Showing papers on "Engineering education published in 1987"

Balancing Engineering and Management in Construction Education

Abstract: Many of today's construction projects require both complex technology and sophisticated management techniques. Experience prevails in the requirements for management positions, but appropriate education can assist prospective managers to maintain steep learning curves in rapidly acquiring this experience. The Business Roundtable's study of construction education recommended increased emphasis at the graduate level. This paper describes a graduate program, including both technical and management elements, to prepare engineers beginning careers in construction. Although complete coverage of all suggested technical and managerial subjects is not possible in a single program, this proposal may assist in increasing discussion between educators and industry professionals regarding the relative priorities for background in the technology and the management systems required for construction careers. It may also assist prospective graduate students in selecting the mix of engineering and management courses which p...

Surface Engineering: A Rapidly Developing Discipline.

Abstract: SUMMARY There can be little doubt that the emerging surface technologies which enable surface properties to be tailored to meet specific design criteria will expand significantly in coming years. A new journal, Surface Engineering, was launched by the Institute of Metals (London) in January 1985 in response to a demand from designers and materials engineers for a single comprehensive source of up-to-date information covering all aspects of surface engineering. The present paper has been abstracted largely from Surface Engineering.

What Is a Structural Engineer

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The impact of foreign graduate students on engineering education in the United States.

Abstract: Surveys of chairpersons and faculty members of engineering departments of U.S. universities were conducted in the fall of 1985 to examine the relation between the high proportion of foreign graduate students and the operation and quality of engineering education in the United States. Information was obtained on admissions criteria and policies, financial aid, and the performance of U.S. and foreign students as teaching and research assistants. Overall, the survey respondents believed that foreign students are an asset and that, without them, training and research would suffer. Language and communications were the problems most frequently mentioned as adversely affecting the performance of foreign students.

Educating Civil Engineers in Construction Methods

Abstract: The article analyzes the training needs of civil engineering students in construction methods and concludes that formal training in construction methods is vitally important for both students specializing in construction engineering and management and those specializing in design. Course objectives, contents and learning activities as implemented during the past three years at the Technion, IIT, are presented. Interface issues between this and the other technological courses (construction materials and equipment) are clarified. Difficulties that were faced in achieving the course objectives, particularly in the areas of communication, quality control, and the decision‐making process, and measures taken to overcome them are discussed. Steps taken to render the adjunct faculty teaching this course effective are also described.

Engineers in Britain: A Sociological Study of the Engineering Dimension

Abstract: One.- 1 Introduction: Sociology and Engineering.- 2 Engineering and the Social Process.- 3 Engineering and the British Economic Problem.- 4 The British Economy in Context.- 5 The Legal and Political Context of Engineering.- Two.- 6 Engineering Education.- 7 Theories of Work Motivation and Job Satisfaction.- 8 The Colleagues of the Engineer.- 9 The Organization and Experience of Engineering.- 10 Engineers, Professional Associations and Trade Unions.- 11 Engineering Work: The Division of Labour.- 12 Conclusions.- References.- Authorlndex.

Construction Engineering Graduate Education Survey

Abstract: In order to ensure that graduatelevel construction engineering projectmanagement education programs best serve the needs of the construction industry, it is deemed essential that a continuing dialo...

Software engineering in the first degree

Abstract: This paper describes the role that software engineering has played in the development of the undergraduate degree in computer science at University College London. The authors discuss their philosophy for teaching software engineering and describe their experiences to date.

Engineering Technology, and the University

Abstract: The historically unprecedented interpenetration of the human, societal, and technological spheres has created a theoretical and intellectual challenge for engineering and the university as a whole. A greater interdependence between the social sciences and humanities on the one hand, and the professional, applied science, and engineering on the other, continues to be an urgent problem. Engineering education can make a decisive contribution by developing a complementary science that will relate to the social sciences and humanities the way the applied sciences relate to the natural sciences. A similar approach may be taken by other sectors of the university, permitting them to remain vital in a technological age.

Guidelines for Engineering Teachers Concerning educating the Engineer for Innovative and Entrepreneurial Activity[1]

Abstract: SUMMARY The paper is in 3 parts. Part I emphasises that the concept of design is fundamental in innovation. Contrary to deductive reasoning, which allows for only one good solution, design, which is a type of reductive reasoning, allows for many different solutions and therefore plays an essential role in design. Decisions require always both factual and normative information, and also risk taking. It is argued that complex design problems require both creativity and method. Two most important methodic tools are the basic design cycle and the structural model of the industrial innovation process Part II describes in outlines the work of the (late) SEFI-Working group on Innovation. Its results are published in two booklets: The Guidelines for Engineering Teachers and the working group's Final Report, both obtainable from SEFI headquarters at Brussels. In the guidelines seven main educational means for improving the innovativeness and entrepreneurial capabilities of engineers are identified. Of each of the ...

