Incorporation of Sustainability Concepts into a Civil Engineering Curriculum

Abstract

The need arises to equip engineering students with a wider horizon on concepts in terms of environmental, economic and social attributes, for decision making sensitive to sustainability issues. Pedagogic frameworks have to address a multidisciplinary analysis of sustainability. This paper addresses the rationale behind the recent integration of sustainability concepts into an undergraduate civil engineering curriculum in Hong Kong. Incentives and barriers for implementation of the curriculum are addressed. A team-based design project with problem-based learning approach is highlighted. The initial results of stakeholder evaluations suggested that multidisciplinary skills developed during the learning process might contribute significantly to pertinent knowledge on sustainability.

Sustainable spatial development in higher education

“…Some reasons that could explain the insufficient integration of sustainable development in higher education are lack of awareness of the importance of sustainable development (Davis et al, 2003;Lozano, 2006), excessive curriculum (AbdulWahab et al, 2003;Chau, 2007), lack of support (Velazquez et al, 2005), perceptions of sustainable development as an irrelevant topic, uncertainty in efforts required to participate in and integrate sustainable development (Lozano, 2010), object scarcity of organisational structure (Velazquez et al, 2005;Lambrechts et al, 2009), lack of holistic thinking at the academic and administrative levels, lack of motivation and skills for specific changes, terminological vagueness of the concept, conservatism, fear of losing control and lack of financial support (Dimitrova, 2014). The following measures have been proposed to overcome the resistance of higher education institutions to integrate sustainable development: implementing the principles of sustainable development into academic activities and into everyday life and work, including more realistic teaching methods, including the content of sustainable development in all subject areas with an appropriate degree of cross-curricular links, gradually integrating sustainable development into the curriculum, taking advantage of the multiplier effects of sustainable development (Ferrer et al, 2010), preparing high-quality educational resources in sustainable development, enabling teachers to have access to examples of good practice and teaching materials for sustainable development, establishing new models of professional development and continued education and teacher training in sustainable development (Lourdel et al, 2005;Fadeeva, 2010), facilitating the integration of sustainable development through cooperation and promotion by the ministry and other departments, cooperating with other higher education institutions at the local and global levels, maintaining a vision and implementation plan for sustainable development, stating the reasons for change (Lozano, 2006), increasing or improving communication and providing feedback, holistically addressing issues of sustainable development, integrating social and economic issues, and motivating teachers and students to become actively involved in the process (Huisingh & Mebratu, 2000;Rogers, 1995;Elton, 2003).…”

Chemical engineering in an unsustainable world: Obligations and opportunities

“…Sustainability informed practice would align with the latter mode, thereby bringing engineers into new, less familiar territories and into contact with other professions and stakeholders, and ultimately more in concert with the needs of society (Mitchell, 2000;Batterham, 2003;Symkowiak, 2003;Chau, 2007;Conlon, 2008;Jennings, 2009;Allenby et al, 2009). In this way the engineer can draw upon much more than just dispassionate objectivity; they can harness the additional store of "intuition, feelings and passion" that only comes thorough making both "physical and emotional connections" with the issue at hand, thereby achieving a degree of "dynamic objectivity" (McIsaac and Morey, 1998).…”

Correlation of Personality Type with Student Interest in Sustainability in Civil Engineering

“…[1][2][3] Additionally, many Universities have incorporated sustainability concepts into civil engineering programs such as Carnegie Mellon University, Syracuse University, and Arizona State University, which have successfully implemented courses in sustainability in Civil Engineering freshman and sophomore courses. [4][5][6][7][8] Sustainability in lower level civil engineering courses is often introduced at a conceptual level in the broad sense of environmental, economic, and social implications of engineered structures and materials as contrasted to the technical, physics-based course topics usually present in upper-level engineering courses.…”