Assessing the Sustainability Components of Engineering Capstone Projects

Brunell, Leslie; Dubro, Alex; Rokade, Viraj Vasudev

doi:10.18260/1-2--36722

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…The benchmarking of criteria to validate the content of a rubric that educators can use to assess student sustainable design work in engineering was the goal of the paper of Cowan et al [77], confirming the importance of some criteria and proposing the removal of others. The case of engineering capstone projects was presented by Brunell et al [78]. The authors proposed a Sustainability Implications Scorecard rubric, which evaluated the effectiveness of addressing sustainability in engineering design and projects.…”

Section: Sustainability Benchmarking In Higher Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fostering a Whole-Institution Approach to Sustainability through Systems Thinking: An Analysis of the State-of-the-Art in Sustainability Integration in Higher Education Institutions

Christou,

Manou,

Armenia

et al. 2024

Sustainability

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Policy initiatives from the United Nations and EU institutions have emphasized the need for higher education institutions (HEIs) to fulfil a significant role in green transitioning. However, they tend to fall short of the achievement of this objective. Multiple studies indicate that HEIs assign high importance to the integration of environmental sustainability on a strategic level but generally lack dedicated policies of integration in operational aspects. This paper’s research aim is to provide a meta-study that reviews, analyzes, and assesses the state of the art on research on HEI sustainability. The paper also contributes to the state-of-the-art by mapping institutional sustainability self-assessment models, tools, and guidelines in four prominent research areas: (1) sustainability integration in educational activities, pedagogical perspectives, and systemic transformations; (2) benchmarking sustainability of organizational transformation and operational optimization, and links between developmental priorities and educational settings; (3) whole-system approaches focusing on the design and implementation of whole-institution sustainability plans; and (4) HEI sustainability culture and operations. The paper’s final contribution is the presentation of best practices and emerging trends in the literature. These practices were selected on the following qualitative methodological criteria based on the systems-thinking approach to whole-institution assessment: (1) the effectiveness of self-assessment models, tools, and guidelines in each respective research area; (2) the degree of integration of systems thinking and/or modeling; and (3) the incorporation of qualitative indicators for stakeholder engagement.

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Section: Sustainability Benchmarking In Higher Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fostering a Whole-Institution Approach to Sustainability through Systems Thinking: An Analysis of the State-of-the-Art in Sustainability Integration in Higher Education Institutions

Christou,

Manou,

Armenia

et al. 2024

Sustainability

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The benchmarking of criteria to validate the content of a rubric that can be used by educators to assess student sustainable design work in engineering was the goal of the paper of Cowan et al [74] confirming the importance of some criteria and proposing the removal of other. The case of engineering capstone projects is presented by Brunell et al [75]. The authors proposed a Sustainability Implications Scorecard rubric which evaluates the effectiveness in addressing sustainability in engineering design and project.…”

Section: Sustainability Benchmarking In Higher Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fostering a Whole Institution Approach to Sustainability Through Systems Thinking: An Analysis of the State-of-the-Art in Sustainability Integration in Higher Education Institutions

Christou,

Manou,

Armenia

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Policy initiatives by the United Nations and EU institutions have emphasized the need for higher education institutions (HEIs) to fulfill a significant role in the green transition, and that they tend to fall short of the achievement of this objective. Multiple studies indicate that HEIs assign high importance to the integration of environmental sustainability on a strategic level but generally lack dedicated policies of integration in operational aspects. This paper analyzes the state of the art on research on HEI sustainability and maps institutional sustainability self-assessment models, tools, and guidelines. The mapping was conducted in four prominent research areas: 1) sustainability integration in educational activities, pedagogical perspectives, and systemic transformations; 2) benchmarking sustainability of organizational transformation and operational op-timization, and links between developmental priorities and educational settings; 3) whole-system approaches focusing on the design and implementation of whole-institution sustainability plans; and, 4) HEI sustainability culture and operations. Best practices were selected on criteria of 1) the effectiveness of self-assessment models, tools, and guidelines in each respective research area; 2) the degree of integration of systems thinking and/or modelling; and 3) the incorporation of qualitative indicators for stakeholder engagement.

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“…The topic is first introduced through an in-class discussion during a lecture. Students are asked to take a few minutes (3)(4)(5) to discuss the potential impacts with a neighbor or in an online breakout room. The topic is re-enforced and assessed through an additional homework question (the homework question has students to calculate the change in flow from a specific storm and to describe what this means for downstream infrastructure).…”

Section: River Dynamics (Cee 8511)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The incorporation of sustainability concepts into Civil Engineering curricula has been a topic of discussion for nearly two decades, e.g., [1], [2], [3]. The importance of sustainability to Civil Engineering is recognized by its incorporation in the Code of Ethics [4], the Body of Knowledge [5], and the ABET Civil Engineering program criteria (CEPC) [6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Including Principles of Sustainability in Design by Implementing the Engineering for One Planet Framework

Welker,

Smith,

Sample-Lord

et al.

2022 ASEE Annual Conference &Amp; Exposition Proceedings

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Pennsylvania and an Envision Sustainability professional. She was promoted to Professor in 2013 and assumed the role of Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Engineering in 2016. In July she will join The College of New Jersey as the Dean of the School of Engineering. As Associate Dean she started the Honors program, launched the Grand Challenges Scholars Program, helped to found the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, and co-led the effort to infuse sustainability throughout the engineering curriculum. Dr. Welker was one of the first researchers performing crossdisciplinary research on the geotechnical aspects of stormwater control measures (SCMs). She is currently part of a multistate, multi-year effort supported by the William Penn Foundation to ensure plentiful, clean water in the Delaware River Watershed. In addition, she is studying the effect of modern-day stormwater management on streams. Dr. Welker is active in the Geo-Institute of the ASCE. For many years she served as the Academic Liaison for the Delaware Valley Geo-Institute and was the inaugural chair of the Geo-Institute Continuing Education Committee. She was the founder and director of the Geo-Video student competition from 2015 to 2018. Dr. Welker has served as the Secretary and Treasurer, Freshman Director, Midterm Director, Senior Director, Program Chair, and Chair of the Civil Engineering Division of the American Society for Engineering Education. She is currently serving as the Civil Engineering Division's liaison to ASCE.

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Assessing the Sustainability Components of Engineering Capstone Projects

Cited by 3 publications

References 5 publications

Fostering a Whole-Institution Approach to Sustainability through Systems Thinking: An Analysis of the State-of-the-Art in Sustainability Integration in Higher Education Institutions

Fostering a Whole-Institution Approach to Sustainability through Systems Thinking: An Analysis of the State-of-the-Art in Sustainability Integration in Higher Education Institutions

Fostering a Whole Institution Approach to Sustainability Through Systems Thinking: An Analysis of the State-of-the-Art in Sustainability Integration in Higher Education Institutions

Including Principles of Sustainability in Design by Implementing the Engineering for One Planet Framework

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