives have, in general, enhanced the student experience. In relation to what students study, analysis of the student registration data would suggest that engineering students, given the choice to pursue further depth in their core area of study or breadth outside their programme, generally opt for the former option. In addition, there would appear to be far fewer non-engineering students opting for engineering modules than engineering students opting for non-engineering modules. In relation to how students study, novel learning methods such as the use of computer-based technology that enable students to undertake digital laboratories and to take modules remotely using online technology have been introduced and are gaining traction amongst the student body. In addition, innovative teaching methods such as peer-assisted tutoring have been introduced. Curriculum in Higher Education. London: Falmer Press, [6] Felder, R. and Silverman, L., Learning and Teaching Styles in Engineering Education, Engineering Education, Vol. 78, No.7, pp [7] Barrett,T. Moore, S. (2010) New Approaches to Problem-based Learning, Revitalising Your Practice in Higher Education, Routledge Press. [8] Cosgrove, T., Phillips, D. and Quilligan, M Educating Engineers as if they were human: PBL in Civil Engineering at the University of Limerick, 3rd International Symposium for Engineering Education, University College Cork, Ireland. [9] Hennessy, E, Hernandez, R, Kieran, P, MacLoughlin, H; (2010) 'Teaching and learning across disciplines: student and staff experiences in a newly modularised system'. Higher Education, 15 : [10] Purcell, P., Dunnion, J. and Loughran, H., 2013, Experience of Elective provision at UCD, International Conference on Engaging Pedagogy, Institute of Technology Sligo, Ireland, [11] Felder, R., Active learning: an introduction, ASQ Higher Education Brief, 2(4), August [12] UCD Teaching and Learning, Teaching Awards and Grants / Digital Seed Funding, REFERENCES [1] Heidebrecht, A., Evolution of engineering education in Canada, A Report of the Canadian Academy of Engineering. [2] Jennings, A. and Mackinnion, P., Case for Undergraduate Study of Disasters, J. Perform. Constr. Facil., ASCE, 14:1(38). [3] Engineers Ireland Accreditation Criteria for Engineering Education Progammes, ces/accreditation/accreditation-criteria-for-engineering-education- Programmes-FINAL-amended-Mar-09.pdf [4] UCD Education Strategy , [5] Betts, M. and Smith, R., Developing the Credit-based Modular