Enhancing students’ ability to connect concepts learned during their classes to the real world and consequently stimulating their conceptual leap from abstract scientific concepts and useful applications is crucial in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) education. Hands-on activities represent an intriguing and often underimplemented approach to enhance the learning experience of undergraduate and graduate students. This paper presents how engagement, teamwork-building, and hands-on activities were implemented and practiced in a technical elective course (Engr 598, Section 25, Water Reuse) focused on water reuse. During the course, students (1) increased their knowledge of water reuse, (2) designed and constructed two environmentally friendly low-cost wastewater treatment systems, (3) learned how to measure water quality and assess the results using Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC) samples, (4) presented the results at the 33rd WERC Environmental Design Contest, and (5) developed a survey to assess communities’ attitude toward water reuse. This work will be a guide for college students who will be participating in future engineering contests to address real-world problems through sustainable and innovative solutions.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution in the construction industry is reshaping the work landscape for construction engineers, compelling them to acquire additional qualifications. While the construction engineering research community has increasingly focused on better comprehending the emerging demands for education and training, further transformative research on creating innovative pedagogies to address the unprecedented challenges posed by the automation era is critical. The initial step in guiding future research and investments in this domain is to comprehensively assess the current extent of knowledge and identify the knowledge gaps that will underpin future research directions. This study fulfills this need by conducting a scoping review based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis extension for Scoping Review (PRISMA-ScR). The extracted information from the identified relevant studies was synthesized and mapped using a conceptual framework for future-proof curriculum development, consisting of 24 primary and 10 secondary principles pertaining to various aspects of a forward-looking educational program. Using the outcomes of the synthesis process and the identified knowledge gaps, 38 potential research directions for future investigations aimed at developing future-proof construction engineering educational programs were identified and discussed. The future research directions cover a wide range of topics, including improving students’ required competencies for lifelong learning (e.g., curiosity and adaptability), addressing technology-induced societal issues in construction education, and designing artificial intelligence–enhanced education for adaptive and personalized construction engineering. The outcomes of this study will help researchers, educators, and industry leaders effectively and efficiently direct their efforts to transform construction engineering education in response to the technological revolution.

To balance the theoretical knowledge garnered by students in higher education institutions (HEIs) with the competencies required by the industry, researchers have suggested the concerted input of communities of practice (i.e., construction practitioners). This can be achieved through practitioners’ provision of instructors’ course-support needs toward student development. However, some factors could influence the successful participation of practitioners in meeting instructors’ course-support needs. Therefore, the study modeled the critical success path of practitioners’ support for student development in practitioner–instructor collaborations. A questionnaire survey was used to conduct an empirical analysis to test the conceptual model. A total of 253 practitioners in the US construction industry participated in the study. Using the software and the partial least-squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique, the study identified the critical factors and modeled a success path for practitioners’ provision of instructors’ course-support needs. In modeling the success path, the study revealed that institution-related factors should not be considered. The results of the analysis revealed that student-related factors are significant and have a moderate influence (R2) of 22.4% on specific course-support-related factors. Similarly, the instructor-related factors have a significant impact (R2=43.4%) and large effect (β=0.659 and f2=0.766) on the student-related factors. The practical applications of the proposed model can be utilized by HEIs, instructors, and practitioners to successfully manage practitioners’ provision of instructors’ course-support needs. The findings will aid student development in practitioner–instructor collaborations.

The field of wind science and engineering (WSE) in relation to civil engineering (CE) applications is still considered relatively young and thus has been taught only for about 50 years in some academic institutions. Therefore, it is unsurprising that there are limited wind engineering (WE) tracks within CE programs worldwide, and no semblance of a standard or ideal curricula. An adequate education in WE is paramount to future structural and civil engineers, and ultimately to academia, because natural disasters including extreme wind events have the capability to destroy our infrastructure systems, as well as threaten people’s lives and well-being. The goal of this research is to identify and propose an ideal path for WE tracks within CE that not only enhances the quality of education, but also provides equitable learning opportunities and promotes diversity and workforce inclusion. To achieve this goal, this research (1) analyzed the different CE programs that include WE tracks offered in the US, Canada, and Europe; (2) identified the academic institutions that have academic expertise and equipment critical to the study and investigation of wind events, such as atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) wind tunnels; (3) conducted a survey of all WE faculty and students doing research on these topics at Florida International University to gather information on the courses offered as well as information on what they believe could be offered or improved to enhance the curricula; (4) compared the programs that include WE tracks to provide a modernized WE curricula; and (5) proposed ideas, tools, and strategies that can be implemented to provide better curricula for students in order to enhance their education and increase research in this paramount topic, as well as ensure equitable quality education that presents equal opportunities for all.

Mental health is a cornerstone of overall well-being, significantly impacting various facets of daily life, including academic success. The rising prevalence of mental health conditions among tertiary students is concerning, with 42% experiencing anxiety and/or depression and 38% receiving a mental health diagnosis in the United States. Additionally, 13% have contemplated suicide, ranking it as the second leading cause of death among tertiary students. Despite these concerning statistics, there is a notable lack of research on construction engineering and management students, who are particularly susceptible to mental health disorders. This highlights the crucial need to investigate the factors contributing to their poor mental health and to develop effective strategies for addressing these issues. This study aims to fill this gap by identifying the main mental health conditions impacting students; pinpointing the factors exacerbating students’ anxiety, depression, and stress; and proposing strategies to improve mental health and overall well-being. To achieve these goals, the study analyzed data from Florida International University’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) and administered a survey to students from three different academic institutions. CAPS data highlighted anxiety, depression, and stress as the main mental health concerns. The findings from the 175 conducted surveys underscored several academic factors contributing to students’ poor mental health and well-being, including exams, not understanding assignments, increased workload, lack of time management skills, poor work–life balance, presenting in class, financial issues, and uncertainty about the future. In light of these results, the authors recommended additional resources to improve academic performance and enhance students’ overall well-being.

