Rodolfo Valdes-Vasquez

Incorporating the Social Dimension of Sustainability into Civil Engineering Education

Social sustainability is often overlooked in favor of environmental and economic considerations in civil engineering (CE) education. To help address this issue, this paper presents two instructional approaches to introduce students to social sustainability by using a conceptual model derived from four dimensions of social sustainability: community involvement, corporate social responsibility, safety through design, and social design. In the first instructional approach, the instructor is the primary facilitator; in the second approach, the students become the experts, sharing their knowledge with their peers. Methods to assess student understanding of these dimensions, such as concept mapping, are proposed. By providing the conceptual model and methods to teach it, this paper is for the purpose of assisting those teaching the social dimensions of sustainability to CE students, who will gain an understanding of how their technical decisions affect social sustainability.

Potential Solutions to Common Barriers Experienced during the Delivery of Building Renovations for Improved Energy Performance: Literature Review and Case Study

AbstractTo reduce the energy use and carbon emissions from buildings, there is a need to efficiently renovate existing buildings for improved energy performance. In response to this need, this study compares barriers and solutions for sustainable building renovation from the literature to a case study of barriers and solutions from a building renovation for improved energy performance. For example, the barrier of unforeseen conditions, affecting both cost and schedule performance, was addressed through a comprehensive building inspection guide to evaluate existing conditions and reduce risk. This barrier and solution appeared in both the literature and in the case study. Widespread adoption of the solutions presented in this study could provide more affordable renovations for improving building energy performance, and in doing so, help develop the market for building renovations to improve energy performance.

Career Outcome Expectations Related to Sustainability among Students Intending to Major in Civil Engineering

AbstractLearning more about the career outcome expectations of students interested in civil engineering can help identify gaps between their expectations and sustainability challenges. The authors used data from two national surveys to compare students interested in civil engineering and other engineering disciplines. Those interested in civil engineering are more likely to address such sustainability topics as environmental degradation, water supply, and climate change. However, civil engineering students are less likely to have outcome expectations related to disease and saving lives. Particularly, female students interested in civil engineering have similar expectations to males but also hope to address poverty and opportunities for women and minorities. The gaps in outcome expectations related to disease and saving lives are troubling for a profession that is so instrumental in providing, for example, clean water and safe shelter. Showing the connection between societal needs and civil engineering may...

BIM Energy Modeling: Case Study of a Teaching Module for Sustainable Design and Construction Courses

AbstractEnergy modeling (EM) facilitates analysis and comparison of energy use across design configurations. EM software can serve as a decision-making tool for professionals throughout various stages of building delivery. This case study describes methods to expose students, who are enrolled in a sustainable design and construction course, to building information modeling (BIM)–based EM capabilities and limitations. The case study focuses on documenting the implementation of a teaching module focused on energy modeling in which students modify location, insulation, and window glazing of a single family home preprogramed into BIM software. After instructor demonstration, students perform an EM analysis for additional locations as homework and answer a question set based on their EM results. The results indicate that students had minor issues interpreting the EM results because they did not fully examine the outputs produced from the energy model to inform their answers on the teaching module homework assi...

Half of Students Interested in Civil Engineering Do Not Believe in Anthropogenic Climate Change

AbstractThis article describes beliefs related to human-caused climate change and predictors of these beliefs among students intending to pursue civil engineering. Based on a nationally distributed...

Piloting Collaborative Learning Activities in a Sustainable Construction Class

Collaboration skills are increasingly necessary to succeed in today’s rapidly evolving, complex, and multi-disciplinary construction workforce. As these skills are being called upon more explicitly in the construction industry and other higher education settings, need exists for a deeper understanding of how construction education can provide graduates with collaborative skills. However, classroom activities incorporating collaborations skills—communication, conflict resolution, decision-making, or problem solving—tend to be underrepresented in many construction classes. This research documents and analyzes two teaching activities developed and implemented by the authors where students work in teams in different learning environments to perform explicit tasks. Team performance was recorded, along with student self-assessments. Piloting such activities provides valuable lessons learned that highlight the role of performance metrics, team diversity, learning environment, and observation and assessment in collaborative learning.