Ensuring Quality Civil Engineering Education

Abstract: Excellent students, an outstanding and dedicated faculty, and well-equipped facilities are essential components of a quality civil engineering educational experience. Civil engineers are in great demand to address the challenges and opportunity of rebuilding our national infrastructure. It is important that outstanding men and women enter civil engineering programs of study. The quality of life of the nation rests in the hands and minds of the bright young people who accept the challenges and opportunities in civil engineering. The primary role of engineering faculty is to teach a diverse audience, including undergraduate and graduate students, research and academic peers, engineering practitioners, and the public. Civil engineering faculty must be at the forefront in their area of expertise through research and practical experience. There is a fine line between research and testing, and faculty must direct their talents to the pursuit of fundamental research. Technology transfer is essential so that the results of research which can improve the design and construction of facilities and projects are available to the engineering practitioner. Adequate facilities, modern equipment, and qualified clerical and technical staff personnel also are required to support a civil engineering experience that will prepare graduates to meet the opportunities and challenges of the last decade of the twentieth century and of the twenty-first century.

Comparative Performance Analysis of On- and Off-Campus Video-Based Engineering Graduate Students

Abstract: Early analyses and anecdotal data support the efficacy of graduate engineering education delivered to off-campus students studying in moderately-sized groups with ``tutorial'' support. However, data now indicate that off-campus learners often study individually or in very small groups of three or fewer viewers. This trend will only develop further as increased uses of satellite technology affords teachers and learners cost-effective mechanisms of addressing the educational needs of single individuals spread throughout the nation. The following study addresses this concern by determining how well off-campus viewer/learners, studying in very small groups, perform in comparison to their on-campus peers.

Educating Engineers in Information Utilization.

Abstract: SUMMARY Traditionally engineers are not among the heaviest users of information resources. Historically this can be traced to the lack of emphasis on information sources in engineering education. The failure to utilize available knowledge leads to the reinventing of the wheel and losing in the race for the technological superiority. Only a few US universities offer formal courses in information resources in engineering. University faculty, administrators and librarians and representatives of industry should work together to remedy these shortcomings.

Comparative Characteristic Analyses of On-Campus Resident and Off-Campus Video-Based Engineering Graduate Students and Their Implications

Abstract: With research now fully supporting the ability of video to disseminate off-campus graduate engineering education, it is useful to review other factors impacting on program quality. One key issue is the quality of off-campus students, particularly in comparison to their on-campus peers. The following compares on-and off-campus engineering graduate students for traditionally accepted quantitative characteristics. These include: chronological age, age of undergraduate degree, scores on the GRE Verbal, Quantitative, and Analytic test, and undergraudate quality point average.

Computers: What Do Students Need to Know?

Abstract: This article is based on interviews with three professors at three universities, a recent graduate from each school, and the graduate's employer. The interviews show that students are helped by new educational software, such as that written to teach steel structures design. In one senior class project students help clients solve problems with the help of student diagnoses of the problems and student-written programs that help solve them. An example is software that is helping the Indiana Highway Department reschedule workers from summer construction jobs, to winter snow removal jobs, which involves shifting many workers to different locales. In one project $100,000 was saved the first year. At another school, a new undergraduate major is helping graduates who want to make computers the focus of their work. Many civil engineering employers are small, and such a graduate may become one of its computer experts. One graduate is helping the firm Civil Consultants, of South Berwick, ME, build its computer competence in structures. The article shows that the computer requirements and course offerings at university civil engineering departments vary widely as does the computer competence demanded of the graduates.

Construction Education and Research in Central Europe

Abstract: Construction engineering and management education in Central Europe, and its relationship to practice in the construction industry, have concepts that could benefit their counterparts in the United States. This paper first describes the system of education in Central European technical universities, then reviews curricula in four cases. University research practices are also examined and compared to U.S. counterparts, as is the role of academics in industry. While there are many similarities between the two systems, there is more technical content in European degree programs, but at the expense of liberal arts courses. They have more decentralized autonomy in budgeting and staffing, with larger staff sizes to support comparable numbers of faculty and students; but they have lower capital equipment budgets. Finally, characteristics of the Central European construction industry that support research and innovation are examined. These include top management's greater interest in technology and innovation, a ...

Computer Applications in Power System Analysis at the Ohio State University

Abstract: This paper will review the use of the computer (both main-frame and micro) as a tool in electric power system engineering education at The Ohio State University.