Civil Engineering Graduates Research Articles

Internship and Coaching of Fresh Female Engineers in Development Programmes of Nepal: Promoting Gender Inclusion for Achieving Sustainable Development Goals

The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is providing Technical Assistance (TA) to the Government of Nepal through the Department of Local Infrastructure (DoLI) under the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development, later restructured into the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration that is responsible for local development in Nepal, in the implementation of Rural Roads, Trail (foot) Bridge, and Motorable Bridge programmes. The DoLI has now been readjusted within the Federal Ministry of Urban Development recently, which is responsible for providing technical support and grants to implement infrastructure programmes for local and provincial governments. While the SDC tries to promote workforce diversity in the programmes, it struggled to bring female engineers into its infrastructure sector technical programmes in early 2009. Only a handful of female engineers were involved in the programmes. Therefore, the internship programme targeted at female engineers was started to train young fresh female civil engineering graduates to work in the rural roads programme initially in 2009. With its success, it continued in the trail and motorable bridge programmes from 2011 onwards to date. So far, over a hundred female civil engineering graduates have been trained in Nepal and are working in different organizations within the country and abroad, the government systems, and the private sector. They contribute their skills and knowledge in project design, implementation, management, and supervision.

Bridge to Professional Practice: Evaluating Internship Effectiveness and Coordination for Civil and Hydropower Engineering Graduates, A Study of Mid-West University of Nepal using ANN

The transition from academia to professional engineering practice is a pivotal and formidable challenge for graduating engineers. This research explores the effectiveness of internship programs for final semester undergraduates’ students in Civil and Hydropower Engineering of Mid-West University, based on data collected from 77 intern students by evaluating the acquired knowledge and skills during internships, while also exploring the associated benefits and the level of co-ordination between university and the internship organizations. Questionnaires assessed self-evaluated knowledge and skills gained, perceived benefits of the internship, co-ordination by the university and the department, and challenges encountered. Data analysis utilized descriptive statistics and an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model to identify factors influencing internship effectiveness. Results indicated that the effective coordination between universities and industry significantly enhances internship outcomes, impacting students’ practical skill development. The study underscores the importance of collaborative efforts in fostering industry-relevant competencies among future construction engineers. These findings suggest practical implications for universities in refining internship initiatives, improving curricula, and establishing robust internship guidelines to better prepare students for professional careers in engineering disciplines.

Developing Citizenship Attitudes and Skills For Civil Engineering Graduates Through Problem-Based Learning Model Approach

AbstrakSikap dan keterampilan kewarganegaraan merupakan hal yang krusial dalam menghadapi tantangan dunia kerja. Dengan pendekatan Model Problem-Based Learning lulusan Teknik Sipil Politeknik Negeri Ambon dapat mengembangkan sikap dan keterampilan secara konkret melalui pengalaman praktis. Dengan demikian, penelitian ini memiliki relevansi yang signifikan untuk mempersiapkan lulusan dalam menghadapi perubahan zaman dan tuntutan dunia kerja yang semakin dinamis. Penelitian menggunakan pendekatan mixed method yaitu penggabungan data penelitian kuantitatif dan kualitatif, Hasil penelitian yang didapat yaitu dari 19 mahasiswa yang mengikuti pembelajaran nilai rata-rata (Mean) hasil belajar mahasiswa pada variabel sikap sebesar 3,47 selanjutnya variabel keterampilan sebesar 3,53. pembelajaran dengan pendekatan model project based learning menunjukkan dampak positif dengan penilaian baik dan baik sekali, pada sikap mahasiswa mampu menggagas alternatif solusi, kontribusi dan menunjukkan integritas. Pada keterampilan mahasiswa mampu membangun jejaring merefleksikan hal-hal selama proses, memiliki semangat untuk terus memperbaiki lebih baik, mengimplementasikan solusi dan memiliki inisiatif untuk perbaikan bersama.--------------------AbstractHaving the right attitudes and abilities related to citizenship is essential when it comes to dealing with the problems of the professional sphere. The Problem-Based Learning Model enables Civil Engineering graduates from Politeknik Negeri Ambon to cultivate tangible attitudes and abilities via hands-on experience. Therefore, this research holds great importance in equipping graduates to confront the evolving circumstances and the progressively dynamic requirements of the professional sphere. The study employed a hybrid methodological approach, specifically integrating both quantitative and qualitative research data. The research findings were derived from a sample of 19 participants who participated in the study. The mean value of student learning outcomes for the attitude variable was 3.47, while for the skill variable it was 3.53. Implementing a project-based learning paradigm has been found to have a favourable effect on students' attitudes, as evidenced by their ability to provide innovative ideas, actively contribute, and demonstrate integrity, leading to positive assessments. Regarding talents, students possess the ability to establish connections, engage in reflective thinking, have a persistent drive for self-improvement, effectively execute solutions, and exhibit proactive behaviour towards mutual enhancement.

