Educational Innovation
Educational Innovation
In the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, we strive to be a force that drives innovation in engineering education commensurate with our research innovations.
Guided by our Program Objectives, we follow a two-pronged approach to updating our curriculum:
- Threading computation and new technologies throughout the curriculum and teaching in societal context throughout the curriculum;
- Fostering a curiosity driven and growth mindset for life-long learning through adoption of research-based modern pedagogical methods
Our goal is to reach and support each one of our more than 700 undergraduate and more than 600 graduate students, and guide them on their paths to becoming valuable citizens of the world and leaders in their profession across local and global communities.
Driving Reasons for Curriculum Evolution
Rapid development in information technologies and artificial intelligence
Climate change and increased frequency of extreme weather events
Aging infrastructure
Overarching Educational Goals
- Equip students with strong fundamental knowledge.
- Foster development of professional and effective communication skills, including global intercultural awareness and respect, and teamwork in diverse teams.
- Cultivate a personal growth and lifelong learning mindset, which is key for adaptation to changes in the environment, societal values and world economy, so that students become worldwide leaders in their profession and in society.
- Integrate interdisciplinary and translational research and learning experiences to foster development of engineers able to innovate for the design of sustainable infrastructure that serves everyone in a future re-imagined by applications of artificial intelligence and automation.
Recent Initiatives taken to fulfill Educational Goals
- Integration of computation and computational thinking threaded longitudinally throughout the undergraduate curriculum.
- Data Science and Computing in CEE certificate available for undergraduate students.
- Data Science + CS MS track that integrates data science and disciplinary contents from CEE areas.
- Introduction of BS Environmental Engineering, that provides students with advanced skills in computational tools, climate adaptation and mitigation, and the design of environmental infrastructure and technologies.
- MS degree in "Engineering Materials and Additive Manufacturing Technologies" to leverage student excitement and interest in 3-D printing.
- MS degree in "International Railway and Interdisciplinary Learning" in collaboration with the Swedish KTH railway engineering program to offer students a much broader educational experience unmatched by any other railway engineering program.
- MS degree in "Structural Forensics" to leverage a growing demand driven by the aging infrastructure problem.
- M.Eng degree in "Smart Mobility" that focuses on connected and autonomous vehicles (CAV), communications and mobility networks, and smart and resilient infrastructure.
- Implementation of Industry Partners Program with private sectors partners that create educational and research partnerships with industry that meets industry needs and applicants' objectives for specialization with superior education and increased workforce diversity.
- Collaborative research relationship including the US Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratory to increase research collaborations and enrollments of their employees in CEE graduate programs.
- CEE Online MS program ranked #1 in the U.S. News and World Report six consecutive years, the offers more than 40 classes per semester, making it one of the largest and most diverse programs of its kind.
SIIP Projects
The Strategic Instructional Innovations Program (SIIP) provides opportunities for funding to undertake projects to update and revolutionize their teaching methods in the classrooms.
News
Keep up to date with faculty projects, publications and news related to Educational Innovation.