Using the Concept-Mapping Method for Empirical Studies in Construction Research

AbstractThe concept-mapping method has enabled research advances in medicine and psychology. This method also seems well suited for many of the questions facing construction researchers, but its use remains limited in construction research. Concept mapping helps solicit and organize ideas from experts and stakeholders. This method can be used to categorize results into various clusters that may have competing explanations or backgrounds. It also allows for comparing results among group of participants. This method integrates qualitative group tasks of idea generation, sorting, and rating with two quantitative analyses, multidimensional scaling, and cluster analysis. One of the relevant findings of using these analyses is the creation of visual maps, which can help develop action plans and frameworks. This paper is meant as a guide for applying the concept-mapping method to construction research. Although examples for using this method in construction engineering and management are presented in this paper ...

Student perceptions of model-based estimating

ABSTRACT The use of building information modeling (BIM) is well established in architecture, engineering and construction. However, previous studies note a lack of BIM expertise in academia, leading to slow adoption and limited knowledge on which to base BIM-related content. To improve course development, it is important to understand students’ perceptions of BIM-related subject matter. This study exposed estimating students (n = 214) to a model-based quantity takeoff (QTO) tutorial using Revit. Students’ perceptions of a Revit-based BIM’s usefulness for easily providing reliable and accurate material quantities were measured using a pre-test, tutorial and post-test design. Results revealed significant differences in students’ mean levels of agreement that an accurate QTO is completed for an estimator with the click of a button when a design team generated BIM model is available. Results also revealed significant differences in students’ level of agreement that a Revit-based BIM makes performing QTO by hand obsolete. This study provides educators’ insight into students’ perceptions of BIM use in QTO. Understanding student perceptions is paramount for construction management educators when designing a course and attempting to convey the value of foundational estimating skills while acknowledging the existence of more technologically advance estimating methods. Limitations and opportunities for further research are discussed.

Implementing a Collaboration Activity in Construction Engineering Education

Collaboration skills are increasingly necessary in today’s construction workforce. However, classroom activities that incorporate collaboration skills, ones involving interactive work among individuals towards a common goal, are underrepresented in many construction classes. This research documents and illuminates implementation of a team activity where groups of interdisciplinary students were asked to build a structure using the provided (paper and tape) resources with the objectives to create a structure that stands at least 4″ tall and supports as much weight (under textbook loading) as possible. Two rounds of activities were performed with differing levels of role definition provided to the students. Team interactions and performance were recorded, along with student self-assessments, and reporter observation. The implementation of this collaboration activity continues to provide valuable lessons, which informs the integration and assessment of collaboration activities in construction education.

Assessment of a System for Debris Removal at High Speeds: Implications for Roadway Operations and Maintenance

This paper describes an exploratory case study and field test for a system for debris removal at high speeds with the aim of identifying effective practices for state departments of transportation. Highway debris represents a traffic safety problem that requires a prompt response from transportation agencies. When drivers come upon road debris, they can make erratic driving decisions to avoid the debris; as a result drivers may compromise control of their vehicles and increase the likelihood of being involved in an accident. Highway debris can also be costly to the road authorities responsible for cleaning it up because they are exposed to safety hazards when removing debris, especially on high-speed and high-volume roadways. Innovative equipment that allows for debris removal at high speeds, such as the Gator Getter, has been introduced to the market. But independent research on the safety and traffic impact of these systems has not been done. To address this gap, this study covers the purchase, installation, and evaluation of debris-removal equipment as well as best practices for its safe use. The results suggest that there are many benefits to proactive debris removal, including mitigation of safety hazards for operations and maintenance crews. However, the preliminary results also indicate some equipment-handling hazards, required modifications to the system, and the need for operator training. Further research should focus on creating guidelines for safely and effectively removing debris from the roadway to minimize the number of crashes related to debris. Transportation agencies can use this study to develop their own formal guidelines for the removal of road debris.