fundamental areas of civil engineering including structural, geotechnical, hydraulic
and environmental engineering. The teaching of Engineering in higher education
institutes differs significantly from that of other disciplines, such as the Arts or
Humanities, in that engineering degrees are typically subject to a rigorous
accreditation process by the national professional engineering body. In Ireland,
Engineers Ireland (2007) prescribes six programme outcomes for Level 8
engineering degree programmes. The learning outcomes of individual course
modules must therefore map onto one or more of these prescribed programme
outcomes. Digital resources, if used, must therefore not only enable students to
achieve individual module learning outcomes, but also the programme outcomes
specified in the accreditation criteria.
This paper describes how digital resources have been successfully deployed by
academic staff in the teaching of civil engineering subjects to help achieve the
professional accreditation criteria whilst also facilitating an enhanced student
learning experience. The professional accreditation criteria prescribed by Engineers
Ireland and the educational ethos of the Discipline are described. Examples of the
integration of digital resources in the teaching of various programme modules are
presented and are supplemented with some qualitative and quantitative analyses of
anonymous student feedback. It is hoped this paper will provide encouragement and
ideas for teachers of engineering, as well as those of other disciplines, who may be
considering the use of digital resources.
2. Civil Engineering at NUI Galway
Civil Engineering is one of four disciplines in the College of Engineering and
Informatics at NUI Galway, and it is the host discipline for the BE (Bachelor of
Engineering) in Civil Engineering. It is one of the oldest disciplines in the University
and dates back to the opening of the university in 1849, from which time there has
been an unbroken tradition of producing Civil Engineering graduates. Initially, the
degree was three years in duration but this was increased to four in 1958. The
current BE in Civil Engineering is a four-year, full-time course. NUI, Galway
implements the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) with an academic year
being worth 60 credits and 240 credits being required for graduation. By the 1970s,
Civil Engineering had expanded significantly and produced about 50 graduates per
year. From the late 1990s, student numbers increased steadily, due in part to the
enormous demand for Civil Engineers. The numbers reached a peak in 2010 with a
graduating class of 130. More recently, the numbers entering the programme have
dropped due to a decline in the construction industry in Ireland. While class sizes
have fluctuated over the years, the intellectual and technical content of the BE Civil
Engineering continues to evolve and is strong across all branches of Civil
Engineering.
2.1 Educational Ethos and Programme Design
Differences in curricula between subject areas can be effectively demonstrated using
the descriptive framework suggested by Barnett and Coate (2005). This framework
describes different curricula using the three domains of knowing, acting and being
which relate to content, skills acquired and student development, respectively.
Programme curricula can be differentiated by the relative contributions of these three
domains to the programme and the extent of interaction between domains. Barnett
and environmental engineering. The teaching of Engineering in higher education
institutes differs significantly from that of other disciplines, such as the Arts or
Humanities, in that engineering degrees are typically subject to a rigorous
accreditation process by the national professional engineering body. In Ireland,
Engineers Ireland (2007) prescribes six programme outcomes for Level 8
engineering degree programmes. The learning outcomes of individual course
modules must therefore map onto one or more of these prescribed programme
outcomes. Digital resources, if used, must therefore not only enable students to
achieve individual module learning outcomes, but also the programme outcomes
specified in the accreditation criteria.
This paper describes how digital resources have been successfully deployed by
academic staff in the teaching of civil engineering subjects to help achieve the
professional accreditation criteria whilst also facilitating an enhanced student
learning experience. The professional accreditation criteria prescribed by Engineers
Ireland and the educational ethos of the Discipline are described. Examples of the
integration of digital resources in the teaching of various programme modules are
presented and are supplemented with some qualitative and quantitative analyses of
anonymous student feedback. It is hoped this paper will provide encouragement and
ideas for teachers of engineering, as well as those of other disciplines, who may be
considering the use of digital resources.
2. Civil Engineering at NUI Galway
Civil Engineering is one of four disciplines in the College of Engineering and
Informatics at NUI Galway, and it is the host discipline for the BE (Bachelor of
Engineering) in Civil Engineering. It is one of the oldest disciplines in the University
and dates back to the opening of the university in 1849, from which time there has
been an unbroken tradition of producing Civil Engineering graduates. Initially, the
degree was three years in duration but this was increased to four in 1958. The
current BE in Civil Engineering is a four-year, full-time course. NUI, Galway
implements the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) with an academic year
being worth 60 credits and 240 credits being required for graduation. By the 1970s,
Civil Engineering had expanded significantly and produced about 50 graduates per
year. From the late 1990s, student numbers increased steadily, due in part to the
enormous demand for Civil Engineers. The numbers reached a peak in 2010 with a
graduating class of 130. More recently, the numbers entering the programme have
dropped due to a decline in the construction industry in Ireland. While class sizes
have fluctuated over the years, the intellectual and technical content of the BE Civil
Engineering continues to evolve and is strong across all branches of Civil
Engineering.
2.1 Educational Ethos and Programme Design
Differences in curricula between subject areas can be effectively demonstrated using
the descriptive framework suggested by Barnett and Coate (2005). This framework
describes different curricula using the three domains of knowing, acting and being
which relate to content, skills acquired and student development, respectively.
Programme curricula can be differentiated by the relative contributions of these three
domains to the programme and the extent of interaction between domains. Barnett