AECEF NEWSLETTER 2/1998

CONTENTS:

• The Fifth AECEF Board Meeting, by Dr. Jiří Váška, Secretary-General

• Transformation of European University Education Systems, by Professor Jiří Witzany, Faculty of Civil Engineering, CTU Prague, (Czech Republic) AECEF President

• 3rd AECEF International Symposium - Civil Engineering Learning Technology 8 - 10 September 1999 Cardiff, Wales, UK - Call for Papers

• EUCEET - European Civil Engineering Education and Training, by Prof. Josef Macháček, AECEF Board Member, Member of EUCEET SC.

• HITTING THE WALL: FUNDING CUTS IMPACT CANADIAN UNIVERSITIES by Dr. M.C.Ircha, P.Eng., Professor of Civil Engineering, Assistant Vice-President (Academic), University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, (Canada)

• BREACHING THE WALL: EMBRACING EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES by Dr. M.C.Ircha, P.Eng., Professor of Civil Engineering, Assistant Vice-President (Academic), University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, (Canada)

• AECEF new members, by Dr.Jiří Váška, Secretary-General

• THE FACULTY OF CIVIL ENGINEERING OF VILNIUS GEDIMINAS TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY HOLDS INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCES - SOME FACTS ABOUT VGTU AND THE FACULTY OF CIVIL ENGINEERING, by Povilas Vainiunas, Chairman of the Conferences, Dean of Faculty of Civil Engineering

The Fifth AECEF Board Meeting

The Fifth AECEF Board Meeting was held at the Technical University of Budapest, Hungary, in May 22-24, 1998.

Professor Jiří Witzany, the AECEF President, Professor B.I.G.Barr, Professor Ákos Detreköi, Professor Manfred Federau, Professor Ralph M.Francis, Professor J.M.P.F.Lemos, Professor P.Vainiunas, Professor K.S.Virdi, and Dr,Jiří Váška, Secretary-General, attended the Meeting. Professor Ladislav Lamboj, Dean of the Faculty of Civil Engineering, CTU Prague, Professor György Farkas, Dean of the Faculty of Civil Engineering, TU Budapest, and Professor Lovas Antal, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Civil Engineering TU Budapest participated at the Meeting sessions as observers.

The Agenda of the Meeting included:

• Opening of the Board Meeting by the AECEF President (Prof. J.Witzany)
• Report of the Secretary-General (Dr.J.Váška)
• Project EUCEET - European Civil Engineering Education and Training (Dr.J.Váška)
• AECEF Newsletter, AECEF Home Page (Dr.J.Váška, Prof.R.M.Francis)
• Preparation of the Third AECEF Symposium - University of Wales, Cardiff, 1999 (Prof.B.I.G.Barr)
• Future AECEF activities (Prof. J.Witzany)

All Agenda items were discussed in details. The most important conclusions of the Meeting are presented in this Newsletter.

The participants of the Fifth AECEF Board Meeting were received by Professor Ákos Detreköi, Rector of the Technical University and members of the University Board for discussion about problems of civil engineering education. They had also the opportunity to visit the Technical University of Budapest and laboratories of the Faculty of Civil Engineering, and discuss there teaching and research activities in the field of Civil Engineering.

Department of Civil and Building Engineering, Loughborough University, (UK) has been accepted as a new member of the AECEF.

The academic staff of the Department cover virtually all the disciplines within the construction industry. The full-time academic staff consists of

The Department has one visiting Professor (from industry) and a Royal Academy of Engineering Visiting Professorship in Engineering Design

The Department is housed in a main teaching block consisting of staff offices, research rooms, lecture and tutorial rooms, computer rooms (undergraduate and postgraduate) and a workroom.

The Department has a well-equipped laboratory building of over 2,000 m² floor area. It contains laboratory space for Structures, Materials, Geotechnics, Water Engineering and Building Services Engineering activities.

ACADEMIC PROGRAMMES

The Department runs the following undergraduate programmes (with current student populations)

These programmes are accredited by the Institution of Civil Engineers/Institution of Structural Engineers, Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers, Institute of Energy, Chartered Institute of Building and the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.

All programmes include a twelvemonth industrial placement. The civil engineering and building services programmes are also offered without such a placement.

Postgraduate programmes are

RESEARCH

Research work in the Department is carried out within eight cognate groupings. These are

The Department organises a regular programme of seminars and each group co-ordinates its own research publicity. There are currently 52 students registered for research degrees and six post-doctoral research assistants.

In the 1996 Research Assessment Exercise the Department made separate returns under Unit of Assessment 28 (Civil Engineering) and Unit of Assessment 33 (Built Environment), gaining ratings of 4 and 5 respectively.

The Department’s total research income for the financial year 1996/97 was GBP 2.044M from Research Councils, Public Bodies, Industry and the European Union.

MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE

Academic Programmes

Each programme has assigned a Tutor with single-point responsibility for managing its operation. The overall management of the programmes is co-ordinated by the Department’s Teaching and Learning Committee, consisting of the Programme Tutors, the Departmental Quality Co-ordinator and chaired by the Head of Department. This Committee meets at least twice a year.

In 1997 the Department formed a Teaching Enhancement Team (TET) from the Head of Department, the Quality Co-ordinator, one Programme Tutor and one other member of staff. The primary objective of the Team is to provide a focus for strategic issues in Teaching and Learning: in particular

• to provide an overview of the Departments existing courses and new course proposals,
• to deal with recruitment across all courses,

Research

Co-ordination of Research support in the Department is carried out by a Research Committee consisting of one representative from each group, and chaired by the Head of Department. The Research Co-ordinator is responsible for all administrative matters relating to postgraduate research students. The Committee is primarily concerned with pan-Departmental issues such as the organisation of seminars, displays and publicity material, and the allocation of studentships.

Financial

Financial administration support to the Head of Department is given by a finance Director, supported by a Finance Committee which has representation from the each of the major departmental groupings.

The Department receives income from the University via a formulaic basis. In the financial year 1996/97 this amounted to GBP 1.9M, of which GBP 228k was available for non-pay expenditure. An overall budget for this expenditure is drawn annually by the Head of Department and the Finance Director and presented to the first staff meeting of the academic year. Individual budget heads are delegated to members of staff to control.

The Department receives an allocation for capital expenditure (GBP 53k direct to the Department in 1997/98). Staff submit bids to a Departmental Finance Committee which ranks the applications and makes recommendations to the Head of Department on equipment to be purchased.

At the AECEF, the Department of Civil and Building Engineering of Loughborough University is represented by Mr.Roger H. MAYO. The address of the Department is as follows: