Before Senior Design Integration Of Project Based Learning In A Multi Course Structural Engineering Sequence

and Background Undergraduate civil engineering design courses should feature a prepared instructor (mentor) facilitating a quality course curriculum to motivate students to use a suite of resources (including the mentor) to learn and understand the subject. Some undergraduate civil engineering design classes are required for all civil engineering students, while others are elective courses. Class makeup in these two types of design courses can be quite different, and this should influence the design of the course. Elective courses are generally populated by students genuinely interested in the subject and more likely to pursue engineering practice in that subdiscipline. Since it is rare that a single civil engineering subdiscipline is preferred by over 50% of the students in a department, it is likely the majority of the students in a required design class do not plan to specialize in that subdiscipline. However, their own specialty will often require a good understanding of how specialist civil engineers in the other subdiscipline do their job so they can effectively interact with those other professionals. In order for all civil engineering graduates to understand each subdiscipline’s design process, fundamental theory, and basic tools, required design courses should be assigned the following goals: