AECEF NEWSLETTER 1/1994

by Prof. J. Witzany
(courtesy of Prof. W. Durth, Fakultátentag fiir Bauingenieren- und Vermessungswesen)

The question of how to construct a study model for civil engineering courses is currently under discussion at numerous universities. Great attention is being paid to assessing the optimal length of the whole course of studies and of each individual stage. It is a major problem to identify the principal conceptual levels of study programmes.

Since the early 1920s, the professional aspects of study at technical universities have received greater emphasis than an all-round engineering education. This tendency has increased over the years due to the needs of industry; specialized and professionally skilled graduates who can deal with manufacturing processes and cope with practical tasks are needed. On the other hand, it is also evident that graduates from technical universities must be able only to deal with standard engineering tasks but also to initiate and put into practice scientific developments covering a whole range of issues. At the same time, on the basis of their deep theoretical knowledge, graduates must be able to refresh their engineering skills, in the broadest sense of the term, to incorporate the latest developments of science and technology. These issues, however, emphasize the importance of theoretical aspects of the study programme.

The following contribution to addressing this important issue provides an overview of a remarkable study model of civil engineering courses proposed by the Technical University in Darmstadt (FRG).

Objectives of study programmes and assumptions underlying their reform

• first, study reforms must:
  • develop the content of courses,
  • make the study programme more flexible,
  • concentrate on the fundamentals of the specialization;

• students should learn how to develop new methods for solving engineering tasks, how to complete new assignments and how to initiate scientific developments;

• a new teaching concept needs to be found for the special fields of study; specifically aimed actions should help students find ways of solving engineering tasks. Examining methods should be regarded as part of the teaching process. The key issue is to increase the proportion of practical classes in which maximum active student participation is required;

• a three-stage division of courses has been proposed: basic, specialized and intensive. The basic and specialized courses should be identical for all students of civil engineering, so that engineers can be provided with a wide range of different skills and knowledge. Intensive courses should not start before the seventh semester;

• the established division of engineering courses, whereby basic theoretical knowledge (e.g., mathematics and mechanics) is taught early on and then "stored" for later use, should be revised. Such courses should be evenly spread over the whole study period, thus removing the timelag between the teaching of theoretical knowledge and its practical application;

• teaching plans should include lectures and seminars going beyond the traditional borders of subjects and covering technology in a broader sense to supplement highly specialized lectures and seminars;

• a maximum of 25 teaching units per week in each semester (lectures, seminars, indoor practical classes) has been proposed for undergraduates. Practical classes and seminars should make up 40 % of the programme. Due to there being fewer lectures, subject matter to be presented will decrease accordingly. Practical classes will be used for demonstrating methods of solution through examples, and no other subject matter should be presented. Optional courses should comprise at least 5 % of teaching units per week in each semester in each specialization;

• in order to create teaching and examination plans providing adequate time and necessary practical courses, ten semesters are proposed for the study programme. All new material should have been presented by the end of the eighth semester. In the ninth semester, large-scale projects arising from the intensive courses should be completed, an extra time should be provided for individual learning. The tenth semester is for completion of the diploma thesis. Practical classes in this period of study will not exceed ten weeks in length. As there are only ten semesters of effective study time it is apparent that future basic and specialized courses will not cover every area of teaching and research in any given specialization. Additionally, it is necessary to reduce the subject matter in each individual subject to the basic facts and examples of application;

• due to the large amount of material and the number of scientific methods to be presented (in intensive courses), a study programme shorter than 10 semesters is not achievable in civil engineering at a technical university;

• the diploma examination at German technical universities can be considered comparable to examinations at Anglo-Saxon universities. Universities in almost all countries in the study have 5-year study programmes.

Division and range of study programmes

Courses are divided into three stages (see diagram of study model). Basic courses are identical for all undergraduates of civil engineering as regards range of content. They are lead to a preliminary diploma examination.

A specialized study programme necessarily consists of a broad base which is the same for all students as far as courses and schedules are concerned.

The intensive study programme has a large and exemplary character. Students are not to be restricted to their narrow future professional area. Cocal differences at different universities in the matter of intensive study programmes are possible and welcome.

Intensive study programmes first of all include the following aims:

• familiarizing students with scientific methods,

• demonstrating how to elaborate important parts of a large task; integrating various subjects.

Courses that do not fit into the intensive study programme may be completed in the first part of the period provided for the diploma exam.

Optional courses make up an additional 18 % of the credits (i.e. about 35 credits); within each block of study (e.g. construction engineering, hydraulic structures, transportation, etc.) the different courses should be mutually harmonized, thus permitting harmonization of subject matter. This method can be timetabled easily.

Students have 8 semesters to learn the study material. The proposed breakdown for the study programme is as follows:

The border line between basic and intensive study is fluid. Five percent of the credits are to be earned in optional courses. The regular and specialized study programmes will consist of 155 credits (cca 82 % of the total credits). The goal is to provide students with

• natural science principles of civil engineering (mathematics, physics, technical mechanics);

• principles of basic subjects of civil engineering (planning and projecting, construction, calculation and dimensioning, building materials, etc.);

• an engineer's thought and decision making processes when planning and implementing construction projects (planning process, identifying and solving problems, planning model and projecting, social impacts);

• global understanding of additional subjects and integration of individual subjects as projects of civil engineering I and II;

• engineering ability, practical approach to structural tasks through exercises with instruction and projects. A large-scale local project can be used, if available.

• Study period: 10 semesters
  (8 semesters of instruction, 1 semester for intensive study projects, 1 semester for working on diploma thesis and for second part of diploma exam)
• Mathematics and mechanics also in the specialized study programme
• Seminar 'Project' in the regular and specialized study programme
• Five percent of optional courses in all three sections
• Diploma examination consisting of two parts

Examinations are divided into the following sections :

• preliminary diploma examination (partially joining the study programme)

  5 examination subjects

• diploma examination completion of regular specialized study programme mostly in the first part of diploma work

  4-6 examination subjects

• final of intensive study in the second part of the diploma examination

  up to 3 examination subjects
• diploma thesis

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