Collaborative Research: Advancing the Dissemination of the Creative Art of Structural/Civil Engineering

美国总统办公室和国家工程院（NAE）最近的报告敦促国家增加科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）的学生保留率，并教育STEM识字的民众（即，非STEM专业的STEM教育）。缺乏启发性的入门课程、糟糕的教学和缺乏有效传播最佳做法是实现这些目标的主要障碍。 来自普林斯顿大学、弗吉尼亚理工大学和马萨诸塞州阿默斯特大学的教师正在合作开展一个题为“促进结构/土木工程创造性艺术的传播”的项目，目的是通过支持传播和实施一门土木工程入门课程来克服这些障碍，该课程将通过基于研究的教学法得到加强。该提案的主要目标是：（1）改造工程学入门课程，大大提高非STEM学生的互动性和可访问性;（2）确保课程的形式可以很容易地被许多类型的高等教育机构（例如，本科院校、研究型大学等）;以及（3）促进课程的传播、采用和持续改进，使其超出已经接触到的受众。 这些目标将通过实施四项战略来实现，其中包括进行客户发展访谈，以确定各种文化和课程的机构所面临的挑战和需要;创建由不同科目组成的课程模块（例如悬索桥、塔、水坝等）。以及一个讲座和主动学习活动的图书馆;开发一个网站和中央信息库，用于教授课程;并举办年度研讨会，指导希望采用该课程的教师。提出了一个评估和评估计划，以衡量通过主动学习方法和向其他机构传播来增强课程的有效性。 将传播的课程将强调工程师的创造力以及技术内容沿着。一个有待检验的论点是，传播工程作为一种创造性的艺术是否会改变人们的看法，并增加人们对工程在社会中的作用的欣赏。该项目的成果有可能促进以下方面的知识：工程师是“技术人员”而不是创造性艺术家的错误观念对STEM流失和吸引力的影响;在不同文化和课程的机构中教授入门工程课程的挑战和成功;以及支持在不同机构中成功采用创新课程的战略。

Recent reports from the Office of the President of the United States and the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) urge the nation to increase student retention in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), and to educate a STEM-literate populace (i.e., STEM education for non-STEM majors). Uninspiring introductory courses, poor teaching, and lack of effective dissemination of best-practices are major obstacles that stand in the way of achieving these goals. Faculty members from Princeton University, Virginia Tech and the University of Massachusetts Amherst are partnering on a project entitled "Advancing the Dissemination of the Creative Art of Structural/Civil Engineering" with the aim of overcoming these obstacles through supporting the dissemination and implementation of an introductory civil engineering course that is to be enhanced with research-based pedagogy. The target populations are both STEM and non-STEM majors.The main objectives of this proposal are to: (1) transform an introductory engineering course with dramatically improved interactivity and accessibility for non-STEM students; (2) ensure that the course takes a form that can be readily adopted into the engineering and general education curricula of many types of institutions of higher education (e.g., undergraduate institutions, research universities, etc.); and (3) facilitate dissemination, adoption, and continuous improvement of the courses beyond the audience already being reached. The objectives will be met by implementing four strategies, which include conducting customer development interviews that identify the challenges and needs for adoption in institutions of various cultures and curricula; creating course modules, comprised of different subjects (e.g. suspension bridges, towers, dams, etc.) and a library of lectures and active-learning activities; developing a website and central repository of information for teaching the course; and hosting annual workshops to mentor faculty who want to adopt the course.An assessment and evaluation plan is proposed to measure the effectiveness of the course enhancements with active learning pedagogies and dissemination into other institutions. The course to be disseminated will emphasize the creativity of the engineer along with the technical content. One thesis to be tested is if disseminating engineering as a creative art changes perceptions and increases the appreciation of engineering's role in society. The outcomes of the project hold potential to advance knowledge regarding the effect that false perceptions of engineers being "technicians" as opposed to creative artists has on STEM attrition and attraction; challenges and successes in teaching introductory engineering courses in institutions of different cultures and curricula; and strategies for supporting the successful adoption of an innovative course across diverse institutions.