A paradigm shift toward workforce development is essential to ensure that the future workforce meets the expectations of the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. Both industry and academic communities play different, but essential and complementary roles, which suggests a need for stronger industry–academia collaborations. These could be achieved by connecting instructors with practitioners through web-based collaborative platforms. However, user requirements for facilitating such collaborations on web-based platforms are yet to be formalized. As a precursor, this study investigates the factors which instructors in AEC-related academic programs would consider when collaborating with AEC practitioners to complement their pedagogical efforts. Understanding these factors could aid the development of web-based networking platforms that could facilitate greater interactions between industry and academia in preparing students for the workplace. To ensure triangulation, a mixed method approach was adopted, and data analysis was conducted from individual differences perspective based on demographic characteristics. Instructors’ considerations are influenced by students’ preferences and bias, students’ career and development, ease of organizing course-support activities, student learning outcomes, curriculum structure, and ethnic and gender diversity. The results showed both demographic similarities and differences in the considerations of instructors. The results of this study could serve as inputs for the design of a web-based collaborative network of instructors and practitioners. This study contributes to expanding literature on collaborations between industry and academia for future workforce development. The study also offers insights that could enhance these collaborations for maximal benefits to students.

Minoritized students in civil engineering frequently experience subtle negative attitudes or biases based on their race and gender. These subtle attitudes and biases are known as microaggressions and are reasons for low self-efficacy and retention in civil engineering. Previous studies demonstrated the prevalence of microaggressions in engineering education but did not focus on capturing the spaces where these microaggressions occur, nor do they identify the targets and perpetrators within civil engineering education. The current paper proposes to answer: (1) Where do microaggressions occur in civil engineering and non–civil engineering programs? (2) Who are the targets and perpetrators of microaggressions? The study included 328 surveys with minoritized undergraduate engineering students who identified as Black, Latinx, Asian, and white females. We found that the most significant spaces where microaggressions occurred were classrooms and labs, followed by office hours, study groups, and internships. In terms of perpetrators, peers and teaching assistants were the most significant, followed by faculty. When comparing targets of microaggressions across race groups, white females reported experiencing microaggressions less frequently than Black, Latinx, and Asian students. Black students reported experiencing microaggressions more frequently than any other groups included in the study. Finally, there was no difference observed among civil engineering and non–civil engineering students or the two institutions (a historically Black college and university and a primarily white institution). These findings provide recommendations for targeting better policies to address microaggressions in civil engineering education.

Problem solving is a common activity for engineering students and practicing engineers as they learn and practice the use of engineering concepts. Understanding the approach to a problem provides a glimpse at unique problem-solving behaviors that can be used as a means to compare different problem solvers. Engineering education research has focused on particular behaviors to compare problem solvers and problem types, which has led to a greater understanding of the gap in student preparedness for the workplace and advances in better teaching practices. This study further explores the similarities and differences in problem-solving behaviors of engineering practitioners and students as they solve problems with multiple representations. An exploratory study was done using eye-tracking techniques to observe the problem-solving behaviors of engineering practitioners and engineering students as they solve three problems with four equivalent representations as means to solve the problems. Problem-solving behaviors were compared and explored using descriptive statistics to understand unique similarities and differences and search for patterns across multiple problems. The results show that engineering practitioners appear to be more consistent, efficient, and rigid in their approach and that students are more likely to adjust their problem-solving approach and use different representations. No observable trends in time spent solving the problems or problem correctness with respect to a particular representation were observed, which suggests that there is not one representation that is better than another. Students used formulaic representations more often than visual representations, whereas engineering practitioners had no observable use based on representation typology. Trends related to problem correctness across the three problems were observed for both students and engineering practitioners, and students began exploring additional representations as they solved more problems. These similarities and differences suggest that there is more to learn about the problem-solving behaviors of students and engineering practitioners. Understanding more about these behaviors can assist in understanding the gap in student preparedness for the workplace and help educators in further developing better teaching practices.

Ranking systems are readily available and offer a simplistic way to differentiate among universities. However, end-users are not informed about the criteria and methods used to develop the ranking systems. Whereas ranking systems are used by prospective students, their lack of reliability and transparency outweigh their benefits. There are a few reliable ranking systems of institutions and some disciplines, but there is no reliable ranking system for construction higher education programs. This study proposes a rating, instead of a ranking system, to better illustrate the comparative excellence of a program, rather than simply providing an ordinal scale. This study focused on creating the framework for rating construction programs through the lens of faculty and administrators. Specifically, the study sought to identify appropriate criteria for rating construction programs and to find consensus among administrators concerning the criteria. An initial list of 200 criteria were gathered from three sources before applying parameters of: measurability, triangulation, and saturation that consolidated it to 21. Then, a modified Delphi method was used to objectively create a consensus for 11 criteria that should serve as a framework for rating the excellence of construction programs.