Innovations in the Civil Engineering Degree

Programmes at University College Dublin, Ireland

AbstractThe paper describes some examples of innovative
developments in the 4-year undergraduate Civil Engineering
curriculum at UCD. The developments described were
undertaken to stimulate active learning and higher order
thinking. The paper focuses on innovations in what and how
engineering students learn. In particular, the following examples
of innovative teaching and learning strategies will be described in
the paper:
(a) The introduction of free elective modules for undergraduate
engineering students;
(b) The use of digital technology to facilitate online learning and
the development of virtual laboratories;
(c) The introduction of modules that stimulate student creativity
and the use of teaching techniques such as peer-assisted
mentoring to improve student engagement.

This paper will describe how the Civil Engineering

curriculum at UCD dovetails into the overall University
educational objective of creating innovative graduates and
meets the accreditation criteria of Engineers Ireland. In
particular, as illustrated in Figure 1, the paper will describe
novel methods of:
(i) engaging engineering students and making their
educational experience more rewarding;
(ii) delivering elements of the programme in a more innovative
manner.
High-calibre students

KeywordsCivil Engineering education, Innovative teaching,

Student engagement.

I.

Innovative
delivery
Innovative

delivery

Engineering
Engineering
Programme
Programme

Student engagement

INTRODUCTION

There have been numerous calls to broaden the education

of engineers and thus prepare them to serve society with an
awareness of and sensitivity to the cultural, political,
economic and social dimensions of their work [1]. Jennings et
al. [2] state that engineering students need to be aware of the
importance of human as well as technical factors in the work
they do, and the need to appreciate that communication skills
and the ability to work with others are vital. For example, the
Institution of Engineers of Ireland [3] requires that, in addition
to the normal technical competence expected of a professional
Engineer, graduates must be able to demonstrate:
x
An understanding of the need for high ethical standards
in the practice of engineering, including the
responsibilities of the engineering profession towards
people and the environment;
x
The ability to work effectively as an individual, in
teams and in multi-disciplinary settings together with
the capacity to undertake lifelong learning;
x
The ability to communicate effectively with the
engineering community and with society at large.
The University College Dublin (UCD) Strategy for
Education and Student Experience Framework document [4]
states that:
the formation of creative and innovative graduates is our
principal educational objective. Whether or not our graduates
possess these attributes depends on the nature of the students
attracted to the University, the learning environment created
by the University and the success or otherwise of the students
engagement with the learning environment.

Creative graduates

Fig. 1

Schematic of educational objectives at UCD Engineering

II.

LITERATURE REVIEW

There have been many innovations in recent years to make

undergraduate education more student-centred, offering
students greater flexibility and choice in how and what they
study. The learner-centred approach facilitates students
different aptitudes, interests, backgrounds, educational
objectives and allows students an appropriate degree of choice
in managing their own studies [5]. It accommodates varying
levels of progression and recognises different levels of
attainment. This in turn opens new pathways and opportunities
for non-traditional students, promoting wider access to and
participation in higher education.
In relation to how students learn, novel pedagogical
techniques (other than sitting passively in a classroom) that
make students take an active, task-orientated and self-directed
approach to their own learning are increasingly common in
higher education.. Felder [6] defines active learning as
anything course-related that all students in a class session are
called upon to do other than simply watching, listening and
taking notes. Learning approaches such as problem-based
learning (PBL) have the capacity to create vibrant and active

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learning environments in higher education. In such enquirybased approaches to learning, students define their own
learning issues, what they need to research and learn to work
on the problem and are responsible themselves for searching
appropriate sources of information [7]. There are many
examples of the successful introduction of PBL into
Engineering curricula (e.g. Cosgrove et al. [8]).
In relation to what students learn, most university curricula
have gradually evolved into core curriculum as a specified or
fixed course of study coupled with some element of student
choice in selecting elective or optional modules. The free
elective system has played a critical role in the development of
the modern American university as we know it and is
becoming more widespread in European institutions. The
benefits of electives include:
x added value to the degree, enabling specialisation in
chosen discipline or
x facilitation of students to pursue wider interests or explore
an area that is new to the student.
Many U.K. Universities have in recent times introduced an
element of student choice into their curricula (e.g. Napier,
Aberdeen, Swansea, Hull). Napier University, Edinburgh
introduced a range of co-curricular modules in 2008,
designed to strengthen the employability of their students;
these modules are primarily in the areas of languages and
business. In 2010, the University of Aberdeen introduced
enhanced study options, offering:
more choice: a student can study around their core subject
to gain breadth and context; add a language, a science or
business study as an extra subject during the first two
years of your degree; or choose from a range of new
multidisciplinary courses based on real world problems;
wider opportunities: a student can broaden their
experience and skills through a choice of activities such
as overseas study, work placements and voluntary work,
all overseen by the University.
The University of Swansea introduced the concept of
elective modules into the curriculum. The electives allow
students to broaden their education by allowing them to pursue
a limited number of modules from outside the disciplines
associated with their chosen programme of study. Elective
modules are taken in place of optional modules and are
restricted to a level not lower than the current level of study
minus one level. In addition, the elective module chosen must
be approved by an appropriate member of staff from the
home discipline as academically valid. The University of
Hull offers a free elective scheme to make its curriculum more
student centred. Students on most undergraduate
programmes can choose one free elective module per
year. Students can choose a module from any department, and
as in any other module, their achievements in the second and
third years of their degree count towards the final degree
classification.

III.

UCD EDUCATION SYTEM

In keeping with the philosophy of Newman, the founder of

UCD, the introduction of the UCD Horizons initiative in 2005
resulted in the development of fully-modularised, semesterised
and credit-based degree programmes. A Degree Programme is
made up of units called modules in different subject areas.
Each module has a set of learning outcomes. Learning
outcomes include: knowledge, understanding, intellectual
abilities, practical skills and general transferable skills. A
module co-ordinator is responsible for delivery of the module
and is typically the full-time academic involved in teaching (or
co-teaching) the module content.
The credit is a unit of currency that reflects the total
workload of a module, and is part of the European Credit
Transfer System (ECTS) that facilitates movement of students
between European Universities. One credit corresponds to 20
to 25 hours of student effort, including attending lectures,
tutorials, practical work, assignments, study, examinations,
etc. A full-time student should normally earn 60 credits in an
academic year (30 per semester).
A Degree Programme is divided into stages, which
correspond to years for full-time students. Each stage consists
of modules at an appropriate level, which amount to 60
credits. Normally, a student should complete each stage (pass
all the modules, earn 60 credits) before progressing to the next
stage. Modules are offered at different levels, to reflect the
degree of difficulty of the material. For example, Stage 1
students would normally take modules at Level 1, which is the
introductory level. However, students may also register to
modules at a higher level, provided pre-requisite and
progression requirements are fulfilled.
A module is typically worth 5 credits (but may be higher),
equating to a student time commitment of about 120 hours in
an academic semester (inclusive of lectures, tutorials,
practicals and autonomous learning). Full-time students
normally earn 60 credits in an academic year (typically 30
credits in semester 1 and 30 credits in semester 2). The extent
to which the learning outcomes are achieved is assessed by a
variety of methods: formal written end-of semester
examinations, continuous assessments and oral examinations.
The result of the assessment of performance in a module is
given as a grade.
Under the re-structured curriculum at UCD, in a given
academic year, students choose core modules from their
specific subject area, and elective modules, which can be
chosen from within the students programme of study (inprogramme electives) or from any other programme across the
entire University (non-programme or general electives). The
philosophy underlying this curricular transformation is to give
the freedom of choice to students to broaden their knowledge
in different areas or deepen their knowledge in their chosen
programme of study. General electives can be categorized as
being either: (a) general interest (e.g. improving foreign

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language competence) or (b) generic/transferrable skills (e.g.

research skills). The general modular structure at UCD is
summarized in Table I. One of the key objectives of
introducing general electives into the undergraduate
engineering curriculum at UCD was to develop the nontechnical attributes listed above in engineering students
graduating from UCD.
TABLE I.

GENERAL MODULAR STRUCTURE AT UCD

Module
Core
Options

Electives

Inprogramme

General

Comment
Students are required to
take these modules
Students
may
be
required to select a
number of modules
from a specified suite
of modules
Students can select a
maximum of 2 modules
from a suite of modules
offered
by
the
programme
Students can select a
maximum of 2 modules
from any programme
across the University,
subject to timetable and
space restrictions

For example, Table II summarises the number of core,

option and elective credits that students of the current fouryear Civil Engineering programme take in each stage (year) of
their studies. In respect of the elective choice, students can
choose either:
(a) two in-programme electives which enable students to
deepen their engineering knowledge,
(b) two non-programme (general) electives which allow
students to widen their knowledge in modules of
general interest to the student or
(c) one in-programme elective combined with one
general elective.
TABLE II.

Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
Stage 4

NUMBER OF CREDITS PER STAGE OF THE 4-YEAR

CIVIL ENGINEERING DEGREE PROGRAMME AT UCD

Core
60
60
60
40

Option
0
0
0
20

Elective
10
10
10
0

their personal interests to take modules outside their core

programme of study. Purcell [10] examined the delivery of the
elective system from the perspective of the academic staff. In
general, it was found that the academic staff were genuinely
interested in promoting the concept of elective modules,
although it did present challenges in simultaneously delivering
material to core and elective students.
IV.

WHAT STUDENTS LEARN

As explained in section III above, UCD students are

required to take core modules that pertain to their discipline
and, in addition, must take one 5-credit free elective (out of a
total of 30 credits) per semester for each of their first three
years of study. The free elective system operates on the basis
that a student may choose a particular elective module from
any area right across the university, subject to satisfying any
pre-requisite modules, timetabling and availability of places
on the module. Since core modules within each discipline are
mandatory, the focus of the subsequent presentation will be on
electives that students freely choose. This section will examine
what modules engineering students tend to choose and the
popularity of engineering modules as elective modules for
non-engineering students.
An examination of the free choice students across the
engineering disciplines are making in relation to deepening
their knowledge of their chosen field of study or broadening
their horizons will be presented. In addition, an examination of
the number of non-engineering students registering for
engineering modules as free-electives will be undertaken.
This analysis will enable the net movement of students (into
or out of the School of Engineering) to be quantified.
Registration records for the modules taken will be used in this
analysis.
Firstly, the subject choices being made by engineering
students are examined. The choices being made by the First
Year Engineering students are taken as an exemplar since this
is a large homogenous group of students. First Year
Engineering at UCD is undenominated across all the
Engineering disciplines and this group of students undertake a
common first year programme prior to choosing an
engineering discipline of their choice in stage 2. Fig. 2 shows
the elective choice of this cohort of students in the academic
year 2014/2015. Examination of Fig. 2 shows that 58% of the
students choose to deepen their knowledge of their core
disciplinary area by choosing to study further engineering
modules; 15% choose modules in the sciences such as physics,
chemistry, computer science, geology and mathematics; 27%
choose humanities modules such as languages, business and
law.

