Watson, Mary K.

Rodgers, Michael

Watkins, Kari

Noyes, Caroline

Mulholland, James

Llewellyn, Donna

Guensler, Randall

Assessment and improvement of sustainability education in civil and environmental engineering.

Atlanta, Ga.

2013

Atlanta, Georgia Inst. of Tech., Ph. D., 2013

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Abstract: Sustainable development through sustainable engineering is a promising strategy for combating unsustainable patterns of population growth, resource consumption, and environmental degradation. For sustainable engineering to alleviate global problems, however, improvements in undergraduate education are required to equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to engage in sustainable design. Consequently, the goal of this dissertation is to assess and improve sustainability education in civil and environmental engineering (CEE) at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). Three phases of inquiry were conducted to (1) examine the current status of CEE sustainability education, (2) use assessment results to develop a pedagogically-innovative sustainability module, and (3) investigate the impacts of implementing the module into select CEE courses on student learning. : Several key findings resulted from this work. First, the Sustainability Tool for Assessing Universities' Curricula Holistically (STAUNCH®) suggested that integration of sustainability into the curriculum was incomplete and favored environmental sustainability. Second, CEE seniors' conceptual understanding of sustainability, based on concept map results, was found to be generally correct, although limited in comprehensiveness, connectedness, and balance. Third, examination of capstone project reports (2002 and 2011) using the novel Sustainable Design Rubric revealed little change in the students' sustainable design abilities over the past decade, due potentially in part to students simply "meeting the expectations" of project sponsors. Based on these insights, a five-part, learning-cycle-based sustainability module was developed and implemented in CEE capstone and cornerstone design courses. Higher learning gains for cornerstone students, as compared to seniors, supports future integration of the module into cornerstone design courses. While project results are especially important for CEE at Georgia Tech, other programs and institutions may benefit from the development and improvement of sustainability knowledge assessment tools, as well as the empirically-informed and theoretically-grounded sustainability module. (40 rows).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

LIST OF TABLES

LIST OF FIGURES

NOMENCLATURE

SUMMARY

CHAPTER

1 Introduction
Sustainable Development and Engineering Education
Engineering Education Research
Project Outline

2 Literature Review
Chapter Overview
Sustainable Development and Sustainability
Sustainability Science and Engineering
Sustainability Education
Summary

3 Research Methodology and Related Methods
Overview: Methodology, Methods, and Theoretical Perspective
Case Study Context: Civil and Environmental Engineering
at the Georgia Institute of Technology
Project Overview
General Statistical Tools and Methods
Curricular and Knowledge Assessment Tools
Methods for Assessing the Quality of Sustainability Education
in CEE at Georgia Tech (Goal 1)
Methods for Improving the Quality of Sustainability Education
in CEE at Georgia Tech (Goal 2)
Summary of Assessments and Participants

4 Analyzing Student Perceptions of Sustainability Education
Chapter Overview
Results
Discussion
Limitations
Summary and Conclusions

5 Examining the Sustainability Content of the CEE Curriculum
Chapter Overview
Results
Discussion
Limitations
Summary and Conclusions

6 Analyzing Undergraduates′ Conceptual Sustainability Knowledge
Chapter Overview
Results
Discussion
Limitations
Summary and Conclusions

7 Investigating the Abilities of Undergraduates to Engage in Sustainable Design
Chapter Overview
Results
Discussion
Limitations
Summary and Conclusions

8 A Module for Teaching Sustainability ′Around the Cycle′
Chapter Overview
Summary of Assessment Results and Related Literature
Module Goals and Objectives
Module Components
Module Theoretical Basis
Incorporation of Curricular and Knowledge Assessment Results
Limitations
Summary and Conclusions

9 Impacts of Implementing a Learning-Cycle-Based Sustainability
Module into A CEE Capstone Design Course
Chapter Overview
Results
Discussion
Limitations
Summary and Conclusions

10 Impacts of Implementing a Learning-Cycle-Based Sustainability
Module into CEE Cornerstone Design Courses
Chapter Overview
Results
Discussion
Limitations
Summary and Conclusions

11 Conclusions, Contributions, and Future Work
Project Conclusions
Contributions
Future Work

APPENDIX A: Selected CEE Course Syllabi

APPENDIX B: Examples of Student Consideration of Sustainable
Design Criteria in Capstone Design Project Reports

APPENDIX C: Student Sustainability Survey

APPENDIX D: Student Curriculum Survey

APPENDIX E: Sustainability Module Evaluation Materials
(Capstone Design)

APPENDIX F: Sustainability Module Evaluation Materials
(Cornerstone Design)

APPENDIX G: STAUNCH® Report

APPENDIX H: Sustainability Module for Capstone Design Course

APPENDIX I: Sustainability Module for Cornerstone Design Course

REFERENCES

↑ http://hdl.handle.net/1853/48981