Promoting Educational Reform to Enhance Talent Cultivation Quality of Civil Engineering Majors Based on Deep Learning Background

Abstract This paper focuses on improving the quality of talent cultivation for civil engineering students through reforming teaching quality and course selection management. Regarding teaching quality management, the article proposes to use improved Apriori algorithm to generate high interest rules and utilize SQL for effective data manipulation. Regarding course selection management, the content-based recommendation algorithm is used to optimize the course selection mechanism. After the implementation of the reform, the proportion of low scores in the self-quality evaluation of college students was significantly reduced, and the evaluation indexes of teachers also showed significant differences. In addition, employers were satisfied with the competence of civil engineering graduates. These results indicate that data-driven teaching management and personalized course selection recommendation can effectively improve education quality and student satisfaction.

Accounting for Occupational Identity Work in the Attrition of Newcomer Civil Engineers: Theoretical Model

Early-career engineers leave the profession at high rates, and much remains unknown about why that is so. Consequently, there have been calls for more research to better understand newcomer engineers’ experiences and attrition. The purpose of this article is therefore to examine the experiences of newcomer engineers from different universities and engineering firms around the US. The research questions addressed are as follows: (1) How do newcomer engineers characterize engineering work? and (2) What insights can their characterizations provide about newcomer attrition from engineering careers? A longitudinal study was conducted with recent civil engineering graduates in the US. Three sets of semistructured interviews were conducted in 2019 and 2020. Open coding methods were used to answer the first research question. Based on those emergent findings, the data was then analyzed through the lens of expectancy-value theory to answer the second research question. Misalignments between subjective task values created and/or reinforced in school were a prevalent source of dissatisfaction. There was a need for participants to engage in occupational identity work to reconcile the meanings of engineering and align their identities as engineers with workplace realities. Implications for future research and the engineering education system are discussed.

Employment Big Data Analysis of Higher vocational colleges based on python -- A case study of civil and architectural majors

In recent years, with the increase of graduates, the impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic led to economic slowdown and other factors, the problem of difficult employment has attracted wide attention from all walks of life. This paper takes the employment data of civil engineering graduates of a vocational college as an example. Through data collection, data cleaning, data analysis, data visualization and other methods, it shows the employment rate of graduates, employment industry, matching degree between employment units and majors, salary level, geographical distribution and other information, so as to provide reference for students' career planning and employment choice. It also provides job market data support for universities and government departments. Finally, countermeasures and suggestions are put forward to help students better plan their career development.

Competency Evaluation using Graduate Attributes – A comparative study

The reformation in the education system is inevitable with the growth and advancement in the society. Thus, towards the end of the 20th century, there is a pedagogical transformation from the output-based education system to the outcome-based education system. Outcome based education is a student centric learning approach in which learning is set around specified goals (outcomes). It gives importance to the knowledge and skills acquired by students than what or how something is taught. The role of the faculty is as facilitator to help students in achieving desired outcomes. In this method, the purpose of any program is clearly specified in terms of Course Outcomes, Program Outcomes, Program Specific Outcomes, and Program Educational Objectives. The attainment of these outcomes is a measure of effectiveness of the program and the assessment of the same is monitored by various accreditation agencies in different parts of the world. After a series of discussions among these agencies, a set of graduate attributes are set forth as parameters for the assessment of the quality of education. In India, the accreditation agency is known as the National Board of Accreditation and the graduate attributes are named as program outcomes. A student graduating from an accredited program is considered a competent graduate. In this study, the competency of Civil Engineering graduates of selected institutes in Kerala state is compared in terms of these graduate attributes. The opinion of academicians and industry professionals regarding the preparedness of the current undergraduate civil engineering curriculum to develop “industry-ready engineers” is also discussed in the study. Keywords—attainment; competency; civil engineering curriculum; graduate attributes

Competencies of civil engineering graduates: Indian construction professionals’ perspective

Universities and institutes have become training centers where talented construction graduates are constantly created. This study aims to determine the skills and competencies construction graduates require to be eligible for entry-level positions on project sites. This research is necessary because it pinpoints the specific knowledge and abilities that undergraduate programmes should emphasize to provide their graduates with the foundation they need to succeed in today’s construction industry. This study utilized a quantitative methodology, and respondents from the Indian construction industry were given a close-ended questionnaire to fill out as a part of the research process. The collected data were analyzed using various statistical methods such as descriptive statistics, mean score and exploratory factor analysis. Findings revealed that tendering and bidding, decision-making, leadership and motivation skills are essential for construction graduates. The study concludes that eight factors, namely managerial skills, site administration skills, business development skills, design management skills, procurement and materials management, risk management skills, planning and scheduling, ethics and professionalism, contain one or more skills and competencies essential for construction graduates. Education in the construction sector should focus on developing these competencies required so that graduates are prepared for careers in both the domestic and international construction industries.