Following the introduction of the elective system in UCD,

Hennessy [9] undertook a study of the student experience of
the elective provision in UCD. Their initial findings suggest
that, when degree structure permits, students are motivated by

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Proceedings of 2015 International Conference on Interactive Collaborative Learning (ICL)

Fig. 2

First Year engineering 2014/2015

categories of elective modules

Secondly, the popularity of engineering modules to nonengineering students will now be examined. In many
engineering modules, clearly students must have undertaken
the necessary prior learning in order to successfully undertake
a particular engineering module. In the case of some of the
more elementary engineering modules, particularly in the
early stages, there are no pre-requisite modules specified. i.e.
modules are open to any students across the university to take
and, thus, it might be reasonably expected that such modules
might be more appealing to non-engineering students.
As an example, CVEN10040 Creativity in Design is one such
module. Through a series of exercises, students' observation
skills, problem solving skills and lateral thinking abilities are
developed. Students are encouraged and actively engaged in
developing creative design solutions, to assigned problems
and to critically evaluate these solutions. Throughout the
process students are introduced to techniques and tools of
problem solving and are encouraged to use these in all their
design work. Observation, visualization and communication
are central to the innovation cycle. Students are introduced to
visual
(sketching)
and
physical
representation
(prototyping/model making), as shown in Fig. 3. Verbal
communication of ideas is developed through in-class
presentation of solutions. The module is assessed wholly by
continuous assessment and there are no terminal examinations.
The number of students registered to this module is shown in
Fig. 4. Examination of Fig. 4 shows that the majority of
students (94%) registered to this module are engineering
students, with a small number (6%) from the sciences and
humanities opting to take this module.

Fig. 3

Students engaging in Structural Engineering challenge

Fig. 4

V.

Breakdown of student registration to

CVEN10040 Creativity in Design module

HOW STUDENTS LEARN

In relation to how students learn, innovative teaching

methods and learning approaches that stimulate active learning
and higher order thinking are increasingly common in higher
education. There are tried-and-trusted techniques that
encourage students to be active-learners:
x
Interactive lectures;
x
Active learning;
x
Peer-assisted mentoring.
Interactive lectures are lectures interspersed with brief inclass activities that require students to use information or
concepts presented in the lecture. Students learn by doing, not
by watching and listening (Felder [11]). One technique for
promoting student engagement is the use of peer-assisted
mentoring, i.e. the use of students more advanced (e.g. postgraduate students) to mentor undergraduate students. Peerassisted mentoring should not be confused with normal
tutoring of undergraduates, in which the tutors are financially
compensated. In peer-assisted learning, there is an educational
gain for both the mentoring students and the mentees and all
students are awarded credit for their respective roles in the
educational arrangement.
An example of active-learning facilitated by peer-assisted
mentoring in the School of Civil, Structural and
Environmental Engineering at UCD is described below (UCD
Teaching and Learning, 2010). The first-year undergraduate

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module in question is Creativity in Design (CVEN10040)

and the postgraduate module is Innovation Leadership
(CVEN40390). The Creativity in Design module provides an
active-learning engineering experience through which students
develop their observation skills, problem solving skills and
lateral thinking and teamwork abilities. Undergraduate
students work in small groups, facilitated by a peer-assisted
mentor (a post-graduate student enrolled on the Innovation
and Leadership module). The undergraduate students
(mentees) must suggest innovative solutions to real-world
problems that are presented to them.
The use of computer-based technology can be particularly
useful in enhancing engagement, in delivering more effective
assessment and in providing timely feedback. Virtual
laboratories can be used to supplement or even, in some
instances, replace physical laboratories. The rationale for
introducing virtual laboratories in the UCD School of Civil
Structural and Environmental Engineering is that, in a time of
diminishing resources, virtual laboratories can go some way to
bridging the gap between demand and capacity to deliver
laboratory-based practicals.

A second example of innovative delivery is the

introduction in the academic year 2013-2014 of two online
modules introducing water engineering to students pursuing a
master of applied science degree (online students). The
delivery of this material to students registered for these
modules enables this cohort of students to take these modules
remotely and at their own pace. The modules are also delivered
in parallel to students who attend in person at the University
(day students). The examination performance of these two
groups of students in the case of one of the water resources
engineering modules is shown in Figure 6 (a) for academic
year 2013/2014 and in Figure 6 (b) for academic year
2014/2015. Examination of the figure shows that:
(a)

For the day students the average GPA was 3.4 in both
academic years;
(b)
For the online students the average GPA was 3.1 in
2013/2014 increasing to 3.8 in 2014/2015.
In addition to the improved GPA of the online students from
2013/2014 to 2014/2015, examination of Fig. 6 shows that
there was increased interest in the student cohort undertaking
the module online, as the delivery has become more
established.

