The authors developed a series of computer aided drawing instructional modules utilizing MicroStation® software as part of the Software Series in Civil Engineering Technology Independent Learning Experiment at Fairmont State College -Track 3: Design. These modules, which are customized to utilize transportation and transportation structures projects, serve as enhancements to the Design Track in the CET program, specifically enhancing instructional objectives in Structures (CIV 290), Structural Design (CIV 440), Advanced Structural Analysis (CIV 410), Surveying II (CIV 240), and Highway Design (CIV 400). Using transportation projects throughout the scheduling modules provides an experience integrating aspects of the transportation, structural, and water system tracks within the program. The series is comprised of Three modules: Module 1, Introduction to MicroStation®; Module 2, MicroStation® Applications for Bridge Design; Module 3, MicroStation® Applications for Highway Design; In each module, students are required to complete exercises based on example projects created by the authors. The examples utilized in the modules are actual transportation projects, which have been constructed and are in use. The utilization of built projects allows the students to gain additional experience with proven construction plans followed by visits to the actual sites to see the constructed product illustrated in the plans. Final projects are employed to bring together learning activities from each of the modules. This summative final project approach serves to reinforce the "real world" experience.
The issue of scholarship in Engineering Technology (ET) is becoming an important topic of discussion within the ET community due to the evolving missions of many institutions that host Engineering Technology programs. Many of these institutions now require some form of documented scholarship from their ET faculty for promotion and tenure purposes, and it is incumbent upon the ET community to support these faculty by defining not only the meaning of scholarship in ET, but also the yardstick by which such scholarship will be assessed. This issue is pertinent to ET because our programs are traditionally of an applied nature with a focus on practice-oriented education. It is therefore logical to expect that ET scholarship should take on an applied flavor and involve our constituencies (students and industry) in meaningful ways. To define ET scholarship from within the ET community and to develop an appropriate ET faculty workload model, the Engineering Technology Council (ETC) formed a Task Force on ET Scholarship at the ETLI Conference in October 2002 in Norfolk, Virginia. The group was charged to report back to the ETC by June of 2003 at the ASEE Annual Conference in Nashville. In this paper, the authors will discuss what ET scholarship involves, the importance and relevance of ET scholarship, appropriate Evaluation of ET scholarship, Faculty Workload (teaching, scholarship and service) Model(s), and the Challenges and Opportunities of ET scholarship. A web-based literature survey is carried out to determine the faculty workload policy that currently exists at various colleges and universities across the country, and this information is used in developing the proposed ET faculty workload model presented in this paper.
in 1984 and worked for over 15 years as a licensed professional civil engineer in both the public, private and international sectors. He received his PhD in Civil Engineering from Colorado State University in 2002 and has taught courses in construction methods, cost estimating, project management, hydraulics, and highway design.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.