Analyzing the Employability Skills of Engineering Graduates using AHP Techniques - A Case Study of Kerala State in India.

In the present era, only competent graduates can survive in the global economy. The Washington accord suggested twelve graduate attributes essential for competent engineering graduates. Various accreditation agencies measure the competency of engineering graduates in terms of these graduate attributes. This paper presented the perception of academicians’ and industry professionals’ regarding the most important skill needed for a competent engineering graduates. Also, the paper discussed how far the present undergraduate engineering curriculum prepares the engineering graduates to be industry ready. Identification of the most important skill needed for engineering graduate is done by employing one of the multi criteria decision method called Analytical hierarchy process (AHP). AHP incorporates several criteria and order of preference in evaluating and selecting the best option among many alternatives based on the desired outcome. The responses from academicians as well as industry professionals from Civil Engineering stream in Kerala, India were collected. The criteria weights were determined based on the procedure given by Saaty. The consistency index values reinforced the reliability of judgment. The study showcased that problem solving skill and teamwork are the most important skill needed for an engineering graduate from academicians’ viewpoint. According to industry professionals, engineering knowledge is more important than problem solving skills. Also, in the present study academicians and industry professionals unanimously suggested the revision of curriculum, internships for students, the collaboration between academicians and industry professionals both in academia and industry, exposure of students to real world problems are some of the means to develop competency in Civil Engineering graduates.

Profesionalisme Keinsinyuran

The profession of a civil engineer or civil engineer in a project has a very broad impact on people's lives. A civil engineering graduate is required to have professional expertise and high dedication in carrying out his work so that he can produce quality products and serve the needs of the community, especially in the infrastructure sector. Written and Professional Engineering Ethics Based on the formulation of the problem, it is hoped that the following objectives can be achieved: Understanding what a profession is and what its characteristics are, knowing the code of ethics of the engineering profession in realizing the needs of society. Objectives Introduction and understanding of the ethics of the engineering profession needs to be done as early as possible, even some technical colleges have included it in the curriculum and special courses. The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) itself specifically provides accreditation requirements which state that every engineering student must fully understand the ethical characteristics of the engineering profession and its application. in their field and must always think positively by upholding professional ethics and integrity. The civil engineering profession is a civil engineering job which in its implementation requires expertise to serve the needs of the community in the infrastructure sector. A profession usually has a professional association, a code of ethics, and a certification and licensing process that is specific to that profession. In the work of an engineering graduate (engineer) on a project, he must have the requirements as a competent and academically accountable professional in order to produce quality products, especially in the infrastructure sector so that it is expected to serve the needs of the community as well as possible. The existence of a code of ethics that regulates the actions of a civil engineer or engineering graduate to avoid all forms of action that will harm himself, society and the environment

Understanding Research Data Practices of Civil and Environmental Engineering Graduate Students

Research data management is essential for high-quality reproducible research, yet relatively little is known about how research data management is practiced by graduate students in Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE). Prior research suggests that faculty in CEE delegate research data management to graduate students, prompting this investigation into how graduate students practice data management. This study uses semi-structured interviews and qualitative content analysis to explore how CEE graduate students work with data and practice data management in their research, as well as what resources and support would meet their needs. Many respondents touched on data collection, data management, disseminating research outputs, and collaboration and learning in their interviews. Several themes emerged from the interviews: data quality as a concern, as many CEE graduate students rely on secondary data for research; a gap between values and enacted practices; a connection between disseminating data and reproducibility; and a reliance on peer and self-directed learning for data management education. Based on these themes, the study recommends strategies for librarians and others on campus to better support CEE graduate student research data practices.

