How a system of seismic isolation works to relieve superstructures of their earthquake resisting function at cost savings. (KJ)

The highest rate of accidents and injuries in British industries has been reported by the construction industry during the past decade. Since then stakeholders have recognised that a possible solution would be to inculcate a good attitude towards health and safety risk management in undergraduate civil engineering students and construction…

Following a widespread national trend, in 1996, a new two-credit hour course titled "Introduction to Civil Engineering" was introduced at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC). The class has a one-hour lecture per week, and a two-hour lab or small group session. One reason for the introduction of this class was to provide earlier…

Information technology (IT) professionals face markedly different kinds of challenges in developing countries from the ones in developed countries. Based on the research literature and our fourteen years of fieldwork in Iringa, Tanzania, we have identified eight groups of technical characteristics of IT work that significantly affect the work of…

This paper reports the development of innovative assessment sessions within two core technical courses in Civil Engineering at the University of Queensland. Peer Assessment Learning Sessions (PALS) facilitate a student's peer assessment of a colleague's problem-based learning assignment or tutorial within a "traditional" whole-class…

The shrinking number of new entrants into the U.S. workforce and the smaller proportion of new workers who are well-educated will put organizations dependent on highly qualified personnel in competition for the short supply of qualified individuals. Thus, recruiting strategies will be of increasing concern to many organizations. The research…

Contemporary conditions relevant to the maintenance of occupational control are examined for five professions (accounting, architecture, civil engineering, law, and medicine) in the United Kingdom and the United States as an impetus for the analysis of control by occupations in general. (Author/CT)

Groundwater remedial actions are highly complex projects. During the past 10 years, many remedial actions have begun, but very few have been successfully completed. This paper describes the complexity of groundwater remediation and offers an alternative management approach involving systems movement successfully utilized at a site in the…

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the predictive validity of the 2003 University Student Selection Examination (OSS). For this purpose, freshman grade point average (FGPA) in higher education was predicted by raw scores, standard scores, and placement scores (YEP). This study has been conducted on a research group. In this study,…

Government programs and renewed industrial activity have combined with stable enrollments to create bright job prospects for civil engineers. Areas with good opportunities include highway reconstruction and rehabilitation, water-resource management, and new factory construction. The subspecialty of structural engineering has a growing need in…

The everyday mathematics processes of structural engineers were studied and analyzed in terms of abstraction. A main purpose of the study was to explore the degree to which the notion of a gap between school and everyday mathematics holds when the scope of practices considered "everyday" is extended. J. Lave (1988) promoted a methodology…

Explains the goals of civil engineering in China which include integrated knowledge structure and multi-level knowledge and abilities of innovation, adaptation, cooperation, communication, and organization. Discusses the challenges of student-centered education, dynamics of education organization, and open education. (Author/YDS)

Survey of 25 British civil engineering firms revealed informal and unstructured learning systems, limiting designers' opportunity to gain feedback about their designs. A more systematic learning culture was recommended for project-based industries such as construction. (SK)

People everywhere in the developed world regularly drive on paved roads. Learning about the construction techniques and materials used in paving benefits technology and construction students. This article discusses the use of geosynthetic textiles in pavement construction. It presents background on pavements and describes geotextiles and drainage…

This paper discusses the changing role of civil engineers in developed nations. Transportation facilities generally follow a four phase approach before construction: long range systems planning, corridor location study, design location study, and final preparation of plans. Traditional engineering education emphasized the latter two phases but now…