SPRING 2010 - A Service Learning Structural Engineering Capstone Course - The Assessment of Technical and Non-technical Objectives

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Terk

A structural engineering capstone course at Villanova University integrates technical design work with international service learning to address real-world engineering issues. The study develops, implements, states objectives for, and assesses a course model that combines a service trip with student engineering activities. Results indicate students who participate in the service trip achieve substantially higher non-technical learning outcomes than peers working only on the design project.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages19

Reading Time48 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Capstone pedagogy and externally funded projects

Service-related capstone projects and global service needs

Assessment of technical and non-technical objectives

Villanova University mission and service learning context

Course development and structural engineering capstone design project

| Ad | vances in Engineering Edu | cation | | --- | --- | --- | | | | | SPRING 2010 A Service Learning Structural Engineering Capstone Course and the Assessment of Technical and Non-technical Objectives DaviD W. Dinehart and ShaWn P. GroSS Department of Civil and environmental engineering villanova University ABSTRACT The primary role of a civil engineer is to serve the community; thus, it is essential that students understand the impact of engineering projects on, and the context of engineering projects within, society. One goal of an engineering capstone design course should be to mesh the technical knowledge of the discipline with an encompassing engineering problem that incorporates “real world”issues and challenges. With all of the aforementioned criteria in mind, the objective of Villanova University’s structural capstone course described herein is to integrate technical and non-technical issues through a challenging real world project. This paper presents the development, implementation, objectives, and assessment of a structural engineering capstone course that incorporates an international service project. All data indicates that the students participating on the service trip achieve significantly higher non-technical outcomes compared to those students that work solely on the design project. Keywords: Service learning, capstone, structural engineering, learning objectives, assessment INTRODUCTION engineering capstone courses are often an integral part of an aBet accredited [program. as](program. as)[ ](program. as)evidenced at the national Capstone Design Course Conference in June 2007 at the University of Colorado at Boulder, the pedagogy of teaching capstone courses is very diverse (todd et al. , 1995, Dutson et al., 1997, howe, 2007) . Some universities have dedicated faculty to teach capstone, while others involve all faculty members. Many schools have established programs where 100 percent of the projects are externally funded, and many more programs are attempting to move to this model to have students solve real problems while generating revenue for their college (Jones, 2007, Zable, 2007) . SPRING 2010 1 AdVAnces in engineering edUcATiOn A service Learning structural engineering capstone course and the Assessment of Technical and non-technical Objectives at the other end of the spectrum there has been an increase in the number of service related capstone projects aimed at helping local communities and those without the financial resources to procure engineering services (Martin and haque, 2001, Dekker et al., 2007) . the nature of the service projects is also very diverse. Many projects have focused on providing technical solutions to the needs of local communities (Padmanabhan and Katti, 2002, Grisso et al., 2007), while many look to aid individuals in third World countries around the world (Silliman and Ketchum, 1998. ) the current generation of students seems to have a passion for answering the call to serve a global population, as evidenced by the popularity and growth of organizations such as engineers Without Borders (eWB) and engineers for a Sustainable World (eSW) . in fact, there are universities that partner their capstone efforts with those of their eWB sections (aidoo, 2007, Bielefeldt, 2007) . there are more fundamental needs within the third World, such as providing clean water, safe housing, and education, than the entirety of capstone courses in our university system can solve (Johnson et al., 2007) . the benefits of service projects are many, but one of note is the fulfillment of both technical and non-technical learning objectives. there is also the omnipresent need for assessment of objectives for capstone courses. this is often a challenging endeavor for technical learning in project based courses and can be even more difficult for non-technical objectives. typical instruments include evaluation of student work, rubrics for specific objectives, and stude

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the Villanova structural capstone course described in the paper?

To integrate technical and non-technical objectives through a challenging real-world structural engineering project that includes an international service component.

How does the paper evaluate technical and non-technical learning outcomes?

It discusses assessment approaches such as evaluating student work, using rubrics for specific objectives, and conducting student surveys.

What outcome difference does the paper report between students on the service trip and students who work only on the design project?

Students participating on the service trip achieve significantly higher non-technical outcomes than students working solely on the design project.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Terk