High Impact Practices in the Civil Engineering Major at the United States Air Force Academy

Abstract

When implemented effectively and systematically across a curriculum, high impact practices (HIP) have the potential to increase student engagement and result in higher student achievement. The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a four-year military university with a large liberal education core curriculum that provides the foundation for service and officership in the United States Air or Space Forces. Building on the liberal education core, the civil engineering (CE) major’s courses begin with the cornerstone field engineering course, paired with a two-week co-curricular experience for students at an Air or Space Force installation. With its motto “construct first, design later,” the field engineering course is an HIP and quintessential experiential learning course that gives students a practical frame-of-reference for future analysis and design courses. The CE major culminates with another HIP, the capstone design course, which gives students the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, building confidence in their ability to successfully apply those skills to the increasingly complex problems they will face after graduation. This book chapter provides a case study of the CE major at the USAFA, documenting the HIPs across the majors’ program, and highlighting the key elements and benefits of each.

Citation

Sloan, J.A., Beauregard, M.S. and Russell, M.M. (2023), "High Impact Practices in the Civil Engineering Major at the United States Air Force Academy", Sengupta, E. (Ed.) High Impact Practices in Higher Education: International Perspectives (Innovations in Higher Education Teaching and Learning, Vol. 51), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 45-65. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2055-364120230000051004