Due to its positive results, active learning has spread to most areas of knowledge of Civil Engineering. Many of these studies used only one technique, which is limiting given the diverse learning styles that the students may have. The road geometric design is the area that has been the least explored in Civil engineering. Therefore, the objective…

Construction project is a major learning of the civil engineering educational program. However, the related knowledge is difficult to apprehend and assimilate during lectures since it is theoretical and practical work or tutorials on the subject are scarce. To address this issue, the authors developed DOMEGO, a game for teaching construction…

This study explores engineering students' enactment of collective agency and perceptions of professional identity. Empirical data were drawn from observation and group interviews with 30 engineering students in a civil engineering course using a problem and project-based learning (PBL) approach. Using the technique of quantifying qualitative data,…

This paper presents the experience of a group of Construction and Building Materials lecturers following the introduction of a new contest-based gamification activity aimed at improving interest and learning outcomes in the course. Students' motivation is of key importance in utilizing educational activities for study and learning in the subject.…

Engineering education is appropriately concerned with technical problem solving. However, the philosophical tradition has periodically asserted that technical rationality is but one mode of rationality. Informed by experience in both design practice and engineering education the authors agree with Donald Schön that professional artistry is an…

Teaching Project Management module to undergraduate students is important and has been globally considered in multiple academic disciplines by many higher institutions. Students in undergraduate level encounter difficulty in understanding the topic of project management since there have no prior knowledge before the course. This paper aimed to…

This paper presents the implementation of a learning methodology following a student-centred approach. The methodology is based on the use of project based and cooperative learning and mainly consists of commissioning students to prepare a presentation on a topic of their subject. Students work in groups, and later must deliver a real lecture to…

Background: While improved student engagement has been highlighted as an essential goal and a major outcome of Problem and Project-Based learning (PBL), little empirical evidence has been provided regarding types and forms of student engagement. Material and method: The study explored forms of student engagement in PBL settings, drawing on…

In today's industry, employers are looking for civil engineering graduates who have acquired not only substantial technical and scientific knowledge, but who also have good life-long learning skills such as problem-solving, creativity and communication skills. Therefore, it is necessary to leave behind the pedagogical approaches exclusively…

This study seeks to explore whether a combination of traditional teaching methods with project-based learning (PBL) activities can improve the student learning experience in an engineering course of soil mechanics. As an alternative to the traditional type of assignment that consisted of several textbook problems, a project-based assignment was…

This paper presents an innovative interactive scenario framework called ISLEC for the learning of electrical circuits by high school students or beginners of higher education. This framework aims to develop investigative, critical, creative, and decision-making skills by trainees, as well as aiming to tackle and resolve misunderstandings and…

Since 2007/2008 project-based learning models have been used to deliver two fundamental courses on Geotechnics in University of Aveiro, Portugal. These models have evolved and have encompassed either cooperative or collaborative teamwork. Using data collected in five editions of each course (Soil Mechanics I and Soil Mechanics II), the different…

The use of audience response systems (ARSs) or "clickers" in higher education has increased over the recent years, predominantly owing to their ability to actively engage students, for promoting individual and group learning, and for providing instantaneous feedback to students and teachers. This paper describes how group-based ARS…

In this paper, we present a teaching proposal used in an Introductory Physics course to civil engineering students from Porto's Engineering Institute/Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto (ISEP). The proposal was born from the need to change students' perception and motivation for learning physics. It consists in the use of an integrator…

This paper describes the use of project-based learning to teach design skills to civil engineering students at University College Dublin (UCD). The paper first considers the development of problem-based leaning (PBL) as a tool in higher education. The general issues to be considered in the design of the curriculum for a PBL module are reviewed.…