Within the Highway Materials component of the Civil

Engineering Design modules, Stage 4 Civil Engineering
students
have
traditionally
undertaken
laboratory
demonstrations in small groups. To improve the student
experience, a video library of on-site activity and laboratory
testing methods has been developed, facilitating students in
appreciating and understanding the practical elements of their
programme, as illustrated in Fig. 5. Future development of
this innovative method of delivery would be to link virtual
laboratories with on-line MCQ assessment, as illustrated
below:

How do students view virtual laboratories?

x Upload onto Virtual Learning Environment;
x Description of experiment;
x View Video;

Student assessment?
x Assessment linked to learning;
x Multiple Choice Questions on video clip;
x Progression from one experiment to another.

(a)

(b)

Fig. 6

Fig. 5

Comparative examination performance (GPA) of day

and online students (a) 2013/2014 (b) 2014/2015

Developing virtual laboratories

(UCD Teaching and Learning, [12])

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VI.

CONCLUSIONS

Some examples of innovative developments in the

undergraduate Civil Engineering curriculum at UCD have
been described. These initiatives have been introduced to
stimulate undergraduate student engagement through the use
of novel content and delivery methods. Anecdotal evidence
and quantitative student feedback suggests that the foregoing
initiatives have, in general, enhanced the student experience.
In relation to what students study, analysis of the student
registration data would suggest that engineering students,
given the choice to pursue further depth in their core area of
study or breadth outside their programme, generally opt for
the former option. In addition, there would appear to be far
fewer non-engineering students opting for engineering
modules than engineering students opting for non-engineering
modules.
In relation to how students study, novel learning methods
such as the use of computer-based technology that enable
students to undertake digital laboratories and to take modules
remotely using online technology have been introduced and
are gaining traction amongst the student body. In addition,
innovative teaching methods such as peer-assisted tutoring
have been introduced.

Curriculum in Higher Education. London: Falmer Press, 1998.

Felder, R. and Silverman, L., 1998. Learning and Teaching Styles in
Engineering Education, Engineering Education, Vol. 78, No.7, pp. 674681.
[7] Barrett,T. Moore, S. (2010) New Approaches to Problem-based
Learning, Revitalising Your Practice in Higher Education, Routledge
Press.
[8] Cosgrove, T., Phillips, D. and Quilligan, M. 2010. Educating Engineers
as if they were human: PBL in Civil Engineering at the University of
Limerick, 3rd International Symposium for Engineering Education,
University College Cork, Ireland.
[9]
Hennessy, E, Hernandez, R, Kieran, P, MacLoughlin, H; (2010)
'Teaching and learning across disciplines: student and staff experiences
in a newly modularised system'. Higher Education, 15 :675-689.
[10] Purcell, P., Dunnion, J. and Loughran, H., 2013, Experience of Elective
provision at UCD, International Conference on Engaging Pedagogy,
Institute of Technology Sligo, Ireland,
http://icep.ie/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/DunnionPurcellLoughran.pdf
[11] Felder, R., 2009. Active learning: an introduction, ASQ Higher
Education Brief, 2(4), August 2009.
http://www.smith.edu/sherrerdcenter/docs/ALpaper(ASQ).pdf.
[12] UCD Teaching and Learning, Teaching Awards and Grants / Digital
Seed Funding,
http://www.ucd.ie/teaching/awardsgrants/digitalseedfunding/.
.
[6]

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20-24 September 2015, Florence, Italy
Proceedings of 2015 International Conference on Interactive Collaborative Learning (ICL)