RELEVANCE ANALYSIS OF CIVIL ENGINEERING COMPETENCY ACCORDING TO THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY NEEDS IN VOCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

Vocational High School (VHS) graduates as new workers are expected to be able to enter the workforce immediately after completing their education with the skills they have. But in reality, many graduates from vocational students do not work according to their field of expertise. This study aims to reveal competencies according to standards and needed by the construction industry and how much relevance is the level of competence in the curriculum and implemented in schools. The study was conducted in 15 construction industries with the characteristics of the respondents, namely directors, project and site managers, estimators, senior engineers and drafters, and architects. This type of research is quantitative descriptive research. The instrument, which consisted of 37 competency items, was validated using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) techniques and the reliability was based on the Average Variance Extracted and Construct Reliability (CR) values. Overall, the competency instrument has met the Goodness of Fit (GoF) of construct validity and reliability. The results of the study reveal the level of relevance of civil engineering competencies based on three aspects, namely basic knowledge, work skills, and personal, obtaining results of 80.856% with relevant categories. These results are a reflection of the percentage of the construction service industry's needs for the competencies mastered by civil engineering graduates. This can be interpreted that the curriculum used in schools has taken into account the needs of the industry.

PELATIHAN SOFTWARE COMFAA BAGI MAHASISWA TEKNIK SIPIL DI KOTA SEMARANG

Technological developments really help a civil engineering graduate in designing in the civil engineering field. There are a lot of software that can be used to design runway pavement thicknesses, one of them is COMFAA. In this service activity, the service team conducted training about the calculation of the runway pavement thickness at the airport using COMFAA software for civil engineering students and construction workers. The purposes of this service activity are to give deep understanding about the design of pavement layers on airport runways, to develop knowledge in pavement thickness designs, and to enhance the engineering student’s competence in using COMFAA to plan airport pavement layers. The implementation of this service was carried out in Semarang for Civil Engineering students and Construction Actors. The result was an understanding enhancement of runway pavement analysis from 0% to 77%.

Gender Difference in the Performance of the 2018 UNP Civil Engineering Graduates in the Licensure Exam

Through the years, female enrollees to the civil engineering program increase. The BSCE program which was once male-dominated has gradually developed into a co-ed profession. Nevertheless, doubts as to how competitive the female civil engineers are still exist despite the non-significant difference in the abilities of males and females in other programs resulting from research findings. This bias could have originated from the years they were in college. This study aims to discover gender difference in the scholastic and board performances among the 2018 BSCE graduates in the College of Engineering, University of Northern Philippines.The college grades and board ratings of 88 male and 64 female graduates who took the board examination in this same year were analyzed. The college grades, called scholastic performance, were requested from the University Registrar. Board ratings, taken as the board performance, were requested from the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC). These ratings were analyzed as to their mean, significant difference and correlation. The findings reveal that the female graduates performed the same as their male counterparts in college, as suggested by the not significant difference in their scholastic performance. In the board examination, the female and male graduates performed the same in the Mathematics, Surveying and Transportation Engineering and Hydraulics and Geotechnical Engineering components of the board examination, but not anymore in the Structural Engineering and Construction component. As a whole, there is significant difference in the board performance of the 2018 female and male BSCE graduates, with more male graduates passing the licensure, meaning, they are not on the same level of capability in solving problems in the board examination. It was also found out that there exists significant relationship between their scholastic and board performances, suggesting that the subjects covering the three board components taken .....

Preparing Indonesian civil engineering graduates for the world of work

This study investigates numerous competencies expected from civil engineering graduates based on employers’ perspectives in Indonesia to provide an understanding of employers’ requirements related to knowledge, skills and personal traits. Using the employers of civil engineering graduates as the study population, both qualitative and quantitative approaches were adopted for data collection and analysis, following an exploratory sequential mixed method design. The results, developed from a factor analysis, show that the underlying skills, knowledge and general traits that can give competitive advantages for graduates include 10 elements. The most significant components consist of interpersonal management skills, personality traits and entrepreneurial and business skills. As the first two factors, categorised as soft skills associated with traits and character, were the most important, the implication is that employers tend to prioritise building strong characters, even when recruiting or selecting employees with limited technical skills normally obtained during university studies. Other competencies expected of Indonesian civil engineering graduates discussed in the article include digital skills, as well as core knowledge of civil engineering, such as design and geotechnics skills. The findings will benefit universities seeking to enhance their graduates’ employability as well as students who are hoping to be ahead of the game. The article also provides insights for civil engineering employers who may want to understand the key skills and competencies in demand by other employers of civil engineering graduates in Indonesia.

Viewpoint. Structural behaviour revisited: who will take up the education challenge?

David Brohn laments the level of understanding of structural behaviour among civil engineering graduates and calls on universities to address the issue in their teaching.

