First Year Civil and Environmental Engineering Design Experience

Abstract

AbstractThe University of Dayton requires all first year engineering students to enroll in a design course that is composed of several standalone modules. Included in the first generation of this class was a module on civil and environmental engineering, the topic of this manuscript. The goals of this module were to define civil and environmental engineering, illustrate the interrelationship of all engineering disciplines, show the integration of technical and non‐technical issues, and introduce the design process. To achieve these goals, case studies and panel discussions were presented and a laboratory exercise conducted. The laboratory exercise consisted of two components. In the environmental engineering component, students designed a filtration/contact unit to treat polluted water. The civil engineering component required building a structure to hold the filtration unit. These exercises integrated technical and non‐technical issues. The technical components were the open‐ended design problem associated with cleaning polluted water and the construction of the process support structure and the non‐technical issues included related social considerations, teamwork, technical writing, ethics, and finance. Students' assessments of the module have revealed that the objectives of the module were largely achieved.