Computing Competency for Civil Engineering Graduates: Recent Updates and Developments in Saudi Arabia and the US

This paper discusses recent updates and developments of computing-based courses in the civil engineering discipline. Competency in computing is one of the most important capabilities for university graduates to obtain given the rapid development of computer technology in professional work. Civil engineering is no exception. In fact, many contemporary civil engineering projects require a high degree of computing skills, ranging from performing basic office work to programming for decision support system application in controlling flood water gates to executing construction automation via digital printing technology. However, the curriculum content for computing in civil engineering has been developmentally stagnant in the past several decades. This could be partly due to learning outcomes for civil engineering graduates, which do not explicitly mention a certain degree of achievement with respect to computing skills. Several computing-based courses offered in various civil engineering programs across Saudi Arabia and the US were examined, and their contents were compared to recent survey results administered by the American Society of Civil Engineering Technical Committee on Computing and Information Technology. The discussion is extended by examining technical courses offered in the Civil Engineering Program in Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University with respect to computing skills. The outcomes of this study are expected to give input and suggestions for future upgrades of computing-based courses offered within the civil engineering curriculum.

Computer Interactive Language Studies (CILS): An Aid Job-Hunting for Computer and Civil Engineering Graduates

Research shows that engineers are weak in communications skills; thus, engineering graduates often have lesser opportunity of being hired by the industry right after graduation. The school prepares engineering students to be adept in English because of its worldwide use. Enhanced communication skills in English can result to an improved social life and better job opportunities. This study determined the relationship of language performance, academic performance and their effect to job-placement of Fourth- and Fifth-year Computer and Civil Engineering students who were enrolled in Computer-aided Interactive Language Studies (CILS) for two semesters at Sultan Kudarat State University, College of Engineering, Isulan, Sultan Kudarat, Philippines. Specifically, it sought to figure out whether improved language performance in communication skills can improve their chances of being employed easily, especially in their fields of specialization. Quasi-experimental research was used to determine their relationship. Correlation T-test, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Post-Hoc test were the tools used for analysis of data. Pre-test and post-test results showed that with CILS, students’ communication skills improved. Language studies performance was then compared to their major subject grades to determine if it is significant to finding a job easily. Improvement in communication skills is correlated with improved grades in major subjects and it allowed graduates to find a job in their respective fields within one to six months after graduation.

Reimagining Civil Engineer's Managerial Role as an Entrepreneurial Function in the Production System of a Construction Project

Civil engineers have been reported to work more in the management aspect of a construction project. As such, civil engineers commonly play their roles predominantly under the managerial perspective. Interestingly, building and construction industry is a combination of manufacturing and service industry which offer opportunity to view the managerial role played by civil engineers from the perspective of the theory of Marshallian entrepreneur. This perspective enables one to re-imagine the managerial role played by civil engineers as an entrepreneurial function. In this perspective, civil engineer who plays the managerial role is being assumed as the one who takes up the Marshallian entrepreneur's function and the managerial role which exhibits all of the elements of the Marshallian entrepreneur's function is the managerial role that demonstrates the epitome of entrepreneurial function in the production system of a construction project. Based on the identification of the elements of Marshallian entrepreneur's function, it can be seen that an evolved civil engineer's managerial role demonstrates the epitome of entrepreneurial function. The evolved civil engineer's managerial role exhibits the element of deciding what product can be produced to satisfy human needs which differentiate it from the conventional managerial role and this element offers opportunity for civil engineer to embrace entrepreneurial orientation. As this element in the context of construction project is yet to be fully understood, further research is needed for future civil engineering practices. In terms of civil engineering education, re-imagining civil engineer's managerial role as an entrepreneurial function highlights the need to introduce entrepreneurial orientation to future civil engineering graduates.

Active, experiential and reflective training in civil engineering: evaluation of a project-based learning proposal

ABSTRACT In today’s industry, employers are looking for civil engineering graduates who have acquired not only substantial technical and scientific knowledge, but who also have good life-long learning skills such as problem-solving, creativity and communication skills. Therefore, it is necessary to leave behind the pedagogical approaches exclusively sustained in master classes in favour of active, experiential and reflective curricula. Thus, a Project-Based Learning (PjBL) strategy has been developed as part of two geotechnical courses within a civil engineering degree in Spain to promote these skills. A qualitative analysis of the implemented PjBL strategy is performed by means of questionnaires and interviews with the aim of considering the participants’ perceptions. The results of the analysis are presented under the following headings: benefits and difficulties of the PjBL, teacher role, traditional teaching methods and measures of improvement. The results suggest a satisfactory implementation, and they have allowed the authors to share the lessons learned from this experience by generating some ‘tips’ for future implementations.